OUR CHURCH COUNCIL


looking to send feedback to council? Please email COUNCILMEMBERS@OURSAVIOURS.COM


Download Our Saviour's 2023-'24 annual report HERE.


church council will next meet saturday, Nov. 16, from 8-11 a.m. in the celebration conference room.

  • Kathy ewald

    Chairperson

    Kathy and her husband Marcus became members of Our Saviour’s in 2006, prior to the birth of their daughter Sydney. Their daughter has been active in the youth programs since attending The Children’s Center and is now a newly confirmed member of the church and participating in Ignition and Eagle’s Wings. This involvement has allowed Kathy the opportunity to volunteer in numerous capacities with youth ministry over the years. Also in her time as a member, Kathy has participated in various other committees and activities, including: Hospitality, Celebration Clinic, DuPage PADS, Planning Leadership Team, Call Committee, and Council Nominating Committee, to name a few. As part of the Worship Team at the Celebration campus, you’ll most often find her singing at that campus on Sunday mornings. Kathy is passionate about “making Jesus known” by helping others. She not only volunteers in numerous capacities at OSLC, she is also active in her daughter’s school and extracurricular activities as well as volunteers at Loaves & Fishes. Even her career choice is about building others; as a Senior Trainer for Dale Carnegie Chicago, she specializes in programs that help people improve their leadership, human relations, and public speaking skills. She is excited to lend her talents to Council to further the OSLC mission of “knowing Jesus and making Jesus known.”

  • mATT PICKERING

    VICE CHAIRPERSON

    Matt was raised in Lake Bluff, Illinois, and attended North Suburban

    Evangelical Free Church, where he was involved with Awana and other youth functions. He attended Wheaton College, majoring in business/economics. Matt then moved to Chicago, where he met his wife, Sarah. They joined Resurrection Lutheran Church in Lakeview and had strong connections with the congregation and with their pastor, Kelly Faulstich. Both of their boys, Owen (9) and Noah (7), were born in Chicago, but in 2016, they decided it was time to move to Naperville. They were guided to Our Saviour’s by Pastor Kelly, who knew Pastor Brian Wise, and they became Our Saviour’s members in the fall of 2019. Their kids keep them busy; Matt enjoys coaching soccer and baseball, golfing, beach vacations, downhill skiing with the family, and cheering on the Cubs, Bears and Bulls. He looks forward to connecting with everyone at both of Our Saviour’s campuses.

  • cindy Hildner

    secretary

    Cindy Hildner is a lifelong Lutheran who was raised at Salem Lutheran in Rockford and who attended Augustana College in Rock Island. Cindy had membership and involvement in churches in Madison, Wisconsin; Dallas; and Arlington, Texas, before moving moving to Naperville. Since 1994, she has been active with Our Saviour’s attending worship and participating in a variety of programs primarily involved in women's ministries via LIFT (small groups), Bible studies and retreats and in Music via children's choirs. Cindy's husband, Rev. John Hildner, is a hospice chaplain; the Hildners have adult children and a daughter-in-law (Andrew, Elisa, Zachary and Britta) who now live outside the Naperville area. Cindy recently retired as a speech language pathologist and now hs time to devote to supporting Our Saviour’s in its mission of Knowing Jesus and Making Jesus Known. .

  • rebecca Cremin

    Rebecca and her family have been members of Our Saviour's since 2010 when their younger daughter was entering Surge. She has been singing with sanctuary choir ever since and has been involved with C.A.R.E. Moms, the host team, Eagle's Wings, Buds Suds & Grub, the library, garage sale, Surge and Ignition over the years. Rebecca is looking forward to helping advance the missions that Our Saviour's passionately supports and engaging more people in Knowing Jesus and Making Jesus Known.

  • Alan JACOBS


    My wife Julie and I, along with our daughter and two sons, joined Our Saviour's in 2015. We love attending worship at Celebration and being a part of the OSLC community. I am the son of an ELCA pastor and have been active in the Lutheran church throughout my life from Sunday school and youth programs as a kid, small groups as a young adult, etc. I also studied at a Lutheran college for my undergraduate degree, Valparaiso University.


    It is humbling to serve the congregation on council and do God's will. Our future as a church is bright and I am excited to a part of it.   

  • LU KOERPER

    Lu and her husband Marv joined Our Saviour’s in 1984 when they moved from the Peoria area. They were both raised Lutherans and met at Capital University, a Lutheran school in Columbus, Ohio. They have three grown daughters (Lori, Marci, Vicki) and four grandchildren, all of whom live outside of Naperville. Lu has loved working with children, teaching Sunday School and VBS for most of her adult life, and has had the privilege to be a Surge mentor. In her years at Our Saviour’s, she has led a women’s weekly Bible study group and has served as a communion server, prayer minister, PADS worker, wedding hostess, secretary of the Memorial Board, Friends Visiting Friends volunteer, and greeter. She has also participated in Women’s Ministry and in the Active Seniors Group. She hopes to serve on Church Council to help us care for each other, provide ways to share God’s love with others, and provide ways to deepen the knowledge of our Savior in sharing the Good News.


  • DAVE MEVIS

    Dave (he/him), Barb, Molly (26), and Shannon (23), joined Our Saviour’s in 1999, and son Evan (15) was baptized into Our Saviour’s in 2006. They have been active members ever since. Son of a United Methodist minister, Dave recently completed an educational tour of the Holy Land and attends multiple different worship services to worship in different styles, hear the Gospel preached by different pastors, and be in community with more members of Our Saviour’s. Dave’s passions are Youth Ministry and Just Love. He has mentored our jr. and sr. high youth

    (New Hampshire), National Youth Gathering (Houston), Eagles Wings (St. Louis), and many Sleep-out-Saturdays, Youth Auctions, ski trips, and confirmation retreats. Dave is a liaison between the Just Love Planning Committee and Youth Ministry where he seeks to maximize youth engagement and leadership opportunity in this vital ministry. He is committed to bringing racial justice, diversity, and inclusion to Our Saviour’s and to the full participation of the LGBTQIA+ community in all areas of ministry and church life. Dave is active with PADS (10 yrs night crew lead), co-led 2007-08 CRHP Men’s Ministry program, and supports all variety of other Our Saviour’s ministries such as  Baby Care Ministry, Dialogues in Faith, Haiti Scholars, Men’s Bible Study, and Trunk or Treat.



  • David P. Novak

    David serves Lutheran Social Services of Illinois as Vice President of Advancement and as Executive Director of The Cornerstone Foundation, overseeing the philanthropic efforts of both organizations. Previously, David served Valparaiso University as Director of Gift Planning, assisting university alumni in all matters relating to major gifts and charitable estate planning. David also has held executive positions with the ELCA Foundation. He has nearly 30 years of fundraising experience. Prior to his nonprofit work, David worked as an attorney in private practice in Chicago, specializing in the areas of estate planning and probate. David is married to Cindy; they have two children, Samuel and Emily, and have been members of Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, Naperville, Illinois, since 1999. He served on the Mission Endowment Fund Committee for several years and has assisted the congregation with gift

    planning and fundraising efforts. David’s hope for Our Saviour’s is that we continue to share the gifts and resources God has blessed us with for ministry with as many people as possible.

  • BJ OKel

    BJ and his wife, Kelly, have grown up at Our Saviour’s. BJ’s parents started coming to Our Saviour’s when he was two, and he met Kelly through various activities at Our Saviour’s and were married here. They have two children, Elijah (11) and Allison (5), who are both actively involved in Children Ministries at Our Saviour’s. He has been involved in various ministries at Our Saviour’s including hospitality (Communion and Usher), mentor for Junior High and High School, Financial Peace University, Landscape Committee, Council, and the Mega Garage Sale. His hope for the future at Our Saviour’s is to get younger families involved in the life of the faith community, and that the church continues to grow in new ways to help people Know Jesus and Make Jesus Known

  • KRIS REENSTJERNA

    Kris has been a member of Our Saviour’s since 2005 but has connections

    with Our Saviour’s as a charter member of Alleluia Lutheran Church in Naperville as far back as the 1990s. Over the years, she has served on many leadership teams: Women’s Ministry, Dialogues in Faith, Memorial Ministry, Pastor Emily’s Call Committee and the Reconciling in Christ team. She serves as a worship assistant and sings in the Women’s Ensemble. One of her greatest joys is playing pickleball at Celebration with a church group. As a retired school counselor, she has been fortunate to spend time serving with and experiencing several of our church’s global missions and traveling around the world with other members of our faith community. This is an exciting time for Our Saviour’s to be “Church” in our changing, post-pandemic world, and Kris says she can feel new energy invigorating our faith community. She is eager to serve the congregation in new ways and prays for God’s guidance as we look to the future and imagine all that we can be as we work to Know Jesus and Make Jesus Known.

  • kelly volin

    Kelly and her husband, Kean, have attended Our Saviour's since they moved to

    Naperville in 2016. Their three children, Asher, Rae, and Gabriel, are active in the church’s children’s program. Kelly leads the meal ministry, is an active member of a small group and the moms bible study, and has been part of PADS and the worship and service subcommittee, as well as participated in friendship tables. In her free time, Kelly likes to bake, read, travel, and cheer on the Florida Gators. Since joining the church, their family has grown in their faith and has made many lifelong friendships. While on Council (and throughout all aspects of her life) Kelly hopes to exemplify what it means to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

  • jim bono

    Jim Bono has been an OSLC member since 2011. He wrote the charter for the Mission committee and served as chair, wrote the charter for the finance committee and was a member and helped develop the church's budget model. He is passionate about how OSLC will fit within and reach out to our Naperville community in the future. OSLC has a tremendous legacy with Loaves and Fishes, Naperville Cares, and SamaraCare, Jim notes, and can do similar work now while adapting to changes within our church and community.


  • Terese jackway

    Terese and her wife, Tracy Jackway, came to Our Saviour’s in 2011 looking for a great place for their kids to grow up. They loved the children’s programs and enjoyed attending services at both campuses. Terese comes from a music-loving family, and the beautiful choirs along with the amazing musicians at this church bring her great joy. She writes: "This is an exciting time and I’m so looking forward to continuing our long tradition of being a loving and generous community while seeking out new ways to share our love with everyone looking for a church home."

  • theresa thompson

    Theresa and her husband, Scott, joined Our Saviour's in November 2022 because they were impressed by the open and welcoming members of the congregation. Tjeu have attended sessions of Dialogues in Faith, joined a Friendship Table, and hosted a recent book study at their house. Theresa joined the Women's Chorus in fall 2023 and has thoroughly enjoyed the camaraderie of the group. She and Scott enjoy going to all of worship services and appreciate the diversity offered at both of the church's locations.

Annual report

Annual Report


CLICK HERE for the 2023-2024 Annual Report.