Welcome to our new pastoral staff members
Sep 4, 2009
Rev. Mark Buck is our new Interim Associate Pastor for Mission and Membership. He will work with our Deacons, Faith in Action Committee and New Members Committee, as well as providing worship leadership and pastoral care. Mark will be with us 30 hours a week during the search for our new called Associate Pastor.
Mark was selected from a field of about 30 candidates by our interim search committee. He brings a wealth of pastoral experience, as well as 11 years of service as a transitional pastor. Mark is a graduate of Elmhurst College and Eden Theological Seminary and has been ordained in the United Church of Christ for 35 years. He has served congregations in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Missouri. He and his wife, Jane, live in Highland, IL, and they have a son and daughter-in-law who live in Iowa.
In his ministerial profile, Mark identifies these priorities in his ministry: Worship, mission and ministry within and beyond the local church; proactive administration; and maintaining a healthy spiritual life through study, prayer and meditation as well as self-care.
Mr. Jeffrey Foels is our new seminary intern, who will be with us two days per week during the upcoming school year. He will work with each member of the pastoral staff and be involved in all the ministries at First United. You will also see him leading worship on a regular basis and making pastoral calls.
Jeff is a graduate of St. Olaf College and a third-year student at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. He was raised in the First Presbyterian Church of Stillwater, MN, where he served as a member of a Pastor Nominating Committee, an elder, and a senior high youth director. During his seminary years, Jeff has served as a teaching assistant in Greek class and last summer he participated in a six-week archeological dig in the Holy Land.
Julie will be his primary supervisor during the year, and he will meet with a lay ministry support team monthly, which includes Pauline Coffman, Ann Armstrong, Robert Marseille, Janet Leong, and Hortense Lindsay.