My wife, Barbara, and I have been members of Alleluia! since 1997.  I served on Council ten years ago and I am currently on the Lead Pastor call committee.  I have been involved in many committees over the years including the bookstore opening and a fundraising event called The Gala.  I have also worked on a marketing project with Little Blessings and been ushering for many years.  I am currently an Associate Professor of Business at Elmhurst University.  We have two daughters and are proud to be new grandparents to our first grandchild, Carter Mark.

Our family has been members of Alleluia! since March 2014 and started going to services in the spring of 2013.  We have been involved in greeting, ushering, Game Nights, small groups, Feed My Starving Children, Operation Christmas Child, and Men's and Women's Ministry.  My wife, Megan, and I have loved watching our daughters, Kaylee (5) and Abby (1) group up in Alleluia!

I'm currently leading a group called F3 Plainfield (fitness, fellowship and faith) which plants, grows and serves small men's workout groups for the development of male community leadership.  For work I am currently leading a sales team within K-12 Education Technology that helps facilitate learning in the classroom.

My husband Rick and I joined Alleluia! about 24 years ago. Our daughters, Morgan, now 22 years old, and Rachael, now 20 years old, were born soon after. One of the best things to happen to us as a young family was to be connected to a small group, with whom we have been sharing our faith journey ever since. I began working as the Alleluia! Small Group Coordinator (this title was later changed to Adult Ministries Director) in 2007. In this role I discovered the passion that I still have today for bringing people together in community, not only in small groups, but also in larger fellowship events. In 2017, I resigned from Alleluia! in order to pursue my chosen career in mental health. I worked as a therapist for a few years, and have been leading a team of mental health professionals for the past four years. I am humbled and honored to have been asked to fill the council seat that is currently vacant at Alleluia! I pray for God’s wisdom and grace to guide our church forward during this time of transition.

The Raczak family has resided in Naperville and attended Alleluia! since 1996. My wife Mimi and I have two adult daughters, Kristin and Anne.

My degrees include a Bachelor of Science in Education and Special Education and a Masters of Science in Special Education from Northern Illinois University.

In my early years at Alleluia, I participated as a member of the stewardship committee under Pastor Michael Nelson. This involvement spanned several years. I have also served as the Church Communicator for the Alleluia! Council for 2+ years. Although a non-voting member, I had the pleasure of assisting several Councils. In 2017-2018, I was elected to the Church Council as a full voting member.

Volunteer activities for the Raczaks have been varied throughout the years. They

have included: landscaping, Loaves and Fishes volunteer coordinator, DuPage Pads volunteer, communion servers, Alpha clean up crews, event night set-up crews, Race for a Mission volunteers, pancake breakfast crews, and Game Night scorekeepers.

I am currently retired. I have served children as a teacher, consultant, and special education administrator. For the last 20 years in my career, I was a principal in Indian Prairie District 204. I have also served several professional and community boards, which have included the Association of Persons with Severe Handicaps, Association of Illinois Middle Schools and the Indian Prairie District 204 Board of Education. In my tenure on each Board, I was blessed to serve as President.

My name is Jenn Vrba, and our family has been members of Alleluia! for 10 years. I

attended college at ISU where I met my husband, Mike, and earned my degree in

elementary education. I taught kindergarten before staying home when we had our

oldest daughter, Addie who is now 14. We have 2 other children, Brandt who is 12 and Brielle who is 8. One of the things that drew us to Alleluia! was the many opportunities to serve others through our mission partners. We believe it is important to teach our children to help others whenever we are able, which is why our family loves being involved with Feed My Starving Children, Operation Christmas Child, Compassion, and Hope Marketplace. I enjoy being active in our church and have volunteered in many different areas including KidsConnect, VBS, Communion Server, A.R.T. Committee, and recently helping with our social media content. 

A few years ago, I came out of “retirement” to teach preschool part time at the preschool our kids went to. During Covid, I started a Home Décor business which has grown over the past 2.5 years. I now have a small home décor store in Plainfield called Simply Embellished.

We have been blessed to have many incredible life moments here at Alleluia! and have met and made some of our closest family friends here. As a member of council, I look forward to moving Alleluia! forward and pray for God’s guidance through this period of transition.

My name is Sara White.  I live in Oswego with my husband, Matt, and our three children, Aaron (11), Aaliyah (8), and Aria (almost 2).  I am an elementary art teacher in East Aurora. My husband and I have been members at Alleluia! since 2008, and I was also born and raised in an ELCA church.  I have been involved in a variety of areas at Alleluia! including volunteering for KidsConnect and VBS, small group ministries committee, and various planning committees for women’s events.  I look forward to this opportunity to serve Alleluia! on Council.