THE VILLAGE CHRISTIAN CHURCH - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Minooka Children 's Pastor
Amy leads Kid Village for infants - grade 3 and Pulse 45 for students in grades 4-5 at the Minooka Campus. Her goal is to create a fun, safe, and secure environment where kids can learn about Jesus! She loves Jesus and is an expert at living out our core value of no boring here, as she interjects fun into all that she does. Amy ensures that Kid Village at all campuses is aligned with the church mission - to help people experience life change, life growth, and life purpose.
Amy was raised in Minooka, Illinois and attended St. Mary's Catholic Church. She studied Early Childhood Development in college and has a passion for working with kids. She managed a home daycare before being called into ministry.
Amy and her husband, Chris, live in Essex with their son and daughter. They have been attending The Village since 2008.
Job Titles:
- Seneca Pulse Co - Director
Brittany grew up on a farm just outside of Seneca in Verona, IL and currently lives just down the road from where she grew up. Her family attended First Christian Church in Morris, IL where Nate Ferguson was the youth pastor.
In 2010 she began attending The Village in Minooka when her brother, Nick Sandeno, asked her to join him as a chaperon as he took students to camp. That year she developed a love for student ministry.
Brittany was a member of the core team that launched the Seneca Campus and after a taking a year off, has been attending and serving there for the past year.
"There is so much God is doing and families he's reaching through our student ministry and I'm so excited to be apart of that and watch as he transforms lives." - Brittany
Job Titles:
- Communications Director / Pulse Student 's Pastor
Cailey loves Jesus and is an expert at living out our core value of no boring here, as she interjects fun into all that she does. She started as a volunteer, then joined the staff as the Pulse Sr. Director, and in November 2023 made the decision to answer God's calling to get ordained. Cailey has been serving as the Pulse Student's Pastor and is using her talents and energy as the Communications Director.
Cailey grew up in Morris, Illinois and lives there with her husband, Kevin, two kids, and Gidget, their goldendoodle. In addition to being on staff at The Village for student ministry, she also serves as one of our Online Campus Hosts.
Cassi's goal as Connections Leader is to help people experience Life Growth through a range of discipleship opportunities in our church community. She will be working with new guests as well as people that have been around for a while, but haven't yet connected in a group. Cassie had this to say, "As people grow, may their life reflect God's love, compassion, and mercy to our community."
Cassi was born and raised in Channahon. She received her teaching degree at the University of Illinois, and came back home to marry her high school sweetheart and begin a family. She lives in Channahon with her husband Tim and three children.
Charlie loves Jesus and has a heart for people. He is passionate about helping others discover their God-given spiritual gifts and connecting them to their true purpose in Christ. Charlie oversees operations at the Minooka Campus including Human Resources, Finances, Security, and more.
Charlie was born and raised in Central Florida and attended Drew Park Baptist Temple. Later in his teens he accepted Christ as his Lord & Savior. He is a military veteran of the U.S. Air Force, studied Business Administration at Bellevue College, and has held various senior level positions in logistics for 30+ years in corporate America before being called into ministry.
Charlie and his wife, Bev, live in Joliet with their puppy Gracie. They have 3 daughters, a son-in-law, and 2 granddaughters.
Dan grew up in Channahon, IL and now lives in Coal City with his wife, Abbi and their two kids. He is a graduate of Lincoln Christian University.
Dan's passionate about fostering an environment where students can authentically be themselves, feel connected and loved. His desire as Pulse Director for Pulse Jr. Coal City Campus is for students to know who God is, who He says they are, and to know how that impacts their lives. In addition, helping students find their way to refocus on Jesus and remember to be present in each moment of their day because it can be so easy to get distracted and lose focus. He enjoys drinking lots and lots of coffee and connecting with others, whether playing a game, a sport or over one of those many cups of coffee.
Job Titles:
- Seneca Pulse Co - Director
Jon has lived in Seneca his whole life, and is so grateful for that.
"It's amazing to see what God is doing through The Village to change the community." - Jon
He attended the Minooka campus a few times over the years, but didn't start attending regularly until the Seneca Campus opened.
Jon is thankful to see what God is doing through Pulse. Seeing students come to know Jesus, showing up every week excited to learn about Him. He hopes to help continue to build and grow Pulse and that it will be a tool God uses to give the students a true foundation in Him to help set them up for a lifetime of friendship with God.
Justin's prayer each Sunday as he leads worship at the Coal City Campus is that he would simply stay out of the way and allow the Holy Spirit to move in only ways that He can. Justin had this to say, "At 43 I find it hard to believe that the Lord has led me to this opportunity and yet, this is something that only He could do. I see myself in this Worship Leadership role encouraging others to respond to who God is, not just when we're all together and not just in song, but through the thick and thin of our day-to-day lives."
Justin grew up in Morris, Illinois, interned (and volunteered) at First Christian Church in Morris for a couple of years before attending Cincinnati Christian University where he earned a degree in Leadership and Ministry.
Justin and his wife, Julie, live in Braidwood, Illinois with their daughter and son.
Kelsie served on the worship team at the Minooka and Seneca campuses for four years before coming on staff as the Seneca Worship Leader in January 2024. Her passion for Jesus paired with her gift of singing brings a great combination to the Seneca Campus. Her excitement overflows to see what God will continue to do in and through the church within the Seneca community, and she is ready and willing to be used by Him for His purpose.
"Worship is such a beautiful and intimate act of love and praise, and I am blessed to be able to help lead the people of our church into a closer, more meaningful relationship with Him through worship." - Kelsie
Kelsie lives in Seneca with her husband, Neil, and their four children.
Job Titles:
- Seneca Children 's Director
Megan leads Kid Village for infants - grade 3 at the Seneca Campus. Her experience, joy and passion for kids fit perfectly with her goal to build a fun, loving environment. Megan is excited to share her love of Jesus with the kids, build a strong faith foundation and further the mission of the church - to help people experience life change, life growth, and life purpose.
Megan and her husband, Dustin, live in Marseilles with their three daughters. They started attending The Village Minooka Campus in 2014.
Nate provides vision and strategic direction for The Village. He leads the staff to ensure the church stays on mission, to help people experience Life Change, Life Growth, and Life Purpose.
Nate is passionate about teaching the Bible in a way that people can understand and apply to their lives. He speaks from his heart in an honest and transparent way. He communicates in a way that is relevant and you can understand. Nate is passionate about helping people find life in Jesus and he can't wait to see what God has planned for the future.
Nate is a country boy from western Illinois. He attended Burnside Christian Church, where his dad was a Pastor. Nate received his graduate degree from Lincoln Christian University, and then worked as Youth Pastor at First Christian Church in Morris, Illinois. First Christian Church challenged Nate to plant a church in Minooka resulting in The Village Christian Church, which opened October 2004.
Nate and his wife, Rachelle, live in Channahon and have 2 adult boys and a daughter-in-law.
Patrick is gifted at fostering spiritual growth, community engagement, and outreach. His passion for ministry and heart for the people of Seneca aligns perfectly with the church's mission: To help people experience life change, life growth, and life purpose.
Patrick is excited about meeting people where they are and providing opportunities for families to get plugged into a community that will encourage one another."
In addition to being the Community Pastor, Patrick works at a family business. He had this to say about the bi-vocational role, "God made it clear to me that I was to remain in business as well as ministry."
Patrick was born and raised in Seneca, Illinois. He earned a degree in Social Studies education and played football at Concordia University Chicago. He and his wife, Alyssa, have three children and have been attending The Village since 2014.
Job Titles:
- Teaching Team Trainer & Speaker
Rachelle has been an integral part of The Village since its beginning in 2004. She enjoys serving on the Teaching Team and with Pulse Students. She is passionate about the purpose of the local church and is willing to serve anywhere that the Lord leads to show others that they belong to the Kingdom of God.
Rachelle grew up in southern Illinois and attended First Christian Church of Oblong. She attended Lincoln Christian University and Illinois State University gaining a bachelor's degree in both Bible and Elementary Education.
Rachelle lives in Channahon with her husband, Nate, and they have two adult sons and a daughter-in-law.
Job Titles:
- Coal City Children 's Pastor
Sara leads Kid Village for infants - grade 3 and Pulse 45 at the Coal City Campus. Her experience, joy and passion for kids fit perfectly with her goal to build a fun, loving environment. Sara is excited to share her love of Jesus with the kids, build a strong faith foundation and further the mission of the church - to help people experience life change, life growth, and life purpose.
Sara was born and raised in Morris, Illinois. In 2005, Sara and her husband Kevin began attending The Village, and she has been serving in kids ministry ever since.
Kevin and Sara reside in Dwight where they are raising their three kids.
Sarah loves Jesus and sharing the good news with others. Sarah joined the staff after volunteering with the Communications Team and finding she loves utilizing social media to spread awareness about Jesus and The Village Christian Church. She understands that social media is a ministry that has unique opportunities to equip and encourage all people. Sarah enjoys being able to help further God's Kingdom while using creativity to encourage believers and reach those who are not.
Sarah grew up in Morris, Illinois. She earned a Bachelor's of Special Education from University of St. Francis and a Master's of Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Lewis University. Her expertise in mental health pairs perfectly with our social media ministry.
Sarah and her husband live in Morris with their two canine children, Chase and Rocky.
Hearing you give praise through song is one of Sarah's greatest joys. She believes God moves through those moments, when we let our guard down allowing ourselves to be vulnerable. It's her prayer that we can continue to cultivate these moments. She leads the Worship and Tech Teams and manages the service flow across all campuses.
Sarah grew up in Carthage, Illinois and attended Burnside Christian Church where her dad was the Pastor. She has a bachelor's degree in Music Education and has been involved in worship since high school.
Sarah lives in Joliet with her husband Luke, son and daughter.
Savanah is passionate about creating a space where students feel loved and encouraged as people and in their walk with Jesus. Her goal as Pulse Director for Pulse Jr Minooka Campus is to equip the students to live out who God created them to be and see themselves as disciples and vital to kingdom work.
Savanah grew up in Seneca, Illinois and lives there with her husband, Phil, and their five kids. The family has been attending The Village since 2017.
Job Titles:
- Administrator
- Seneca Community Administrator
Job Titles:
- Co - Director
- Seneca Pulse Co - Director
Job Titles:
- Communications Coordinator
Shannon has a heart for Jesus and carries that passion through in all she does on the Communications Team. She oversees Enews, our weekly email newsletter, manages our databases, updates the website and so much more. Her gift for organization ensures we are communicating in a clear, consistent and timely manner.
Shannon spent her childhood traveling with her father from coast to coast and then settled in Wilmington, Illinois. She has a big heart to serve the Lord. You may see her onstage when she volunteers on the Worship Team or serving on the Tech Team.
Shannon and her husband, Tony, live in Minooka with their two boys.
Tim led the Building Team when the church was built in 2004 and now volunteers as our Facility Manager. He uses his construction knowledge and experience as he maintains the Minooka Campus keeping it safe and looking good.
Tim grew up in southern Indiana, and was raised in Baptist and non-denominational churches. He studied civil engineering at Purdue University and is employed as an engineer.
Tim lives in Morris with his wife, Susan, and two daughters.
Job Titles:
- Seneca Community Administrator