SJLCHATHAM.ORG - Key Persons

Catherine Davis is married to Brent and they have 3 children together- Logan, Ethan, and Aurora. All three of her kids attended Preschool here at St. John's Lutheran Church and from there she became the secretary here at St. John's. Catherine is active in Scouting with her boys and spends a lot of eventTime on the football fields with the boys and at the gym watching Aurora do gymnastics. When she isn't busy being a mom she loves relaxing at home, watching movies, and playing all sorts of games. Catherine's favorite Bible verse is Philippians 2:8 "Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." She believes that this verse shows the perfect example of Jesus' obedience and inspires her to live likewise.

Deborah "Debbie" Trautmann moved to the area in 2008 with her husband Mark and four children: Brandon, Cortney, Caitlin, and Arial. They also have a dog, Grace, and a cat, Jonas. Debbie attended Robert Morris College and Carl Sandburg College. She has been a preschool teacher since 2003 and has been at St Johns as a preschool teacher aide since 2008. Debbie recently remarked, "I have the best job in the world. I am very active in my church, love spending eventTime with my family, going on walks, and am very blessed by what God has done in my life."

Rev. Kevin Wendorf Rev. Kevin Wendorf was born December 10, 1971 to Roger and Erna Wendorf. He was raised with his two brothers in Cottage Grove, Minnesota. He received his B.A degree at the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 1994. After college, Pastor Wendorf worked at the Minnesota Department of Corrections as a counselor, working with delinquent youth in Red Wing, Minnesota from 1994 to 2000. He was accepted to the Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 2001. After completing his Master of Divinity in the spring of 2005, Pastor Wendorf's first call was to St. John's Lutheran Church - Ash Grove in Onarga, Illinois where he served from 2005 to 2014. His second call was to St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Havana where he served from 2014 to 2019. He has been called to St. John's Lutheran Church in Chatham, Illinois where he will be installed on January 12, 2020. He is married to Barbara (Torbeck) Wendorf. Pastor and Barbara have been blessed with three children, Matthew, Michael, and Elizabeth. Pastor and Barbara enjoy walking, riding bikes, reading, and watching classic films.

Stephanie Hill is a mother of three and married to her husband, Tom. In her own words: "I have been working with children since I was fifteen! I enjoy being outdoors, taking walks, playing board games and spending eventTime with my family! I am looking forward to teaching and getting to know all your little ones!"

The Reverend Mark Allan Miller was born on November 2, 1955, in Oak Park, Illinois, to Robert and Harriet (nee Hyman) Miller [both are now deceased]. He is the oldest of three children, having a brother David, and sister, Joy. He was baptized (Dec. 11, 1955) and confirmed (May 18, 1969) at Faith Ev. Lutheran Church of Cicero, Illinois. In June of 1973 he graduated from J. Sterling Morton (East) High School, Cicero, Illinois. He then began preparation for the Lutheran ministry at Concordia College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He also attended Concordia Senior College (Ft. Wayne, IN) and Concordia College in Ann Arbor, Michigan from which he received his B. A. in Religious Studies (minor in philosophy) in 1979. He graduated from Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, Indiana with a Master of Divinity degree on March 4, 1983. He served his vicarage from 1981-1982 at Our Savior and First English Lutheran churches of Crookston and Eldred, Minnesota. He was ordained and installed at Immanuel Ev. Lutheran Church in Laurel, Nebraska on April 10, 1983. From 1983-1989 he also supplied ministerial services to St. Paul Lutheran Church, Carroll, Nebraska. He was pastor at First Lutheran Church of East Grand Forks, Minnesota from 1989-1991. He served as Associate Pastor at St. John Lutheran Church of Pekin, Illinois beginning in August 1991 and became the Senior Pastor in May of 1994. He was appointed or elected to positions in the church at large in various capacities and in various organizations. He also served as the chairman of the CID Board of Directors and was a member of the CID Mission Commission and its Evangelism Commission and, now serving a third term, was first elected in July 2012 to be President of the Central Illinois District of the LC-MS. He also serves as assistant pastor at St. John's Lutheran Church in Chatham, IL. For fun and his mental health, he sang as a baritone in the Peoria Area Civic Chorale (2000-2012). On May 29, 1976, (now 42 years) he was united in marriage to Debra Ann Howard of Waukegan, Illinois, the daughter of Rufus and Caroline Howard. Mark and Deb have been blessed by God with four children: Adam Joshua Edward (b. 1980) and daughter-in-law Rebecca, Aaron Jacob (b. 1982) and daughter-in-law Courtney, Bethany Lynn (b. 1984), and Christopher Martin (b. 1986) and they have six grandchildren.