My name is Jeanne Flynn, and I have been a member of St. Mark’s since 1993. I am

married to Michael, and we have one daughter, Rebecca (Becca) who is 28. I am

currently teaching 8th grade confirmation and am involved with McCleery School, VBS,

bread baking, the Seeker’s women’s group and providing office coverage. Michael and I

also support many outreach programs and feel that this is one of the areas in which we

are called to serve.

As a tenured member of St. Mark’s and, with a social worker’s training and skill, I believe

I contribute to council through my gift of discernment and my ability to relationship

build. I am excited to see how and where St. Mark’s will continue to grow, and I want to

be part of this forward movement. As the probability of new staffing (Pastor & Deacon)

seem very close, this next Council term also brings with it the excitement of newness

and the challenge of adjusting to leadership change. I firmly believe that St. Mark’s can

do this, and I have the energy for this exhilarating work.

My family has been attending St. Mark’s since 2015 and we became members

in 2018. My wife, Alisa, and I have five kids, three of which are now confirmed

members, one is an active member of the youth group and one is active in the

confirmation process. This is my fourth full year on council and third full year as

Treasurer. You can usually find me and my family supporting Saturday night worship.

I’ve also been helping on the Stewardship committee, the property team, the

endowment committee and I am currently one of four individuals who puts the

building to sleep every night. What we love about St Mark’s more than anything is

the people and the sense of community.

Jon Miller is a 20-year resident of Aurora and a member of St. Mark’s since 2007. He

has served in various positions in higher education for 25 years and currently works

at Northern Illinois University assisting students as a First Year Academic Advisor. He

and his wife Pam have been married since 2001 and have three children, Ben (17),

Daniel (14) and Hannah (13), who are active in the Youth Group and Confirmation

programs and attend West Aurora schools. Jon has participated in music ministry as

a member of the Lion’s Voice Choir and the Glory Ringers participates in the liturgy

as a Worship Assistant and is part of the Banner Team. Jon was elected to Council

in 2022 and was asked to fill the role of Secretary later in that year. He has played

an active role on the Stewardship Committee and the fall Stewardship campaign. As

Council Secretary, Jon also authors the Council Happenings information after each

monthly Council meeting.

My wife and I grew up in South Dakota and after college lived in several places.

Our four children were born in Illinois but mainly grew up in Ohio. We moved back

to Illinois five and a half years ago to be near our granddaughter. We attended

Christmas Eve service at St. Mark’s in 2019 and officially joined a year and a half

later. I have been active leading the Outreach group and getting ESSE at St. Mark’s

established. I have served on Council for the last three years which has broadened

my appreciation for how much our members care about helping others and take

action to do so. St. Mark’s has weathered the challenges of the pandemic and

pastoral change with members supporting our staff, Council and each other in so

many ways. I know that we will continue to be there for each other and be a blessing

for our neighbors and community. Thank you for the opportunity to serve this great

congregation.

My name is Matt Greising. My family joined St. Mark’s in 2001. My wife, Faith, and

I have three daughters and four grandchildren. On Church Council I coordinate the

Property Team and provide support for our online presence. In addition to Council

responsibilities, I play with the Glory Ringers handbell choir because I enjoy making

music with an amazing team. I am also a member of the group that bakes the bread

we use for Communion because it is so gratifying to be able to literally feed my

church family.

St. Mark’s is blessed with members who are caring and committed to sharing Christ’s

love with each other and the community around us. I am blessed to be a member.

My name is Mary Mandel, and I became a member of St. Mark’s in 2009 when I was

pregnant with my oldest son. I am married to Craig, and we have three boys, Aidan

(14), Ethan (12) and Ryan (9). The areas that I am most passionate about at St. Mark’s

are the RIC Team where we have made significant strides over the past several years

in becoming a much more outwardly welcoming congregation, and Youth and Family

Ministry. I am currently teaching confirmation but have taught Sunday School for

many years and help with VBS in the summer. I also occasionally play violin in

worship, alone and with my family.

I believe that my gifts to council are my ability to listen to many sides and help

mediate to a resolution (as a teacher that is a necessary skill to have). I am a positive

person, and I am also very driven as well. I am used to working with many different

people and am confident that our council is moving in a solid direction to a common

goal. St. Mark’s is in a good place right now and is

My name is Mark Mueller. I have been a member of St. Mark’s since 1997. I live in Oswego with my wife, Mindy, and our children Lukas and Evelyn. Prior to serving on council, my involvement with St. Mark’s included such committees/activities as the pastoral call committee, synod assembly, The Neighbor Project, and Feed My Starving Children. Since starting on the Council, I have also joined the church property team committee as well as become more involved with assisting during our church services. We at St. Mark’s have undergone, and survived, a lot of change over the past few years and more changes are promised ahead of us. It has been an honor to represent our church in this capacity these past two years and I look forward to continuing this journey and helping in whatever small part I can move our wonderful church and congregation forward!

I’m Recording Secretary for Council. I’ve been the Office Manager at St. Mark’s

since April 2022 and took on the Communications Manager position in October

of 2023. I’ve lived in Aurora for almost 23 years and I recently became a first time

home owner. I have a 15 year old cat named Brat, and a 7 year old Rottweiler named

Reaper that keep me company. Looking forward to seeing where the future might

lead at St. Mark’s.