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Joseph A. Shank
Senior Pastor
jas@wcc-joinus.org
Joseph A. Shank, Senior Pastor has served Winnetka Congregational Church since
August of 1992. An ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, Joseph has
more than twenty five years of pastoral experience. His parish work has
included stops in North Beverly, MA and South
Portland and Yarmouth Maine. He holds degrees from Miami University, Oxford
Ohio, and Harvard Divinity School.
Under Joseph’s leadership, WCC has realized resurgence in the participation of
young families and their children, junior and senior high youth and Sunday
worship |
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If you would like to learn more
about our church, just send an email to any of our staff members. They'll be
delighted to tell you more.
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attendance. In 1996-1997 his leadership was key in directing a five
million dollar campaign to build our lovely fellowship and educational wing.
Joseph is the primary preacher, develops the worship services, and directs the
program staff. He serves as secretary to the Board of Trustees of the Chicago
Theological Seminary and has served his denomination at the national level.
Joseph is married to Leslie Walker Shank, an elementary school teacher in
Winnetka.
Joseph’s interests include theater, travel (especially trips to
Guatemala and Honduras), golf, scuba diving, and baseball.
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Jennifer A. Gleichauf
Associate Pastor
jenny@wcc-joinus.org
Jennifer A. Gleichauf has served Winnetka
Congregational Church since the fall of 2005. An ordained minister in the
Presbyterian Church (USA), Jennifer graduated from McCormick Theological
Seminary with a Masters of Divinity and from Northwestern University with a
degree in music. She has previously worked at Fourth Presbyterian Church, First
Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights and First Presbyterian Church of
Deerfield. Jennifer currently serves on the board of Interfaith House, an
organization long affiliated with WCC. She oversees all children and youth
programming, small group ministry, mission outreach and a variety of other
programming while also participating in the leading and planning of worship
services.
Jennifer is originally from Racine, Wisconsin but has lived in Chicago for 14
years and currently lives in the Rogers Park neighborhood. She is married to
Brian Gleichauf, a high school math and science teacher at the Chicago Waldorf
School. Jenny enjoys music, theater, travel, reading, and movies. |
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William A. Mueller
Associate Pastor
bill@wcc-joinus.org
William A. Mueller
is a native-born
Evanstonian and grew up on the northwest side of Chicago, graduating from Lane
Technical High School “back when it was all boys.” Bill received his Bachelor
of Arts degree in psychology in 1974 from the University of Illinois at Chicago
“back when it was Circle campus.” He returned to Evanston where he attended and
graduated from
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
with a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree in 1978.
Ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church, he served as pastor of local
congregations in Chicago and suburbs for nearly twenty years before returning to
graduate school at
Loyola University Chicago: Graduate School of Social Work
where he received his Master of Social Work (MSW) degree and now serves as
Adjunct Professor and Academic Advisor. In addition to pastoral care &
visitation and adult enrichment, Bill provides clinical supervision to social
work students at local agencies that our Woman’s Society Benevolence and
Outreach Mission Giving/Doing teams support such as
The Night Ministry
and
Family Promise.
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Bill’s ministry includes working in hospice and mental health, and serving as a
pastoral counselor with the
Samaritan Counseling Center
which was founded by Winnetka Congregational Church as The Institute for
Living. He is a member of the
American Association of Pastoral Counselors
(AAPC) and has earned the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) in pastoral counseling and
the Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) degrees from the
Graduate Theological Foundation.
Bill is married to Judith who is a Vestry member and Lay Eucharistic Minister at
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Evanston where they reside. Judi is a volunteer
at the Chicago Botanic Garden where she works in the Herbarium in the new
Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center. |
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Paul S. Allen
Pastor Emeritus
The Rev. Paul S. Allen was senior pastor at WCC from 1966 to 1991, a period
when public issues were posing through ethical challenges for Christians, and
under his leadership the church worked to form faith in the nurturing atmosphere
of a caring community and to provide programs for putting faith in action in a
needy world.
Born in the Middle East of missionary parents, Paul’s first career choice after
graduating from Wheaton College in 1948 was journalism. Six years later he
entered McCormick Seminary in Chicago accompanied by a wife and daughter. After
a stint on the pastoral staff of Fourth Presbyterian Church in downtown Chicago,
he became senior pastor at WCC. He served WCC at a time when our nation was convulsed by the civil
rights struggle, divided by an
increasingly violent and seemingly pointless war in Vietnam, concerned about
poverty and decay in the inner-city, and soon to be dealing with feminist and
gay rights movements. |
Paul and his wife Marilee
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other things, the congregation raised a loan fund to help poor congregations
in Chicago as part of WCC’s own centennial celebration in 1974. It took
leadership in forming the North Shore Interfaith Housing Center to foster
open housing. Paul chaired a multi-church “Peace Emphasis” week in Winnetka
during a critical Cold War period. Later, the Women’s Exchange was
organized, Harkness House for Children was founded, and the congregation
shared worship, fellowship and service experiences with the African-American
Friendship Baptist Church in Chicago. All this happened as pastors and lay
leaders sought to build an open, caring community where conflicts could be
aired and differences mediated. In the 1980’s Paul earned a Doctor of
Ministry degree in pastoral care. Since retirement, Paul and his wife, Marilee, have continued to live in
Winnetka and have watched the church’s progress with love and pride. One of his
major retirement activities has been helping to organize Interfaith House, a
respite care agency on Chicago’s West Side where homeless persons can
recover from hospital stays. In July, 2004 Interfaith House Founders
Award was presented to Paul Allen
in grateful appreciation for his work.
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Robert Harris
Director of Music/Choirmaster
music@wcc-joinus.org
Robert Harris was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. His mother was a
Methodist and his father a Baptist. It was at the Tabernacle Baptist Church
where his father was one of the lead tenors in the choir, that Robert first
heard and came to appreciate the anthems, spirituals, cantatas and oratorios
— choral music that became and continues to be a central part of his musical
endeavors.
He received his undergraduate degree in choral music education, and his
master’s degree in musicology from Wayne State University in Detroit. Robert
received his doctorate degree in composition and theory from Michigan State
University and was a member of the faculty there for seven years prior to
coming to Northwestern in 1977 where he presently holds the position of
Professor of Conducting and Director of Choral Organizations as a member of
the faculty of the NU School of Music. |
Robert has served as a guest professor at Wayne State University, the
University of Texas (Austin) and the University of South Africa in Pretoria.
He has served as a guest conductor and choral clinician throughout the
United States as well as in Europe, South Korea, the Republic of China, Hong
Kong, South Africa and in Argentina. Church music has always been an
important part of his life and Robert has held several positions at various
churches wherever he has lived. Prior to coming to WCC, in 2006, he served
as Choirmaster at the Trinity United Methodist Church in Wilmette from 1978
until 2004.
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Elaine Clemens
Director of Children's Music/Organist
music@wcc-joinus.org
Elaine Clemens was raised in West Palm Beach, Florida. Her family was
very active in the Methodist Church. After studying piano since the age of
five, she began organ studies at the age of fourteen. Her organ teacher
trained her to be a concert performer as well as a church musician.
She attended college at George Peabody College for Teachers in Nashville,
Tennessee. Her major was Music Education with an emphasis on organ.
After graduating from college she moved to Evanston and served as
assistant organist-choir director at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. |
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Her next position was for 23 years as organist-choir director at First
Congregational Church in Wilmette where she directed the Chancel Choir,
Children’s Choir, Handbell Choir, and directed the high school music each
year. She then served as organist and children’s choir director for six
years at Trinity Methodist Church in Wilmette where she teamed with Dr.
Robert Harris, of Northwestern University. Elaine has taught at The Joseph
Sears School in Kenilworth as well as Lincoln and Willard Schools in
Evanston. She now teaches K-5 at Dewey School in Evanston. She also serves
as staff accompanist for the choral department at Evanston Township High
School. Elaine recently received her Master’s Degree in School Leadership
from Concordia University. In addition to her aforementioned professional
activities, she also serves as Program Director of the Justin Wynn
Leadership Academy in Evanston. |
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