Spotlight on Jan Bruesch

In today's Spotlight post, get to know Jan Bruesch a little better! She’s a long-time member and dear friend of Savior’s.

How long have you been attending Savior? And how did you first learn of Savior?

I’ve been going to Savior since the summer of 2006 or 2007.  I first heard about it from Linda Richardson, who I worked with as we were both a part of the Early Childhood diagnostic team in District 41 in Glen Ellyn. I remember sitting at a table waiting for an IEP meeting to start and she told me she and Bill had started an Anglican Church in West Chicago. She gave me the location and time and I let a year go by before I took her up on her invitation to “come and see”. I went and basically never stopped. I was hungry for a church that had what I called “Teaching” sermons and I found it at Savior.

Describe how you've encountered God through your time at Savior? 

So, I met God through the preaching, no matter who was doing the preaching. I have also encountered God through The Holy Week services. I remember we were at Trinity in Wheaton for Good Friday and seeing Erik Peterson slowly walking down the aisle with the cross on his shoulders. I was not expecting seeing this enactment of Jesus on his way to Calvary and the tears just started to flow. I think I encounter God every week at Savior and sometimes in the middle of the week when I talk to other Savior parishioners. It became evident to me early on that people attend Savior not because they are supposed to go to church every week, but first and foremost because they love the Lord. That draws me back every week. Another way I have encountered God in my time at Savior is at Taize. I had never gone to Taize before and Savior introduced me to that way of worship. I often went to Taize alone, even if people from Savior were not going.

Share your fondest memory together with “friends of the Savior”?

Some of my fondest memories at Savior are from participating on the worship team, especially during the Vigil. As an Episcopalian, I had never wanted to attend the Vigil because it was so long and boring. Savior can only commit to one of those adjectives. Our Vigil is long, but not a second of it is boring, therefore it does not seem long. I have another fond memory of Savior and that is when we went on an all church retreat up at George Williams College on Lake Geneva. That whole weekend was a connection with God. I distinctly remember getting to know several members of the church at that retreat.

What are you looking forward to most in returning to in-person worship? 

If I am able to attend, because of my disability, I look forward to seeing everyone. I especially look forward to seeing the children dancing at the end of the service, as Fr. Bill called it the Savior mosh pit. I look forward to that encounter with God in seeing all the people who are there because they love the Lord. I also look forward to the music. The music has always been a high point of worship at Savior.

Welcome Jean Ann Parker, Bookkeeper

Early this month, Savior welcomed Jean Ann Parker as the new Bookkeeper. Get to know her a little better in the interview below!

Jean Ann and Steve Parker

What is your role at Church of the Savior?

I am the Bookkeeper. I will be assisting Janis Hultgren.

Where are you from, and where do you live now?

Until I was 1 year old my family lived in Winfield and then we moved to Wheaton and I was there until I married. After our wedding, my husband, Steve and I moved from Wheaton to Winfield and into the same house I lived in for the first year of my life…it was my grandparent’s home and they, at that point, were in long term care facilities. Five years later we moved back to Wheaton, which is where we raised our son, Dylan. At the end of 2014 we moved to St. Charles and love it!

What do you do when you’re not working for Savior?

I like anything to do with fiber – sewing, knitting and weaving. About a year ago I bought a weaving loom – a rigid heddle loom. I love taking classes to learn all the ins and outs of the craft. I belong to a weaving guild. I also enjoy having family and friends over to our home – I like to entertain. 

What is a piece of interesting trivia about you?

Ringo Starr and I are 4th cousins – we have a great, great, great grandma in common. No, I have never met him (I would love to!) but I have seen him in concert at Ravinia. 

Welcome Whitney Burns, Director of Communications

In mid-March, Savior welcomed Whitney Burns as the new Director of Communications. Get to know her a little better in the interview below!

Whitney, RW, Flora and Birdie

What is your role at Church of the Savior?

I am the Communications Director! My main focus each week is to produce the weekly Order of Service, newsletter, and update our website. It is my goal for friends of the Savior to feel well equipped through these various channels of communication, so we all can engage and live in the church’s beautiful community.

Where are you from, and where do you live now?

I’m a Wheaton native, living here since birth; I live with my husband (RW) and our three delightful daughters (Flora, Birdie, and Dorothy (“Dot”)).

What do you do when you’re not working for Savior?

I am a mom, birth doula and lover of nature. I absolutely love working in my garden, growing flowers from seed and fighting against weeds that never stop sprouting.

What is a piece of interesting trivia about you?

I have a blackbelt in Tae Kwon Do!

Meet Savior's Newest Vestry Members

At Savior’s annual meeting last week, the congregation voted to elect Ellen Hsu, Erika Olsen, and Nadine Rorem to the Vestry. Get to know these new Vestry members — and learn a little bit more about the Vestry! — below:

Ellen Hsu: Ellen serves on the Prayer and Communion Ministry Team and as a Scripture reader; her gifts include administration and leadership. She is senior rights and contracts manager at IVP. She has attended Church of the Savior since 2005 with her husband (Al) and sons ( Josiah and Elijah).

Erika Olsen: Erika serves on the Welcome Team and with VBS. She has gifts in mercy, hospitality, shepherding and leadership, which give her a heart to see the church care for people and the community well; she has a particular passion for building relationships in cross-cultural contexts. Erika is a stay-at-home mom and works part-time for Peoples Resource Center as the Food Pantry Coordinator for a school based food pantry. Erika lives in West Chicago with her husband Andy with their three children.

Nadine Rorem: Nadine currently serves at Savior as a Prayer and Communion minister, and she has gifts of hospitality, prayer and discernment; she is also a spiritual director. Nadine works at Wheaton College as a professor in the Biology Department enjoying the beauty and wonder of God’s amazing creation. She has a passion for cultivating spiritual growth in those with whom she interacts.

In addition to these new members, we thank Al Hsu, Janis Hultgren, Steve McNeely, and Deb Nickerson — the Vestry members rotating off this year — for their service to Savior.

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Ever wonder about what the vestry is? The following questions and answers should give you a better sense of how the Vestry serves the congregation here at Savior.

What exactly is the Vestry and what does it do?

The vestry is the governing board of our church. It has two main functions: first, it oversees the finances and property of the church; the Vestry are the legal representatives of Church of the Savior. Second, it provides big-picture discernment and direction. As a group, we try to discern what God is doing in our midst and walk in step with that (Exodus 13:21).

Why does it have such a funny name?

In English churches, hundreds of years ago, the best place for a church’s leaders to meet was in the “vestry,” the room where clergy put on their vestments before services. The group took on the name of the place, much as we say, “The White House,” (a place) to mean the leaders who work there.

Who is on our Vestry and who leads it?

From 5 to 15 members, elected by the church, who serve 3-year terms. The Vestry also includes the Rector (Kevin), Associate Rector (non-voting, Karen), and Senior Deacon (Sandy Oyler). The Rector and Wardens lead the vestry. The Rector leads the meetings; the Senior Warden reviews and helps shape the agenda; and the Junior Warden oversees bylaws revisions.

Spotlight on Esther Shin Chuang

Savior is thrilled to welcome Esther Shin Chuang as our new Pastor of Music and Worship. Get to know Esther and her family a bit in the post below as we welcome them into our community.

Where do you live now and where are you from?

I’m from many places. I was born in South Korea, then my family moved to the States when I was a year old. I grew up in Austin, Texas until I finished first grade. Then we moved back to Korea, and then when I was 13 years old, we moved back to the States, this time to New York City for my music education. I lived in New York most of my life until 8 years ago when God called me to Moody Theological Seminary in Chicago. Currently, I live in Park Ridge with my husband Tony, who is a preacher and evangelist, and my daughter, Adrielle. My husband and I do ministry together very often (he brings the word, I bring the music to people), and we have a website for those who are interested.

What do you do when you’re not at church?

First of all, I’m a full-time mom to a two-year-old. So that takes most of my time! I go to fun places with her and spend lots of time with her at home. I’m also a concert pianist and singer, so I prepare for my upcoming concerts by practicing piano and singing daily. I like to swim, and I go to the gym regularly to swim, which gives me physical energy for the day. I also like to open up our home. We open up our home to our neighbors for house parties and house concerts. When I’m relaxing, that’s when my husband and I are watching a movie at home.

What is an interesting fact about you?

My husband and I have a heart for those who do not know Christ. So, wherever God opens the doors, we share the gospel. God has opened many doors in many countries for us to minister. Through church services or even crusades, my husband would preach and I would lead the musical worship or do evangelistic concerts. But we are not only sharing the gospel in these “faraway countries,” we try to do that in our neighborhood as well. I believe that wherever God placed us is where we should shine Christ’s light. When we first moved to our neighborhood few years ago, my husband and I knocked on over 100 houses introducing ourselves. We then invited them to our home for house parties and concerts. Our neighbors were suspicious at first, but they started opening up their hearts. They were first strangers, but now many of them have become our friends. As we got to know our neighbors, we started sharing about our faith, the gospel, inviting them to church, and praying for them. We pray that many of them will get to know Christ, and that we will always be a light wherever we are.

How does the ministry you lead serve the life of our congregation?

My role is to encourage the congregation to love God more and worship him more through my ministry of music. There is power in music, and music helps you remember the lyrics. Each song we sing at church are filled with truths about God. When one is going through a difficult time in their life and cannot even utter words to God, maybe the lyrics of the hymn “Lord I need thee” will come to their mind and will become their prayer and worship for that day. When one is going through sadness and despair, the words to “It is Well” may comfort their soul, and will bring praise in their lips despite what they’re going through. I pray that the songs I choose will become the words and thoughts of the congregation, and that the theological truths in the songs will enable people to worship God more earnestly.

How can people get involved in the ministry you lead?

I would like to know the songs that really speak to each person’s heart. Feel free to email me or let me know in person, so that I could keep those songs in mind when I select the worship songs. I believe that understanding the congregation’s heart songs is important. Also, being part of the music team is such a privilege. If you have musical gifts and you want to serve God through the musical worship team, feel free to talk to me. Even if you feel like you’re not a professional musician, that’s okay! There’s always something someone can do in the music team, so just talk to me.