Each post in this series comes from someone at Savior who has a disability. Today, we hear from John Mark Howard, a long-time Savior member; you’ve likely heard him read or seen him helping out with the children!
Tell us about yourself:
Hi! My name is John Mark Howard. I grew up in Glen Ellyn and am living in Wheaton. I was born in New Jersey, but the first memory I have is here in Illinois. I drive for Uber. I am a big movie guy and I like history. I love to go out and have coffee, I like the 1 on 1 thing.
Tell us about your disability, and how it affects your daily life:
My disability is Cerebral Palsy, I also have scoliosis as a direct result of my CP. It affects my fine motor skills as well as my balance. My vision is affected as well. I see out of both eyes, just one at a time. I do still have what I call bad balance days. Obviously school was not fun. But with all that has happened in my life. It is what made me who I am.
What does or can the Savior community do to make you feel loved, supported, and fully included in the life of the church? I have felt so welcome here at Church of the Savior. I have been attending Church of the Savior for ten years now. From day one, I have not felt singled out. I have been able to volunteer with the children and sing in the Choir.
Connect Series: The Dampf Family
Who is a part of your household?
Our family consists of me (Laura), my husband Josh, our son Emerson (who turned one on 10/20/21), and our four bunnies (Benjamin, Molly, Ollie, and Owen).
Where do you live? Where are you from?
We live in Mokena, IL, and both Josh and I are from the southwest suburbs of Chicago. Funny enough, we grew up 10 minutes away from each other but had never met until we were set up on a blind date!
How long have you been attending Church of the Savior?
As a family, we've been attending Church of the Savior since November 2020. My first time at Savior, however, was in May 2018. I'm so thankful to be back at Savior and to have my family here, too. Currently, we've been worshipping via live stream, but we dearly look forward to the Saturday when we can start joining again in person. There's nothing like it!
In your time at Savior, what have you enjoyed most?
We've so enjoyed the insightful, challenging sermons that give us truths to discuss and ways to nestle closer to God's heart together. Also, we have loved and look forward to growing in relationship with fellow Friends of the Savior.
What is something folks at Savior might not know about you?
I graduated from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary with an MA in Spiritual Formation in May 2018. I work as a Bereavement Coordinator for AMITA Health St. Thomas Hospice in Hinsdale, where I get to provide grief support at no cost to bereaved families, including planning groups and camps for kids and teens. Josh manages and operates a division of his family's company, Lettermen Lawncare, in the southwest suburbs. Even though he's quite busy during the summer and early fall, he gets a wonderful break from late November - early March.
How do you enjoy connecting with others?
Both Josh and I love to connect with others on 1-on-1 coffee dates or on walks in nature.
Welcome Sydney Kamenjarin, Family Ministries Administrator
Savior has welcomed Sydney Kamenjarin as our new Family Ministries Administrator. Get to know her a little better in the interview below!
What is your role at Church of the Savior?
My role at Church of the Savior: Provide support for the Pastor of Family Ministries through administration and planning, so that Savior’s children and families receive spiritual nurture and education.
Where do you live? Where are you from?
I currently live in Winfield with my kids. Before this I lived in Texas.
What do you do when you're not at Church (job, hobbies, etc).
I really enjoy cooking and baking, especially for other people! I also love spending time with my kids, family, and friends, being outside, and Starbucks coffee.
Who do you share a household with?
I live with my parents and my kids and my mom’s dog Rosie.
What is your favorite book?
One of my favorite books is Hinds Feet in High Places by Hannah Hurnard
How does the ministry you lead serve the life of our congregation?
The ministry I’m involved in serves the church by pouring into the lives of the children. I believe that this is a very important calling, to train and raise up our children in the ways of the Lord.
How can people get involved in the ministry you lead?
People can get involved in the children’s ministry by volunteering, being a good example for the children in displaying the love of Christ to those around them, including the children in the adult services and making them feel a part of the congregation.
Connect Series: The Norquist Family
Our journey of connecting…one person to another, building and rebuilding relationships - continues this week with the Norquist family!
Who is a part of your household?
Bruce, Catherine (parents) Annika (15), Brielle (10), Isaiah (6) We also have a dog named Emmie and a bunny named Maple (he had some cameo appearances during Zoom church days). Annika loves singing and is in an Acapella group at HS. Brielle has found a new love of playing soccer and Isaiah loves anything superhero and especially the Avengers.
Where do you live? Where are you from?
We live in Glen Ellyn. Bruce is from the Chicago area and grew up in Itasca, IL and Catherine is from Santa Monica in Southern California.
How long have you been attending Church of the Savior?
We started coming to Savior in February of 2005, shortly after the church started and fell in love with it immediately.
In your time at Savior, what have you enjoyed most?
We have loved how people at Savior have become like family to us and have literally held us up in prayer and support through various life challenges we have had.
What is something folks at Savior might not know about you?
Bruce is pursuing a second career in Counseling and started his Master’s in Counseling at Moody Bible Inst. this fall where he also works as an Associate Dean of Residence Life. Bruce is an avid lover of podcasts and meditation practices. Catherine has worked at World Relief for 17 years and directs the Immigration Legal Services Department and loves helping immigrants navigate the complicated immigration process. When not working we enjoy spending time as a family (recently we enjoyed having a bonfire and making smores!) and seeing our kids get involved in karate, soccer, piano and voice lessons. We also like to play with our rabbit, Maple.
How do you enjoy connecting with others?
We are more 1-1 coffee dates or small group type of people. Impromptu dessert runs work for us too! 3 out of the 5 of us are introverts! 😊
Connect Series: The Hsu Family
As we continue our journey of connecting…one person to another, building and rebuilding relationships - this week, we invite you to connect with the Hsu (pronounced “shee”) family!
Who is a part of your household?
Ellen, Al, Josiah, and Elijah (no pets). Josiah is a sophomore at Wheaton College this year, majoring in computer science. Elijah is a high school sophomore at Clare Woods Academy in Wheaton.
Where do you live? Where are you from?
We’ve lived in Downers Grove for the last two decades, and both of our children were born here. Ellen grew up in Wisconsin where she grew to love cheese and ice cream and learned to call water fountains “bubblers.” Al grew up in Minnesota where he played Duck, Duck, Gray Duck. We met at college in Minnesota.
How long have you been attending Church of the Savior?
We’ve been attending Church of the Savior for over 16 years. We started attending just a few months after the church was founded when Ellen was pregnant with Elijah. Josiah was 3 years old at the time, and we happened to visit on the first day that the children’s program started.
In your time at Savior, what have you enjoyed most?
It’s hard to say what we enjoy most because there are so, so many things we love about Savior! What we probably love most about Savior is the people and the sense of community. We’re particularly grateful for the multiple ways our family has been invited into Savior’s community that show how much God and the church love and care for every one of us. When Elijah was a baby, we needed people to watch him and Josiah while we led worship. What Ellen remembers about that time is how delighted people were to help and how loved we all felt. More specifically, she remembers Marilyn Stewart telling us not to worry that our kids were making a little noise during the service because we (the church) want the children to feel welcomed into our worship. It was such a different perspective than we’d felt while visiting other churches. We could go on and on, but we’ll stop there :-)
What is something folks at Savior might not know about you?
Ellen is in her second of two years in the Christos training program for spiritual directors. We both work at InterVarsity Press and love reading books, so feel free to ask us what we’re currently reading – just don’t assume that every book we read is published by IVP (Ellen reads a lot of novels). You can ask Al about all the things he collects (LEGO Architecture sets, commemorative stamp yearbooks, comic books, Starbucks mugs…#enneagramseven). We love theatre and have seen almost 200 musicals together over the past 27 years.
How do you enjoy connecting with others?
Ellen is an introvert and enjoys connecting with others in 1-on-1 settings. She especially loves going for walks. She also enjoys getting to know people over coffee, a meal, or dessert. Al is an extrovert and loves trying new restaurants, so if there’s an interesting place or different kind of cuisine you want to try, let him know!