Vince Amlin | Co-Pastor

Vince is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. Vince has a Masters of Divinity from the University of Chicago and a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dramatic Writing from New York University. His writing has been published in Split Ticket: Independent Faith in a Time of Partisan Politics and From the Psalms to the Cloud: Connecting in a Digital Age. He is also a monthly contributor to the United Church of Christ "Still Speaking Daily Devotional." Vince has always dreamed of starting a church, out of a deep interest in Christian community. He used his Ministry Fellowship from the Fund for Theological Education to study Christian intentional communities around the world. When not working, Vince can be found scouring the prairie or studying the tops of trees for birds. He's currently working on a book titled The Great Speckled Bird: Faith Lessons Learned Through Binoculars.

Contact Vince: vince@gileadchicago.org

Rebecca Anderson | Co-Pastor

Rebecca is ordained in The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She has a Masters in Divinity from the University of Chicago and a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Playwrighting from Hampshire College (Amherst, MA). Rebecca’s been on Snap Judgment (radio), and podcasts including The Broad Experience and Called to be Bad. Active in the Chicago storytelling scene, she’s performed with events like RISK!, 2nd Story, The Moth, This Much is True, and The Paper Machete. She’s the founder and head honcho of Earshot Stories, running storytelling workshops across the country and in Canada. 

A fair weather cyclist and starry-eyed pessimist, she’s always looking for the least crowded forest preserves, knows the best places to pick juneberries, and almost certainly wants to have coffee with you.

Contact Rebecca: rebecca@gileadchicago.org

Adam Motz | Music Director

Adam is a musician, attorney, teacher, advocate, father, TikTok star, and author. He has a Bachelor of Music in Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Juris Doctor and Certificate in Advocacy from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. He was inspired to become an attorney by the marriage equality movement, and has since worked with the Legal Council for Health Justice and the National Immigrant Justice Center’s LGBT Immigrant Rights Initiative. By day, he spends most of his time writing legal stuff, but outside of that, he loves to play the piano, solve crosswords, and explore the city with his better half. He is classically trained, but really values flexibility in musicianship (go with the flow!), and he writes some of his own songs, too. He loves pop music, all the divas, country, Christian, and classical, but his number-one-favorite-of-all-time will forever be Céline Dion.

Contact Adam: music@gileadchicago.org

Joey DeFabio | Operations & Marketing Specialist

Joey DeFabio (he/him/his) is a lot of things, but first and foremost he is a goober who wants to use his administrative & creative skill sets to foster kind, silly, and authentic community environments.

Secondly, he’s proud owner of a piece of paper which says “BFA - Film & Television” from DePaul University. He keeps it in his childhood bedroom closet, hundreds of miles away from his current apartment.

Thirdly, he’s just a normal human. A real “human’s human”, ya know? He’s the same as every other human you’ve ever met. And he doesn’t know anything about reptiles. Or humanoid reptiles. Or how it feels to be a humanoid reptile just trying to make ends meet… So don’t ask him about those things, okay? (C’mon, be cool.)

Contact Joey: Joey@gileadchicago.org

Soren Hodshire (he/him/his) was the Office & Communications Administrator! Soren is a queer, trans person of color based in Chicago, Illinois. After getting his Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Studies, and Minor in Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies, he’s been organizing, writing, fundraising, and facilitating for queer & trans organizations through school, work, and outside organizations, with a focus on healthcare. He’s a Professional Organizer (™), actor, writer, comedian, singer, pianist - Jack of all trades, master of FUN! Contact him @vodsels on IG

Izzy Collazo (she/her) was a second year MDiv student at Chicago Theological Seminary and current Member in Discernment of the United Church of Christ. She is thrilled to be working as a student pastor here at Gilead Church Chicago this year, and even more thrilled that Gilead is (for now) back to meeting in Rogers Park! 

Izzy has a Bachelors in Special Education from the University of Illinois and is currently a CPS educator, which provides all the drama and excitement she could ever hope for. Gilead has helped her find her inner storyteller, although she has given up hope that her stage fright will ever go away.

Elizabeth “Ez” Pence (they/she) was a third-year MDiv student at Chicago Theological Seminary, ordinand at Hyde Park Union Church (American Baptist), poet, director, librettist, screenwriter, and David Lynch stan. Their seminary work lies at the intersection of trauma, drug policy advocacy, pastoral care for addiction, storytelling, and ritual. She graduated from Spring Arbor University with a degree in Drama for Social Change. In their free time, you can find Ez knitting, riding her bike, or sitting on her porch. Find them on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter at @adhdsuperstar, and no, she doesn't take Adderall so don’t bother asking.

Mary Taylor (she/they) was a second year MDiv student at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, and is excited to be working as a student pastor here at Gilead Church Chicago this year! Mary has a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Acting from Ball State University and is active in the theatrical realm as much as humanly possible, previously seen at The Goodman Theatre in Twilight Bowl. She’s originally from a small town of 800 people named Darlington, Indiana, now living in Evanston. With a love of singing, dancing (or, well, others might categorize it as ‘flailing about aimlessly’), swimming, and writing. She is currently working on a comedy series she can’t stop talking about. 

Marissa Ilnitzki (she/her) is a second year graduate student at the University of Chicago where she is pursuing both her Master of Divinity and Master's of Social Work. Although her roots begin in New Jersey soil, Marissa's soul belongs to the dense evergreen forests of Washington state. She lived in Washington for four years where she pursued an array of interests, from teaching to cooking to talking to trees. Be sure to ask Marissa about the time she got a piece of wood stuck inside her hand (she has the wood to prove it)! Marissa feels the most connected to the Divine when she is performing improv, memorizing poetry, breathing deeply on a long hike, walking to Promontory Point, sharing meals and conversation with friends, laughing in a large group, and brewing kombucha.

Rihannon served as Ministry Assistant: Administrative Queen & Party Person. is the queen of all things administrative (and is in the process of accepting that that can actually be a spiritual gift). With a passion for planning, a love of clipboards, a background in musical theatre Ri is here to stage manage the production that is Gilead. She found her way to church administration when her love of ritual and desire to see timeless tradition made new met her Type-A personality and seemingly natural gift for organization. Both her make-it-happen attitude and desire to create spaces where people connect and grow together were evident in her nearly 5 years with Cross Culture Student Ministries (now Grace Students - Chapel Hill, NC) as an administrator, events coordinator, and small group leader, and now as an M.Div/MSW student at Loyola University of Chicago. A Carolina girl through and through, Ri spends her limited free time lamenting winter and trying to convince people that ‘pop’ is an onomatopoeia, not another word for Coke. (pls don’t @ her.)

Sarah DeHaan is a multi-racial Latinx, raccoon and opossum lover, and certified candidate for Ordained Ministry in the United Methodist Church. Sarah has her Bachelors of Science in Family Studies from Western Michigan University. She is currently pursuing her Masters of Divinity from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, where she has a ministerial focus in the intersections of Mullato Theology and Racial and Social Equity within the church. Sarah hopes to stay in academia and eventually shoot for her PhD (dream big, am I right?). Another big piece to her call to ministry comes in the form of a new ministry and podcast she has Co-Founded for multi-racial people called Mixed Kids Ministry. On top of being a full time seminary student and Mixed Kids Ministry Co-Founder, Sarah also tries to maintain a sense of normalcy outside of class. In her free time, Sarah loves to feed the local raccoons that live in the dumpsters around her apartment complex, go on drives, and reconnect with her Latinx culture and reclaim her heritage that was once lost.

Emily Springer was with us when she was a Masters student at the University of Chicago Divinity School and has a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies (Religion, Culture, and Psychology) from Bethany College, West Virginia. She is a member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and is a Disciples Divinity House scholar at the University of Chicago. Emily hopes to become a psychotherapist who honors the beauty of diverse minds, difficult stories, and spiritualities that people find meaningful and transformative. Though she is a West Virginian who is most at home in the mountains and on whitewater, when she lives in Chicago she likes to take her pup for walks, pretend she is an expert mixologist, and create beautiful spaces in her apartment.

Will Bouvel came to Gilead in his 2nd year as an MDiv student at the University of Chicago and also has a MA in Voice performance from the Royal Academy of Music. His undergraduate degree is from the University of Chicago in Geography. Whether with kids or adults, he loves exploring creativity in worship through music, art, and expression which is a big reason why he’s so excited to be at Gilead! Vibrant and authentic worship is key for him, no matter the style and he’s excited to find the Holy Spirit wherever it’s moving. Will lives with his husband of ten years in Chicago’s near north side. He nerds out over public transit, maps, and Star Trek (TNG), and loves attending theater and ballet. He is now an ordained priest in the Episcopal church and has developed a children’s faith-formation curriculum called Tell Me the Truth about Racism.

Alexa Eisenbarth was a Gilead Day-1. She served as Gilead’s Student Pastor during her third and final year as a Master of Divinity student at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. A Washington state transplant, she graduated from Whitworth University with a Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Sociology in 2016. Having sensed a call to ministry in high school youth group, that call and her faith have changed a million times since then. She is a certified candidate for ordained ministry in The Pacific Northwest Conference of The United Methodist Church, and hopes to participate in the reconstruction of the Christian faith tradition that it might not do harm. Alexa has previously worked for The General Commission on the Status and Role of Women in The United Methodist Church, and at Audubon Park, Kennewick First, and Bothell United Methodist Churches as a pastoral intern. Alexa has since returned home to the Pacific Northwest to serve as a pastor.

Chelsea Cornelius was our first ever student pastor, during her second year at the University of Chicago Divinity School, in the Masters of Divinity program. She's a candidate for ordination in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Her academic interests include feminist theology, queer theory, bioethics, and identity and discursive space. She also works in the University of Chicago Writing Program, serves on the Office of the Provost's Sexual Misconduct Advisory Board, and co-organizes DivOUT (the Divinity School LGBTQ+ organization). Her previous ministry work includes serving as a chaplain at Cook County Jail, a Ministry Associate in campus ministry, and as a summer camp Program Director in northern Wisconsin. 

Vince Wilson helped launch Gilead as our first music director. Vince is a professional singer and songwriter from Philadelphia, PA (and now back home there). He was classically trained at Swarthmore College for twelve years through the Chester Children's Chorus and has provided vocal support for artists such as Tasha Cobbs, Mark Collier, Shawn Bigby, Ernest Pugh, Dorinda Clark-Cole and more. Currently he specializes in music production, singing, songwriting and performance theough his solo vocal work and collaborative projects. Vince has spent a considerable amount of time leading worship and being a band leader across many genres.