about Rev. Frank

My journey to the United Church of Christ has been a  wandering one much like Moses wandering in the desert. I was raised in the Roman Catholic Church. I served as an altar boy and in general was a practicing Catholic. I stayed with the church through college though my attendance and support started to wane.

I met my wife, Karen, in my senior year. We were married in 1979 at Westchester Community Church, a United Church of Christ. We desired to attend the same church so Karen started attending the local Roman Catholic Church with me in Westmont, IL. It was during this time that I had misgivings about the Catholic Church. There were plenty of questions of faith as I thought through what I thought I believed. Karen also had misgivings about the Catholic Church.

I decided to quietly look for another church home. During that process I discovered First Congregational Church in Downers Grove. Both Karen and I found a loving community of faith. It was during our time there that I heard the call to ministry.

After I graduated from Western Illinois University I started working in the title insurance business.  From there I moved into retail banking and worked for a savings and loan in Bolingbrook, IL. After 6 years with Joliet Federal Savings I moved to Citibank. At Citibank and during my time at FCC Downers Grove I discerned the call to do more. My faith journey led me to resign as a manager for Citibank and transfer into their phone center on a part-time basis so I could attend Bethany Theological Seminary.

During my first year in seminary they changed the rules and required an internship for all students. This was not a summer internship. It was to be a significant year long internship while you were attending school. I could not afford to take an internship as a youth pastor so I searched and found a call as the part-time pastor of First Congregational in Carpentersville. I wanted to stay at Carpentersville after graduation but they could not afford a full-time pastor.

My journey then took me to attempt a new church start for the Illinois Conference. New Beginnings United Church of Christ was planted in Cary. We had a good start but this church had been on the drawing board for 5 years prior to my arrival. By the time we finished our first year the area had changed and the Conference decided to close the new church.

The next stop along the way brought me to Lisle and First Congregational Church. I spent 7 plus years in Lisle. I enjoyed my time there. The church was in transition and we worked hard to bring about change. Lisle is a very transient community with Lucent, Tell Labs and a host of other IT firms. We would see families come and go as they were transferred in and out to new locations. Eventually I became burned out with all the turn over having to start a new cycle of growth every two years. With my son going off to college in four years it was time to earn more money and return to the private sector.

It was not my first choice but the UCC in Illinois was undergoing huge changes and the number of churches seeking pastors was diminishing.  Due to family reasons I could not accept a call outside of Illinois. I decided to move into the private sector starting as a financial planner for a couple of years before moving into IT consulting.

My expertise was in document and workflow management. I would help manufacturing and other paper intensive business streamline their processes and reduce their reliance on paper. It was actually a very interesting career as I was in different business every day. I met a lot interesting people and enjoyed my time there.

While I was working in IT Karen and I commuted on weekends to Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota to watch my son Frank play football. When we got there the football program had little parental involvement so I started the Macalester College Football Parents Association. See www.macfpa.org  We had a blast raising money and providing dinner for the team and staff. The school named an award after me which is given to the parent/friend who does the most for Mac Football

Unfortunately we all know what happened in late 2008 and 2009. The economy crashed and since my business focused on manufacturing most of my business collapsed with it.  I was downsized in December of 2008. It was then that I felt the call from God again and I said to God I will go wherever you send me.

In June of 2009 I begin my call as pastor and teacher of St. John’s UCC here in Union.

What I Believe

I believe in a practical faith. Faith that is too esoteric or not useful in day-to-day life doesn’t help anyone. My goal on Sunday is to give everyone something to take home to think about and use in their lives. Having sat in the pews as a lay person I understand the challenges, the fears, and the joys my people face because I have faced those same challenges as well.

I believe it is important to make the faith relevant. The times of our ancestors as recorded in the Bible was vastly different than today. There was no Facebook, Web, Cell phone, Ipods, etc. etc. etc. Medical science really didn’t exist. If you became ill there was a spiritual reason but not a physical reason. While our spirits do contribute to our overall health, most folks felt someone sinned when illness struck. I try to interpret and teach the scriptures so that you can find answers for today’s challenges.

My Background

UCC Churches Served:

First Congregational, Carpentersville, IL

New Beginnings UCC, Cary, IL

First Congregational, Lisle, IL

Ravenswood UCC, Chicago, IL

St. John’s, Union, IL

Major Private Sector Experience:

                Joliet Federal Savings:    Branch Manager

                Citibank:                               Branch Manager

                Axa Advisors:                     Financial Planner

                IKON Office Solutions:   Workflow Consultant

                Imaging Office Sys:          Workflow Consultant

High School:       Morton East HS in Cicero, IL

College:               Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL  B.A.

Masters:              Keller Graduate School of Management, MBA

Masters:              Bethany Theological Seminary, M. Divinity