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Rev. Michael Morris - Senior
Pastor
Rev. Morris is a Chicago native and veteran of the U.S.
Marine Corps. He earned Masters of Divinity and Masters in
Christian Education degrees from Garrett Theological
Seminary. Michael has been at FUMC Palatine since 2001. In
addition to four other pastoral appointments in the Northern
Illinois Conference, he also has served as chaplain at
Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago and Rosecrance Homes
for Children in Rockford. While favorite aspects of his work
include teaching, preaching and seeing people grow in their
faith, visiting is when he feels most like he’s doing
ministry. When “off duty” Michael enjoys working at things
around the house and spending time with his family. He and
his wife Jolene have three children, Lise, Aaron and Glenn,
and three granddaughters.
Rev. Russell Carlson -
Visitation Pastor
Rev. Carlson contacts members who have been absent from
worship recently, new residents of the community, and visits
persons who are homebound or in nursing homes. He also
preaches on select Sunday mornings. Russ grew up on the
South Side of Chicago and has been at FUMC Palatine since
2000. He was a pastor for 42 years. Since retiring, he has
served as the interim pastor of three congregations,
including FUMC Palatine. He has a BA from Olivet Nazarene
College and Masters Degrees from Nazarene Theological
Seminary and Garrett Theological Seminary. He enjoys
interaction with the other staff and members of the
congregation. In his private time you’ll most likely find
him reading anything he can get his hands on. Russ and his
wife Joanne have two children, 11 grandchildren and seven
great-grandchildren.
Rev. Carol Quinn - Director of
Adult Discipleship
Rev. Quinn coordinates small groups, adult discipleship
classes/TGIW and the Newcomer Ministry. She also
periodically preaches on Sunday mornings. Carol is a native
of Chicago. She served as the associate pastor at FUMC
Palatine from 2001 to 2003, and made stops in Wisconsin and
Colorado before returning to Northern Illinois in 2007.
Before entering ministry, she worked as a teacher and
assistant principal. She started her ministry career in
children’s/youth ministry. Her favorite part of the job is
working with the people of FUMC Palatine. In her spare time,
Carol enjoys gardening, reading, walking and spending time
with her family. She has five adult children and 10
grandchildren.
Lynn Klassy - Business
Administrator
Lynn oversees the day-to-day operations of the church and
acts as an executive assistant to the pastors. Lynn grew up
on a dairy farm in Monroe, Wisconsin as the oldest of five
girls and has been at FUMC Palatine with her husband Dale
since 1982. Prior to joining the staff in 1997 she spent 13
years as the head bookkeeper for Eagle Foods and eight years
running a state-licensed home childcare business. Lynn says
the favorite part of her job is the people, adding, “It’s
fun to know my church family in detail and be able to share
the love of Christ daily with all that I meet.” She is also a Notary and offers this service to anyone in the congregation. Lynn and
Dale have three adult children, Barry, Amber and Sarah, and
five grandchildren. In her spare time Lynn enjoys playing
with, nurturing and loving her grandkids and gardening.
Teri Schmelzel - Director of
Children’s Ministries
While overseeing all of FUMC’s Children’s Ministries, Teri’s
primary focus is children in Kindergarten through sixth
grade. Her role is to “help the children grow in their faith
and find joy in their church experience.” Teri grew up on a
farm near Edwardsville, Illinois in the St. Louis area and has a Bachelor of Science degree from Eastern Illinois University in Family Science. She
and her husband John have attended FUMC Palatine since 1995
after moving to Illinois from the Dallas area. Teri’s
favorite part of the job is working with the children’s
ministries staff and volunteers and being able to see
children happy about being at church. When she’s not at
church, you might find her reading, sewing, doing needlework
or traveling. She and John have three children, Adam, Anne
and Erin, and a daughter-in-law, Jessica.
Nancy Nelson - Coordinator of
Junior High Ministries
Nancy grew up in Palatine and has attended FUMC her entire
life. Her position encompasses working with both youth group
and Confirmation. Nancy’s favorite part of the job is being
part of the faith journey of so many incredible people,
adding “I find this kingdom work very fulfilling.” She
describes it as a calling that lets her use her life
experiences to help others in their faith. In her spare time
Nancy enjoys reading, playing indoor soccer and cheering for
her children Jillian and Sam. The Nelsons also have a
shelter dog named Winnie.
Amy Neumann - Early Childhood Ministries Coordinator
Amy oversees our Nursery as well as Sunday School for children age 2-5. She grew up in central Wisconsin. She was at FUMC from 2000-2003 and then moved from the area, returning in February 2010. Amy has an associate degree in Early Childhood and a Bachelor's in Sociology with an emphasis on Child and Family Studies. Amy has taught preschool in a variety of settings and currently teaches in Mount Prospect. She says the best part of her job is getting to know the kids and their families and sharing the love of Jesus with them. She and her husband Kevin have four children: Nicole, Kendall, Wesley and Lucy, as well as two Labradors. In her spare time, Amy enjoys attending her children's events, playing board games and watching movies as a family, and reading.
Jan Cobb - Director of Sonrise
School
Jan has been on staff at FUMC Palatine since September 2001.
She was born in Chicago and grew up in Lombard, Illinois.
Jan earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of
Illinois, Champaign/Urbana. Before arriving at FUMC, she had
careers as a biochemical research assistant at the
university level and a high school chemistry teacher in
Northbrook, Illinois. Her favorite part of the job is “being
a child’s first point of contact with school and learning.”
In her spare time Jan likes to travel, take walks and read.
She and her husband Michael have a daughter, Jennifer.
Linda Camp - Director of Music
In addition to being the Director of Music, Linda is the
organist on Sunday mornings. She has consistently worked in
churches as an organist and/or choir director since age 12.
Linda grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and has been at FUMC
Palatine since 1990. Linda has a Bachelor of Music in Piano
from the University of Tulsa and a Master of Music in Piano
from University of Missouri-Kansas City. In addition to FUMC
Palatine, Linda also works as an adjunct faculty member at
Elmhurst College. Her favorite thing about the church is the
camaraderie of the choir, which is “really just a big small
group.” In her spare time, Linda enjoys reading, especially
history books. She and her husband John have four children,
Chelsea, Matthew, Michael and Grace.
Kendall Hastings - Director of
Chancel Choir
Kendall is an Illinois native who grew up in Chillicothe and
Tinley Park. He has bachelor’s and Masters degrees in Music
Education from the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign
and an Administration Education Masters from Roosevelt
University. He has also done work toward a Masters in
Theology from Garrett Evangelical Seminary. Before coming to
FUMC Palatine in 2003, he taught high school music in
District 214 for 31 years. Kendall’s favorite thing about
his job is working with Pastor Morris and the rest of the
congregation. He and his wife Linda have two married
daughters and a son. They also have a grandson, with whom
Kendall spends a lot of his spare time.
Cindy Busch - Director of His
Kids Choir
As Director of His Kids Choir, Cindy works with
kindergartners through sixth graders. She is originally from
Hoffman Estates, Illinois and has been at FUMC Palatine
since joining the Chancel Choir in 2000. Cindy’s favorite
part of her job is the love and encouragement she receives
from the children and their families, saying, “When they
sing, all is right with the world.” Cindy has a BA in
Theater/Music from Blackburn College, a BS in PreMed from
North Carolina State University and a CLS from Duke
University Medical Center. She and her husband John have one
son, John. In her spare time, Cindy enjoys co-writing
children’s musicals with her sister Jeannette and bonding
with the family dogs, Lancelot and Angel.
Carolyn Simons - Director of
Handbell Choir
Carolyn is a Chicago native who moved to Palatine and joined
FUMC in 1963. She enjoys her role as the “head ding-a-ling”
because she loves giving the congregation a chance to hear
how beautiful the bells sound. Before coming to FUMC,
Carolyn attended Wilbur Wright College in Chicago and worked
as a payroll clerk for United Airlines for almost five
years. In her spare time, she and her husband Chuck are
involved with the Institute for Continued Learning at
Roosevelt University on the Schaumburg campus. Carolyn and
Chuck have four adult children and seven grandchildren.
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