Colin Cranmer

'Welcome to St.Mark's, so glad you are checking us out! I’m the minister at St.Mark's Lutheran Church in Waukegan, husband to my beautiful wife, Shay, and dad to two silly daughters.  (The little red-headed one is trouble...I'm telling you.)  We've got a lot of cats and one oversized dog. Career-wise, I'm closing in on nearly two decades of ministry and social work, and have a deep passion for taking the Bible stories you've always heard and unlocking them using history, context and humor.  I’m so excited to apart of what God is doing at St.Mark's. Feel free to contact me with questions or prayer requests! pastor@stmarkslutheran.us

Wayne Voss

I've been a member at St. Mark's since 1998.  During this time I have spent over 20 years working on Property and Grounds teams, and became the chair in 2001.  In 2019 I retired from my full time job to take over the secretarial / office manager position after the retirement Kathy Anderson, and to facilitate the transition from Pastor Kelly to Minister Cranmer.  Back in 2008 I found my sweetheart (at the ripe old age of 45), and married her, here, at St. Mark's, in a Christmas wedding.  In 2013 we moved from Illinois to Bristol WI to "get some space", and to be closer to Kim's two daughters and our six grandchildren.  By the end of 2021 I plan to be in "full" retirement, and act strictly as back up support for St. Mark's. ​

Joanie Ryan

I've been a member of St. Mark's since January 2008.  I have two daughter’s and they have blessed me with three beautiful grandchildren - they are my greatest joy!  Mike and I were married at St. Mark’s during a candlelight service in 2013.   I get the privilege of being Granny Good Witch to his two grandchildren.  I retired from Abbott/AbbVie after 33 years of service and will assume full responsibility as office manager by the end of 2021 after the retirement of Wayne Voss.  

Victoria Berezhna

I am the organist at St.Mark’s Lutheran church for 9 years and truly enjoy to be a part of this great congregation! My daughter Anastasia and my brother Andrei are always happy to perform at St.Mark’s and bring joy to people’s hearts. I love to play piano duets, play  tennis and ski with my daughter. My family’s favorite is to travel and explore a new places, and we are laughing and singing a lot while traveling. My Siberian cat Poosha  likes to stay home , but my adorable puppy Lexi would always follow  wherever I go. Thanks be to God for my family and a happy life! 

Eric Aho

Hi — my name is Eric Aho: the choir director at St. Mark’s, and since the recent passing of Erv Uhlmann, the director of the children’s Christmas Pageant. I started to take piano lessons when I was six years old. I have taken cello lessons since I was ten, and I have been singing in church choirs since I was nine. I started directing choirs seriously when the choir director for the Sibelius Men’s choir, Warren Polston, died, and the boys needed some help getting ready for a concert in Thunder Bay, Canada. It was a match made in Riverwoods. I have studied the French, Finnish, and Estonian languages on and off since my childhood, and I am speak them no better than I play the piano: counter-examples to the old saw that “practice makes perfect.” For fun and excitement, I enjoy crossword puzzles, sudoku, and casual contract bridge.

 Jill Shepherd - Stephen Ministry

I grew up in a military family (Air Force) followed by 35 years as a Navy wife. Moving to duty stations from Seattle to Puerto Rico was exciting but filled with too many goodbyes. When I first visited St. Mark’s, I was attracted to the beautiful liturgy of the worship service and felt a kinship with those around me.  I was surrounded by honest, loving people whose actions spoke louder than words. My passion is helping others. I have been blessed to be a Stephen Minister for 14 years.   I found my way home at St. Mark’s, I hope you will, too.

 Jenny Theis - Children's Ministry

My name is Jenny Theis & I am married to Randy and we live in Waukegan with our dog, Artie. I have a step daughter & 2 awesome grandkids, Lily & Robert. I've worked in social services for (gulp) 30 years. I'm a little bit an introvert & I enjoy scrapbooking and journaling. I love sharing my time and talents with St Mark's Sunday School & have taught several years