I began attending Trinity Episcopal Church in 2023 with my partner, Mariah, after feeling hesitant about joining a church community again. We had both experienced environments where exclusion and judgment were mistaken for faith, and we were searching for something rooted in love. From our first visit to Trinity, it felt like home — a place centered on God’s grace and the love of Jesus, welcoming all as they are. It quickly became our chosen community.

Outside of church, I work full time as a sustainability consultant in the commercial real estate industry. I share life with Mariah and our two cats, and I spend my free time exercising, being outside, and staying active. My faith is deeply important to me — I love God and Jesus and strive to reflect that love by being an ally to those who are vulnerable, just as Christ was during his life and ministry.

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, where I lived until 2014 when my family and I moved to Chicago. We lived in Wrigleyville for three years before moving to London. We lived in London for 18 months before moving back to Chicago where we landed in Highland Park.

We first attended Sunday service at Trinity for easter service 2021, where I fell in love with the building and the people. Since then I have spent four years on the vestry, acting as Warden for the past year and a half.

Growing up Catholic in Chicago, Karen is the daughter of a Holocaust survivor.  Though her family was small, each member was a very special part of her life. With their love and support, she earned a B.A. in Political Science and an M.B.A. from Loyola University Chicago, launching her first career in wholesale merchandising.

When her children were young, Karen felt called to a more hands-on, people-centered vocation. She pursued a nursing degree, with Critical Care certification and spent 25 amazing years at Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital - mentoring new nurses and serving on the ICU front lines during the first two years of the Covid Pandemic. She retired in 2021.

She met Jeff Wecker in 2013 and they were married a year later. Although they had each spent more than 30 years raising their families in Highland Park, their paths had never crossed. Together they now cherish a blended family of four grown children - and a growing crew of grandchildren: Jeff's three plus Karen's two with two more on the way.

Karen and Jeff feel that they have found their spiritual home at Trinity.  As a member of the Vestry, Karen is eager to help the church grow in membership and flourish within the community.

My name is Jodie McCann, i have been attending Trinity for over 50 years.  I currenty live in Grayslake, IL.  I have been on the vestry 3 times. 

I was confirmed at Trinity, got married at Trinity and my children were all baptized and confirmed in the Episcopal church. My mother served on alter guild for many years.  Trinity means the world to me, it is my 2nd home.  Once I retire I hope to spend many more hours at Trinity working on the grounds and organizing the attic!

When I first came to Trinity with my husband Victor and toddler daughter Emily (now an adult), I was transported by the liturgy: its beauty, the level of participation it required, its mystery. I did not know on that day that within a few years I would be serving on the altar guild, the vestry, as a chalice bearer...I did not know that Victor and I would be received into the Church, Emily would get confirmed here, and Victor would receive burial rites here.  But I did know that the liturgy was something I could grow with, and that the people of Trinity seemed like good partners for my life's journey.

For these reasons and more, I love Trinity and want to do what I can to help us continue to improve people's lives. As a vestry person, I want to hear your ideas and concerns and work together to grow into our future.

My husband Glen Cotton and I began attending services at Trinity at the end of 2024, after moving to Highland Park the year before. We had been long time city dwellers on the north side. I retired shortly before our move, so the last few years have brought a lot of change in my life.

I grew up in the Chicago Area, but we moved to Thailand for three years when I was seven. It gave me a broader view of the world than I might otherwise have had as a child and it was a memorable and impactful time. I have made a few trips back with family members in recent years which made me nostalgic for the joy and simplicity of that time and place.

I was raised Catholic but left the church as a young adult. Although we’ve attended Episcopal services elsewhere on and off for 20 years, it wasn’t until we found the welcoming spirit and sense of community at Trinity that I felt a close connection.

Before retirement, I spent the last 30 years of my career at the American Medical Association as a Human Resources director, focusing primarily on HR information systems. Giving back through volunteer work is important to me. Currently I donate my time at the HP library in a variety of ways, and in the past I have volunteered both professionally and personally, including several years as a board member of an HIV/AIDs service organization. By joining the vestry at Trinity, I am hoping I can contribute to growing and securing the future of our beautiful church.

Jennifer Ould began attending Trinity in 2013. She works in Academic Affairs Administration at Garrett Seminary in Evanston and as the Coordinator of the Association of Chicago Theological Schools. She received a Master of Divinity degree in 2008, and has served as an adult education facilitator, lay preacher, reader, and MC at Trinity. This is her second time on the vestry.

While she lived in Highwood when she began attending Trinity, she now lives in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago with her cat, Lilybug. She enjoys the lake, running, reading, movies, bourbon, and Chicago’s storytelling community. She serves on the production team of OutSpoken, a monthly LBBTQ+ storytelling show at Sidetrack in the Lakeview neighborhood.