Our Leaders and Staff

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February 5, 2012

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Our Leaders and Staff

Fr. Matt Gunter

Fr. Matt Gunter has been rector of St. Barnabas since January, 2000.

He is married to Leslie with whom he has three grown daughters – Sara, Becca, and Hannah.

Fr. Matt grew up in northern Indiana. He attended Indiana University where he earned a B. A. in History. Before going to seminary Fr. Matt taught high school English, history, and English as a second language in an urban school in California. During that time he taught English one summer in China. He graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1996.

He enjoys reading, playing racquetball and riding his bike. He is an avid fan of Indiana University basketball and Notre Dame football. He is also a fan of Chicago professional sports. Fr. Matt believes that if Jew and Gentile have been reconciled in Christ, surely one can cheer for both the Cubs and the White Sox.

He is a member of The Ekklesia Project: http://www.ekklesiaproject.org

Fr. Matt's blog is Into The Expectation http://intotheexpectation.blogspot.com

Carol Kraft

Carol Kraft has been attending St. Barnabas since 1973 and was ordained Deacon in 1989. She is a retired Professor of German from Wheaton College (IL).

Carol grew up in southern Michigan. She earned her B.A. from Wheaton College her first M.A. from Teacher’s College, Columbia University and a second M.A. in Germanic Language and Literature from the University of Michigan. She pursued additional studies at Middlebury College (VT) and at the Goethe Institut in Germany.

Carol’s primary focus within the parish is in Spiritual Direction and Pastoral Care. Her book Birthed by the Spirit, Meditations on Images in Prayer, represents her years of experience offering Spiritual Direction.

Carol is a member of Diakonoi, an organization which supports the diaconal ministry, and a Friend of the Society of St. John the Evangelist in Cambridge MA. She is also a member of the Steering Committee of the Wade Center on the Wheaton College campus, a major research collection of seven British authors, including G.K Chesterton, C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald, Dorothy Sayers and J.R.R. Tolkein.

Carol enjoys books, photography, travel and gardening and listening.

David Neff

David Neff has been attending St. Barnabas since 1981 and became organist/choirmaster in 1987. His day job is as editor in chief of the Christianity Today media group, where he guides the editorial staff of Christianity Today and Books & Culture, as well as the online publications Christian History and ChristianityToday Movies, as well as other related enterprises. He also serves as the volunteer director of the Robert E. Webber Center for an Ancient Evangelical Future and he writes variations on Webberian themes at the Ancient Evangelical Future blog.

David spent his childhood in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and his teen years in Tucson, Arizona. He attended La Sierra University, where he received a B.A. in theology; Andrews University, where he earned an M.Div.; and San Francisco Theological Seminary, where he began doctoral work.

David is married to LaVonne, an author, editor, francophile, and foodie. They have two grown daughters, Molly and Heidi, and three grandchildren.

David and LaVonne chronicled their pilgrimage from sectarian Protestantism to little-c catholic Christianity in Robert Webber's Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail.

Mark Ramirez

Mark Ramirez is the latest addition to the clergy team having been ordained to the vocational deaconate in January 2008. He and his wife Anne have attended St. Barnabas for the past ten years and have the privilege of raising their two children Grace and Nathan in this spiritually rich community of faith.

Mark is originally from the San Francisco Bay area. Though his family moved frequently, the Midwest feels the most like home (remind him of that on the 20-below wind chill days). He received his Bachelors degree in Psychology from Grand Canyon College in Phoenix, AZ. He then went on to earn a Masters in Clinical Psychology from Wheaton College.

During his graduate studies at Wheaton, he discovered the Episcopal Church while taking a Church History class by Bob Webber. The first time experiencing the liturgy was a life- changing moment. It was as if worship went from black and white to living color. He began to see the Eucharist as holy nourishment, a transformational process of helping the pilgrim take in the essence of Christ. Now being continually transformed into imitators of Christ, we are all ready to go out into the world to help reconcile a broken world back to God.

Mark has always had a heart for people. In his young adulthood he was a youth leader, camp counselor and Bible study leader. He also has done summer mission projects in northern France and central Mexico. Being a listener and encourager led him to a career as a psychotherapist and into a ministry of spiritual direction. He also enjoys teaching and mentoring students through his adjunct work at Wheaton College.

When he has a spare moment, Mark enjoys rehabing his 1894 Victorian farm house. Like himself, he sees his house in the process of sanctification. Having a heart for hospitality, both he and his wife welcome guests into their home for a good meal and refreshment. As his ministry unfolds, hospitality, prayer for the healing of others and spiritual mentoring will undoubtedly be part of his ministry.

Sara Gunter

Sara has her bachelor's in Communication Arts and Sciences with a minor in Gender Studies from Calvin College. She is excited to be working with the youth of St. Barnabas and the Diocese of Chicago. She enjoys playing games, sharing food, exploring scripture and learning about different kinds of prayer with the youth. In her free time she knits, makes up new soup recipes, reads classic literature and fantasy novels, listens to NPR and watches "The Office." As she studies grace, prayer and hospitality she has been most influenced by Martin L. Smith, Frederick Buechner, Anne Lamott and Henri Nouwen. She would describe herself as Anglo-Catholic intrigued by Orthodoxy and the Emergent movement. Sara also is an acolyte, chalice bearer, member of the Outreach Commission and one of the summer P.A.D.S. co-ordinators.

St. Barnabas Episcopal Church
22W415 Butterfield Road
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137-7164
Office: 630-469-1394
Fax: 630-469-3266

SUNDAY SCHEDULE
8:00 - Holy Eucharist, Rite I
9:15 - Choir Rehearsal/Nursery
9:30 - Christian Education for all ages
10:30 - Sung Eucharist, Rite II

WEEKDAY SCHEDULE
Monday, 9:00am - Prayer
Thursday, 7:15am - Eucharist

OTHER SERVICES
Julian Meeting: Second Sunday at 7:00 p.m.
Taizé Service: Third Friday at 7:30 p.m.

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