Elder Class of 2026
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John Cross
John Cross joined Westminster in 2002 and previously served in the Elder class of 2021. John currently serves as Legislative Liaison to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. His 30+ year career in public service has included work with Illinois House Republican Staff, Pollution Control Board, and Illinois Department of Agriculture. John is a graduate of Illinois College in Jacksonville and received his Masters in Public Administration from University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. John enjoys traveling. |
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Tara Fritsch
Tara Fritsch joined the church with her confirmation class in 2008. She participated in 5 youth mission trips and the international mission trip to Kenya. She has served as youth elder and on the Board of Deacons in 2021. Tara is a graduate of University of Dayton where she received her BS in Business Administration and currently works in operations for Springfield Clinic Radiation and Oncology. Tara enjoys traveling, watching sports, and spending time with her friends and family. |
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Rachael Hickman
Rachael Hickman joined Westminster in 2018 and married her husband Chris in our sanctuary. She previously served on our Board of Deacons. Rachael graduated from Southeast Missouri State with a BS in Political Science followed by her law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School. She is currently employed as Senior Regional Counsel with Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. She and her husband Chris have one daughter, Madelynn and 3 dogs. |
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David Jenkins
David Jenkins has served as both Deacon and Elder at Westminster. Dave is a proud graduate of the University of Illinois in Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. He worked as a bank regulator and raises beef cattle. Dave has Master Beef Advocacy and Beef Quality Assurance certifications. He is president of the Springfield Lincoln Library Foundation. He and his wife Mary Jo Mattern-Jenkins joined the church in 1993. |
Dr. Vena Long
Dr. Vena Long joined Westminster in 2022. Vena retired as a mathematics professor from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN before moving to Springfield. She has a B.S. and M.S. in Mathematics from Truman State University and an Ed.D. in Math Ed Leadership from the University of Missouri. She and her late husband, Donald, have two grown sons, Lewis who lives in Alaska and Michael who lives in Springfield, IL, and four grandsons, Cole, Clayton, Karson and Kevan whom she tutored during the pandemic.
Dr. Vena Long joined Westminster in 2022. Vena retired as a mathematics professor from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN before moving to Springfield. She has a B.S. and M.S. in Mathematics from Truman State University and an Ed.D. in Math Ed Leadership from the University of Missouri. She and her late husband, Donald, have two grown sons, Lewis who lives in Alaska and Michael who lives in Springfield, IL, and four grandsons, Cole, Clayton, Karson and Kevan whom she tutored during the pandemic.
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Julie Robbs
Julie Robbs joined Westminster in 1997 and has served as elder and deacon. Julie got her BA and MA in Speech Communication from Eastern Illinois University, and has now retired after 33 years at SIU School of Medicine as Alumni Affairs Director and Medical Education Instructor. She and her husband Randy raised their children Amber and Austin at Westminster. Julie enjoys walking, reading, and gardening. She shared her gardening talent last summer creating flowerpots for our Steadfast Neighbor families. |
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Greg Swanson
Greg Swanson joined Westminster in 2021. Greg graduated from the Champaign-Urbana campus of University of Illinois. He is an architect for the Capital Development Board. He and his wife, Megan have a daughter, Lily who is in 6th grade. Greg enjoys coaching and refereeing YMCA soccer. |
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Brinton Wilkey
Brinton Wilkey joined Westminster in 2018 after being a long-time Methodist. He previously served on Westminster’s Board of Deacons. Brinton got his BA from Illinois Wesleyan University and works at Xerox in sales. He is active in the community having a long-time involvement in Boys and Girls Club, the Rail LPGA tournament, and was past president of American Business Club. Brinton and his wife Susan are parents to 3 adult children. Brinton walks for exercise, he plays golf and enjoys watching Chicago sports teams. |
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Youth Elder - Kristianna Eastvold
Kristiana is a senior at Springfield High School. Her family joined Westminster in 2018 and Kristiana was confirmed in 2020. She serves as the youth representative on the Associate Pastor for Youth Ministry search committee and served last year as Youth Deacon. Kristianna volunteers with Compass for Kids after-school program and she has attended the past two Youth Mission Trips. She enjoys photography, hiking, travel, reading and playing competitive solitaire matches with her family. She is also a member of the Springfield High School German Club. |