September, 2001
GRETCHEN AND GENE PETERSON have Covenant roots. Both are children of Covenant ministers, and they returned to this denomination when they began attending here some time ago. Family and lifelong friends also influenced their decision to join LCC, because Gretchen is Karin Anderson's sister and the aunt of Scott Anderson and Lori Ray. Further, her father and Pastor Dave Johnson's father were seminary classmates at North Park.
Things they have appreciated about LCC, in addition to renewing old friendships and ties, are the friendly atmosphere, the choir and music, the newsletter and other communications, and the Shakers and Bakers program.
Last year, Gretchen retired from teaching at Libertyville High School. Gene, who retired from Abbott, is a consulting engineer for a heat exchanger manufacturer. As PKs, or pastor's kids, they both moved around during their childhood. Gene has ties to Wausa, Neb., his birthplace. Gretchen grew up in various Midwestern locations, including Duluth and Red Oak, Iowa, and Chicago.
The Petersons are the parents of Eric, Lisa and Krista, and they have four granddaughters. Since their children live in Maine, Michigan and Minnesota, traveling to those locations leads their list of favorite spare-time activities. They also enjoy spending time in Minocqua, Wis. Gene says he likes to repair their 95-year-old house, repair autos and play the piano.
Gretchen acknowledges that spiritual influences in her life are many, including growing up in a Christian home with loving parents and having "a sister who is my best friend." Gene credits his parents as the strongest spiritual influences on his development.
August, 2001
JAKE ANDERSON, who grew up in Lake Zurich and Libertyville, will attend Libertyville High in the fall. He has gone to LCC as long as he can remember and likes the friendly people in the congregation. He has participated in the last two church mission trips. In his spare time, he likes to play basketball and soccer and to swim. His favorite vacation spot is Colorado. The most important people in his life spiritually are his parents, Darilyn and Dave. He has a younger sister, Kyra, and a younger brother, Matt.
STEFAN ANDERSON lives in Grayslake with his parents, Cathy and Bob, and his brother Nils. He recently graduated from Grayslake Middle School and also has a brother named Bjorn. For the first nine years of his life, he lived in Bloomington, Minn., before moving to Grayslake. His family came to LCC because they had previously attended a Covenant church and also had some friends who went here. Stefan took part in the mission trip to Minneapolis last year, and for recreation, he likes to play the guitar and fish. His favorite vacation spot is a fishing lodge in Canada. He also likes electronics, computer and video games and good music. Jesus Christ is his strongest spiritual influence and model.
MATT ENQUIST lives in Grayslake and will start Grayslake High School in the fall. He came to this church with his parents, Beth and Dave, and his younger brother, Caleb, and likes the friendliness he finds here. Matt has helped with set-up for PADS a number of times and has bought Christmas and Easter gifts for the children our church remembers through the gift trees. For recreation, he likes to play soccer and ride roller coasters, citing the Raven at Holiday World in Santa Claus, Ind., as a great one. He likes to go to Florida on spring breaks. His parents have been his strongest spiritual influences, as they are always ready to answer his questions.
BRENT KELLER will start Stevenson High School in the fall and lives in Vernon Hills. When he was in second grade, his parents, Ruth and Mike, began attending LCC because it had a confirmation class for his brother, Ryan. Having come from a large church where it was hard to know everybody, Brent and his family really liked the family feel of LCC. He has taken part in mission trips to Nashville, Chicago and Minneapolis, and in his spare time, he likes to ride his bike, be with friends, go to movies and read. Favorite vacation spots are Disney World and Gettysburg. He says that anyone in his confirmation class will know that he likes to learn about the Civil War. He is appreciative of numerous spiritual influences in his life; too many to single out just a few.
ERIC RIDDER, who graduated from Grayslake Middle School, grew up in Mundelein and currently lives in Grayslake. He has an older brother, Matt, and his parents are Judy Wells-Ridder and Michael Ridder. Eric has been very involved with the youth group and its mission trips. For recreation, he likes bike riding, video games, music and spending time with friends. His idea of a good vacation would include Go-Karting in Wisconsin. Eric's mother has been the most important spiritual influence in his life, and he concludes, "Libertyville Covenant Church is a great church to belong to."
July, 2001
BECKY FRANSON just graduated from Highland Middle School and will be a freshman at Libertyville High School in the fall. She grew up in Vernon Hills and Libertyville and first came to our church with her family when she was very young. "We love it because it is so friendly here," Becky says. Becky has taken part in mission trips to Minneapolis and Chicago. For recreation, she likes to play softball, dance and hang out with friends. Her favorite vacation spot is Florida, and her newest hobby is learning how to play the guitar. Becky says that her mother, Carol, has been the strongest spiritual influence in her life. "She has taught me so much about life and God, and I thank her for it."
SARAH AND ROB GÓMEZ live in Grayslake and are the parents of Miranda, age 6, Korina, age 5, and Riley, 18 months. The girls go to Woodview school. Rob is an electrician, and Sarah is a medical stop-loss auditor for Millennium Underwriting. Rob grew up in the Libertyville area, and Sarah was raised in Zion. They were introduced to our church by Carolyn and Kirk Johnson and have appreciated the friendly congregation and Pastor Dave's inspirational preaching. They both say that Cap has been the most important spiritual influence in their lives. Sarah enjoys camping and bike riding and likes to vacation in Door County, Wis., and Maine. Rob's idea of a good vacation would be camping anywhere.
ELSA GULLBERG lives in Lake Bluff with her family and will start Lake Forest High School in the fall. She has gone to Libertyville Covenant since she was born and likes the friendly atmosphere of the church. Elsa enjoys sports, friends and music and has occasionally provided special vocal music for worship services. She likes to vacation on Sanibel Island, Fla. Elsa says that her parents, Nancy and Jim, and Pastor Dave have been the strong spiritual influences in her life.
TYLER JOHNSON graduated from Oak Grove School and will go to Libertyville High in the fall. He lives in Libertyville with his parents, Earleen and Jeff, and his brothers. Tyler says that he came to this church by going along with the family decision to attend Libertyville Covenant a few years ago. For fun, he likes to play golf and baseball, and a good vacation would be going to Orlando, Fla. Tyler credits Jesus Christ and his parents as the spiritual influences in his life.
January, 2001
BEN DOREMUS grew up in Libertyville and is a sophomore at Libertyville High School. His parents are Wendy and Mike, and he has two brothers, Kevin and Eric, and a sister, Kate. The youth group at Libertyville Covenant was the initial attraction for Ben, and the people in it have kept him coming back. "The people and the atmosphere allow for a very easy place to worship God and to explore my relationship with him," he said.
Ben is an avid swimmer on the varsity team and plays clarinet in the top-ranked band in the state. He likes to vacation at Cape Cod, Mass., and Alaska. He says that his mother is the one who first taught him the truth about Christ and brought him to church.
WENDY DOREMUS is married to Mike and is the mother of Kevin (13), Kate (11), Eric (9) and Ben (see above write-up). A family nurse practitioner, she is the school nurse at Hawthorn Junior High School in Vernon Hills. She has been visiting the church off and on for years, including participation in women's retreats and Vacation Bible School. "My family and I have always been welcomed with open arms. This is a special place; the presence of God is real!"
Wendy sings in the choir, is a Love Inc. volunteer and supports the youth programs in various ways. For recreation, she likes bicycling, cross-country skiing, photography and gardening. She likes to vacation in Cape Cod, Mass., or any place new. Last summer, the family enjoyed exploring Yellowstone. Wendy's mother faithfully brought her family to church and instilled a spirit of service in Wendy.
MICHAEL BOYD and his wife, Less, live in Libertyville and are the parents of Josh (15), Laurel (13), and Jake (11) Becker. Michael is the director of technical support at Harger Lightning Protection Inc. His co-workers, Jill Heath and Judy Wells-Ridder, introduced him to Libertyville Covenant, where he was struck by the comfort, warmth and acceptance he found.
Throughout his life, Michael lived in a number of places, including Vero Beach and Homestead, Fla.; San Marcos, Calif.; Rockville, Md.; Lewisville, Texas; and Windsor, Va. He met Less in March 1999, and they were married the following September. He likes woodworking for recreation and has assisted in the crew work for kids' productions and village theater productions. Michael says that his favorite vacation spot is "anywhere my family is." He says that his parents have had the most prominent spiritual influence on his life.
SCOTT HANSON, son of MaryCate and Lin (see write-up below), grew up in Barrington and is a freshman at Libertyville High School, where his favorite classes are geometry and history. He also is a member of the swim team and the robotic club. One more way he keeps busy is by having turned a favorite activity into a job: He's a computer technician at his father's office. Scott likes youth group activities and both Covenant Harbor and Covenant Point. He especially enjoys the wilderness camp trip.
RANDY AND LAUREL BRETZMAN live in Libertyville with their children Lindsey (10), Troy (9), Danielle (8) and Eric (8). Randy is a vice president of sales for Bell & Howell, and Laurel "works as a children's spiritual and academic adviser" (also known as homemaker). She also provides part-time child care for neighborhood families.
Randy grew up in Skokie and has lived in the Chicago area except for a two-year sojourn in California. Laurel is from a career military family and lived in many states while growing up. Since graduation, she has lived in Oregon, Washington, California and Illinois. Randy's family history of Covenant roots and membership prompted them to attend Libertyville Covenant. They were impressed with the missions-oriented members and the seven-day-a-week Christian lifestyle they saw being lived by many members.
The Bretzmans enjoy spending time with their family. They play sports with the kids, take family walks, search local ponds for frogs and turtles and take bike rides. Randy enjoys woodworking projects, and Laurel likes visiting friends, theater and "all Rockwell moments." Laurel's favorite vacation spot is Oregon, where her extended family lives, and Randy likes beachfront vacation areas.
Laurel is leading our church's P.A.D.S. ministry with help from the family. She notes that her home church's high school youth programs were a strong spiritual influence in her life, and Randy says the same about his mother.
MARYCATE AND LIN HANSON live in Green Oaks with their son, Scott. MaryCate is a part-time real estate broker, and Lin is a lawyer with DiMonte & Lizak in Park Ridge. They like Libertyville Covenant's "active youth group and the wonderful families who have become our church family and friends." They also have made friendships through Fireside Dinner Fellowship.
The Hansons enjoy traveling, especially exploring European countries and cultures. They also value visiting their grown children and their families. They spent Thanksgiving in Boulder, Colo., with their son, Don, and his family. For Christmas, they celebrated with daughters Laura and Nancy in Florida, along with their families, featuring a total of five young children. According to the proud grandmother, "Such chaos — what fun!"