Leadership

George Arceneaux IV

Rector

Staff bio available soon. George begins service as rector effective August 21, 2023.

Richard Sobak

Choir Director

I joined St. Christopher’s as Organist-Choirmaster in 1994, after working several years as a full-time music director for churches in the Archdiocese of Chicago. I have taught vocal and choral music in public and private schools in Indiana and Illinois, and recently retired from Oak Brook, IL public schools. My responsibilities at St. Christopher’s include planning and performing music for the 11:00 a.m. service and special evensong services. I choose choral and hymn repertoire for its liturgical, seasonal, and musical sensibilities. I select music and texts that will primarily reflect upon the scriptural texts and the liturgical season of any given Sunday. I use a variety of sources for hymnody and service music, drawing from hymnals such as Wonder, Love, and Praise, Lift Every Voice and Sing, Voices, Found, and Taizé.

I hold degrees and certificates from Oberlin College Conservatory, Kent State University, American Conservatory, The Royal School of Church Music (Croyden, England), and the Choral Music Experience Institute.

Christa Creps

Musician for Children & Families

I am a classically trained singer who started my career singing opera and ended up touring the world in my punk rock folk band Puerto Muerto. We were small but mighty. After my son was born, I stopped touring but met many interesting people at my meal program “Community Dinners” which I started in 2013. I have always been passionate about building community because it is such a vital part of our spiritual growth.

Bob Wyatt

Priest Associate

I’m a retired priest who loves serving at St. Christopher’s, St. Mark’s Glen Ellyn, and other parishes as needed. If I do anything right, it’s to my credit; if I make a mess, it’s the rector’s fault. I love preaching and presiding, and I’m a nonprofit board addict. Currently, I’m on the board of Cicero Family Service, which provides free therapy for those without means, and CREO DuPage, a pre-college enrichment program for Latinx students at St. Mark’s. Previously, I’ve been on staff at Transfiguration Palos Park, Grace Hinsdale, and St. Mark’s, and rector of St. Helena’s Burr Ridge.

After a wonderful newspaper and academic career, I was ordained in 2004. Prior to ordination, I was director of communication research and professor at Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro. I was also survey research adviser to the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt for five years and book review editor for the Nashville Tennessean for 15 years.

Besides serving on boards (Bishop and Trustees; Episcopal Charities; St. Augustine College; Seabury-Western), I enjoy fiddling with computers, photography, and travel with my sardonic wife, Terri Lackey. She’s retired director of communication for the Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Mark Schneider

Senior Warden

I have been a member of St C’s since 1997, with the exception of a seven-year sojourn in Michigan. Worship and fellowship at St C’s has been central to my life. Eileen and I met in choir and were married in this church. This has been our spiritual home. We returned in 2019, in time for the turbulence of a rector transition and a pandemic. These challenges highlighted our parish’s dependence of a small number of members who made the church run. I joined the Vestry because I felt the need to encourage more members of this parish to become actively engaged in maintaining church operations and outreach, with the hope of increasing participation over time.

This church is endowed with people of good will and now with an enthusiastic and committed rector. As Senior Warden, I think we are up to the challenges of growing this parish, both in members and in faith.

Emily Culbertson

Junior Warden

Emily Culbertson has been attending St Christopher’s with her husband, Hal Rees, since Good Friday 2011. She advises private foundations and other nonprofits on digital strategies. At St Christopher’s, she bounces back and forth between 9:30 with her twins, Clare and Vaughan Rees, and 11 am, where she sings in the choir. Emily has clerked for the Vestry and most recently co-chaired our rector search.

Johnathan White

Treasurer (2026)

My name is Johnathan White, and I have been attending St. Christopher’s since July 2022. Shortly thereafter, I joined the choir as singing is a passion of mine. Currently I assist my wife, Chloe, in leading the St. C’s Youth Group, and I serve as the Treasurer of the parish. I appreciate this church for its inviting nature towards questions and the feeling that people from many backgrounds and beliefs are invited and welcome. I have enjoyed the different styles of each service, but I mainly attend the 11am choral eucharist. When I am not at the church, I can be found in my free time playing video games, building with Lego, playing board games, and cooking. I also hope to one day have a large enough garage to fit the woodworking projects currently living in my mind.

John Hillman

Clerk

John Hillman joined St. Christopher’s in 1993, two years after his move to Oak Park from Beverly, where he had been a member of the Church of the Holy Nativity and had sung in the choir and had served on the Vestry. Father Cobb was the rector of St. Christopher’s and Ruth Cobb was the choir director. John joined the choir soon after joining the parish and has been singing first tenor in the choir ever since.

John has been a financial advisor since 1985 and advises the Vestry on the parish’s investment portfolio. He served on the Vestry and as Junior and Senior Warden during Paris Coffey’s tenure as rector. He also served as Treasurer of the parish for a few years, and assisted in the raising of funds for the capital improvement project focused on the renovation of the parish hall and basement water-proofing. For the past year and a half, John has served as the Clerk of the Vestry, responsible for taking minutes at the monthly Vestry meetings and at the parish annual meeting. John has lived with his spouse, Linda, at his South Euclid Avenue address continuously since 1991. He and Linda have been married (to each other!) for more than 55 years. They have two sons, two daughters-in-law and five grandchildren, who are based in Wayne, PA and in Seattle WA.

Paul Clark

(2024)

I have been a member of St. Christopher’s for 30+ years. Two of my three children were baptized here and all were active in youth groups and choir at different times. My day job is managing content at Baker Tilly, a top 10 accounting and consulting firm based in Chicago.

I’m looking forward to joining the Vestry again (I think this will be my fourth stint at St. C’s) at a time when both the church and the Church face a variety of challenges related to both COVID and the role of a faith community in the modern world.

I came to St. C’s as a young parent and a consistent feature of this parish in my time here has been the way it has drawn young families to the community, providingformation for the children, but also helping parents develop a mature understanding of their faith. St. C’s has done this with a vibrant and oftentimes chaotic combination of worship, song, fellowship and outreach to the community. Older parishioners, those without children, those who aren’t in committedrelationships also find a faith home at St. C’s, with opportunities to grow in their faith, nurture friendships with others, and find opportunities to help others in the community.

While St. C’s is steeped in tradition, it has never ignored the reality that change and pivoting are healthy features of a strong and growing community. As part of the vestry I will do my best to help honor traditions and embrace change as needed for the good of the church and the Church.

Kelly Clissold

(2024)

I was raised in Marshall, Michigan, and moved to the Chicago area in 1991. I work as production artist and graphic designer. My family, including my wife, Anna, and our two kids, Edward and Vaughn, has attended St. Christopher’s since the year 2000, having moved to Oak Park in late 1999. I’ve been an active member of the parish for much of that time. I currently sing in the choir and serve as a lector, and I’ve previously been a delegate to convention and led the Rite-13 youth group. Pre-pandemic, I was a site captain for Housing Forward’s emergency shelter, and continue to serve weekly at Beyond Hunger, the Oak Park food pantry. This is my second vestry tour, and I’m excited to work with our returning and incoming vestry members.

Blaise Denton

(2025)

I have attended St. Christopher’s with my wife, Gabriela, and my two year old son, Luca, since we moved to Oak Park in August of last year. I work as the director of institutional research at Moraine Valley Community College and Gabriela works in communications for churches and nonprofits.

When we first moved to Oak Park we had a long list of churches to try, but we quickly realized that St. Christopher’s had something special. The Wiggle Worship at St. Christopher’s has been great for our son and you don’t regularly find such a large group of young and committed parents at a Mainline church. All of St. Christopher’s staff and parishioners have been extremely welcoming and I’m excited to go to church every week.

St. Christopher’s is in a time of change and we face the challenges of finding a new rector, making sure we have enough money over the long term, and being a left leaning church in a country that is so often torn between religious fundamentalism and hard secularism. My hopes are the inverse of these challenges: I hope that St. Christopher’s can find a rector that fits our unique blend of services and styles, shore up our giving and attract new families of all ages and stages of life so we can continue to grow and thrive, and be the light of Christ in our community.

Julie Dulski

(2025)

Ten years ago, an unexpected invitation from choirmaster and friend, Dr. RichardSobak, first brought me to the red doors of St. Christopher’s Church. Since thatinvitation, I have expanded my roles and ministries from initially singing in the Liturgical Choir, to now include serving as an Altar Guild member, Lay Eucharistic Minister and Healing Minister.

Recently, another unexpected invitation came from a Vestry member with anopportunity to serve and am honored to be considered. I firmly believe there is a purpose and reason that thisinvitation came my way and at this very important time for the church.

God has always placed me exactly where He wants me to be, not only to be of service to others but for my own spiritual growth as well. I hope to be able to add my voice to the concerns facing our church right now, especially during this pivotal time of growth and change. In addition, during this period, my intention is to help ensure that our members receive the shepherding they need and seek along this journey.

I hope that in my serving, I have an opportunity to give back in gratitude for the many blessings I have personally received from St. Christopher’s Church.

Chloe White

(2025)

My name is Chloe White, and I began regularly attending St. Christopher’s when I moved to Oak Park in July of 2022.

I live with my husband Johnathan who sings in the choir at St. C’s and our 3 Guinea pigs. I have a passion for putting my prayers into action to make others feel welcome, heard, and loved. I am excited to serve in the vestry here because St. C’s quickly became a refuge for my husband and I after moving, and I want to be a part of cultivating a church that serves as such for all who find themselves wandering.

I have witnessed how well this congregation makes newcomers feel welcome, upholds parents and young children, and actively engages in aid for the surrounding community. Although these aspects of this church excite me, I am not blind to the challenges that the vestry and congregation at large will face in the coming years.

On levels reaching far beyond our congregation, the Episcopal Church is seeing declines in attendance and tithing. On top of this, we are currently searching for a new rector. These are not light topics nor simple fixes; however, I have faith that the God whom we serve has equipped this congregation with the wisdom, intellect, and talents to overcome far larger challenges.

Ultimately, I am thankful for this opportunity to serve, and I eagerly look ahead to the ways that St. Christopher’s can continue to be a beacon for the larger church and our surrounding community.

Dave Langert

(2026)

I have been attending the Wiggle Worship service at St. Christopher’s with my wife and 3 kids since we moved to Oak Park in the summer of 2018. My wife and I were raised in different Christian faiths, and St. C’s provided the perfect environment to carry our values on as a united family.

I am truly honored to be a part of the vestry. Through all the changes over the past 5 years at St. Christopher’s (and the world!), what has remained consistent are the values of faith, community, and service. I will uphold those values while dedicating my time and energy to addressing the challenges that face the church.

I am grateful for the opportunity to give back to St. Christopher’s. I’m excited to deepen my connection to St. Christopher’s and the Episcopal Church, and look forward to working with the esteemed group.

Stefanie Krajewski

(2026)

My family (Zach Love, Isaac (11), and Zofia (8)) have been attending St. Christopher’s since fall 2016/winter 2017. Zach and I were looking for a community that would foster both our faith and our kids’ faith. We feel like we found that at St. Christopher’s. Zofia was baptized at St. Christopher’s in 2018 as was Zach in 2021.

I work as a paralegal at the Illinois Attorney General’s Office in the Public Interest Division. As a Christian, I treat my faith similar to my day job. I strive to help people who have not been as fortunate or as privileged as I have or do not have the voice to do so. We are trying to instill that in our kids by contributing to and making lunches for Housing Forward, making blessing bags for the homeless and volunteering (most) months at Beyond Hunger with Isaac.

When I’m not working or mom’ing, I like to read, watercolor paint, ride my bicycle and find new to me hiking trails.

As we have become more involved, I have enjoyed meeting more folks from other services. I hope that I can serve the community of St. Christopher’s compassionately and genuinely during my time on vestry.

Howie Anderson

(2026)

My wife, Susan Montgomery, and I joined St. Christopher’s about two years ago, and the congregation feels like home.

I’m a retired journalist who worked at websites, magazines and newspapers for over 40 years. Today, I am a freelance writer and editor.

A cradle Catholic, I started attending Episcopal services when I met Sue, a cradle Episcopalian. I’ll be received into the Episcopal community at the bishop’s upcoming visit.

One of the things I like best about St. Christopher’s is that it is truly welcoming to all, no matter where they are on their faith journey or what they believe. As a member of the vestry, a priority for me will be to look for more ways to welcome diverse new members and accommodate their worship preferences and help them feel at home.

I hope that by serving on the vestry, I can give back to the community and help it to grow and thrive. I’m so grateful for this opportunity.

Jack Cosbey

(2026)

St. Christopher Church, Thank you for an opportunity to be on the vestry. I’m an Episcopalian since birth and been on several different vestries. I’m retired and attend the 8:00 am Sunday service. Janet, my wife and I, have attended St. Christopher’s for about 7 years and became members 5 years ago. Our introduction to St. C was by way of a Shrove Tuesday gathering. We have since enjoyed and cherished the friendships and company of this parish. By the way, I’m 76 and not running for president.