Staff

Pastor Lars has been serving Hinsdale Covenant Church since 2006. He graduated from Bethel University in 2002 and earned his Masters of Divinity from North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, in 2006. Lars was ordained in the Covenant Church in 2008. Lars is passionate about teaching and preaching God's Word with creativity and care. He loves helping the Bible come to life for others, especially his Confirmation class. A Minnesota native, Lars enjoys disc golf, art galleries, watching 30-year-old basketball games, trees, Covenant camps, writing, reading, cooking, Minnesota sports and wearing itchy sweaters. He is married to Katie, has two wonderful sons and a delightful daughter and lives in Hinsdale.

Pastor Simon joined us from Restoration Covenant Church near Austin, TX. A native of Michigan, he is a graduate of Grand Rapids Theological Seminary (’08) and was ordained with the Covenant in 2016. He and his wife Alicia were married in 2001 and have 5 children. Having given his life to Christ as adult, Simon is passionate about sharing the gospel, encouraging transformation in Christ and relational discipleship. Simon enjoys biking and often daydreams about playing in the French Open tennis tournament.

Joy has served ECCH since 2016 and focuses on intergenerational spiritual formation. Called to pastoral ministry out of educational theatre, she brings a strong creative and performing arts background to her work. Joy holds a MCS from Regent College (Vancouver), an M.Div. from Calvin Theological Seminary, and was ordained in 2021. She and Justin have been married for 21 years and have two lively children. She loves to garden, listen to jazz, and read theology. Joy's prayer for you is that the Spirit's work continues to transform your heart, soul, and imagination to reflect Jesus.

Ruth joined Hinsdale Covenant Church in 1998 and served as Director of Music until 2014. Ruth now serves as organist and accompanist. A Chicago area native, Ruth received a BA Degree from Calvin College and a Masters of Music Degree from the American Conservatory. Ruth performs as both piano soloist and organist and also accompanies instrumentalists, vocalists, choral groups and ensembles. She teaches piano privately and taught General Music for 28 years. She enjoys walking, biking, reading, and traveling to visit friends and relatives. Ruth spends as much time as possible with her children and 5 grandchildren, who live nearby.

Jennifer Hart began teaching at Covenant Preschool in 2016 in the Twos classroom, and has been serving as director since 2019, but actually began at Covenant Preschool when her four daughters attended years ago. Jennifer received her degrees from Indiana University. Jennifer is passionate about Early Childhood Education, and is committed to maintaining a strong, faith-based educational program for our wonderful school. She is honored to work with an extraordinary faculty of caring, educated and attentive teachers, who are focused on each child’s needs, as well as the families we serve. Jennifer resides in Hinsdale with her family.

Cássia joined Hinsdale Covenant Church in August as the new Office Administrator. She is Brazilian, married to Jonathan and raising two boys, Luca and Caio. Prior to living in the USA, she lived 11 years in Amsterdam (NL) and 4 years in Frankfurt (GE). Cássia loves to go for long walks in the woods, have friends for dinner or simply enjoy a lazy morning with coffee on our patio.

Kirsten Bell joined staff in 2015. Her Covenant roots run deep. She's a Covenant pastor's kid, third generation graduate of North Park University, and previously worked at Covenant Offices as CHIC coordinator. Long-time members of the Covenant church, Kirsten, Jim and their two children live in Riverside, IL.