Staff & Leadership

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Meet the First Congo
Pastors

Our church pastors
Rich Kirchherr professional photo

RICH KIRCHHERR

SENIOR MINISTER

Rich began serving as our Senior Minister in 1998. Prior to that, he was one of our associate pastors for 10 years.  Rich received both his Masters of Divinity and his Doctorate of Ministry from Chicago Theological Seminary. He continues to serve the seminary as an adjunct professor in preaching and is a life member of its board of trustees and has served on numerous other boards, including Plymouth Place, a UCC related retirement community. As Senior Minister, Rich serves as the head of our staff, works with our finance and stewardship ministries, coordinates our adult faith exploration, men’s ministry and provides the primary coordination for our worship services. Married to Clare Kralovec in 1986, they are the proud parents of three adult children.

rich@wscongo.org

KATHERINE WILLIS PERSHEY

Associate Minister

Katherine Willis Pershey began serving First Congo as an Associate Minister in 2010. A native Ohioan, Katherine attended seminary at Claremont School of Theology in Southern California and was the solo pastor of South Bay Christian Church for five years. Katherine has an active role in Sunday worship, leads our Faith Formation team, teaches Faith & Flow Yoga, and coordinates small group ministries such as Moms in Faith, Friday Forum, and Bible Study. She is the staff liaison to the Christian Ventures Committee, which recently established an Arts Ministry Team that coordinates art installations in our hallways. Katherine serves on the Board of the nonprofit magazine The Christian Century and contributes regularly as a writer. She is the author of Any Day a Beautiful Change and Very Married: Field Notes on Love and Fidelity. She is presently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree at Western Theological Seminary in a cohort called Holy Presence: Eugene Peterson and the Pastoral Imagination. Katherine and her husband, Ben, have two children.

katherine@wscongo.org

Katherine Willis Pershey professional photo
Meredith Onion professional photo

MEREDITH ONION

Associate MINISTER

Meredith and her husband Dave have been members of First Congo since 1987. After 20 years of working in business, Meredith heard the call to ministry. She received her Masters of Divinity in 2013 from Loyola University Chicago, Institute of Pastoral Studies and was ordained in the United Church of Christ and installed as one of our Associate Ministers in 2014. Her ministry focuses on pastoral care and small group leadership, including being the staff liaison to the Thursday Morning Woman’s Book Group, Seek.Pray.Love, Mission & Outreach, Justice Ministries, and the Diaconate.

She serves as the Team Leader for Communications/Engagement/Office Management.  She served as the lead staff liaison to the Strategic Vision Planning Team. She has co-facilitated a Caregiver Support Group and Grief Support Group. Meredith serves as a mentor to Members in Discernment in the UCC.

Involvement in the community is important to Meredith – she currently serves on the Board of Directors and the Regional Health & Human Services Implementation Council of the Community Memorial Foundation.  She is also a volunteer emergency chaplain with area police. She has served as the President of the Board of Directors of NAMI – Metro Suburban (National Alliance for Mental Illness) and as a Board Member of BEDS Plus Care.

Meredith and Dave are proud parents of Alexandria, Connor and Aaron.

meredith@wscongo.org

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