Judi is a Commissioned Lay Pastor, trained through the Synod of Lincoln Trails. She graduated from the University of Illinois with bachelors and master’s degrees in education. In addition to her role planning and leading worship (on a part-time basis), she teaches computer workshops for staff full-time at the University of Illinois with the Technology Services department. She previously served at First Pres as ministry assistant for youth and adult education departments in the late 90’s to 2005. When not working, she enjoys cozy mysteries and keeping fit. Judi and her husband, Jay, live in Champaign. They have two adult children, Ted and Beth.
Patty has been a member of this congregation since 1978 and has served as Director of Nursery and Childcare and is currently serving as Receptionist. Her formal training is in early child development and elementary education. She and her husband Bruce are certified parent educators and have been teaching parenting classes for many years in our church and community. Patty and Bruce have four grown children and nine grandchildren.
Jill has an Associate Degree in Accounting from Parkland. She has worked in private accounting for several years doing payroll, financial statement preparation, auditing, etc. She also works for the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System (ILEAS). Jill is a self-professed Christian. She lives in Urbana with her husband and their two dogs.
Ritchie grew up in Robinson, Illinois and moved to Champaign in 2000. He joined the staff at First Pres in 2011. This is where he met his late wife who was from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Robert comes to First Pres from the University of Illinois, having retired following 25 years of service managing the IT infrastructure at Grainger Engineering Library. He holds three Masters Degrees: Computer Science from the University of Illinois, Information Science from Columbia University, and Education Technology from San Francisco State University.
Bonnie is a Champaign resident, originally from Connecticut. She and her husband have been in ministry since 1990. Most recently, Bonnie was on staff with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship for 13 years, working with international students. She currently works part-time with the New American Welcome Center, teaching English to non-native English speaking staff. She has also been a volunteer at First Presbyterian’s ELL program for 8 years. Bonnie and her husband have 4 adult children and 5 grandchildren.
Samuel Stephenson is an accomplished conductor, educator, and administrator. He earned his Master of Music in Choral Conducting with distinction from Westminster Choir College, where he studied under James Jordan and Simon Carrington. Samuel has conducted performances ranging from premiering his colleague’s anthems at the Chinese Christian Church of NJ to conducting Morten Lauridsen’s Mid-Winter Songs with the Westminster Choir in Washington, D.C. Samuel is an active choral clinician in the tri-state area, premiering works with composer Mei-Chen Liu’s at the Central Presbyterian Church of New York. He is excited to begin his Doctorate in Choral Music at UIUC this fall. Guided by his bicultural identity and global perspective, his vision as a conductor is rooted in a deep understanding of choral literature and a desire to bring transformative musical stories to life.
Yuxi holds Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Piano Performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Her activities include solo performance, collaborative piano, church accompaniment, and music education. At the U of I, Yuxi received the School of Music’s Full Tuition Assistantship and served as a Piano Teaching Assistant. Aside from teaching, Yuxi accompanied musicians including strings, voice, guitar, and percussion. She is an active member of the Music Teachers National Association and has participated in events such as the Summer Piano Institute at the University of Illinois and the American Liszt Society Festival at Indiana University Bloomington. Her early collaborative experience includes performing as a keyboardist in pit orchestras and as accompanist for high school vocal jazz ensemble.
