Grace United Methodist Staff
Staff Bios
Danny Cox, Directing Pastor
Danny, who was appointed to Grace in July 1998, was born in East St. Louis, Illinois, and raised in Collinsville. He graduated with a B.S. in Secondary Education from Illinois State University. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.
Danny was the second person to be honored by our Annual Conference with the Harry Denman Award for his local, conference, and national work in evangelism. He has three times been elected by his peers as a delegate to Jurisdictional Conferences and most recently to General Conference.
Danny’s wife Carol is from Oakland, Illinois, and teaches eighth-grade science at Blue Mound. She also serves at Grace UMC as worship leader for Fresh Start and as Sunday School teacher. Danny and Carol have five children and four grandchildren.
Ray Hudson, Associate Pastor
Ray has been serving as a pastor in Illinois since 1992. He has experience in many areas of ministry with a special interest in accountable discipleship and spiritual formation.
He has served in many areas of ministry for our Annual Conference including: the Annual Conference Sessions Committee, Episcopacy Committee, and the New Streams of Living Water Initiative.
Ray has a B.S. in Social Work from Illinois State University and an M. Div. from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary.
Ray is a musician who enjoys playing electric, acoustic, and bass guitar. He has played many kinds of music and personally enjoys playing contemporary Christian music and classic rock. Ray also enjoys reading and bicycling.
Ray and his wife Patty were married in 1986 and have three children: Andy, Brittany, and Caleb.
Chris Schubert, Minister of Youth & Families
Chris Schubert has worked in ministry for several years, and holds a bachelor’s in Youth Ministry from Huntington University. He enjoys music, movies, reading, and outdoor activities. Chris’s vision for Grace is that it becomes a “flagship for families in Decatur” in which to raise their kids in the faith.
Pam Wentworth, Business Manager
 Pam spent all of her childhood in the Chicago area, where she lived until she went to college at the University of Illinois in Urbana. Pam graduated from the U of I with a BS in Math Education in 1974. Pam’s husband Steve, born and raised on a farm, began farming in 1974. Pam has taught high school math on and off for 12 years. Pam and Steve have two adult children, Julie and Scott, and she was a stay-at-home mom while her children were young. Pam later worked at Richland Community College as a math tutor. In March 2002, Pam was hired as the Business Manager at Grace United Methodist Church and thanks God for the opportunity to serve the church in this capacity.
Vickie Clark, Secretary
Vickie Clark has been a member of Grace Church since 1991 and employed by the church for 10 years. The big joy she gets from working on staff is getting to know and work with so many wonderful Grace Church volunteers. She has served on Evangelism, Lay Leadership and Memorial committees. Vickie and her husband Ken have two grown sons, and when time permits, she enjoys walking and reading.
Jason Garrett, Interim Choir Director
Amy Jedlicka, Financial Secretary
Amy was born and raised in Decatur, and has been a member at Grace since 1994. She and her husband Matt, a Macon County Sheriff’s Deputy, have two children, Kaitlin and Owen. She has been the Financial Secretary since 2005, and couldn’t imagine a better place to work. Her interests include spending time with her family, photography, scrapbooking and singing.
Joan Lester, Parish Nurse
Joan Lester, who is a registered nurse, graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1971 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. Hired as the Parish Nurse at Grace UMC in May 2003, Joan worked for the Visiting Nurse Association of Macon County for 16 years and has a varied background in teaching, pediatrics, oncology, home care, hospice, school nursing, public health and management. Nursing has always been a ministry to Joan and as our Parish Nurse she intentionally uses her faith and the healing power of Jesus to develop a holistic health and wellness ministry at Grace. Joanie feels that the church is a natural setting to administer health care to the person who is broken in mind, body and spirit as the Great Physician dwells within.
Joan and her husband, Roger, have been members of Grace UMC since 1974. Roger works for Tate and Lyle Staley in Decatur and is transport manager of liquid corn products for North America. Joan and Roger have three children: Mark who lives in the St. Louis area; Kimberly who lives in Lawton, Oklahoma, where her husband, Eric, is a Captain in US Army; and Jeffrey who attends Western Illinois University and is contracted with the Army through ROTC.
Joanie envisions Grace UMC as the epicenter within a wounded community that seeks to be healed. She says, “the harvest is plentiful and the Holy Spirit is preparing His church to meet the needs of the afflicted.” Part of the Parish Nurse mission that Joan sees is helping to mobilize and equip Grace for servanthood inside and outside of its walls.
Opal Reuben, Secretary
Opal was born in St. Louis and graduated from Hancock High School and Brown Business School in that city. She worked at the Sporting News and for the U.S. Army and Air Force at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri.
Opal has been a member of Grace UMC since the early 1960s. In 1973 she began working at Grace as a part-time secretary. She has also served as a volunteer in various areas, currently serving in the Lay Ministry through which she visits members of Grace in area nursing homes. She also assists with Widows group.
Opal’s interests include family and outdoor activities.
Rhonda Perkins-Allen, Data Entry
Kevin Chunko, Organist
Kevin holds degrees from Millikin University (BM) and Western Illinois University (MM), both in organ performance, and is currently enrolled in a doctoral program at the University of Illinois. Throughout his college years, he has performed solo organ recitals in various regions of Illinois. His organ teachers include Frances Griffith, Stephen Widenhofer, and most recently Anita Eggert Werling; he studied piano with Linda Hoffman and Dr. Tammie Walker, trombone with Brett Schuster, and composition with Jeremy Brunk.
Throughout college, he has accompanied numerous soloists and ensembles on piano and organ. Kevin is a member of the American Guild of Organists, and the honor society Phi Kappa Phi (inducted April 2005). Between semesters of college, he has worked for the Berghaus Organ Company in Bellwood, IL, and also has played piano for the Decatur Park Singers for several years. As bass trombonist, he has played in Millikin’s Jazz Band I and WIU’s Jazz Studio Orchestra during his education. Past church positions include organist/pianist at First Presbyterian Church (Rochelle, IL), Maroa Christian Church (Maroa, IL), and St. Peter’s United Church of Christ (Elmhurst, IL). Kevin teaches organ locally alongside his duties at Grace.
Tami Gebke, Nursery Director
Ann Lippincott, Membership Secretary
Ann was born in Decatur, attended high school in Barry, Illinois, and graduated from MacMurray College with a major in chemistry. She returned to Decatur in 1946 to work as a research chemist, retiring in 1984. Ann has been the membership secretary at Grace since 1986. She enjoys outdoor activities, genealogical research, reading, and her cat.
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