Barneveld Lutheran Church Staff

Pastor Jim Hearne pastorjimblc@gmail.com

God will always be your friend! We leave worship at BLC with that powerful reminder because it is absolutely true. I am living proof of that friendship! I have been happy to be in ministry and partnership with the people of Barneveld Lutheran since January 2016. Born and raised as the youngest of seven in the south suburbs of Chicago, I grew up in the Roman Catholic tradition. My parents taught me from an early age about the importance of faith, church, service and community. I felt a desire to serve since the second grade and thought God was calling me to become a priest. My mother died suddenly in 1991 and in that time I felt God’s intense presence and invitation to serve others. After graduating from high school, I entered the minor seminary at Loyola University in Chicago and then attended St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois for four years. I was ordained a priest in May 2005 and served at two large parishes in Chicago.

In my second assignment I met Amy and my heart melted as I felt God calling me in a slightly different direction. I took a leave of absence from ministry to be in relationship with this incredible woman. We went church shopping and God brought us to Trinity Lutheran in Des Plaines, Illinois where we were eventually married and saw our little girl Anna baptized. The pastor was very supportive of our stories and encouraged us to consider ministering in the ELCA. After much prayer and discernment, we felt this was how God was calling us and so I took additional course work and interviewed and entered the call process for pastoral ministry in an ELCA congregation. We interviewed at BLC in November 2015 and was invited to enter into a call with them in December. We welcomed Peter to our family in July 2017. Amy, Anna, Peter and I are very happy to be living and ministering in Barneveld. Through the ups and downs, the highs and lows, the good times and challenging times of life, God’s friendship has sustained us and will for you, too! We would love to have you come pray and be part of “Christ’s Light” here at BLC. Come be a friend of God and a friend of ours.

Support Staff

Marcia Thompson marcia@mhtc.net

Office Manager

I have been a member of BLC for 30+ years, I have worked the church office since November 1992. I live in Barneveld with my husband Ted, and have 3 adult children Leon, Krista and Kyle. I am loving being a grandmother. Along with my office work and helping out on the family farm, one of my passions is helping to make quilts for LWR and baby quilts for Global Health Ministry.

Jenny Milchuck & JoEllen Uptegraw

Custodians

Music Staff

Karen Erickson

Accompanist

Ever since I was a child, I have loved music, as my Mom was a piano teacher and a church organist/pianist. Now as I’m playing the piano, it is pure joy to listen to the people of BLC sing so beautifully and thoughtfully. I think I began playing the piano at BLC during the summer of 2006, and I look forward to many more years of praising the Lord through music.

Linda Seeley

Accompanist

I love to play at BLC! Not only are the people of Barneveld Lutheran kind and compassionate, Pastor Jim and his family are the icing on the cake. In May 2011, I began accompanying at Barneveld Lutheran Church.

I love to play the piano, but will also play the organ and the digital piano for the 9:00a.m. church services. Mark and I reside in Ridgeway, and we recently adopted a four year old gray tabby from the Human Society named “Oodles”. We both love nature and the outdoors enjoying fishing, bowhunting and turkey hunting.

I teach private piano lessons at my studio in Ridgeway, substitute teach at the surrounding school districts, and perform for senior citizens and private venues on occasion.