Rev. Dr. Mike Selburg, Minister

Pastor Mike has been the solo Pastor and Head of Staff since August 2006. Mike was born and raised in Peoria, IL. He received his BS in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University in 1998. He moved to Michigan to work in the automotive industry until he decided to take a chance at ministry in 2000. Mike returned to his home church, The First Federated Church of Peoria, IL, to become Director of Youth and Family Ministries through the summer of 2004.

 

From 2001-2004, he commuted from Peoria to Chicago where he studied at McCormick Theological Seminary, receiving his Masters of Divinity. Mike then became a short-term Young Adult Volunteer with the Presbyterian Church (USA) in Guatemala, following that up with his Clinical Pastoral Education chaplaincy program at the VA Puget Sound Hospital in Seattle. From 2005-2006, while searching for a congregation to serve, Mike was a substitute teacher in Peoria, working mostly with “behavior and emotionally disturbed” youth. He received his Doctor of Ministry in 2013 and a Certificate in Executive Leadership in 2014, both from McCormick Theological Seminary.

 

Having never lived anywhere smaller than Peoria, and always living in a neighborhood, Mike has thoroughly enjoyed moving to the country, living in an 1830s settler’s cabin. There he has fallen in love with flower and vegetable gardening and woodland and prairie restoration.

 

In 2012, Mike married his wife, Katie, who joined him at his home in Hamilton Grove. Since then, they have brought into this world their two sons. Besides working in his gardens, woodland and prairie, Mike loves to run, hike, canoe, kayak, fish, downhill and cross-country ski and bike the area’s woods, rivers, streams and hills.

 

Stacie Baker, Office Manager

Stacie grew up in Hillsdale and came to Morrison in 2002, when she met her husband. With a background in health information management and education, Stacie brings many years of office experience. She has a degree in Health Information Management from Scott Community College and a degree in Microcomputer Support from Black Hawk College. She is married to Jeremy and mom of three and grandma of three. Stacie enjoys meeting new people, reading, scrapbooking, spending time outdoors, shopping, spending time with her mom and being a Mary Kay consultant.

 

Courtney Bruckner, Custodian

Courtney joined the staff in July 2022. She is originally from Sterling. She and her husband currently live in Morrison with their two daughters.

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Music:

 

Scott Vandermyde, Choir Director & Organist

Scott was born in Morrison in 1963 and baptized by Rev. Tom Chapin at First Presbyterian Church of Morrison. He began piano lessons with a local teacher, Ardath Paul, at age 5. He started taking organ lessons with Lucille Chapin (currently a resident at Resthave Home in Morrison) at age 13. Scott went to the University of Iowa where he took organ lessons, as a non-music major, for 3-1/2 years. During that time, he presented two organ recitals as a non-major. Scott is retired after a 33-year career as an actuary with a variety of insurance company and consulting firms. He was fortunate to have lived and worked in Chicago for 20+ years, a brief 1-1/2 year time in Seattle, 5 years in Zurich, 2 years in Hong Kong, and most recently about 4-1/2 years in Los Angeles. Scott returned to Morrison permanently in April 2018, settling back into the house that was built for his family when he was one month old. Besides playing piano and organ, Scott has maintained a subscription to Lyric Opera of Chicago for more than 20 years. He also enjoys symphonic/orchestral music, theatre, musical theatre, and is a member of the Art Institute of Chicago.