Our Elders
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Joe Thorn
Lead Pastor
Joe was raised in Geneva, IL, and came to know Christ after graduating from high school. He is married to Jen and together they have four kids (Katherine, Elias, Madeline and Kilian). Joe is the author of several books, and has degrees from Moody Bible Inst. in Chicago (B.A.) and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville (M. Div.). Joe is one of the founding pastors of Redeemer Fellowship.
Interested in having Pastor Joe speak at your event? Please complete his Speaking Request Form here.
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JIMMY FOWLER
Executive Pastor
Growing up in St. Charles, Jimmy came to know Christ his sophomore year in high school. Jimmy is married to Michelle and they have three kids (Cohen, Elias, and Arianna). Jimmy completed his B.A. at Judson University.
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Jeff Willey
Jeff was raised in Glendale Heights, IL. Christ changed his life as an adult at the age of 32. Jeff and his wife DeAnn have three grown children, Kacy, Jacob, and Alyssa. God has blessed them with the privilege of owning a landscape company which has opened up a wonderful mission field for Christ. Jeff sees that God has grown him through many different areas of service to the church, but truly enjoys serving the children’s ministries. Jeff enjoys fishing, travel, and spending time with his family. Jeff is one of the founding pastors at Redeemer Fellowship, having served as an elder at Redeemer since 2007.
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Brian Malcolm
Brian was raised in a Christian home in central Illinois and came to know Christ in his youth. He moved to the Chicago suburbs in 1999 for college, and to the Fox Valley in 2007. Brian works as a graphic designer and farm manager, and lives in Elburn with his wife, Heidi, and their children, Tisetso and Phindi.
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Kevin McDunn
Kevin grew up in Chicago and first believed in the gospel of Jesus Christ when he was 10 years old. He met his wife, Krista, in a young adult Christian ministry, where they discovered a shared passion for the doctrines of grace. They have a young adult son, Ian. Kevin has a Masters in Management from Lancaster University (U.K.) and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois. He has led product development teams in the marketplace and community groups in the local church for more than 30 years.
Elder Candidates
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Oliver Bujdei
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Louis Krelle
Our Staff
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Deb Gabrels
Ministry Assistant
Deb grew up in South Carolina and received Christ as her Savior in her early teens. She moved to Illinois with her husband Greg, and two sons, Taylor and Bryson, in 1994. She has been the ministry assistant for Redeemer since 2007. She enjoys spending time with family, reading, and al fresco dining.
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KYLE SCHIRLE
CHILDREN & YOUTH MINISTRY DIRECTOR
Kyle was raised in a Christian home in Westmont, IL and came to know Christ in his youth. Kyle graduated from Moody Bible Institute with his Bachelors in Biblical Studies. In his free time Kyle enjoys listening to music, lifting weights, playing board games, and being disappointed with Chicago sports teams. Kyle began serving with Redeemer Fellowship in 2023.
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Jeremy Nicoski
Worship Assistant
Jeremy was raised in a Christian home in St. Charles, Illinois, and came to know Christ as a teenager. Around that same time, he was given his first acoustic guitar and began serving in the music ministry at First Baptist Church of St. Charles and slowly transitioned into a ministry leader. He was married in 2008 to Maria, and they had our son, Lucas, in 2014. They currently live a few miles east of St. Charles in West Chicago and Jeremy has been serving as a worship leader at Redeemer Fellowship since 2007.
Our Deacons
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Deb Gabrels
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Greg Gabrels
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Scott Kalas
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Dave Lewis
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Anya Portokalis
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Steve Portokalis
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Dan Tsouloufis
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Rob Warford
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DeAnn Willey
To have a deacon contact you regarding care, benevolence, or any mercy ministry need, please contact the church office at 630 584-8750 or info@redeemerfellowship.org.