Our Staff
Rev. Brian Roots, pastor
My wife Ruth and I are excited to return to the Chicago area. We met 29 years ago at Grant Park in Chicago and lived in the area until Ruth’s job took us to Kansas City, Missouri. Chicago is a great city all on its own but more importantly for us it is home to our two adult children, Naomi and Paul. We are blessed to be living close to our friends and family.
I am in my 22nd year of full time ordained ministry. My most recent appointment at North Star UMC was a church plant in suburban Kansas City that I began in July 2000. It was exciting and challenging to lead a new congregation through the process of becoming an established church. It now gives me great pleasure to know North Star is thriving in their own building under the able leadership of their second pastor.
In June of 2008 I became a certified spiritual director through the Christian Spirituality Program at Creighton University in Omaha. In both the individual direction I give and in my leadership as a pastor I strive to help us all see how God is present and active in everyday life. For me nothing is as deeply satisfying as a day lived in harmony with the creator of the universe. My hope is that all who are a part of the community at Christ UMC will grow in their ability to see and love God in themselves and in one another.
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Justin Spurlock, Family Ministries Coordinator
My name is Justin Spurlock and have been serving at CUMC since August 2008. My wife Sarah and I married in 2001. I have been working in the Family Ministries & Christian Education field for the past 10 years. I am an Indiana native. I earned a B.A. in Christian Ministries at Taylor University in Fort Wayne, IN and that is where I also met my wife Sarah. Over the past few years, we have lived in Tulsa, OK as well as Fresno, CA. While in Fresno, I earned an M.A. in Organizational Leadership while also serving as the Director of Youth Ministries and Congregational Resourcing at University Presbyterian Church in Fresno. Currently, I am working on a Masters of Divinity at McCormick Theological Seminary. I have a couple of articles published in the Journal of Student Ministries and have served as a consultant to several congregations in the areas of organizational development, youth ministry, urban programming, and faith development among children. In Spring 2008, I served as an adjunct instructor at MB Biblical Seminary in Fresno, CA.
I love to cycle-- although I do not get the chance to do so very much. My wife and I love ecletic food experiences and love to find new restaurants. I LOVE movies of all kinds and types and find myself having an opinion on all of them. I spend too much of my free time devouring books, magazines, and internet blogs.
If you ever have some time to waste, google my name. Not only will you find me out on the world wide web, you will also find several other Justin Spurlock's-- one is in a band, one's a famous skater, and another is an unknown movie star!
Kristen Scott, Administrative Assistant
If you call Christ United Methodist Church, most likely I will answer the phone. I’m Kristen Scott and became administrative assistant in April, 2001. I live in Deerfield – just one block from the church! – with my husband, Andy, and have two children. Having grown up in Northbrook, I graduated from Wittenberg University in Springfield, OH with a B.A. in English, more years ago than I care to recount.
One of the pleasures of church work is the variety of activity – no two days are ever the same. As a “people person” my position with CUMC indulges my fondness for meeting and interacting with individuals on a daily basis. It’s also rewarding to work in the community in which I live, and build relationships with church members and co-workers.
Tim Plambeck, Choir Director
Hi, I’m Tim Plambeck and I direct the choir. I also am the Director of Music at Lake Forest Academy and have been on faculty at the Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, and the Cleveland Institute of Music. Tim is married to wife Peg. They met during rehearsals for Rigoletto at Cleveland Opera. They have been married for 10 years and are proud parents of Ani(5 years old) and Julia(3 years old). We have attended Christ United Methodist Church of Deerfield for the past 7 years and have been choir director for the last 5 years. My main activities are to chase my children around the yard, spend quality time with my wife, and make great music at LFA. Even if you can’t sing, please join the choir. We are always looking for new and friendly faces!!
Gregg Sewell - Organist
Gregg currently is a music education copyeditor with GIA Publications, Inc here is Chicago. He has been with our church for almost a year and has also worked with many other churches including most recently, Sugar Creek Presbyterian Church in Kettering, Ohio. Gregg is a big anime fan and an accomplished composer having published over 2,600 compositions and arrangements: sacred, educational, pop; choral, vocal, organ, piano, handbell, orchestral.