Pastor Mark Sloss

Email:  pastor@immanuelevanston.org

Office Phone:  847-864-4464

Pastor Mark Sloss began his call as Immanuel’s Pastor in March of 2021, having served other congregations in Kentucky, Indiana and Florida. He’s a trained Spiritual Director and has served as a Conflict Management consultant to other congregations. He grew up in Bradenton, Florida, and is a graduate of Capital University and Trinity Lutheran Seminary, both in Columbus, Ohio.

With his wife, Susan, he enjoys spending time in the great outdoors; hiking, biking and kayaking being the three preferred modes of traversing through nature. He also enjoys playing pickleball and racquetball. Other hobbies include home brewing and gardening. Susan and Mark have three grown married children. Benjamin (Tracie) with grandson, Ethan, and granddaughters, Lily and Grace, live in Downers Grove, IL, where Ben is a pastor at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Naperville. Daughter, Rebecca (Chase Lenon), is an Occupational Therapist in Indianapolis. And daughter Anna (Aaron Silco) are both pastors in congregations in Anchorage, Alaska, raising their son, Aidan.

Pastor Mark says, “I’m excited about serving as Immanuel’s pastor, a place that welcomes all into a vibrant worshiping community that nurtures spirituality, and seeks justice for the downtrodden and oppressed.” At Immanuel we are fed by faith that flows into action, feeding others with God’s love.

James Morehead, Music Director

Email:  Please contact the church office.

Office Phone:  847-864-4464

Jimmy Morehead has been the Music Director at Immanuel Lutheran Church since 2017. He is the Artistic Director of the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus and Co-Artistic Director for VOX3 Collective. He primarily works as a coach, accompanist and music director in the City of Chicago. He previously taught at the Music and Theater Conservatory of Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, where he has also served as Adjunct Professor of Music Theory/History and German Diction. James received his MM in Piano Performance and Music Theory from Roosevelt University and his BM from Duquesne University.

As a Music Director, James has worked on the Non-Equity Jeffs Award Ceremony, See What I Wanna See in the Steppenwolf Garage series 2013 and has also done The Wiz (Jeff Nominated: Music Direction), Dessa Rose (Jeff Nominated: Music Direction), bare (Jeff Nominated: Music Direction), Passing Strange (Jeff Nominated: Music Direction), AIDA, Jerry Springer- the Opera, Trouble in Tahiti, The Rainbow Connection, the Mikado, The Impresario, Barber of Seville, The Old Maid and the Thief, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Sondheim in the Park, The Wandering Scholar, The Bear, Reagan’s Children, Something Schwartz, The Way We War, Copacabana, Cupid and Psyche, Promises, Promises Screwed Up People, Flaherty and Ahrens On and Off and The Tony Goes To, The Tony Goes II, and Once, Twice, Three Times a Tony among many others.

Born and raised in the Episcopal tradition from a very musical family, Jimmy performs every summer in a family holiday concert called “Christmas Praise” which raises money for charity. He loves the strong and beautiful Lutheran musical tradition strong and the opportunity to worship and serve in such a vibrant church community.

Christine Kraemer, Organist

Email:  Please contact the church office.

Office Phone:  847-864-4464

Christine Kraemer is Immanuel’s interim organist. She is delighted to play the Roderer tracker organ in Immanuel’s fine acoustical space and especially enjoys accompanying the congregation’s enthusiastic and heartfelt singing!

Christine has served as organist or organist and choir director at a number of area churches: First Presbyterian Church of Evanston; Gloria Dei Lutheran, Northbrook; St. Luke’s Lutheran, Park Ridge; Kenilworth Union Church; Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church; Trinity United Methodist, Wilmette; and St. Luke’s Episcopal, Evanston. Before coming to Immanuel, from October 2021-April 2022, Christine was interim music director and organist at St. John’s Lutheran in Wilmette.

Christine holds three degrees from Northwestern University’s School of Music, Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music and Doctor of Music in Church Music and Organ. Her organ teachers were Richard Enright and Wolfgang Rubsam. As a graduate student she assisted Grigg Fountain, Organist and Choirmaster at Alice Millar Chapel.

Christine grew up in Paramus, NJ. She and her husband Mark live in Wilmette and have two adult daughters, Carolyn (Ian Shelley) and Cheryl (Lenny Weber).

Jane Kaihatsu, Parish Administrator

Email:  parish-admin@immanuelevanston.org

Office Phone:  847-864-4464

Jane Kaihatsu has been Immanuel’s Parish Administrator since 2018. She is a 3rd-generation Japanese-American who was born and raised on Chicago’s North Side and in Park Ridge. She has a degree in East Asian History from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Prior to Immanuel Jane worked in new business marketing for architecture/engineering design firms. She also spent 9 years in Japan at first teaching English at a public high school for the Ministry of Education. Later, she became a reporter and page editor for an English-language daily newspaper in Tokyo. Though raised in a United Church of Christ church which was founded by Nisei who were incarcerated in internment camps during World War II, Jane enjoys learning about the ELCA traditions and is inspired by their progressive ministries. She is an avid White Sox and Bulls fan.