Staff Page

 

Rev. Brian E. Cope,

Senior Pastor

Rev. Cope has been Senior Pastor since 2008.  He has served churches in Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Indiana and has also taught college classes.  Having co-edited a book for the World Council of Churches with Dr. Michael Kinnamon, Rev Cope enjoys writing.  Before entering the ministry, his field was literary and film theory.  He now uses that background, along with philosophy and theology, to study the interaction of God and Christianity in the world today.

Rev. Cope is helped greatly in his ministry by his wife Sally.  They have three adult children, Paul, Andrew and Krista.
 

 Karen Jesse, Administrative Assistant         

Karen grew up in Prairie View, IL and is a lifelong member of the United Church of Christ. She feels extremely blessed to have the opportunity to contribute to a congregation committed to carrying out the UCC’s mission and message of love, acceptance, inclusivity, and justice for all.  

 
In addition to her many years of office management experience, Karen is also a professional classical singer and vocal consultant with a Masters Degree in operatic performance. She has performed with organizations such as the Ravinia Festival, the Opera Company of Philadelphia, and Glimmerglass Opera, and she regularly adjudicates solo and ensemble competitions. While her college education focused primarily on opera, Karen’s most musically formative years were spent singing with the Chicago Children’s Choir, and choral singing is still the musical artform closest to her heart. In short, she is a very big nerd for choirs, especially church choirs. 
 
In her free time, Karen enjoys cooking, arts and crafts (beaded jewelry is her latest endeavor), and spending time with her family, goddaughters, and cats. 
 

Bev and Greg Tipps, Music Ministers

Bev and Greg  are two very talented musicians.  They live in Algonquin and joined the church in 1986.  They have three grown children, Bryan, Jamie and John, and one beautiful grandson, Sebastian.

Bev has been our accompanist for worship music since 1994 and plays with a vigor that makes us want to sing.  She taught music for five years in the Schaumburg area before she stopped working full time to raise their children.  Bev has directed children’s choirs and served as accompanist for many soloists, groups, and choirs in the Chicago area as well as internationally.

Greg has been director of the Senior Choir at CCA from 1991 to the present.  He is a graduate of Northern Illinois University, where he earned Bachelor and Master of Music in Education degrees.  He served as band director at Schaumburg High School for 35 years.  He is currently the conductor and musical director of the Harper Festival Chorus and the conductor of the Wind Symphony at Harper College.  As a performer, Greg plays trumpet with the Jazz Consortium Big Band, the Woodstock City Band, the McHenry City Band, and other groups in the Chicago area.