Pastor Stefan Potuznik - Senior Pastor

I have been the Senior Pastor at Christus Victor Lutheran Church since 2006. I am married to Melanie, who is also a pastor. Together, we are raising four young boys. I grew up in Frankfurt, Germany and studied Theology in Oberursel and Heidelberg at Carl-Ruprecht University. In 1994, I did an internship at Faith Lutheran Church in Glen Ellyn, IL. I was planning to return to Germany after a year, but I fell in love with a beautiful woman, got married, and have served as a pastor in the U.S. ever since.

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Associate Pastor Melanie Potuznik - Visionary Leader, Confirmation Coordinator, and faith leader for young families

As visionary leader in this place called Christus Victor, I have grown into my calling to be used by God for the purpose of putting words to what the Holy One is doing here at this time. I find this work extremely riveting, and with intentionality and continued persistence, it is my goal to guide more and more people to discover deeper faith, which leads to purposeful living. Thank you for entrusting me to serve in this way.

Learn more about Melanie and her role in Christus Victor’s confirmation program here!

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deacon ANNETTE HERNANDEZ - MINISTER OF WORD & SERVICE & deacon for community engagement

I was ordained as a Deacon, Minister of Word & Service by the Evangelical Lutheran Church on April 30, 2023. My current focuses at CVLC are 1) Pastoral Care Ministry (including Eucharistic ministry team and prayer stations), 2) Grief Share support group, 3) Engaging new members, 4) Providing Worship Service Support, and 5) Hospice Outreach. I also am greatly involved in exploring and developing programming to support Elk Grove Village, with a focus on the Latinx community and mental health.

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PAM RODRIGUEZ - Council President

I'm honored to be invited to serve on Council.  Christus Victor Lutheran Church is such a loving and generous faith community.  For my part, I am on the City on a Hill team, do the overnight shift for PADS, support the food pantry and refugee ministry, and I love to bake for our respite care ministry. If I'm not at church, I'm in North Carolina with my grandkids, Minnesota with my mom, or traveling with a bunch of my old high school classmates.

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VITO BONDI - COUNCIL VICE PRESIDENT

I have been a member of Christus Victor for about four years. I have a wonderful family with my wife, Candace, and our three children. I am an Engineer, Auditor, and enjoy woodworking and home improvement around my kids’ schedules. CVLC is such an important place for me and my family, because it brings the word of God into our lives and our church family helps us raise our kids with the values we were raised with and have come to cherish. 

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mark weiland - council secretary

Growing up living down the street from Christus Victor, I have been a member of this church for most of my life. I have fond memories of attending Sunday School, being confirmed, and participating in numerous service projects. I was fortunate to have Pastor Stefan officiate my wedding and baptize my three beautiful children.  Currently, I am an English Language Arts teacher, and I actively engage in community service. My role involves conveying my passion for literacy to students of diverse levels and abilities. Christus Victor is a welcoming and inclusive community where people from all backgrounds can come together. We support one another by sharing our unique gifts and talents, allowing us all to grow and then go out into the world to make a positive impact in people's lives. I am thrilled to be a part of this community.

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silvio rodia - council treasurer

I live in Schaumburg with my wife, Michelle of 15 years and 3 children: Amelia, Silvio Jr, and Dominic.  They have been coming to Christus Victor since 2011.  I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering from University of Illinois-Chicago and a Master of Science in Applied Mathematics from DePaul University. I am an Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer of a life insurance company in Lake Bluff, IL.

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CHERYL HELLSTEDT - MEMBER AT LARGE

I am a lifelong Lutheran, and my husband Peter and I have been members at Christus Victor since 2022. We have two children, Beth and John, and a wonderful daughter-in-law, Kim. John and Kim are parents of our three-year-old grandson, Logan.  I am a retired nurse as of May of this year. I love to read books, listen to music, visit with friends, and visit Door County.  Life is good, God is good, and I look forward to serving the church, with YOU, in any way I can.

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FELICIA NELSON - MEMBER AT LARGE

I was born in Athens, Greece in January 1965 and arrived in the U.S. in October 1965.  I have one brother named Jason and two beautiful children, Lexi and Justin. My career as an insurance broker spans over 30 years.  In addition, I am a church hooker (I love to crochet!) and I love love love my percussion. I also love to watch NCAA and NBA basketball, enjoy golf, and binge “Brady Brunch” reruns.

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BEN JAROSH - MEMBER AT LARGE

I grew up in Elk Grove Village and have returned to the community six years ago, as I believe it is a great place to raise our family. My son Theo is six and my daughter Sammy is four. They both love Sunday School, and my wife Beth is helping to develop that curriculum. I am happy to have CVLC as a part of our faith community. Professionally, I have worked in healthcare with colleagues to improve service delivery and communication across a multidisciplinary team as an occupational therapist. I am excited to be considered for a role on the CVLC Council to help forward the Lord's plan for our CVLC family and beyond.

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hansel ramathal - council member

I moved to the Chicago area from Northern Kentucky. I have been part of a church all my life in various countries and locations in the US. I look at the Church as the living arm of our communities and as an invitation to reach out further and receive each other in grace, always. After searching for Lutheran congregations in the area, I found CVLC and was drawn by the energy and welcoming nature of the leadership and the members. I especially connected with the presence of a Tanzanian congregation worshiping in our midst, and with the Men’s group on Saturdays. Such community-inclusive conversations are what I envision as the mission of the church in the coming ages.

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JANICE FEESE - COUNCIL MEMBER

I have been a member of Christus Victor Lutheran Church for a few years now. My first memory of Christus Victor is Bill Fleck (Rest in Peace) welcoming us and giving us crosses from his coat pocket. My husband and I have a long Lutheran tradition. We enjoy the vitality of Christus Victor and look forward to serving others.

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pastor joseph bocko - council member

I was born and raised in northwest Tanzania, in a small town Bukoba, on the shores of Lake Victoria, 1 degree south of the Equator. I graduated from the Makumira Lutheran Theological Seminary and was ordained as a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, North Western Diocese.  I became a pastor of a 750-member congregation for a year. In 1981, I married Jessica Kemilembe, a public-school teacher. Shortly after, I was awarded a scholarship from the Lutheran Church in America.  I studied at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, where I graduated with my Master’s in Sacred Theology. I then served as a pastor in Metro Chicago Synod of Reformation Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) on the South side of Chicago. Later, I accepted a call to serve as African National Ministries Program Director at the ELCA’s office.  I enjoy what God calls me to do.  My wife and I are blessed with four wonderful grown children. They are thankful to be a part of community of faith in the ELCA.  Knowing God gives them hope for a brighter future.  God never fails.

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mark schumacher - council member

As a church council member, I am focused on using my skillsets and life experiences to help our church conduct God’s plans for us. My life is a good example of how God is constantly preparing us and pivoting our lives in directions we could never have imagined. I was immersed in the Lutheran Church my entire life, as both of my parents were Lutheran school teachers. My professional career is one of a variety of phases of preparation and pivot, including a bachelor’s degree followed by four years of service as a Lutheran school teacher (first job in Aiea, Hawaii), an accounting degree followed by over 20 years of work in professional services firms, and a master’s in data science while serving in my current role as a finance lead at a university. I have experienced God’s abundance personally and love sharing these blessings. I live in beautiful Itasca with my wife Trish, and my son Sam currently lives and works in Boston. Volunteering is a big part of how I have been able to share this abundance, as I am a founding member of the Itasca Runners Club and am an active member of the Itasca Lions.

MiMi Cheatham - Office Manager

I have been employed in the office at Christus Victor since 2017, taking over as Office Manager in 2018. I have been a member of Christus Victor since 2016 and a resident of Elk Grove Village since 1984. My husband Tom and I have three adult daughters and one cherished granddaughter. I graduated from NIU with a BS and MS in Special Education. I also taught for several years and also worked alongside my siblings in a family business in Elk Grove. I am passionate about animals, Christus Victor, my family and my friends – not necessarily in that order. She loves her work at CVLC and hopes to continue for many years to come. My beloved dog, Mochi, often works at Christus Victor with me.    

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rosa caputo-biondo - office assistant & caring place coordinator

I was born and raised on the northwest side of Chicago by Italian immigrant parents. I received my Bachelor's Degree in Gerontology from Dominican University in River Forest, then worked for multiple senior living communities wearing different hats as Activity Director, Assisted Living Director, and Memory Care Unit Director. During that time, I enjoyed traveling to many fun locations until I met Mike Biondo. We married and had our son, Johnny. While caring for my family, I began working several part-time jobs, until landing the position of Office Assistant at CVLC in 2018. Most recently, I have returned to my passion and calling in caring for seniors and am one of our Coordinators for A Caring Place - Respite Care. My family has been members of Christus Victor for over a decade. In that time, I have served on leadership for MOPS, Parish Growth and Life, on Worship Teams, and enjoyed learning and leading bible studies, as well as participating in special events. I love the support that our community offers and how welcoming it is to all people.

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Christina Schiel - Communications Specialist

After exploring different churches for over a year to find the "perfect match" for my faith, Christus Victor beat out all the competition and I joined in 2023. Being part of such an active, welcoming community motivated me to do more. I love communications and being creative. So when the opportunity arose to do part-time communications here, I felt God sent me here with a plan. I hold a Journalism degree from Bradley University and am currently a Communications/Content Marketing Associate for a nationwide podiatry network. My husband Chris and I have two children: Mikey and Sophie. If you're ever at the 9 a.m. mass, they certainly make their presence known! You may occasionally also see my twin sister when she's in town. She was the very first present God gave me, and for that I'm always in His debt!

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