2024 Vestry
The Vestry is the lay leadership body of the church. There are nine members, each serving three-year terms. Each January, three members roll off, and three members are elected for a new three-year term.
Under the photos below, each Vestry member is identified as Year 1, Year 2, or Year 3 of his or her term.
After attending for some time, Melinda Mahoney and her husband Ryan joined All Souls in 2014. Since then, you may have noticed Melinda in children’s ministry, as a reader, crucifer, or in some other service opportunity. She is grateful for the All Souls community where their son, Ian, was baptized and continues to grow and connect on his journey towards adulthood. Melinda has worked in the insurance industry for around 20 years, but outside of work, can be found experimenting with new recipes, growing fruits and vegetables, and dreaming about the next travel adventure.
Henny Leonard first attended All Souls in 2011 with her husband Jim. Soon after, they were confirmed in the Anglican faith. They are house group leaders and have served in Children’s Worship. Henny has also served as a mentor, taken meals to people in need, and she volunteers in the nursery. Henny is a trained and certified spiritual director. A former special education teacher with a grad degree in counseling, she has a special interest in those areas, and a love for connecting with and encouraging people. She loves daily walks and bike rides on the prairie paths and is always up for taking a walk with a friend. She also enjoys sewing, reading, and time with her 4 children and 15 grandchildren.
Jim Bolton has attended All Souls from the beginning of the church in 2004. All Souls has been an important community for Jim and his family, a source of fellowship and support. Recently retired from a career in publishing, Jim now has time to pursue other interests including serving at All Souls as a way of giving back to this community.
Lee Hoffner and his wife, Theresa, have been attending All Souls since 2014. Theresa preceded Lee in Vestry service — for which Lee is grateful. Lee and Theresa serve in music at All Souls, coordinating the ministry of the All Souls Choir. (Between the two of them, they have a combined choral music history totaling ~60 years.) Lee’s interests include brewing, poetry and improvisational comedy. Lee’s favorite saint is Benedict.
Bruce Knowlton has worshipped in the Anglican Communion his entire adult life. Along with his wife Gretchen, and children Miles, Margot, and Michael, he is grateful to call the All Souls community home since 2004. Bruce works in the fields of educational technology and media production. Otherwise, he loves to read, make music, and hike with his family. A transplant from São Paulo, Bruce loves all things Brazilian. Stop by his house for a cafézinho and conversation.
Megan Lynch and her husband Greg have been part of All Souls since moving to the area from New York City in 2014. They serve as House Group leaders and are grateful for the support and friendship of the All Souls community. Megan and Greg have two young boys — Timothy and Caleb — and live in West Chicago. With a background in the nonprofit sector, Megan now works in philanthropy and corporate social responsibility as the manager of Duly Health and Care’s Charitable Fund. She enjoys running on the Prairie Path, being in nature, reading, and spending time with family and friends.
Matthew J. Milliner visited All Souls with his wife Denise in 2011 when they moved to Wheaton and they both knew it was home. He and Denise saw both of their children, Peter and Polly, baptized under the beautiful mural of the Middle Eastern Christ under a Midwestern Tree of Life. Matt has a Seminary degree and, following Alan Jacobs, he served as Catechist at All Souls from 2013-2020. He teaches art history at Wheaton College, where, among other responsibilities, he leads morning and evening prayer services from the new ACNA prayer book in Advent and Lent.
Melody Schwarting and her husband Marcus have attended All Souls since August 2020. They co-lead a house group, and Melody serves in children’s Sunday school and Hands for Souls. A church historian by training, Melody loves learning about women writers in the Christian tradition, observing saints’ days, and translating liturgy to lifestyle. She and Marcus were confirmed together into the Anglican Communion on the feast day of Julian of Norwich in 2022. Spiritual direction and contemplative practices draw her into a deeper life of prayer. She enjoys all kinds of handicrafts, especially anything with wool, and reading avidly.
Adam Wood is a life-long Anglican, and has attended All Souls since 2012, when he took a job teaching philosophy at Wheaton College. Sometimes he preaches, but more often holds babies in the Nursery. He’s married to Caris, and their children are Gus, Cate, Abe and Sophie. He likes cultivating vegetables and native plants, wandering in wildernesses, flyfishing and triathlons.