Church Council

Pastor Linda Thurston

Pastor Linda started at Trinity in October of 2019. Pastor Linda is married to Tom Cunniff.  They have 3 young adult daughters. Beth lives in New Hampshire and works in political organizing. Cassie lives in Minneapolis and works for an environmental non-profit. Julia is a sophomore at DePaul studying accounting.  They have a dog, Crash and a cat, Atticus.

In her free time, Pastor Linda enjoys knitting and playing tennis. Her favorite vacation place is the Jersey Shore-Long Beach Island.

Shirley Luttrell: Council President

Shirley became a member at Trinity in 1988, after their son was born.  She chooses to stay at Trinity because she feels like part of a family at Trinity.  Shirley thinks Trinity does great things for the community. She also thinks Pastor Linda’s sermons help her understand the Bible better. Shirley is involved in Faith Formation, the Green Team, and Council. 

Shirley is married to Larry.  They have two kids, Andy, who is married to Shali and Tracey who is married to Mike.  Altogether, they have two grandchildren and two on the way. 

Shirley works part time at Target. In her free time, she likes to read, work in her garden, and enjoys doing crafts. She likes a lot of different tv shows and movies, but her favorites are Harry Potter and The Big Bang Theory. Shirley and Larry have been trying to get to all 50 states.  They loved Maine and the Seattle area. Her favorite place to go is their family cottage in Powers Lake, Wisconsin.

Krissy Goebbert: Vice President

Krissy was confirmed at Trinity.  She chooses to stay at Trinity because Trinity is a small community of family and friends who support each other. Krissy has served on Council from 2016-2023. Krissy has also served on Exec as President and Vice President during that time. Krissy helps out in a variety of ways, but is not committed to one ministry.

Krissy’s parents, Jill and Hal also attend Trinity.  Her brother, Kevin attended Trinity when he lived in Illinois. Krissy has a dog named Millie, who is a therapy dog, and she sometimes attends church.  Krissy is currently working as an Assistant Director of Special Education.

In her free time, Krissy enjoys reading, baking, and kayaking.  She also enjoys watching the Chicago Cubs.  Krissy’s top 3 vacation places that she has visited are Acadia National Park in Maine, Sanibel Island in Florida, and Alaska.  Her favorite tv show is Schitt’s Creek.

Pattie Frey: Council Secretary

Pattie started coming to Trinity because she went to Trinity’s craft fair and heard her friend, Laurie Malmberg say, “What are you doing here?" Laurie then told Pattie that this was her home church and she invited Pattie to come to worship on Sunday.  Pattie and her family did and the rest is history.  Pattie became a member of Trinity September of 2023. She chooses to stay at Trinity because she feels at home at Trinity.  She has never felt so welcomed and loved in a church as she does at Trinity. 

Pattie is married to Bob.  They have two sons, John and Jeremy and two wonderful son-in-laws, Sean and Nando.  They live in Chicago and have a dog named Trixie.  They also have 5 grand dogs. Pattie also has two brothers and two sisters. Pattie worked at Grainger for 34 years as an executive assistant, to several VP’s.  She retired in August of 2024.  She is currently working as an administrative assistant in the Health Department at Niles West High School.

In Pattie's free time, she helps out with Fish and Loaves and Altar Guild.  She also enjoys locker hooking, white felting, and Amish knots.  Working with her hands makes her heart happy. She enjoys watching football, especially the Bears.  One of her favorite vacations was going to the Smoky Mountains with her sons and son-in-law.  She is a huge fan of Outlander, The Handmaid’s Tale and Ghost. She also likes audiobooks, especially Bridges of Madison County.

Michael Scholzel: Council Treasurer

Mike has been a member of Trinity for approximately 25 years. Mike chooses to stay at Trinity because of the uplifting spirit from worship he receives and also because of the fellowship. Serving the church gives him many positive things to do. Mike has served on the Finance Committee as Treasurer for approximately 15 years.  During that time, Mike has attended Exec Council meetings and Council meetings.  He is also co-chair of the Property Committee.

Mike has been married to Kim for 38 years.  They have two adult sons, Gregory and Matthew. Mike retired from his job as an accountant in 2018. 

In his free time, Mike likes to travel to Fish Creek in Door County.  He occasionally watches baseball, football, tennis, and hockey, especially during the playoffs or the big tournaments. Mike enjoys biking and following Economy and Energy and “Peak Oil”, events and news.

Kathy Minerva

Kathy became a member at Trinity in 1979.  She chooses to stay at Trinity because she has always loved the music at Trinity.  Kathy has served on Council in 2003.  She participates in Choir and the Crafter group.

Kathy and Jordy have been married for 47 years.  They have two daughters and four grandchildren. 

In Kathy’s free time, she is retired, she loves to crochet, garden, read, and bike. She enjoys watching the Cubs and also enjoys visiting Michigan.  Kathy loves watching All Creatures Great and Small on PBS.  She also watches a lot of shows on Britbox.

Paul Sammarco

Paul became a member at Trinity in 1986. He chooses to stay at Trinity because Trinity has meaningful worship and dedicated people that carry out the missions of the church. Paul has served on Council before in 2018. He serves on the Finance Committee and has served on the Nominating Committee. 

Paul is married to Janelle.  They have two adult children, Charlie and Chelsea. They also have a French Bulldog named Bailey. Paul worked in the printing business for many years and is now semi- retired. 

In his free time, he enjoys going to Wisconsin to fish and relax. He enjoys vacationing with friends. His favorite sport is football and his team is the Bears. His favorite tv shows are Chicago Fire and Kitchen Nightmares.

Judy Schirmer

Judy officially became a member of Trinity in 2020.  Judy and Cliff’s daughters attended the Trinity Pre-School around 1998-2001. Judy chooses to stay at Trinity because of the people and good friends that she has made at Trinity. Judy is involved in the ministry, Fish and Loaves.

Judy is married to Cliff, who volunteers in The Good News Garage.  They have 2 adult daughters, 2 son- in-laws, and 2 granddaughters. They also have a grand dog named Moose. Judy works full-time for Churchwide Offices of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. She has worked there for almost 32 years. 

In her free time, Judy enjoys Baking. Her favorite sports team is the Green Bay Packers. Her favorite place to live is Southern Germany, where their friends live. She also is a huge fan of PBS/BBC Masterpiece Mysteries.

Scott A. Stephens

Scott has been a member of Trinity since birth.  Scott enjoys attending Trinity because he feels he returned to a place of Comfort and Peace. Scott just started serving on Council a few years ago.  He served as Vice President.  He also serves as a co-chair of the Property Committee.  He helps out with the lawn care and trimming of the shrubs and trees.

In Scott’s free time, he enjoys woodworking, his dog Barney.  Scott also enjoys watching Netflix and the Blackhawks.  One of Scott’s favorite places to travel to is Arizona.

Nancy Webber

Nancy became a member of Trinity in the mid 80’s.  She chooses to stay at Trinity because of the people, the mission of Trinity, and because her Mom was involved at Trinity. Nancy is starting her 5th year on Council.  She served as Council Secretary and is involved in the Backpack Project.

Nancy has a brother, sister-in-law, nephew, niece, and great nephews and a great niece, who live in Kentucky.  She also has 3 cousins with families, who live here. Her stepmother and husband live in Florida and her step brother lives in Chicago. Nancy retired from teaching Elementary Physical Education after 35 years, but continues to coach Badminton at Maine West High School. 

In her free time, she enjoys traveling, kayaking, searching for sea glass, and working in the yard. Her favorite places to travel include National Parks and places by water: Maine, Sanibel Island, Alaska. Her favorite sport to watch is tennis.  She also enjoys watching The Voice and Jeopardy.