Pastors
Rev. Joseph Gastiger, Pastor
Reverend
Joseph Gastiger
Pastor Joe retired on October 11, 2020. We send our best wishes and blessings on his and his family’s next journey.
We called rev. Joseph M. Gastiger as Pastor of this church on August 1, 2001.
We celebrated his Ordination and Installation in the sanctuary on October 20, 2001.
Joe entered Chicago Theological Seminary in January of 1998 and graduated in August of 2000. He worked at First Congregational UCC as a Student In-Care of the Prairie Association during his studies, and was mentored by Rev. William Moore, Rev. Jane Ann Moore, and Rev. Robert Meissner.
Joe was baptized and confirmed at Saint Brigid’s Roman Catholic Church in Westbury, NY, where he grew up. He completed his undergraduate work at S.U.N.Y Stony Brook and at the University of Iowa, and then attended Colorado State University for graduate studies. He came to DeKalb in 1980 to teach English at Northern Illinois University, where he later earned his doctorate.
He met his wife Jean, a nurse practitioner, through a mutual friend and they married in 1982. They have one adult son, Michael.
The Gastigers joined First Congregational UCC in July of 1994, when Joe noted that he was "led to this church by [his] son, Michael, whose own spiritual questions—which came up while he was playing with toys, or while [Joe] and Jean would read to him at night—whose own innocent and profound questions had reawakened deeply felt concerns" in Joe. He turned to ministry as a quest for a greater challenge in life and a growing interest to learn more about Christianity and the Bible.
As Pastor of First Congregational United Church of Christ, Joe says he would "like to do whatever we can, in big and small ways, to learn to live in the Kingdom of God, in the ways we look after each other and look out for each other."
Education
Chicago Theological Seminary
Master of Divinity, 2001
Northern Illinois University
Ph.D., 1992
Colorado State University
Master of Arts, 1980
University of Iowa
Bachelor of Arts, 1976
S.U.N.Y Stony Brook
1971 - 1973
Music
Travis Erikson, Organist and Choir Director
Choir Director and Organist
Travis Erikson
Travis Erikson earned his baccalaureate degree in piano from Whitman College in Washington and the Master of Music and Performer's Certificate in piano from Northern Illinois University, where he studied with the late Donald Walker. In addition, he did graduate work in music theory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
While pursuing his graduate degrees at NIU Travis also completed the requirements for Illinois public school teacher certification. He is currently the choral director at DeKalb High School.
Education
Northern Illinois University
Master of Music
Northern Illinois University
Performer's Certificate, Piano
University of Wisconsin
Whitman College
Bachelor of Music, Piano
Office Staff
Julie Grendahl, Office Manager
Office Manager
Julie Grendahl
Julie is a life-long Sycamore resident with her husband Gary and their two cocker spaniels.
Julie was the Office Manager at a Lutheran church for four years. She also worked with Pastor Kathy Lawes, serving as the Christian Education Director in Elburn. She has a background in insurance and a degree in Human Resource Management. Recently she has been a substitute teacher in Sycamore and DeKalb schools.
Nursery
Amanda Bengford-Breneisen, Nursery Director
Nursery Director
Amanda Bengford-Breneisen
Amanda first joined the nursery in 2005. She loves creating a safe, supportive, play based environment for the children to learn and grow. Throughout the years, she has enjoyed watching the many kids that have come through the nursery. She appreciates the many people who have helped, and presently assist in the nursery.
Amanda and her husband have three sons and one daughter. She enjoys doing many things including spending time with friends and family, traveling, trying new things, taking pictures, scrapbooking, meeting new people, and finding adventure. Amanda loves the community at First Congregational UCC, and the many different people she has met there.
Education
Aurora University George Williams Campus
Master of Arts in Teaching, 2009
Briar Cliff University
Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Speech Communication, English minor, 2004