Leadership
Elders
Paul Vroom, Lead Pastor/Elder
Email: Family: Married to Laura November 24, 2001. Our daughter Grace was born on November 22, 2003. We were sweating the fact that our first child might have her birthday on our anniversary so that we would never have a “normal anniversary” again. Isaac completed our family on October 19, 2006. Personal History: I was born and raised in Pella, IA. I've lived my entire life in beautiful cornfields of the Midwest. I went through Christian schools all my life and became somewhat disgruntled with the Christian faith because what I was seeing the church and schools was not lining up with what the Bible was saying. Needless to say I did my best job at running from God. It wasn’t until I went to Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, IL and got recruited to work at Camp Manitoqua did it all come together. I put my faith in Christ as my Savior at the age of 19 there at Manitoqua. I graduated from Trinity Christian college in 1992 with a BA in Elementary Education. Using the gift of teaching I'd been given, it became my passion to give back. I began to teach, or what I thought teaching was, at Lansing Christian School. I soon found out that God had other plans in store for me. I was being called out to be a missionary in the public schools. I took on of the best jobs that I had ever had (not including the current position) as a fifth grade teacher in the Mokena Public Schools. During that time, I got reacquainted with an old friend from Trinity, Laura Van Dyken. Little did the two of us know that God had something in store for us… marriage! Key People: Laura, wife: My best friend, my love, my constant encourager, my sanity some days. Laura and I have been through a lot together over the years. Personal struggles, struggles together, and we've come out stronger due to our relationship with God and our commitment to each other. There is absolutely no one I'd rather spend my life with. She is my God send. Gracie, daughter: At the moment I'm writing this, she's just a little girl, but there is so much I've learned from her. My need for patience, my need to enjoy life, my responsibility of passing on what I've learned, and just how precious this life is. Isaac, my first son: The Vroom family name will now continue on into history with this handsome young man. It is amazing how these two children have changed our live immensely. There are so many other influential people in my life that I could never name them all and stay succinct, but if you're ever curious sit down with me because I'd love to share.
Favorites: Food, especially red meat. A triple grande Carmel Macchiato. Good glass of wine or a very dark beer. A good pair of broken in jeans and a t-shirt. The sound of my family laughing (with me not at me). Time with friends. Time alone with God. The sound of an acoustic guitar.
Nathan Phillips, Elder
Email:
Family: My wife Sarah and I got married January 12, 2002. We have two amazing girls that have been a blessing to us and we are expecting another child in late March. Abigail was born February 1, 2005 just a few days after my birthday and is the best birthday present I have ever gotten. Mia was born March 11, 2007 she is full of life, energy, and has been a source of great joy in my life. We are all excited to meet our newest family member and to see how God will further bless our family!
Personal History: I was raised in Frankfort, IL on a street where everyone knew everyone. Some of my best childhood memories are playing games with the neighborhood kids until well after dark on warm summer nights. I graduated from Lincoln Way High School in 1997 and went to college at Western Michigan University. It was not until I was at college that I realized that I had a choice to make, I could continue to run from God and think that I could do life on my own or I could live into what He was already doing in my life. You see I grew up in a Christian home, went to church and Sunday school but after I was confirmed I did not often give God a second thought.
When I was in college I met some people who invited me to an Intervarsity gathering, I went. It was there that I realized that if I was going to make God real in my life, if I was going to live into His plan for me I had to make a decision. My sophomore year of college, through the help of some key people in my life, my now wife included, I really gave over my life to Jesus and decided that it is not about me but about giving glory to our Lord and Savior. Since then God has provided some amazing experiences in my life from working summers at camps, to being on staff full time at Camp Manitoqua & Retreat Center to becoming a husband and father to now being an elder at Missio Dei Church. I could not have done any of this on my own, but only by the grace of God!
Favorites: Family nights with my girls, mountain biking with my buddies, snowboarding with my wife and our friends, mountainboarding and playing in our front yard every season of the year with my girls, spending summer days at my dad’s lake house behind the boat on a surfboard or wakeboard, seeing my children and their cousins play together and learn together, worship with other people who know what it is to love a God and savior who gave for us first!
Deacons
Emily Schissler, Deacon
Email:
History: I grew up in a Christian home, attending a Lutheran Church in Tinley Park. God laid a great foundation in my life as I was surrounded by people that loved and cared for me. From a very young age, I knew I wanted to teach. Some of my best childhood memories are playing school and starting a summer book club at my house. I was a camp counselor in Iowa for three summers where God began to chip away at what I thought it meant to be a Christian.
I went to college first in Iowa at Wartburg College and then went to Lindenwood Universiy in St. Charles, Missouri. I met my husband Dave when I was 19 and was married when I was 20. Dave is my balance, my best friend, and has taught me to be who God created me to be, regardless of what others think. After school Dave and I moved to Asheville, North Carolina where I got my first teaching job and enjoyed (almost) every moment! We decided to move home where I taught in Plainfield both third and fifth grade before getting a job as a teacher in New Lenox.
I am currently an Assistant Principal in New Lenox and consider it a huge blessing to be able to work with students and the teachers that care for them. We have an amazing little boy, Logan who was born in 2009 and I love being a Mom!
I do not have a one-time moment where God smacked me over the head, I have several moments where God has chipped away who I thought I needed to be in order to create who he needs me to be.. I’m learning to rely on Him for my strength and love others because of the love he has for me. As it says in James 1:2, “To count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”
Favorite: Spending time with Dave and Logan, relaxing with friends, the spa and a glass of white wine, good chocolate, snow skiing, hanging out with my family at the cottage in Michigan, playing with kids, and of course being at Missio Dei Church with my church family.
John Meskis, Deacon
Email:
History: John married his wife Leah in 2005 and currently have two children: Rachel and Sarah.
Favorites: Gospel Music, Running, and playing the guitar for his daughters.
Todd Paben, Deacon
Email:
Personal History: I was born and raised in New Lenox, Illinois where I still take residence today. For 18 years of my life, I went to Catholic Church with my family, every Sunday. I would get the “Sunday Best” and just do church.
My junior year of highschool, I started dating to a girl that was in the Peace Community Church youth group (Ground Zero). It was during this dating experience that I was brought to the sex series that Paul Vroom was giving. It was at the youth group message that the Spirit tugged on my heart a little harder to surrender my life to Jesus Christ because of His work on the cross. From there I quickly got into Bible Studies and even started leading my own. I quickly grew a love for more knowledge and understanding of this “Christian Life”.
This experience then lead me to Trinity Christian College, where I spent 2 years as a Biology Major, hating it. I just barely got by in my classes and hating showing up to my classes. I would rather have been in classes with my roommate where he was learning about John Calvin, Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and Church History. I had a desire to think through the sanctification process and figure our what life with God was like.
It was through this education process, and becoming more and more involved with Missio Dei Church, that I eventually switched my major to Theology in the For the first time in my life I had made the Dean’s list, twice! Understanding more and more about God helped me in my relationship with God, but also helped me better serve the congregation as a member of the Road Crew and Worship Team.
Favorites: Reading any sort of theological book; To be alone with God; The Church; Playing my Acoustic Guitar; Helping out on Dave Schissler’s Farm (Wood Fence Farm); Making food; And Coffee, Coffee, Coffee!
