Meet our Team!
Rev. Veronica Johnson and Rev. Sarah Lusche are the co-pastors of Hyde Park Union Church.
Veronica Johnson
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Rev. Veronica M. Johnson (she/her) was born in Chicago, IL and in the Baptist Church. Veronica earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign, and worked in the field for 20 years prior to answering her call to ministry in 2006. Rev. Johnson joined the pastoral staff of Greater Bethesda Missionary Baptist Church in 2010, earned a Master of Divinity Degree from McCormick Theological Seminary in 2012, and on December 14, 2013, became the first woman ordained in Greater Bethesda’s 131 year history, holding an American Baptist USA ordination. Rev. Johnson has also served in the UCC and AME churches and as Admissions Director for McCormick Theological Seminary for 7 years.)
Rev. Veronica M. Johnson is also Outreach Director at Faith in Place, an environmental justice non-profit. She is also the proud mother of two young adults, Curtis Johnson II and Vanessa Johnson.. Veronica has a passion for education, social justice, and most of all for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ which liberates us, for as John 8:36 states, “for whom the Son sets free, is free indeed!” |
Sarah Lusche
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Rev. Sarah Lusche (she/her) is a minister who is passionate about community engagement, multifaith conversation, and social change. Sarah is originally from Alabama and tends to surprise (and disappoint) people with her lack of a Southern accent. Sarah lived and ministered in both UCC and Baptist churches in Vermont and New York City before moving to Chicago. She is a graduate of the dual master’s program in Divinity and Social Work at the University of Chicago. Sarah is bi-vocational and works as a therapist in addition to her ministry at HPUC.
Since making a home in the Second City, Sarah has served as a congregational pastor, a hospital chaplain, and a volunteer chaplain at Cook County Jail. Her ministry work is characterized by innovation and the intersection between religion and the public square, always with an eye toward justice and equity. Sarah works to build multi-religious and interfaith dialogue and was honored to speak on a panel at the Parliament of World Religions about the multi-faith imperative in ministry training in 2018. In her free time, Sarah likes to explore Chicago theatre, practice yoga, and bake delicious pies. |
Elikem Fiase
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Elikem Fiase (he/him) has both a BA in Business and a BM in organ performance from Coe College as well as a certificate in organ performance. Originally from Ghana, Mr. Fiase has settled here in Chicago, and we are blessed to have him here at Hyde Park Union Church.
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Qiana McNary
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Qiana McNary (she/her) is a graduate of the Chicago College of Performing Arts where she finished a Master of Music Degree in Voice Performance. She began her vocal studies and graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University where she received her Bachelor of Music Degree. In the summer of 2007, Qiana furthered her vocal studies at The Italian Operatic Experience in Urbania, Italy. She has performed in numerous opera and musical theater productions in and out of the country that include, South Shore Opera Company's Chicago premier of Harriet Tubman: When I Crossed That Line to Freedom (Rittia), Sister Act (Deloris Van Cartier), Saul and the Witch of Endor (The Witch), Ragtime (Sarah), Working (Maggie Holmes), and premiered a hip-hop opera, Hopera: Chronicles of a Fallen Hero, at the DuSable Museum – Chicago.
Ms. McNary was not only a National semi-finalist in the Emerging Young Artist competition, but won first place in the district and local rounds of the competition sponsored by the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs. She is a proud member of Mu Phi Epsilon music honorary and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Currently Ms. McNary is the lead vocalist for her band, The McNary Experience. |
Foster J. Pinkney
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Foster J. Pinkney (he/him) is a writer, organizer, and doctoral candidate at the University of Chicago Divinity School in the field of Religious Ethics. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, he received his MA in Social Ethics from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. Foster studies faith as it is reflected in the formation of value and ethical understandings of communal power. Working from a Christian humanist perspective, he uses Black theology, political philosophy, and Stoicism to reconceptualize the ethical demands of social existence. He is also a member of Hyde Park Union Church.
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Elizabeth Pence
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Elizabeth "Ez" Pence (they/she) is a communicator with a heart for telling stories worth telling and telling them well. They are a graduate of Spring Arbor University with a BA in Drama for Social Change, where she studied in the Department of Communication, Media, and Fine Arts and was the first undergraduate to direct two main stage productions. As well, Elizabeth organized the first affinity group on Spring Arbor's campus for queer and trans students.
Originally from the Mitten State, Elizabeth now is a Masters of Divinity student at Chicago Theological Seminary and seeking ordination in the American Baptist Church. Her academic interests include storytelling, pastoral care for survivors of interpersonal trauma and addiction, and mysticism. |
Emily Carduff
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Emily Carduff (she/her) is currently a graduate student at The University of Chicago Divinity School pursuing her Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree with an intended graduation date of Spring 2024. She is currently a candidate for ordination in the United Church of Christ (UCC).
Before pursuing school and ministry, Emily served in education and nonprofit spaces. She was the Communications Manager at Pacific School of Religion, a progressive, multi-denominational seminary and center for social justice preparing spiritually rooted leaders to work for the well-being of all and served as the Executive Coordinator at Swords to Plowshares, a veterans rights organization supporting homeless, low-income, and at-risk veterans in California’s Bay Area. |
Norman Cummings
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Norman Cummings (he/him) is a Chicago native with a penchant for optimism, dedicated hard work in keeping our building running, and Fig Newtons.
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