bethany pastors
PASTOR VINCE AMLIN
Vince Amlin grew up in Indiana and Ohio and is a graduate of New York University and the University of Chicago Divinity School. Ordained in the UCC in 2010, he comes to us most recently from seven years as Associate Pastor of the United Church of Gainesville, Florida. Vince knows the North Side of Chicago well, having managed the Common Pantry at Epiphany UCC and served as an intern and part-time pastor at Holy Covenant United Methodist Church in Lake View while he was a student. Vince is a talented preacher who is part of the UCC’s “Next Generation Leadership Initiative." He also writes devotionals for the UCC’s national website, and loves to sing. He and his wife Rachelle, a licensed clinical social worker, have a daughter, Nola.
You can reach him at vince@bethanychicago.com
PASTOR REBECCA ANDERSON
Rebecca is ordained in The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), with standing in the UCC. She has a Masters in Divinity from the University of Chicago and a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Playwrighting from Hampshire College (Amherst, MA). Rebecca’s been on Snap Judgment (radio), and podcasts including The Broad Experience and Called to be Bad. Active in the Chicago storytelling scene, she’s performed with events like RISK!, 2nd Story, The Moth, This Much is True, and The Paper Machete. She’s the founder and head honcho of Earshot Stories, running storytelling workshops across the country and in Canada.
A weaver, gardener, fair weather cyclist and starry-eyed pessimist, she’s always looking for the least crowded forest preserves, knows the best places to pick juneberries, and almost certainly wants to have coffee with you.
You can reach her at rebecca@bethanychicago.com
Yasuko Oura is the Music Director at Bethany. She started subbing for Bethany UCC over a decade ago, and she is excited to be the current music director and the co-artistic director of Chamber Music at Bethany. When she is not at Bethany, she teaches collaborative piano at Northwestern University's Bienen School of Music. She is also on the faculty at North Park University. Additionally she works for many prominent musical institutions in Chicago such as Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Opera Theater, Music of the Baroque and Grant Park Festival Chorus. She earned her doctoral and master's degrees from The Juilliard School, and her bachelor's degree from Oberlin College.
Jurek Polanski is the Sexton at Bethany.
student pastors
"My name is Xander King and I’ve been blessed to be a member of Bethany UCC for six years. Since walking into the doors for the first time I graduated from Loyola University Chicago and am now a Master of Divinity student at the University of Chicago.
I am pursuing Army Chaplaincy in the UCC and am an officer in the Army Reserves. In my free time you’ll find me memorizing the different species of trees in my neighborhood of Hyde Park.
I got married to my wife Lindsey at Bethany back in November and am so excited for the chance to serve the community that has fueled me through my entire time in Chicago!"
Meet Kelli Manning, one of this year's student interns at Bethany United Church of Christ! Kelli has lived in Chicago since 2017 managing and directing nonprofit programs related to sports-based youth development, education, and workforce development. When she isn't coaching volleyball, hosting a dinner or enjoying her rollerblades on the lakeshore path, Kelli is deeply committed to justice-work for people and communities who are overlooked. Known for her enthusiastic personality and loud laugh, Kelli is a people-person, striving to live alongside family, friends and strangers with genuine compassion and curiosity. She is in her second year at McCormick Theological Seminary, pursuing her Masters of Divinity in hopes to become an interfaith hospital chaplain. Kelli is eager to be a part of the Bethany family and bring her background in music, community organizing and pastoral care to the amazing things that are already at work in this community!
