Our Staff

Church Office Hours:  School Year - Mon - Fri   12:30 - 4:30 pm
                                       Summer - Mon - Fri   9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Church Office:  708-479-5600
Church Fax:  708-479-2248

Pastor -- Rev. Aaron Schellhas
aaron@immanuelmokena.org

Rev. Aaron Schellhas has been Immanuel's pastor since January 2019.  He was formerly the pastor at St. John's Lutheran Church in Woodstock, Illinois.  He grew up in Holt, Michigan and attended Concordia University, Chicago, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in both Church Music and Theological Languages.  He attended Concordia Seminary in St. Louis and graduated with his Master of Divinity in 2008.

Pastor Aaron met his wife, Leeann, during their undergrad years.  They married in 2003 at Immanuel Mokena and have three children.  Their family goes by the moniker Schell5, and they share a love of all things Disney and enjoy playing games together.

 Church Secretary/Administrative Assistant -- Michelle Hoag
office@immanuelmokena.org

Michelle has been a preschool teacher at Immanuel since 2017. With the temporary closing of the preschool during the 2020-21 school year, Michelle was available to step into the administrative assistant’s role when it became vacant in November 2020. We were fortunate to add someone to the staff who was already familiar with Immanuel and very familiar with LCMS, since her husband, Doug, is pastor of Trinity Lutheran in New Lenox.

With the re-opening of the preschool in the fall of 2021, she is doing double-duty as both administrative assistant and preschool teacher. Michelle and her husband have two sons, Chris and Cam. She enjoys reading, walking, and dark chocolate.

 

Music Coordinator - Nancy Mirocha
nancymirocha@comcast.net

Nancy has been choir director at Immanuel since 1984 and became music coordinator in 2007.  She holds a  bachelor of arts degree with an emphasis in choral music education and a master of arts degree with an emphasis in piano instruction and vocal performance. She held various teaching roles through the years, most recently at Marion Catholic H.S. in Chicago Heights; she retired in 2002 after teaching music there for 12 years. She and her husband, John, have two children and three grandchildren to help keep them busy. Her hobbies include gardening, reading mysteries, and knitting.

Organist - Nick Forlenza

Nick became Immanuel's organist in August 2022. He graduated from Lincoln-Way East High School in 2019 and is a senior at VanderCook College of Music. He will be graduating with a degree in music education and performance certification in Spring 2023.

While at Lincoln-Way, Nick was involved in all facets of the music program including concert band, jazz band, choir, and marching band. On New Year's Day 2019, he marched with the Lincoln-Way Marching Band as a drum major, and in 2022, marched and played saxophone with the Saluting America's Band Directors Project in the Tournament of Roses Parade. 

In his free time, he enjoys running, being outdoors, traveling, and hanging out with friends.

Preschool Director - Tracy Miranda
preschool@immanuelmokena.org

Tracy joined Immanuel's staff in July 2021 as preschool director. After graduation from Concordia University in St. Paul, MN with a degree in Early Childhood Education, her first call was to St. Philip on the north side of Chicago. She also taught at St. John in Forest Park before becoming the director at Peaceful Hearts Christian Preschool in Plainfield. Tracy and her husband Tim have been married since 1995 and have three sons, a dog, and a guinea pig. Tracy enjoys watching her boys play their favorite sports, working in her flower beds, walking with friends, and traveling with her family, including her parents.

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