<Staff Bios>

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Steve Nicholson	Senior Pastor Senior Pastor Steve Nicholson began his ministry as a college student through InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in the 1970’s. After graduating fromCarleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, he moved to the Chicago area and was part of the group of young leaders who founded a church inEvanston that placed a high priority on contemporary worship. In 1981, Steve and his wife, Cindy, were sent out from Evanston to plant a church inChicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood (now the Urban Vineyard). In 1995 both churches joined the family of Vineyard USA and Steve and Cindy returned to lead the Evanston Vineyard. Steve’s vision for new church planting has guided the Evanston Vineyard to plant 17 new churches since 1981. He also serves on the National Board of Vineyard USA as the Church Planting Task Force Coordinator. He has ministered and trained church leaders in India, Australia, South Africa, Turkey, Tajikistan, Lebanon, Latvia, Kenya, Chile, Brazil, Uganda, the United Kingdom and Ireland (Eire). Steve and his wife have raised a daughter and two sons.
Bill Hanawalt	Executive Pastor Bill Hanawalt is the Executive Pastor of the Evanston Vineyard. Bill, a second-generation church planter, was part of the original team that started the church in 1976. Bill received his Bachelor’s degree from Yale University and completed his seminary training at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (now Trinity International University) in Deerfield, Illinois. Bill was a contributor to the application notes in the Life Application Bible (Tyndale). Bill serves as one of the teaching pastors of the Evanston Vineyard and coordinates the church’s overseas missions work in East Africa, South Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. As Executive Pastor, Bill also oversees all the administrative, financial and facility functions of the church. Bill and his wife, Cheryll, oversee the Evanston Vineyard’s marriage ministries as well as the Vineyard Leadership Institute (VLI). Bill is a regular conference speaker and pastoral and missionary coach in the U.S. as well as in Africa and Latin America. He has been married to Cheryll for 36 years and they have raised three sons and have one grandchild.
Cheryll Hanawalt	Asst. Pastor - Women’s Leadership Development Cheryll Hanawalt volunteers as one of the teaching pastors of the Evanston Vineyard and also works with the church’s overseas missions work in East Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East. Cheryll and her husband, Bill, oversee the Evanston Vineyard’s marriage ministries as well as the Vineyard Leadership Institute (VLI). Cheryll was part of the original team that started the church in 1976. Cheryll is also a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. She completed her undergraduate work at Trinity College (now Trinity International University) in Deerfield, Illinois and she has a Masters of Arts in Counseling Psychology from Northwestern University. She has provided professional counseling services for the church since 1985 and has supervised and trained many other professional counselors. Cheryll has developed and trained women leaders for the Evanston Vineyard as well as other Vineyard churches in the U.S., Mexico, England, Ireland, Scotland and Northern Ireland. She has been married to Bill for 36 years and they have raised three sons and have one grandchild.
Cynthia Nicholson	Asst. Pastor - National Church Planting Coordinator Cindy Hancock Nicholson is a born-and-bred New England Yankee from Darien, Connecticut who has found herself for two decades living by the shores of Lake Michigan in the great city of Chicago. After graduating with a degree in music from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, she worked as an editor and admissions office staff member at Harvard University before moving to Chicago to marry Steve, who at the ripe old age of 25 had just planted what became the Evanston Vineyard. Together they planted a second church (now Urban Vineyard in Chicago) in 1981, and together they have trained and sent off thirteen planters within the Chicago area and a dozen more to places as near as Detroit and as far as Istanbul. Cindy functions as coordinator for the national church planting task force for Vineyard-USA. Within the Evanston Vineyard she is a pastor, coordinates the Welcome Center team and Arts Ministry, and leads the intercessory ministries. Cindy and Steve are fond parents of a married daughter and two sons in college. She loves to take long walks, to cheer loudly at sporting events, to practice on her Steinway piano or hammered dulcimer and to read from a wide menu of fiction and non-fiction.
Eloise McDowell	Associate Pastor/Children’s Pastor Dr. Eloise J. McDowell is an Associate Pastor at the Evanston Vineyard focusing on children’s ministries and training people in the prophetic. She joined the staff in 1990, leaving a 13 year university teaching career followed by 3 years as an executive with Kraft Foods. Eloise was named by Ebony Magazine in 1990 as one of the 100 Best & Brightest Black Women in Corporate America. Eloise has a Ph.D. from the Pennsylvania State University degree in economics and family studies. “In my leisure time I enjoy gardening. I love antiquing, when ever I go to a new place or even old places, I want to check out the antique shops and old barns, it’s all about the hunt. When I want to relax, I usually cook, sometimes at 3 in the morning, and then I take my bounty to my friends. Hospitality; is something that is second nature to me. I love having people in my living room or and making a big meal or just hanging out.” Eloise and her husband James were married in 2008. James ‘MC’, has retired from the Chicago Public Schools after teaching elementary school for 34 year in Chicago and 4 year Louisiana. We enjoy going out dancing, picnicking in the park , going to free concerts and taking line dancing classes.
Chris & Brooks Herning	Youth Pastor Chris oversees the junior high, high school, and rock show ministries at the Vineyard. He has been on staff since 1994. He and his wife, Brooks have been doing youth ministry together for over 18 years. They live in Chicago with their three daughters. Chris’s heart is to help kids realize what an awesome thing a relationship with God is, and to help empower them to share this life changing relationship with their friends.
Brian & Melody Van Der Werff	Worship Pastor Brian Van Der Werff is the Worship Pastor at the Evanston Vineyard. Brian has been part of the Vineyard movement since 1990, did his pastoral internship at Lakeshore Vineyard in Holland, Michigan, and has been on the pastoral staff of Evanston Vineyard for 6 years. The son of a Reformed Church pastor, Brian grew up in both Southern California and Western Michigan. After spending years rebelling against God through the spiritual darkness of the drug culture, he began seriously following Jesus during his undergraduate years at Hope College, in Holland, Michigan. Shortly thereafter he felt a strong call to ministry in the local church. He has been leading worship in a wide variety of contexts since 1991. Brian has a deep passion to see people come to intimately know and experience God and the power of His Kingdom in the context of authentic Christian community. He is currently pursuing his Master of Divinity degree at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, in Deerfield, Illinois, and has particular interest in studying spiritual revivals throughout church history. Brian has been happily married to his wonderful wife Melody since 2005. In his free time he loves to read, play guitar, surf, ride motorcycles, hike, and go on spontaneous travel adventures with Melody.
Ellen J. Hallin	Pastor, Community Life Ellen provides oversight to the community small groups well as assimiliation of newer attenders to the church. She also runs the training and development of the young women leaders at the Evanston Vineyard. Ellen was born and raised in Joliet, IL (which makes her a geographically hard-wired White Sox fan). Ellen first came to the Evanston Vineyard during her college years at Northwestern University. She stayed in the area pursuing a master’s degree in Social Work at Loyola University. Her eclectic resume of work experiences is rich and diverse; professional counselor, sales in the business world, and now pastoring. Ellen has recently completed her Master’s degree at Fuller Seminiar focusing on theology, missiology, and leadership development.
Dave Sandell	Pastor, Administrative Services Dave oversees our administrative operations, coordinating our Sunday services, overseeing the promotion and coordination of many of our activities, maintaining our web site and other communications, and bringing the visual design of our church to the next level. Dave has a B.A. in communication studies and is currently a VLI student. Dave and his wife Verity were married in 2006. “I love going there with others, talking about the Bible, connecting with meaning, and enjoying what God has created. I love the church, I love music, and probably watch too much TV. I loved when Jesus performed miracles and also when he walked around and talked to people. I would love it if life were like that.” For five years, Dave directed the national education initiatives for one the largest social fraternitys in America, where he did character & leadership training, and prevention programming for alcohol abuse, sexual assault & hazing. He writes a blog at word-processor.blogspot.com.