Fr. Bob is our “Rector.” A Rector in the Episcopal Church is the title given to the clergyman in charge of a mission congregation. Grace Church no longer receives any monetary subsidy from the Diocese of Chicago but is still technically a mission church and has been since the Depression Years of the 1930s. He retired in 2001 through the Church Pension Fund. He serves us and St. Paul’s Church in Savanna on a half-time basis or approximately thirty hours a week.
Fr. Bob was born in Rochester, MN in 1942, grew up in the Twin Cities, completed his initial college and seminary education in 1967 and was ordained that year in Minnesota. Fr. Bob is married and has four children. His wife Karen teaches music at St. Joseph’s Elementary School in Freeport two days a week. His oldest daughter is married and lives with her husband in a Detroit suburb with the North’s first grandchild, Sophie Rose. His second daughter lives in Salt Lake City, UT and is making plans to be married in 2003. His third daughter is the nanny for his granddaughter. Fr. Bob’s fourth child is his son, Adam, who is a student at Knox College in Galesburg, IL.
Here are some interesting facts about our priest. He is in his early sixties and holds an M.A. and Doctorate degrees. He has served churches in the Twin Cities, northern Minnesota, Holland (MI), Sioux Falls (SD), Park City (UT), and Freeport here in northeast Illinois before coming to us in March of 2001. He has served in the Minnesota legislature as a representative for 4 years and as a senator for four years from 1968-1976. He has traveled extensively throughout the United States, to India, throughout Africa, twice to the Holy Land, and several times to Europe. He spends three to four days each month at an Episcopal monastery outside Prairie du Chien, WI. Fr. Bob is a “movie” buff and frequently refers to films in his sermons. He was a history and rhetoric double major in college. Fr. Bob lives in the Galena Territory at 7 Huron Trace off of Thunder Bay Rd. and Shorewood.

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Terri Allendorf is our church secretary. She came to us in June 2003. She does our financial bookkeeping along side the treasuer of our parish. She is the one to contact with questions regarding budgets, giving of gifts or pledges, and reimbursement checks. Terri also handles the work of managing the office. She composes the Sunday Worship Bulletins along with our monthly newsletter, “The Christian Connection.”In August 2004, she took on the responsibility of the financial bookkeeping for our local chaper of Habitat for Humanity. Terri also helps Fr. Bob with the financial aspect of “Hello Galena,” an arts-cooperative, in which he is the Board President. Terri lives in Galena with her husband and six children ranging from ages 11 - 1.

Jean Folks is our cleaning person. She normally cleans the church and the parish house once a week and does an outstanding job. Jean is assisted by part-time persons who take care of the shoveling and plowing in winter, lawn maintenance and leaf raking in summer, and with trash removal.

Pat Terry is the Director of Music. She selects all the hymns we sing and all the anthems the choir sings. Pat directs the fabulous choir in the Sunday offerings as well as during their annual choir concert. She works with Nancy Cook and Nancy Story, who play our organ and piano, as well as the many guest artists.

Cindy Moser is in charge of our nursery. The nursery is located on the second floor of our Parish Hall building. Cindy works at a day care center in Dubuque and is Red Cross certified in first aid. She is in the nursery from 9:15 through the end of the worship service each Sunday morning.