1998 to Present

A History of Grace 1998 - Present

We welcomed Pastors Robert and Terri Driver‑Bishop, a husband and wife team as co pastors who were installed at Grace November 22, 1998.

Pastor Terri shared her personal history with us by relating that she grew up in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia on a dairy farm with two brothers and one sister. She graduated from the University of Virginia where she majored in Religious Studies and then worked for two years at New Market Battlefield Park (one of many Civil War museums in Virginia) as Assistant Chief Hostess and Curator. At the same time, she served her home congregation of Reformation Lutheran Church in New Market as Sunday School teacher, Deacon, and Youth Leader. She decided to go to the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago (LSTC) after feeling that she was called into full‑time ministry.

Her first consideration was to be a Director of Christian Education because she was uncomfortable thinking of herself as a woman pastor. As she came to know women pastors at seminary, she knew that that was what God wanted her to be.

While at LSTC, she met Bob Bishop whom she later married at her home church where she had been baptized, confirmed, and ordained on December 19, 1982. Daughter Anna was born, in 1987. Pastor Terri served six years as Associate Pastor at Salem, Sycamore, then eleven years as Assistant to the Bishop of the Northern Illinois Synod. She achieved her Doctor of Ministry degree in 1994 from McCormick Theological Seminary.

She says, "Grace is a wonderful congregation with many gifted people who give generously of their time and talents. Grace has an outstanding history of 75 years. Our strengths are in the areas of music, youth ministry, Christian education, and spiritual renewal. If we keep building on these strengths, reaching out to new people, and seeking God's will for us, then the best years of Grace are still to come. Grace has an exciting future and I feel blessed to service this congregation."

Pastor Bob served in the United States Air Force Intelligence Corp from 1972 to 1975 (same military language school as Pastor Smith). He attended college full time and worked full time as a research engineer at Motorola for two years. He attended Eastern Illinois University his final year of college and received a degree in management and philosophy in 1977. He then received his Master of Divinity degree from LSTC on February 16,1982 and his Doctor of Ministry from McCormick Theological Seminary 15 May 1989.

His work experience prior to coming to Grace included St Stephens in Carpentersville 1982‑1988, First Lutheran Church in Rockford from 1988‑1990, ELCA Communications Director from 19901992, Bethlehem Lutheran Church in DeKalb from 1992‑1996, and Campus Ministry of Northern Illinois University till 1998. He also helped in a managing a family computer business while serving as a part time Campus pastor.

We, at Grace, have been blessed with outstanding spiritual leaden and members of the congregation who give unselfishly of their time and talents. Grace Lutheran Church continues to grow as we meet the challenges of the future.

(To be Continued.)