Hope Staff
Blake Carter
Senior Pastor
Phone: (217) 787-1446 Ext. 210
Blake Carter, Senior Pastor of Hope, was raised in a pastor's family, and as such, has a deep love for the church. Transplanted from California with his Californian wife, Heather, they moved to Springfield in 1994 so Blake could attend Lincoln Christian Seminary (he graduated in 1996 with a M.A. in Philosophy and... read more
Steve Seiple
Executive Pastor
Phone: (217) 787-1446 Ext. 217
Steve Seiple is Hope's Executive Pastor. Steve is an Illinois native. He was born in Rochelle and lived in Creston (a town of approximately 450 people) for 13 years. His family moved to Naperville where Steve graduated from Naperville Central High School. He received his B.A. from Monmouth College and his law degree... read more
Bo Harrington
Children's Pastor
Bo is originally from Selma, Alabama where he and his wife, Amy grew up. He attended the University of Mobile in Mobile, AL where he studied speech.
Bo has been in Children's Ministry for the past 13 years. He served at a church in Montgomery, AL and most... read more
Jake Killinger
Associate Pastor / Lead Pastor of Youth Ministries
jkillinger@hope-church.ws
Jake and his wife Becky moved to Hope in early September 2003 and Jake joined the team as the Associate Pastor / Lead Pastor of Youth Ministries. Before coming to Springfield, he was at First Presbyterian Church in Rapid City, SD for 4½ years as their Youth Pastor. Jake and Becky both graduated from Northwestern... read more
Neal Herr
Associate Pastor
Neal Herr is Hope's Associate Pastor. Neal grew up in the Chicago suburbs and graduated with a B.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies from North Park University in Chicago. After spending a couple of years as an executive assistant for an on-line university, Neal attended Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL, where he received his... read more
Doug Cormeny
Worship Pastor
Phone: (217) 787-1446 Ext. 209
Doug is originally from Central Illinois, specifically from the Franklin-Jacksonville area, but made his way to Hope via Minnesota.
Doug attended Illinois Wesleyan University and graduated with a Bachelor of Music Performance in 1995. After college, Doug worked as Music Director for a small church in Eureka, IL,... read more
Beth Funk
Connections Pastor
Phone: (217) 787-1446 Ext. 214
I've been on staff since fall of 2005. My job here at Hope is to help folks get connected into community, because community is what makes us change. That's what Hope is all about...transforming into what God would have us be. Here's my personal story of Hope.
Sue Brinner (a long-time Hopite) was instrumental in... read more
Maryl Berns
Executive Ministry Assistant
Phone: (217) 787-1446 Ext. 208
Maryl joined the Hope Church staff in October 2001 as Executive Ministry Assistant and serves as the primary administrative support for the Senior Pastor and Executive Pastor. Maryl also maintains the budget for the church office; oversees office support staff and volunteers; and has many other specific... read more
Sallie Brittin
Secretary
Phone: (217) 787-1446 Ext. 201
Sallie joined our staff in March 2004. She is excited about being accepted into such a Godly place to work. Her passion is to be the person that serves the need of those contacting Hope for the first time.
Her older brother is a retired minister living out of state. She and her brother were both baptized into the First... read more
Ray Tolley
Technical Support
Phone: (217) 787-1446 Ext. 216
In January of 2003, Ray Tolley joined the staff at Hope Church as a Technical Coordinator. It is his desire to serve God with both his time and his passions.
Besides Ray's passion for computer technology, he brought several years of experience in the communication field with him. He has 10 years of experience... read more
Diann McCray
Facilities Ministry, Premise Keeper
Diann is from Cape Girardeau, Missouri. She was raised in a Christian home and attended Trinity Lutheran Faith Church. Diann moved to Springfield in 1975. She worked at Trinity Lutheran School and was involved in many activities at Trinity Church here in Springfield. From there, Diann came to Hope. Her duties at Hope include cleaning and organizing of the... read more
Bill Bird
Facilities Ministry, Director
Phone: (217) 787-1446 Ext. 211
In 1963, Bill married Pam, his high-school sweetheart. The have a son and two daughters, who have given them 9 grandchildren in the past 12 years. Bill and Pam have lived at the same address in the Auburn area for 30 years, and Hope has been their church home for the last 7 years.
Although Bill enjoyed... read more