Introducing the Project Light Leadership Team
The ongoing efforts to realize the full vision of Project Light are overseen by the Project Light Leadership Team (PLLT). This team, made up of Fourth Church members, meets on a regular basis and brings to the table representatives of the Fourth Church Boards—Session, Trustees, and Deacons—as well as individuals with significant professional expertise in development, finance, fund-raising, and communications. In this and future Project Light updates, we will be introducing you to the dedicated individuals who serve, on the congregation’s behalf, on the PLLT.

Don Allerton
Thoroughly involved and personally committed to the Project Light vision from its very inception, Don Allerton has held many leadership positions throughout his long history with Fourth Presbyterian Church, including his role as one of the original Project Light co-chairs.

Don’s dedication to the church is unmistakable: he has served as a Deacon, Elder, and Trustee as well as Chair of the Stewardship, Mission, Evangelism, and Personnel Committees, and for more than twenty-five years he has been an usher. A retired executive search consultant, in recent years Don also has stepped into temporary staffing roles at Fourth Church.

“This place is stimulating and rewarding on so many levels: intellectually, the quality of the sermons is tremendous, and the mission and outreach in the community and the world is extraordinarily meaningful,” Don explains.

“Project Light is the next big step for Fourth Church.

It is the turning point and the beginning of the next chapter in our evolution and our ability to serve in the future,” Don says. “I can’t imagine a better or bigger vision.”

While along the way there have been challenges and obstacles related to building plans, Don remains optimistic about the ultimate realization of the bold vision that is Project Light. “We have a very savvy leadership team in place, and I’m confident we’ll come up with something that will work for everyone.”

Jeanette Bitter
Jeanette Bitter has lots of hands-on experience with Fourth Presbyterian Church’s mission work. A Chicago Lights board member, Bitter has served as a tutor, a Kids Cafe volunteer, and chair of the Near North Magnet Cluster Council. She has watched with pleasure the growth and success of the Festival of the Heart each spring, noting in particular how gratifying it is to “bring children and schools from both sides of Division together and see a real change in thinking and the ability to work together.” Representing Chicago Lights on the Project Light Board, Jeanette has amassed more than forty years of active volunteer service, most of it focused on children’s issues and advocacy.

A former elementary school teacher, Jeanette went on to high-profile roles with the Illinois Facilities Fund, Voices for Illinois Children, United Way of Illinois, the Governor’s Office of Voluntary Action, and a host of other organizations. Moving from southern Illinois six years ago, Bitter has channeled much of her volunteer frive to Fourth Church and especially Chicago Lights programs.

“Our programs are growing, and the vision for the future of our programs is so outstanding. The needs are definitely here,” Jeanette says in support of the Project Light goals to increase space and resources on Michigan Avenue. “So many children need our programs and services,” she laments. “Every child has something special; you just have to find it and give each one hope for a brighter future.”

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Pam Boneham
As a former co-chair of the Project Light Leadership Team, Pam Boneham has been at the heart of Project Light since its inception. She acknowledges that as a mother who works outside the home she has competing demands on her time, but she says the significance of Project Light’s vision and mission also represents an important responsibility.

“As members of Fourth Church, we have an obligation to be good stewards of the assets we’ve been blessed with, and as a part of our stewardship, we should care for our congregation and also reach out to those in Chicago who are less fortunate,” Pam says. “Historically our church has been such an important part of the fabric of the City of Chicago; we should take steps to ensure that we maintain that role for future generations.”

Managing Director and Portfolio Manager for RREEF Real Estate Investment Management, Pam has more than twenty years of real estate investment experience. Her professional experience has given her valuable insight throughout the project development process, and she says it has been especially meaningful to use her professional skills in a way that supports Fourth Church. She has also served as Chair of Fourth Church’s Joint Finance Committee, as well as an Elder and Property Implementation Committee member.

“While we have encountered some unforeseen obstacles, we believe furthering the mission of our church is worth patient and determined perseverance. We are blessed with a talented group of people who are putting their energy and efforts behind this project; I am confident the result will address the needs of our congregation and provide an important ministry,” Pam says.

Clyde O. Bowles Jr.
When asked about his deep involvement with Project Light, Clyde Bowles explains, “The church has been a very, very important factor in my life and my wife’s life.”

A practicing attorney, Clyde has been a member of Fourth Presbyterian Church for fifty years and has formerly served as Clerk of Session for two decades, President of the Board of Trustees, Chair of the Board of Deacons, Chair of the search committee that brought John M. Buchanan here in 1985, and on numerous other committees. He has also served as Chair of the Board of Trustees of McCormick Theological Seminary.

Clyde said the need for expansion of programs and space at Fourth Church is very clear, and thus there is a compelling need for Project Light and its goals of continuing to further the church’s mission. He is unwavering in his belief and his eloquence in support of Fourth Church and Project Light.

In a compelling letter to then-Alderman Burton Natarus, Clyde asserts that churches and temples “play a vitally important role in the life of our community. By all they do they nourish, strengthen, and help sustain the spiritual, moral, and social fabric of our community, so necessary to the community’s well-being.”

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David Crawford
Whether it’s building houses on a mission trip in Honduras or spending endless hours in meetings and discussions about Project Light, volunteering has a common denominator for Project Light Chair David Crawford: “You end up getting tenfold back whatever you put in.”

An attorney and Principal and Cofounder of Technology Advisors Group—a venture investment and consulting firm—David has broad professional experience and a deep commitment to Fourth Church and its “community building.”

He says he was initially drawn to Pastor John Buchanan’s “approach to the pulpit and the community he and others have built.”

“Project Light is an extension of that community building,” David adds. “Whatever we build here will enhance both the lives of those who are members of this church and, we hope, the lives of those in the community we share.”

Part of that shared community exists on Chicago Avenue, where Fourth Church has developed a growing presence through its community garden. While the neighborhood is changing, David says, spending time at the garden offers real perspective. “Fourth Church has a long-standing commitment to that community, and despite the many changes, there is still a community that looks to Fourth Church as a good and thoughtful neighbor.”

“It is a joy to work with the people involved in Project Light, and I am very grateful for everything that has been accomplished.”

Beth Davis
As chair of Fourth Presbyterian Church’s Facilities Master Planning Committee, Beth Davis has intimate knowledge of current space constraints, strategic plans for growth, and related financial analysis. It’s a role to which she brings her wealth of professional expertise: Beth is Vice President of Real Estate for the corporate offices of Spencer Stuart.

A member of the Fourth Presbyterian Church Session and former member of the Board of Trustees, Beth has served Fourth Church in numerous capacities. She is also a Chicago Avenue Community gardener, which has given her an even more personal and profound understanding of the real need for a continued presence in the community served by the garden.

“The disparity between the haves and have-nots is even more apparent now, and we don’t want the people who are still living in the Cabrini neighborhood to feel like they’ve been abandoned. We as a group can help lead the integration of the new community,” says Davis.

“My heart is in the outreach component of Fourth Church’s mission,” Davis says. And while she has been a part of international mission trips and cherishes those experiences, she is quick to point out that there is “so much need in our own backyard.” Part of what Project Light is about is never being complacent, about creating a new legacy and continuing the tradition of serving as a Light in the City, she adds.

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Jan Feldman
Jan Feldman has firsthand knowledge of the importance of a church’s investment in the future. Her father, a retired Lutheran bishop, led a small but growing congregation in Spokane, Washington, through a bold rebuilding plan, which, like the goals of Project Light, was focused on building a legacy for future generations. Today, more than fifty years after that investment and rebuilding success, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church remains a thriving force in the community.

Jan hopes that with the commitment of time, talent, and treasure, the vision of Project Light will be fully realized to secure the congregation’s role as a “Light in the City” for generations to come. “This is such a natural extension of our mission.”

A member of Fourth Church for fourteen years, Jan says wherever she lived in the city or suburbs, Fourth Church was the place she wanted to be. “The preaching is unparalleled, the music is extraordinary, and the outreach to the community is exemplary.” Her husband and son joined one of the mission trips to Cuba, and the experience was so positive, the family hopes to participate in future mission trips.

Feldman, who has an MBA and also volunteers with her children’s schools, has chaired the Adult Education Committee, the Search Committee for the Associate Pastor for Adult Education and Worship, and has served as a Deacon and Elder.

Marilee Hopkins
Growing up with parents who were very active in civic and church activities, Marilee Hopkins says she was “raised to think that to live out your faith you should use your talents for something greater than yourself.” She has obviously taken those lessons to heart.

When Marilee moved to Chicago for work, she immediately began to look for ways to feel connected to her new community, to worship and to fulfill what she calls her service needs. “I instantly felt a connection,” she says of her experience with Fourth Church. A member since 1994, Marilee has served in many capacities, including as Volunteer Ministries Chair, Deacon, Trustee, member of one of the first Care Teams, and currently as Treasurer and a member of the Project Light Leadership Team.

A CPA and CVA, Marilee works as Executive in Charge of Forensic Services for Crowe and has vast national and international financial consulting experience. Using her professional accounting experience and expertise in her role as Fourth Church Treasurer has been very rewarding, Marilee says, and it has also given her a unique perspective.

“As Treasurer I get to see up-close how faithful the leaders of this church are to their faith and the community. I have seen how protective they are of these assets and their commitment to seeing that our assets will be put to the greatest good.”

“From my perspective, the spending here is faithful to the giver, and every person is important as a giver,” notes Marilee.

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Don Hunt
Don Hunt is not just an active participant of the Academy for Faith and Life; he is a devotee of the programming he calls exciting, stimulating, and full of fresh ideas. He admits that friends are surprised that he sometimes gets up early on Sunday to attend an 8:00 a.m. service, followed by a 9:00 a.m. Academy class, and then another class. “And I enjoy every minute of it; that’s an exciting church!” Don says.

Originally drawn to the preaching and the active local outreach, Don has spent considerable time at Fourth Church and experienced firsthand the need for additional space.

“We are fortunate to be a growing church, and a growing church has growing needs. We need not just adequate and satisfactory space; we need to provide exceptional space for the young people growing up in this church and for the Academy, which is robust and thriving, and to see all our activities grow and continue to positively reach out and affect people both within and outside this church,” explains Don.

A retired banking executive who served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Harris, Hunt has been a member of Fourth Church for about sixteen years and has served in numerous capacities, including as a member of Session, Trustees, Joint Finance Committee Chair, Chicago Lights Board, Pastoral Search Committee, Investment Committee, and currently the Chicago Lights Finance Committee and Project Light Leadership Team.

“I’ve gone to church my whole life, but this is the first time I’ve ever been truly excited about church. The preaching is outstanding, the mission is outstanding, the outreach is outstanding,” Don explains. “The mission of Project Light is well thought out and needs our support.”

Chris Pfaff
Chris Pfaff joined Fourth Church in 1986, got married the following year, and moved to the suburbs, but he and his wife have remained actively and purposefully involved in the church and its mission. “We wanted our kids to have exposure to a place like Fourth Church, a place that’s less homogenous than the North Shore and celebrates that,” Chris says. “There is a vibrancy about the place we really like.”

Chris has served as a Trustee, member of the Finance Committee, Chair of the Investment Committee, and in addition to his role on the Project Light Leadership Team, he also currently serves on the Personnel Committee.

“I very much believe in the mission and outreach of this church,” he explains. “Project Light will help secure both for the future. I feel that we are constructing a lasting legacy for years to come.”

A Financial Advisor and Wealth Manager, Chris has been with UBS for twenty-two years, a position he secured after earning an MBA from the University of Chicago and a Masters in International Relations at Johns Hopkins University.

Working with the rest of the Leadership Team has been very rewarding, Chris says. “Seeing a group of talented people engaged in a sometimes-difficult process and dealing with very complex issues but all trying to be good stewards has been impressive.”

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Janet S. Reed
Janet S. Reed followed a challenging and rewarding career path, including more than two decades in banking, managing corporate libraries and market data acquisition. When she seized the opportunity for early retirement, she wanted a meaningful volunteer role that would provide a similar sense of satisfaction, a chance to truly accomplish something.

Janet sees her role on the Project Light Leadership Team as a way to contribute to Fourth Presbyterian Church, “a place that really makes a difference here in our community and in the world.”

“Project Light will add to our overburdened space and help create more community, in the broadest sense of the word,” Janet says. “People today need more community all over. We have to have the physical facilities for that to happen.”

Janet says that Fourth Church provides an important community for her, particularly in light of the fact that her family is scattered around the country. She is currently an Elder, Congregational Care Committee Chair, and Co-chair of the Center for Whole Health Program Review Task Force, part of the Chicago Lights strategic planning process. Janet’s previous volunteer commitments include serving as Deacon, member of the Evangelism and Nominating committees, former Chair of the Elam Davies Social Service Center Advisory Council, and Summer Day volunteer.

In reflecting on the work of the Project Light Leadership Team, Janet adds, “I trust and respect the leadership here, and I know how hard everyone is working.”

Anne Voshel
Anne Voshel’s extensive professional experience and background in design and construction have made her a valuable member of the Project Light Leadership Team, but it is her family’s experience with Fourth Church that keeps her dedicated to the Project Light vision.

“A Light in the City is really what Fourth Church is,” Anne says. “This place has done a lot for my children. . . . The church family here is family.”

Her own children’s experience with various church activities, as well as her stint as a Sunday School teacher, gave Anne a close and personal view of the many demands on the physical space at Fourth Church, and the critical need for more and enhanced space was readily apparent.

As a Trustee, Voshel served on the Property Committee and got an even closer look at facility needs and the effects of maximizing currently overburdened space and equipment while planning for future growth and development.

“We now need additional space because this is such a vibrant church, and we must ensure that this vibrancy continues beyond our own generations. . . . If we don’t fulfill this vision, we are stifling a growth opportunity,” Anne says.

“Fourth Church and the growth through Project Light will bring real benefit to the community. Knowing what this church has done for my children, I appreciate just how powerful an impact it can have.”

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For more information, contact the Project Light Leadership Team at PLLeadership@fourthchurch.org.