Council Introductions: Jeff Conway

I was raised Catholic. As a child I attended mass every Sunday and went to CCD — the Catholic version of Sunday School — on Saturday mornings. I even served a three year stint as an alter boy.

When I went away to college, I stopped attending church on a regular basis. And, over time, became more distant and disillusioned with Catholicism. For the next 25 years or so, organized religion wasn’t a part of my life. That’s not to say that I lost my faith, I just didn’t see the need for attending church.

Fast forward to 2009, when my wife Tracy was pregnant with our daughter. We felt very lucky and prepared for her arrival. It was an exciting time! We lived in Lincoln Square, a relatively safe neighborhood with a good school across the street and a lot of parks nearby. It seemed like a perfect place to raise a child.

Yet there was one thing missing … we were both raised in a spiritual community, and we wanted the same for our daughter. For years, we lived just a few doors down the street from Luther Memorial Church. One Sunday, we decided to take a leap of faith of sorts, and stopped in to check out the 9:00am service. We were immediately impressed with Pastor Tim and the welcoming and inclusive nature of the community of parishioners. It felt like home. Thus we began our journey with LMC. We started attending regularly and eventually became members. Our daughter baptized on Holy Saturday in 2011.

Over the years as members of LMC, Tracy and I volunteered in the nursery and currently host Happier Hour. Most recently, I’ve been involved with the capital campaign and serve as a member of the communications committee.