Pastoral Care Coordinator
The Rev. Dianne Shields
I am Pastor Dianne Shields and I serve alongside Pastor Jenny Hulen providing pastoral care at St. Simon’s. Though I am a lifelong Presbyterian and remain a minister member of the Presbytery of Chicago, my husband Jerry and I have found a wonderful church home at St. Simon’s in our retirement and have been warmly welcomed into this community.
Ministry has been my 2nd “career,” though a long-time call and way of life. I felt God’s call to ministry as early as high school, but at that time the church was just beginning to accept and ordain women as pastors. Instead, I attended Purdue and Northwestern Universities, received a Ph.D. in speech and language and worked as a learning disabilities specialist at Evanston Hospital ministering to families and children with special needs. But God’s call to ordained ministry persisted and only
grew stronger until I returned to school and received a M.Div. from McCormick Theological Seminary. Following ordination, I served at First Presbyterian Church in Arlington Heights for 20 years. Jerry and I know and love this community.
We have an international and interfaith family. We have 3 children, two Catholic daughters-in-law from Mexico and Ecuador, a Hindu son-in-law from India, and 7 grandchildren. In addition to enjoying them, after retirement we have spent time volunteering in Africa training lay pastors for the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and serving the Parish Church on the island of Iona in Scotland.
It is my joy at St. Simon’s to support and encourage our Caring Ministries Team, composed of Helping Hands, our Lay Eucharistic Visitors, and Caring Connections as we love and care for one another. If you have any pastoral concerns or feel God leading you to be part of our Caring Ministries Team, please reach out.