Rev. KyungHae Anna Shin

Senior Pastor

Pastor KyungHae Anna Shin was appointed to Friendship UMC in July 2011. She graduated from Ewha Womans University in Seoul, Korea, and its Graduate School, majoring in Religious Studies, and from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity. She was ordained in 1993 as deacon and in 1995 as an elder. She has served in the congregations Capron, Hinsdale (associate), and Oswego Prairie, prior to coming to Friendship. Pastor Anna was certified as a Qualified Administrator of IDI (Intercultural Development Inventory) in 2010 and re-certified in 2022.

Pastor Anna loves to help people find their call that brings joy to their hearts, believing that is what Jesus was passionate about.  Jesus wants us to live life to the fullest. (John 10:10) She is deeply aware of the need for a community where everyone belongs, to live to the fullest. She is passionate about building a community where honest and brave conversations can happen to have a better understanding of who we are, individually and together, and be challenged and grow in love toward the society where love and mercy are practiced and experienced.

Pastor Anna and her husband Joo Won-Jong have three young adult sons living in Seattle, WA and a 20-year-old turtle. In her free time, she likes listening to all genres of music, singing along, playing piano, drawing, dining out with friends, and hiking with family.

Read a Special Message from Pastor Anna

Pat Prins

Director of Administrative Services and Facilities

Pat began working for Friendship Church so long ago she doesn’t remember when she started, but it was more than ten years ago. During that time, she’s been the Building Manager. This includes supervising the janitor, making sure rooms are scheduled and cleaned for various activities, rentals, complying with the inspections required by the Village of Bolingbrook, and running the office, printing materials, mailings, and whatever else is needed. She has been a member at Friendship for many years, along with her husband Greg and three grown children. She enjoys the outdoors and camping with her family.

Vanessa Ely

Director of Communications

Vanessa is a Marketing & Communications professional with experience in both congregational and corporate settings. She finds joy in communicating the story of God at work in the local church. 

Vanessa graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in Religious Studies, and she is currently a M.Div. Student at Northern Seminary in Lisle, IL.

Daniel Chavez

Projectionist

Daniel’s current duties include operating the sound system for Friendship Church services, setting up the cameras, editing, reviewing, and projecting the messages, prayers, Bible verses, and hymn lyrics on the wall screens. He also projects the words for praise band rehearsals.

Daniel graduated from North Central College in Naperville with a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Communication and a minor in Computer Science. After graduation, he passed the CompTIA A+ exam and was awarded a certificate in technical troubleshooting. The skills he learned qualified him for his current job as a tech assistant at a Lisle elementary school in District 202. In his spare time, Daniel likes to read non-fiction.

Chris Bosacki

First Friends Preschool Director & Lead Teacher

Chris Bosacki is Director and Lead Teacher at First Friends Christian Preschool. She has worked at the preschool from 2003-2007 and 2012-2022 (closed during COVID), and was thrilled to have the preschool open again for the 2022-23 school year!

Chris loves working at Friendship and creating a learning environment for preschoolers, reading stories, and singing songs. She embraces the challenge of making each day interesting, surprising, and fun for students, feeling blessed to be able to do so in a beautiful environment, supported by a great community. In her free time, Chris likes to tend to her garden, take nature walks, and read.