Our staff at Concordia Lutheran Church looks forward to seeing you at our next Sunday Service and welcoming you to our Christian faith community of Chicago.
The Reverend Nicholas J. Zook leads Concordia Lutheran Church’s ministries of worship, education, and service at large. Pastor Zook has served Concordia Church since 1981. He brings a commitment to the ministry of the church that emphasizes the importance of worship in our lives and also engages us in service to the community around us.
Our Pastor
Pastor Zook’s favorite quote
For what has been—thanks! For what shall be—yes!
Dag Hammarskjold
A note from our Pastor
We hope you are inspired by what you learn about the ministries of Concordia Lutheran Church and choose to get involved in our community; to live your faith more deeply in an atmosphere where you feel you belong and experience joy; to embrace opportunities you didn’t know you had and where you feel led to share the same impact in the lives of others.
We welcome you to join us for worship, participate in our community activities and events, get involved in volunteer outreach, and get connected with others who are inspired to put their faith to work.
If you have any questions about how to get involved, our Concordia Lutheran Church staff is more than happy to help you!
Fax: 773-935-0414
Desirae is the Parish Administrator for Concordia Lutheran Church. She is responsible for being the strategic partner and administrator of the congregation’s ministry, including business operations, human resources, communications, marketing, support for church worship and ministry teams and providing support for the church’s mission expansion outreach.
Marisa Buchheit is a classical soprano hailing from Chicago. She has performed on stages around the world in opera productions, concerts, and musicals. Marisa earned her Master’s Degree in Opera at DePaul University with Distinction and her Bachelor’s Degree with Academic Honors and a German minor from the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM). Marisa is also an educator and arts advocate.
Paul Dykstra supports (and has supported) choral / keyboard activities at Concordia Lutheran Church, Foster Avenue Baptist Church, Northwest Fellowship Baptist Church (all in Chicago) and Temple Jeremiah of Northfield and Temple Sholom of Chicago for 40+ years. A collaborative pianist, he is dedicated to exposing the world to the music lost in the Holocaust of World War II. He has performed at the Singer Festival in Warsaw debuting the piano trio and vocal works of Mieczysław Weinberg and other Jewish composers.
Recent performances have included concerts with the Ravinia Festival Outreach, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Guild Activities, The International Women’s Associates, The Grant Park Music Festival (including live WFMT / Myra Hess performances with The Grant Park Vocal Fellows), and his own The Fine Art of the Song Series at Salon des Artistes Music in Chicago’s Downtown Fine Arts Building.
As Production Director, Matt Flanagan supports the production of concerts and other events at Concordia Church. His professional experience with Concordia Church began in 2020 when he became A/V engineer and helped establish the professional livestream and recording that is still utilized for all worship services and many concerts. Matt assists with event planning and manages the overall production of the church’s events.
As Administrative Assistant, Wen Chin Liu-Young supports church communication, marketing, and the Concordia Concert series. She also provides administrative support to the church’s ministry teams and the initiatives of Concordia Ministries.
As Chaplain, Jen supports pastoral care of members and friends at Concordia. Jen has previously served as both Director of Mission Development and Parish Administrator for Concordia Church, and is currently a student at Luther Seminary.
Concordia Lutheran Church Leaders
From Sunday School assistant to Church Council member, Concordia Lutheran Church thrives due to the leadership displayed by our community. Read more about what draws people to Concordia Church below.
“The role of the church is to serve our mission and meet people where they are and provide service that adds value and inspires the lives of people.”
“It inspires me to get to be part of a new work-to help develop new things-to help create and plan and dream and be a part of what God is doing.”
“Our outreach into the community has been an inspirational experience to see how working with Children-Teens-Adults-Seniors can bring such joy to their lives. We have been blessed in our ministry with Pastors who are passionate through worship and God’s mission of touching those who are in need.”