Paco Amador
Pastor
Pastor Francisco "Paco" Amador grew up in Mexico but came to know the Lord Jesus personally as a recent immigrant while studying high school in North Carolina. When he was 18 years old, Paco came to Chicago to study at the Moody Bible Institute. In 1991 he visited the Little Village neighborhood for the very first time and immediately fell in love with its immigrant feel. After a two year missionary experience in Spain he came back to Chicago where he worked at the Lawndale Christian Health Center. He also worked as a CPS teacher for 9 years until the summer of 2005 when he was called into full time ministry to pastor the bilingual New Life congregation in Little Village. Paco & Sylvia have been married for 13 years and have six children (their last one is in the mail) and can’t even imagine of a better place to live than Little Village.
Matt DeMateo
Youth Pastor
Matt DeMateo grew up in Northwest Indiana where his father served as a pastor. He attended Moody Bible Institute from 2000-2003 where he graduated with a degree in Evangelism/Discipleship. He met his wife Sarah at Moody and in 2001 they both began serving in the Little Village community with New Life. Over the past 6 years they have been involved with the children’s ministry, after school program La Semilla and youth ministry. In 2006, God called them to serve full time in Little Village where they spend their time with youth and building relationships in the community alongside Pastor Paco.
Chris Ophus
Discipleship & Outreach
Chris was born in Des Plaines, IL. In 2002 Chris and his wife Krista joined International Teams and moved to Queretaro, Mexico to work in a center for university students. In 2005 they moved to the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago and has worked alongside New Life Community Church in a variety of roles as well as studying part-time toward a MA in intercultural studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL. His time in the neighborhood has included involvement in English classes, the after-school and summer children’s programs, leading groups from our congregation mission trips to Mexico, and mentoring young adults. Chris has also been involved in outreach to day laborers by providing food and help with overcoming workplace abuse. Krista is a public school teacher at Kanoon Academy. They have a feisty little dog named Geb and they are joyfully expecting their first son early 09.
Matt Buehler
Urban Life Skills
Matt grew up in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelors of Nursing degree. Matt came to know the Lord while at College on a mission trip to an orphanage in Mexico. He and his wife, Nicole, moved to Downers Grove, IL right after they were married so that she could attend graduate school for Physician Assistants. Matt began his nursing career at Loyola Hospital. During that time he also volunteered with Campus Life, a youth ministry to suburban teens. In the spring of 07, Matt & his wife moved to Little Village where Matt started working at Lawndale Christian Health Center. He quickly got involved with Soul Purpose and then started helping in our church’s Urban Life Skills Program. In September of 2008, Matt quit his job at LCHC to start working full-time with the Urban Life Skills program where he works as a mentor and Academic and Community Service Coordinator. He and Nicole also lead the high school ministry of our church.