Pastor Rhonda Pruitt Will Deliver the Closing Prayer at the 2020 Arlington Heights Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast

Pastor Rhonda Pruitt will deliver the closing prayer at the 33rd Annual Arlington Heights Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, February 6, 2020, from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM at the Doubletree Hotel, 75 Algonquin Road, Arlington Heights.

Pastor Rhonda Pruitt was installed as Associate Pastor at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Arlington Heights after a two and a half-year service term as Interim Pastor. She has been focused, continues to lead, in the areas of Youth and Family ministries.

Prior to her service at Our Saviour's, Pastor Rhonda served as Associate Pastor at St. John's in Wilmette, Illinois and served in a specialized interim context at Bethany in Chicago. She enjoys connecting God's Word to modern day contexts and helping people see themselves as a part of God's living Bible through story, anecdotes and humor. She firmly believes that we are part of the continuum of God's creative action in the world and our lives will one day give witness to those coming after us as our biblical ancestors did for us.

Pastor Rhonda was educated in Lutheran academic institutions, including Gustavus Adolphus College, Carthage College (B.A.) and Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (M.Div), but credits the many experiences at camp, youth gatherings, and young adult service opportunities for helping to clarify her sense of call.

Pastor Rhonda is proud to come from incredible (and incredibly large!) maternal (Pruitt) and paternal (Graham) families, who have established her in faith, relationships, and community. The love of many grandparents, aunts, cousins, and extended family have filled her life with daily expressions of God's love and grace. She praises God for her first church home, Bethel on Chicago's west side, (the BEST side!) who helped her articulate faith and taught her to share faith publicly.

Pastor Rhonda preaches the all-inclusive love of God to people who can't live without God and to people who don't know they need God!

Rhonda is the mother of amazing eight and a half year-old twin boys Jaeden and Jahari, and one four-legged fur baby, Caleb.

Pastor Tom Noll to Deliver Invocation at the 2020 Arlington Heights Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast

Pastor Tom Noll will deliver the Invocation at the 33rd Annual Arlington Heights Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, February 6, 2020, from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM at the Doubletree Hotel, 75 Algonquin Road, Arlington Heights.

Pastor Tom was born and raised in Round Lake, IL, He attended high school at Concordia, Milwaukee, and college at Concordia, River Forest. For 6 years he and his wife Bonnie taught in Mt. Vernon, New York, teaching grades 1-4 in a small Lutheran school. They then taught for 7 years at St. Andrews in Park Ridge, IL. Bonnie taught Kindergarten and Tom was a Language Arts teacher and the school librarian. During this time, Tom earned an MA in Library Science from Rosary College in River Forest. In June of 1981, Tom entered seminary at Concordia, Fort Wayne. He returned to St. Andrews as a vicar late in 1982, and was ordained into the Holy Ministry at St Andrews on Nov. 27, 1983.

Pastor Tom was the Associate Pastor at St. Andrews until 1993; when he accepted a call to be the senior pastor at St. John’s, Lombard, IL, where he served until 2002. For the next ten years he served as the Visitation Pastor for Trinity, Roselle, IL, until his retirement in 2012.

He continues to teach a weekly adult education class at Trinity. He preaches at several other area churches on a regular basis and teaches Bible classes at Lexington Square in Lombard and at Luther Village in Arlington Heights, where he and Bonnie have lived since 2013. At Luther Village, he is on the Spiritual Enrichment Board and co-ordinates a weekly Protestant service for the residents. Since 2018, he has been one of three retired pastors who are called to be assistant pastors at St. Peter in Arlington Heights.

Pastor Tom and Bonnie enjoy retirement, taking advantage of the many cultural offerings in
Chicago, and traveling domestically and overseas each year.

Arlington Heights Police Chief Nicholas A Pecora, Jr. to Give the New Testament Reading at the 2020 Arlington Heights Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast

     Nicholas A Pecora, Jr., Chief of Police in Arlington Heights, will give the New Testament reading at the 33rd Annual interdenominational Arlington Heights Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, February 6, 2020, from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM at the Doubletree Hotel, 75 Algonquin Road, Arlington Heights.

Chief Pecora leads a high functioning cadre of law enforcement professionals to include 110 sworn members and 30 support staff.  The agency operates on a calendar year budget of $27M. 

Nick began his law enforcement career with the Arlington Heights Police Department in 1982 and was appointed to his current department director position in 2019.  As an executive leader, Pecora managed the Patrol Division and Police Administration as a Deputy Chief.  Prior command and supervisory functions include the Community Services Bureau, Patrol and Traffic Bureaus as well as similar responsibilities in two high profile multi-jurisdictional task force units.  Front line experience was obtained through assignments as a detective, field training officer and forensic technician which helped to form a solid and well-rounded law enforcement foundation.

Chief Pecora holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Management from Robert Morris University.  He is also a graduate of recognized executive leadership studies including Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command and the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy.

Arlington Heights is more than a place to work for Nick, it is the Community he and his wife, Deanna, chose to establish roots and raise their family.  Together, they have three grown children and three grandsons. 

George and Beth Drost will provide the Keynote Address at the Arlington Heights Prayer Breakfast

   George and Beth Drost will provide the keynote address at the 32nd Annual interdenominational Arlington Heights Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, February 7, 2019, from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM at the Doubletree Hotel, 75 Algonquin Road, Arlington Heights (just west of Arlington Heights Road), will be given by Arlington Heights residents George and Beth Drost. They will speak about “Prayer Through Grace.”

   George Drost, a graduate of DePaul Law School, is a local attorney and founding partner in the firm of Drost Kivlahan McMahon & O’Connor LLC (DKM&O LLC.) He concentrates in estate planning, corporate law, and international law. He is experienced in a variety of sophisticated estate planning and wealth transfer techniques, including revocable and irrevocable trusts, charitable gift planning, and tax qualified plan distributions. Mr. Drost has also been involved in establishing succession plans for several multi-million dollar corporate clients.

   Having served as the Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic for Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin (2001-2005), George Drost has been actively involved in several initiatives to strengthen relations between the Czech Republic and United States including the American Friends of the Czech Republic “AFOCR,” Washington D.C. and The John Marshall School of Law Czech/Slovak Legal Institute. He currently serves as the Chair of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML) in Cedar Rapids, IA.

   Mr. Drost has also served as a Board Member (and former President 2012 & 2013), WorldChicago, Chicago, IL, Board member, Presbyterian Homes, Evanston, IL (2010-2018), Board Member, Ephraim Historical Foundation, Ephraim, WI, Commissioner, Arlington Heights Plan Commission, Arlington Heights, IL, Adjunct Professor, John Marshall Law School, Chicago, IL and Director, CoVest Banc (1987-2003).

   Beth Drost is a speech pathologist, gerontologist, and community volunteer. After college, her first
jobs were as a speech therapist in Fischer/Dewey, IL and at the northwest suburban River Trails School District. While her children were young, she provided speech therapy services to residents of local subsidized housing. She received a Master’s Degree in Gerontology from Roosevelt University and began a career at the Lutheran Home in Arlington Heights.

   She was the first director of the Lutheran Home’s Hearthstone Assisted Living facility. While still working, Beth Drost made seven trips to Gaspar Hernandez in the Dominican Republic as part of a ministry team from First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights to provide medical clinics, worship opportunities, and Bible school for children. After retiring from Hearthstone in 2002, Beth Drost served as Director of Senior Ministry at First Presbyterian Church in Arlington Heights. While there, she and George were drawn to children’s ministry and founded the Lydia Home Safe-Families that provides respite for families under stress and duress. Beth Drost also worked for several years as a Stephen Ministry leader.

   The Drost's met while undergraduate students at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. They
married after graduation, and will be celebrating their 50 th wedding anniversary this year. In addition to raising three children of their own (all graduates of Prospect High School) and having twelve
grandchildren, the Drost's are licensed with DCFS and have hosted 47 foster children. The Drosts are
members of the First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights.

John Glueckert, Jr.to give Second Scripture Reading the 2019 Mayor's Community Prayer Breakfast

     John Glueckert, Jr. will deliver the second scripture reading at the 32nd annual Arlington Heights Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, February 7, 2019, from 7:00-9:00 AM at the Doubletree Hotel, 75 Algonquin Road, Arlington Heights (just west of Arlington Heights Road).  

     The event also features a breakfast buffet, music, and a keynote address by George and Beth Drost.

John Glueckert, Jr. is a second generation, Illinois Licensed Funeral Director/Embalmer since 1983 and current co-owner of Glueckert Funeral Home, Ltd.  

In 1977 he graduated from Arlington Heights High School, and is a 1981 graduate of Ripon College, in Ripon, Wisconsin and at Worsham College of Mortuary Science in Wheeling, Illinois.  

John has been a member of Rotary for over 35 years and is a current member of Rotary Club of Arlington Heights. He is a charter member of Arlington Heights Rotary Sunrise Club and charter president of Rotary Club of Arlington Heights Sunset.

John has served as Trustee of Arlington Heights/Wheeling Township Cemetery since 1999. He is a board member and past president of Arlington Heights Senior Center, Inc. Additionally, John is a member St. James Catholic Church, Knights of Columbus Holy Rosary Council #4483 and Elizabeth Ann Seton Assembly.

John will be providing the New Testament Reading. 

Sister Sharon Glumb, SLW to Deliver Invocation at the 2019 Arlington Heights Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast

     Sister Sharon Glumb, SLW was born and raised in the Chicago area, and first met Sisters who served as her teachers. Initially she entered the Sisters of Christian Charity, but knew that God was drawing her toward the Sisters of the Living Word when this new Community founded in 1975. 

     During her years in ministry Sharon served by teaching 7th graders, directing a religious education program in a suburban parish, devoting a couple of years to campus ministry and also serving as vocation director for the Community and later for the Archdiocese of Chicago.

     Sharon felt the call to a more missionary form of life that brought her to Mississippi in 1992. For ten years, she served as campus minister at three colleges in Jackson, MS. 

     From 2000 until 2006, while continuing part time in campus ministry in the south, Sharon once again directed the Community’s new membership efforts. Following that, she returned to full time campus ministry, where she served three college / university communities in the Memphis Diocese until 2013.

     At that time, Sharon was elected to serve in Congregational Leadership for the Sisters of the Living Word for a five-year term, 2013-2018; and was re-elected in 2018 for a second five-year term.

     Sisters of the Living Word was founded on the strong belief that the Word of God which is inspired, cosmic and incarnate holds for us all the wisdom we need to live a life dedicated to God and the service of others. Our strength comes from participation in the Eucharist. Our prayer includes quiet time alone with God as well as prayer together in Community.

Joan Brody Garkisch to give First Scripture Reading the 2019 Mayor's Community Prayer Breakfast

     Joan Brody Garkisch will deliver the first scripture reading at the 32nd annual Arlington Heights Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, February 7, 2019, from 7:00-9:00 AM at the Doubletree Hotel, 75 Algonquin Road, Arlington Heights (just west of Arlington Heights Road).  

     The event also features a breakfast buffet, music, and a keynote address by George and Beth Drost.

     Living in Arlington Heights for more than 20 years, Joan Brody Garkisch has always been actively engaged in our community.  Whether it be participating in School District 25/214 and Temple Chai events and activities, serving as an Arlington Heights Memorial Library Trustee or as the President of Arlington Heights Crime Stoppers, Joan enjoys joining the many educational, recreational and civic opportunities Arlington Heights offers. 

     In addition to her community participation, Joan is an expert in the field of criminal justice grant development and public safety fundraising and runs her own company, consulting with police departments across the nation. 

     Joan earned a Master's Degree in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.  Prior to attending Harvard, Joan received a Bachelor's Degree and a Master of Science Degree from Northeastern University in Boston, where she graduated Class Valedictorian and Summa Cum Laude from the College of Criminal Justice. 

     Joan is a self-described foodie who loves cooking and exploring world cuisines with her husband and three children.


     Lutheran Life Communities is the sponsoring organization for the Prayer Breakfast. Tickets are $20 per person or $200 for a table of 10 and may be ordered and paid for on line at  Arlington Heights Mayor's Community Prayer Breakfast 2019 Registration . For more information contact Chamber Staff at the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce at 847-253-1703 or by e-mail at info@arlingtonhcc.com.