About Us
The Pastoral Staff of Village Church
Rev. Tom Are, Jr. — Senior Pastor
Tom Are has served Village Church as Senior Pastor since February of 2004. He loves the energy the Village Church has for serving the city and the care the congregation gives to thinking about the faith. He loves to preach and to tell stories. Tom is a graduate of Presbyterian College in South Carolina, Union Presbyterian Seminary and Yale Divinity School. He has served Westminster in Charleston, Seven Oaks Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina, and Riverside Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Tom and his wife, Carol, have been married since 1987, and they have two children, Sarah (college) and Nathan (high school). Carol is the daughter of a Presbyterian pastor, and Tom is sixth generation Presbyterian pastor (that’s a lot!). e-mail
Rev. Jay McKell —
Interim Associate Pastor of Pastoral Care
I remember being rocked by Agnes Frazer in the nursery of the First Presbyterian Church in Johnson City, Tennessee. I remember my father serving on the session and singing in the choir while my mother made friends with everyone who walked into the church building. I remember my great uncle Buddy kneeling at the side of his bed to pray when he was 94 years old in much the same way as he had done when he was four years old. I remember my youth group advisor believing in me when I did not believe in myself. I remember the gospel shaking my very bones as it awakened me to matters of peace, justice, and inclusion. I remember my wife Elizabeth loving me in so many ways that continue to make God’s incarnational love real and who trusted me to help with the care and nurture of two sons, Josh and Shannon. I remember with deep deep gratitude when God graciously placed my son Matt in my arms. I remember my ministry at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, a congregation that was willing to take risks in living out the gospel. And I hope and pray that in my ministry with the members and staff of Village Church I will be faithful to God in at least a few of the many ways God, who challenges and comforts us throughout life, has been faithful to me. e-mail
Rev. Jarrett McLaughlin — Pastor for Mission
and Young Adult/Family Ministry
Jarrett McLaughlin comes to the Midwest by way of North Carolina. Jarrett began serving at Village Presbyterian Church after graduating from Union Theological Seminary. He enjoys hiking, live music, reading a good book, traveling to new places and photography. He also is the proud owner of an extensive “Ugly Shirt” collection. His wife, Meg, serves Village Church in the Pastoral Care and Counseling Ministry. e-mail
Rev. Meg Peery McLaughlin — Pastor of Pastoral Care
Meg grew up in North Carolina and was nurtured in the Presbyterian Church from the “get go.” She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she received a BA in English literature. She then attended Union Presbyterian Seminary, receiving a Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Christian education. Meg delights in her work at Village, where she was ordained in October of 2006. She has responsibilities in the areas of Pastoral Care and Presbyterian Women. Meg’s great joy in ministry is listening to the stories of people and discovering ways that we can all be part of God’s great Gospel story. She is married to Rev. Jarrett McLaughlin, who is also a pastor at Village. The two feel blessed to be a part of this church family. e-mail
Dr. Cynthia Holder Rich —
Executive Pastor for Ministry
Cynthia Holder Rich began her ministry at Village in 2011, after serving in parish ministry in three states, as a mission coworker in Madagascar, and on a seminary faculty in Michigan. Cynthia holds degrees from the University of Dubuque, McCormick Theological Seminary, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, and the University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa). She loves to teach, research and write. Cynthia is committed to discerning with the congregation and leadership God’s call to Village at this time, and excited about engaging in this ongoing search in the ministries of education, outreach and mission. She is married to Mark Rich, and they have three children: Joseph (in college), Paul, and Ella (both in high school). e-mail
Rev. Dwight Tawney — Administrative Pastor
Serving as Village Church’s Administrative Pastor since 1991, Dwight loves to teach and offers a number of weekly classes in Bible and Church History. He grew up in Ohio and Pennsylvania and, at the beginning of high school, moved to Cape Canaveral, Florida, when his father went to work for the space program. Dwight attended Eckerd College in Saint Petersburg, returning to Pennsylvania for seminary. Upon graduation from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in 1972, Dwight was ordained, worked in the seminary’s development office and managed its technology department. He has served churches in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Monmouth, Illinois; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Fort Worth, Texas. Dwight has two children and two grandchildren, all of whom live in the Chicago area. His hobbies include photography and breeding daylilies. He has had a career-long interest in archaeology, and has participated in a “dig” in Jerusalem. e-mail