Lawyers for Jesus

Liz Laird is the Executive Director of Sacred Spaces Conservancy, a DC-based organization that partners with local communities to keep religious congregations from disappearing. As buildings of worship continue to disappear from the city’s landscape, being converted to condos or other non-public spaces, Sacred Spaces works to find collaborative solutions to maintain and preserve these vital neighborhood institutions.

Richard Wagner was a member of a Baptist church in the Western suburbs of Chicago that effectively dissolved due to being oppressively mismanaged by a new pastor who seemed to deliberately drive away the bulk of their congregation. Under this pastor’s leadership, many members left or lost their positions within the church, ministries were shut down, worship services ceased, and church assets were dissipated. After the majority of the members were driven away by the new pastor, and only he and a few friends and family were left, the church building was sold and the funds diverted for the support of the pastor, but not the congregation itself which was gone. Richard was an active member of the church since its formation, serving in many roles. He was also instrumental in seeking legal action to rectify the situation.

Kevin Grillot is the Executive Director of WeDignify, a college mentorship program with a mission to grow students into pro-life leaders. The vision of WeDignify is to foster a culture of love on college campuses where new life is welcomed with joy, and people suffering from abortion can be led towards healing and hope.

Joe Roznai is a Certified Public Accountant and partner at MichaelSilver, a firm that provides accounting and assurance, as well as tax consulting and compliance. Joe has over 25 years of federal, state, and local tax planning, consulting, and compliance experience, working with entrepreneurial businesses across a wide range of industries. He is also very active in his local community and involved in various not-for-profit organizations.

Dr. Hugh Ross is an astrophysicist, apologist, author, and President and Founder of Reasons to Believe, an organization dedicated to integrating scientific fact with Biblical faith. Dr. Ross is passionate about equipping followers of Jesus to engage, rather than withdraw from or attack, educated non-Christians. His most recent book is Always Be Ready: A Call to Adventurous Faith, which uses personal stories to share the thrills and challenges of sharing your faith.

Chuck Legvold is the pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Aurora, Illinois, a church that exists to lead people into intimate relationships with Jesus, his family, and community. Westminster Presbyterian Church is also a member of ECO, and a Mauck & Baker client who we helped navigate through a denominational church split.

Scott Phelps is the Executive Director of Abstinence and Marriage Education Partnership, an organization that aims to educate teenagers in public and private schools that sexual activity is best reserved for marriage. Scott’s career is dedicated to helping today’s youth resist negative pressure and make good decisions for their lives by communicating the benefits of abstinence through clearly reasoned, positive presentations. A&M Partnership has trained more than 4,000 educators, and approximately 2 million students nationwide.

Doug Morrow is the Executive Director of Baptist Foundation of Illinois, an organization that exists to help individuals, churches, associations, and institutions meet their charitable and financial goals. Their mission is to encourage believers to respond both individually and corporately to God’s call of stewardship upon their lives.

Bob Trierweiler is the Director of Faith and Law Around the Globe, or FLAG, an international initiative designed to mobilize lawyers around the world to be effective witnesses for Christ. Additionally, he serves as Senior Legal Counsel and Director of Legal Ministries in the General Counsel’s Office for Cru, also known as Campus Crusade for Christ internationally.

Greg Gunderson is the Founder and President of Select Church Insurance Services Inc., an agency that provides coverage for churches and their ministries, allowing their customers to be at peace about unforeseen circumstances.

Prior to founding Select, Greg sold insurance to small businesses and contractors, but he particularly enjoyed his time with churches, which he now solely works with.