Thank You to Augustana’s New Council Members

Posted on by jimvondracek

At its annual meeting last Sunday, Augustana welcomed four new council members:

Shirley Sigler

I grew up in Woodlawn. I worked in various capacities as a Registered Dietitian until retirement in 2015. My husband and I were married at Augustana in 1983, although we were not members. We moved to Hyde Park in 2021, after living in Richardson, TX, outside of Dallas, for 15 years, after Regi retired. We have one Daughter, Courtney, who lives in Bronzeville.

I have served on the Church Council in every congregation I have been a member of, including several times as President. I have been a voting member at Synod Assembly, and Churchwide along with various other church and Synod committees and positions. I look forward to working with the Council at Augustana.

Katja Della Libera

Katja is excited to serve on the council as a connection between Campus Ministry and the wider Augustana Community. She is from Germany and moved to Hyde Park summer of 2021 to be a PhD student at UChicago in the program of Ecology & Evolution. She studies gut microbiome ecology. In her free time, she loves to run, hike, climb, learn about history and different cultures, and cook or bake for friends.

Andry Gunthoti

Hello, my name is Andry Joseph Gunthoti. I am delighted to participate as a high school student representative for the Church Council. I have been a member of Augustana for seven years since my family and I were first introduced to the States. During those seven years, I received my confirmation and reaffirmed my baptismal vows with my parents and siblings here in Augustana. Currently, I am a Senior here at Kenwood Academy High School. I aspire to be a wildlife biologist and will continue my studies here in America. Grateful for this opportunity, I will continue to learn more about how the Church carries out its mission and will put my greatest effort into giving meaningful insight.

Maya Pytel

Maya Pytel has been a member of Augustana Lutheran Church since she was four years old. She currently is in charge of the nursery during the 10:45am service on Sundays. In the past, she has participated in Sunday school, confirmation classes, youth retreats, youth choir, and peace camps. She is currently a 10th grader at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and particularly enjoys chemistry and math classes. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering with local organizations such as the Chicago Hyde Park Village and the Hyde Park Refugee Project. She also spends some of her time playing sports on school teams. These sports include volleyball, track and field, and soccer. She is also a fan of bunkering down to read a great book or binging Netflix shows while working on her dot art projects.