Brandon Cooper, Senior Pastor
As a native of the Chicagoland area—born in Evanston, raised in Glenview—Brandon has a deep love of the culture and community of this city. He is the fourth of five children and is happy to have his entire family still living in the area. He attended the University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana), where he studied English Literature, before completing his Master of Divinity at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School with an emphasis in Discipleship-Evangelism. He is the author of A Word to the Wise: Lessons from Proverbs for Young Adults. He and his wife served on the mission field in Bogotá, Colombia for seven years, giving him a deep passion for missions, Latin American culture, and the country where his first two children were born. Brandon and his wife, Amy, have four adorable daughters: Charis, Adiel, Ceely, Brielle, and a son Callum. He loves literature and music and is an avid soccer enthusiast (Arsenal FC) and a lifelong Chicago sports fan.
Kyle Bjerga, Pastor of Discipleship and Family Ministries
Kyle has lived in the Chicagoland area his whole life, and while he has never lived in Elmhurst, he has always had a special place in his heart for this community. He grew up attending church in Elmhurst, graduated from Elmhurst College, and has many family members still living in the area. After serving as a teacher in public and private schools he felt called to pursue vocational ministry and enroll at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School where he graduated with his Master in Theological Studies. He has served as an area director for a parachurch ministry, a youth pastor, and currently serves as the Discipleship and Family Ministries pastor here at Cityview. Kyle married his high-school sweetheart, Jackie, in 2008, and they have had the privilege of serving in ministry together for over a decade. Kyle and Jackie have three boys, Carson, Parker, and Bryant. He loves date nights with Jackie, playing with his kids, watching his beloved Cubs, working out, golfing, and eating deep dish pizza.
Jake Thomas, Director of Student Ministries
Though not from the area, Jake has come to fall in love with the city and the people of Elmhurst. Born in Nebraska, Jake grew up in a small town in Iowa as the oldest of three children. Jake’s family raised him to love others, and the Church as Jesus did. This led Jake to enroll in the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago in Fall 2020. Jake graduated from MBI in the Spring of 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in Pastoral Studies. In addition, Jake left Moody with many lifelong friends, memories, and valuable lessons. Initially attending Cityview while in college, Jake also served as an intern before becoming the Director of Student Ministries in the Spring of 2024. Jake is excited to experience more of Elmhurst and help young people fall in love with Jesus. He enjoys watching sports (Go Nebraska!), reading books, and watching movies.
Katy Hurst, CAP Debt Center Manager
Katy has been a Co-Debt Center Manager since March of 2023. She attended Carthage College, receiving a B.A in Accounting. Katy has held a variety of positions over her 29 year career in financial services with a focus on risk management and crisis planning. Upon leaving the full-time workforce to care for a family member, Katy wanted to also serve others who are in need of care. Katy found she could offer that care by joining CAP where she now assists others with their finances. Katy has observed how others in her life have struggled with debt and understands the encouragement and support people need during a time that likely feels overwhelming and outside of their control. Katy enjoys coming alongside someone who is looking for assistance and being there to support and equip them with the tools and plans to help them on their journey to financial freedom.
Carolyn Ubriaco, CAP Community Links Coordinator
Carolyn join the CAP team in 2024.
Joe Dwyer, Elder
Joe Dwyer
Elder
Joe was born and raised in the Chicagoland area. After high school, he served as an electrician in the U.S. Navy for six years living in Florida, New York and Virginia. He then returned home and attended the University of Illinois at Chicago where he received a degree in Electrical Engineering. It was at that time that he met his wife, Pam. Pam and Joe have been married for 24 years and live in Downers Grove with their 2 daughters, Emily and Audrey. The Dwyer Family has been attending CityView for about 18 years and has enjoyed serving in many different roles and ministries during that time. Joe works for Motorola Mobility in Chicago designing the audio systems for mobile phones. He enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, hiking, photography, listening to music and watching sports.
Steve Knopp, Elder
Steve Knopp
Elder
Steve was born and spent his early years in the beautiful Pacific-Northwest state of Oregon. He moved to Elmhurst at age twelve with his family when his dad accepted the call to become Pastor of First Baptist Church of Elmhurst (now Cityview Community Church). Except for brief stints in two nearby suburbs, Steve has lived in Elmhurst ever since. Steve attended the College of DuPage and studied electronics at DeVry University. He has been with the same company for over 30 years, now owned by Honeywell, working in the service department. Steve has served in many roles in his 45 years at the church. He has helped in children’s ministries, served on the deacon board, and led Community groups, Journey Groups and the Facilities team over the years. You can typically find him lending a hand wherever help is needed. Steve and his wife Diane, who works in finance at Mission Eurasia, have been married 35 years and have two sons, Jonathan and David. Steve enjoys spending time with his family, visiting new places, cheering on the Cubs and listening to music.
Mark Myers, Elder
Mark Myers
Elder
Mark was born and raised in Arizona, coming to Chicago in 1979 to attend Wheaton College. He met his wife, Karen, at Wheaton, and they married after graduation. Karen spent 19 years at ServiceMaster in various managerial roles. Mark has played multiple roles in his 40-year career in commercial real estate, including bookkeeping and asset management, and 30 years in M&A. Mark co-leads seniors housing investment sales for Walker & Dunlop, representing companies in their dispositions. Mark has a heart for evangelism and inner-city missions, having served with Inner City Impact, Courtside Ministries, Emmaus, and as a mentor and tutor for disadvantaged youth. He also loves teaching in our Explore Hour and facilitating a Community Group. Mark has learned that the new birth is immediate, but the growth journey takes time and grace. Karen has a heart for kids and has served in various children’s ministry capacities in churches and at Bible Study Fellowship. Karen and Mark have twin college-age girls, Bethany and Alli, at Taylor University. Bethany is studying music education, while Alli is studying business and sports management.
Deacons
Bryce Becker Care/PrimeTimers | Catt Pavlik Clothes Closet | Lee Ann Benedict Compassion Ministries | Jackie Bjerga Events Team |
Bill Rehling Facilities | Tom Benedict Finance Team | Diane Knopp Finance Team | Julie Gauthier Worship |
Dave Kim Gaius (Global Outreach) | Shane Dickinson Prayer | Carl Bjerga Visitation | Andrew Massengale Tech Team |