Pastor, Teacher, and Counselor
Reverend Dr. Josiah T. Ewing - pastorjosiah@ccwilmette.org
Despite a diverse array of experiences in the colorful tapestry of Josiah's life, there are common threads running through it: education, social work, international outreach, anti-prison reform and prison chaplaincy, artistry in writing, poetry, and painting, and following Jesus Christ.
After graduating from Lee University in 2008 with two Bachelor's degrees, one in Psychology and the other in Theology, Josiah was accepted into the prestigious Masters of Divinity program at Princeton Theological Seminary. In addition to co-leading PTS' social justice advocacy group, performing def jam poetry and acting in The Laramie Project, interning as a prison chaplain at the Albert C. Wagner Youth Correctional Facility, and working at a church in Adenta, Ghana for three months to learn more about their culture, theology, and politics, Josiah also wrote a fellowship-winning thesis on the power dynamics of prison life. Culminating a decades-long academic journey, Josiah earned his Ph.D in Theology & Ethics from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL in 2022 after successfully writing and defending his dissertation, "The Spider in the Cell: Eco-Pneumatology, Carceral Affects, and the Haunted World of Solitary Confinement in the United States."
Josiah volunteers with A Just Harvest, which gives food and drink to those in Rogers Park in need, writes letters to people in solitary confinement as a volunteer for Lifelines to Solitary, teaches an Intro to Theology class at Loyola University, and offers spiritual guidance and counseling to anyone in need.
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Music Director
Winifred Brown - winifredfbrown@me.com
Globally respected and critically acclaimed as a singer, Winifred has a musical resume that is truly impressive. She has shone in such demanding roles as Norma (Paris Opera, New York City Opera, Caracas, Mexico City), Lucia (Deutsche Opera Berlin, Miami, Guadalajara, Monterrey), and Violetta (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Mexico City).
Winifred has portrayed seventy roles and has been featured in virtually all the regional opera companies of North America. Well-known as a concert soloist, having performed with such groups as the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra and Grant Park Symphony, Winifred has also sung many pops and Broadway concerts, and is currently with a cutting edge jazz ensemble that integrates art, song, opera, jazz and electronic sound. She is also founder and artistic director of N.O.V.A., a service-based touring company. In addition, she maintains a voice studio in Chicago that trains, polishes and promotes young artists. Winifred works to create a music program that involves as many people as possible in enriching worship and forming relationships.