Elders

Ruben Martinez

Ruben and his wife, Tammy, were married in April 1995 and have a son, Rubencito. They have attended Woodstock Christian Church since December 1996 and served as youth group leaders for two years.  Ruben was born in El Paso, Texas and lived in Europe and several U.S. states before moving to Illinois in 1992.  He works as the Assistant Vice President for the Call Center Manager at First American Bank in Elk Grove Village.  Ruben is interested in developing a ministry at The Vine for new believers to help them better understand the basic principles of Christianity and equip them with God's Word.

Phil McBride

Phil grew up in a ministerial family.  His father was a professor at the Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Kansas.  Phil received Jesus into his life at the age of twelve.  He has always loved anything to do with airplanes and developed a career in aviation by starting with TWA at the age of 19. He is presently managing the aircraft maintenance department for American Trans Air at Midway Airport in Chicago.  Phil and his wife, Judy, were married in 1981, and have brought two children each to a blended family.  They are grandparents and step-grandparents to 14 grandchildren.

Carlos Garcia

Carlos Garcia was born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico and moved to Elgin, Illinois at age sixteen.  He and his wife of eighteen years, Michelle, now live in Union with their children Michael, Jessica, Adam, and Daniel.  The family first came to The Vine searching for a church with teaching from the Bible, good worship services and friendly people; they found all three at The Vine.  Carlos feels it is important that the members of the church see each other as family, supporting each other in prayer and in times of financial need.  He stresses the value of keeping our time and resources open and available to help others.  Carlos currently works as an Environmental Specialist for Advanced Polymer in Carpentersville.  He is also working toward a Business Degree at Roosevelt University.

Art Wagoner

Art moved his family from Rossville, Illinois to the Richmond area in 1985, joining Woodstock Christian Church in October of that year.  He currently serves as an Elder and plays bass guitar with The Vine Praise Band.  He has previously held several administrative positions with the church, and served as interim minister twice, totaling nearly 7 years in that capacity.  Born in central Illinois, Art was baptized at the Antioch Church of Christ outside Rossville, Illinois in 1964.  Art and Wanda were married in 1974 and have 5 children.  He holds a BA in Communication and an MBA, both from Eastern Illinois University, as well as several professional certificates.  Art is the Director of Development for Imaging Portals, Inc., an internet software services company working with the copier and printer industry.  When he can find the time, he enjoys fishing, hiking, carpentry, and watching football at any level.