Mike currently serves as Advent's Council President and Finance Committee Chairperson,
having been a member here since 1987, when he transferred from Calvary Lutheran, East
Cleveland.  Mike has served in numerous capacities at Advent: a member of Council,
Treasurer, Pastoral Call Committee, Mutual Ministry Committee, Lay Assistant, and Vacation
Bible School Leader, not to mention a key softball player!

Lorraine is a member of Holy Trinity Baptist Church. At the time of their marriage in 1998, both were very involved in their churches, and felt that it was not fair to ask one another to leave their church families, so they agree to worship together at least monthly and attend special events. They are both “associate” members of each other's congregations.

​Both Lorraine and Mike now are retired. Lorraine attended Parsons School of Design (New
York), and is a graduate of The Academy of Court Reporting and Cuyahoga Community
College. Lorraine spent her career in the legal system, starting out as a Legal Secretary for
East Cleveland. In 1978, she became a Court Report for the Cuyahoga County Court of
Common Pleas and was later promoted to Supervisor. Ultimately, she took a position in the
Federal Court at the U. S. District Court as an Electronic Court Recorder Operator, retiring as
Court Reporting Supervisor for the Northern District in 2004. Lorraine’s special interests, aside from being a grandmother, are art and flower gardening (Lorraine designed much of the lovely artwork in the education wing).

Mike is a graduate of Finlandia University (formerly Suomi College, Hancock MI) and Gustavus Adolphus College (St. Peter MN), and has a BS in Business Education. After a year of teaching in Minnesota and Ohio, Mike spent the bulk of his career in the financial community.

Mike is a CPA, working for Ernst & Young's audit staff, at Henkel-Loctite Corporation, and in
the non-profit Human Services sector, finishing his career as Fiscal Director for Community
Action Against Addiction. Mike’s special interests are his grandkids, all sports, bowling and
softball as a participant, and reading. Mike served on the Board of Trustees at Capital
University for sixteen years, and still serves as “volunteer” Treasurer for Lutheran Church of
the Covenant in Maple Hts and Finance Committee Chair and Audit Committee member for
the Northeast Ohio Synod of the ELCA.

Mike and Lorraine each have a married son from a previous marriage and three grandchildren.  Lorraine’s son Walter resides in Bedford Heights with Olivia (3), and Mike’s son Jason (MIchelle), previously a member of Advent, resides in Naperville IL with children, Kalen (10) and Keira (8).

​Mike and Rita have been regular visitors to Advent since last fall. They have lived in Sagamore Hills for 21 years, and most of their large extended family lives here in Northeast Ohio (they have 9 siblings between them).
 
Their married daughter Jennifer is an ob-gyn in Charlotte NC, and is mommy to one-year old Emilia.  Son Steve lives in Tremont.  Mike and Rita and family lived in Charlotte for about five years for his job, and the entire family loves Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head vacations.
 
The Mitches met at Mike's office in 1974. His career has mostly been in sales, and for Sherwin Williams.  Rita was a stay-at-home mom but also does accounting. They have just 2 cats now, down from 5 cats plus a dog.
 
Their hobbies include bowling (both playing and watching) and golf (Mike and son Steve are in leagues together). They love attending Indians games and shows in the area (Ringo Starr was in Northfield recently, did you know!?) 
 
At their former church they ran the Angel Tree ministry at Christmas, helped with Red Cross mobile blood drives, and were members of the Outreach Committee.  They report that they have found Advent to be a very warm and welcoming congregation. 

​Lucy and Ed celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary this June. A graduate of Kutztown State U in Eastern PA, Lucy moved to Chicago with a friend who worked for the Lutheran church to teach, and met Ed in Illinois when he was a long-distance truck driver.  Ed is a life-long Cleveland resident. Lucy joined Advent soon after she moved to their Richmond Road home (they have since moved to Seven Hills), but Ed was in leadership at the First Hungarian Reformed (Walton Hills), so they shared churches.  While his leadership positions have now ended, you'll find him still participating in the egg-noodle making there each week.
 
Ed and Lucy have 6 adult grandkids.  Lucy's brother lives  in the Lehigh Valley of PA with his 4 children and their families.
 
Lucy taught math in the Warrensville schools, completed physician assistant trainging, then did some mental health counseling before teaching again, while Ed worked mostly in truck driving and transportation.
 
Lucy's hobbies include travel, reading, and music (they both  frequent the free concerts at Baldwin Wallace).  Ed's main hobby is coin collecting (he is quite the expert and has helped many a friend understand the value of those bags of coins left by ancestors!).  Lucy has served on the Fellowship Committee since Pastor May. You might know her from our annual Bunco night, or as the "Cake Walk Lady" at the congregational picnics. Lucy is a pianist and member of adult choir and bell choir, and currently serves on the Word & Sacrament Board.
 
Ed and Lucy say they appreciate the fellowship and Christian family at Advent, and that it is well worth the drive across 480. to experience their faith within this Christian church family. 

David and Jean Fell have been married since 1971.  They moved from Solon to Kent 14 years ago, but say they love their pastor and his entire family and can't imagine missing dear friends.  This size church means their participation counts and they can be known and know others.  They moved to find a condo on a small lake, so y'all come: enjoy the canoe, rowboat, and fishing poles.
 
The Fells joined Advent in 1988, having moved from the greater Pittsburgh area with their daughters Heather & Anna. Jean is a life-long Lutheran, David Anglican, although they both love worshiping in a wide variety of traditions.
 
Jean worked at CWRU most recently, retiring in 1999 but says she's much too busy to work nowadays, mostly with David in Lutheran Marriage Encounter (leading these intensive enrichments for marriages since 1982), and at Advent in bells, Council, Word & Sacrament board, and in the office.  David joined her in choir "just for Christmas" about 18 years ago!!  Both value the opportunity to serve as lay assistants.
 
David started work at Mobil Oil in the UK, but switched careers after emigrating in 1977, eventually becoming a "head hunter," mostly for IT and financial placements.
 
Jean was born in Baltimore, moved to Ohio at 12, spent her Hanover College IN "Junior Year Abroad" at the U of Nottingham, and brought David home as a "souvenir" after a long engagement and hundreds of love letters. David's history is more exotic, having been born in Kuala Lumpur and attending board school back in England till uni.
 
Jean's special interests include traveling, snorkeling, birding, crochet, reading, music, biking, and exploring in general.  She took up the cello at 50 and plays in 2 orchestras. (come hear the Cleveland Women's Orchestra at Severance some April!)  For David, take out the crochet and add in golf, golf, and golf!
 
Daughter Anna lives in Mentor and has the 2 grandkids, so they join in many of the activities at Advent. Heather lives in Oakland and visits frequently.