Meet our Rector
I am Pastor Jenny Hulen and I am the rector at St. Simon's. I am actually kind of a mutt, denominationally. I grew up Missouri Synod Lutheran, became a Southern Baptism in college, and found the Episcopal branch of the Christian faith in my mid-thirties. My religious experience it pretty wide as a result, and I like to think it is also deep.
I earned my Master of Divinity in 1990 at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (pre-fundamentalist takeover) and was first ordained to ministry in that denomination in 1993. I did my Diploma in Anglican Studies at Seabury-Western Episcopal Seminary, many lifetimes later, in 2012, and was ordained to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church in 2013. My husband Peter and I lived in Beijing and speak Mandarin, and come to the Chicago area, most recently, from St. Louis. Prior to my call to parish ministry, I served as a hospital chaplain for 12 years.
My greatest joys as a priest are the conversations I get to have with people as we explore our faith together. This is especially sweet when those of us who have “church wounds” get to hear the good news that God loves you no matter what and there is actually a place where you can be your full, authentic self in community. Whatever place you are at in your faith journey, whatever place you come from, you are invited to bring your whole self to exploring faith here – your questions about God and institutionalized religion, your disappointments and joys, your sins and your sacredness. We get it!
Please feel free to email me if you have questions about St. Simon’s or the Episcopal Church. I’m always up for a cup of coffee and some conversation. Until then, I wish you God’s peace and presence on your journey.