Jeremy Crowe
Community Life Pastor
Jeremy came to faith in 1997 and has been serving at Armitage since 2002. He currently serves as the Community Life Pastor overseeing pastoral care, assimilation, grow groups, and our Global Partners. He has earned degrees from Crossroads Bible College and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife Nerissa were married in 2005 and have four children: Micah, Josiah, Caris and Caleb. Like a good Midwesterner, Jeremy is known to cheer for the Chicago White Sox and the Indianapolis Colts. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, gardening and reading Christian books.
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Steve Laughlin
Spiritual Formation Pastor
Steve grew up in Chicago and got a taste of urban ministry by witnessing his dad’s street outreach in the 80’s. He made a profession of faith at a young age, but in his late teens and early adulthood pursued the life of a prodigal. Finally, he fully surrendered his life to Jesus in 1987 at the age of 21. He joined Armitage in 1991 and served for many years as a volunteer youth director, came on staff in 2001, and was ordained as a pastor in 2003. He received his degree in Bible & Theology from Moody Bible Institute in 2010. He has worn many hats during his tenure, including Sunday School teacher, Youth Pastor and Student Ministries Pastor. Currently, he serves as Spiritual Formation Pastor overseeing all Bible Study ministries, leadership development and the CAUSE Internship Program. He has been married to Sherry since 1998 and they have four children—Benjamin, Samuel, Anisa and Klaudia. He is a man of many hobbies, including playing guitar, gardening and the exploring the outdoors—all of which are only enhanced by a hot cup of Earl Grey tea.
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Sue Cooper
Sue came to faith in Christ in July of 1974 after the man who sold her a bicycle invited her to the Billy Graham Foundation film Time to Run. She responded to the truth that “He who knew no sin became sin on our behalf so we could become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21.
Sue has served as the Secretary/Receptionist/Administrative Assistant on and off since becoming a church member in 1984. She came to Chicago in 1983 to attend a 1-year Bible program at Moody Bible Institute, became connected with Armitage and after her year of study at Moody, decided to stay in Chicago. When asked by former members “Are you still there?” she affectionately responds “Yes, there’s glue on my chair.” It is a privilege to serve on a church staff where the priority is the salvation of the lost and the obedience and growth of believers.
Sue especially enjoys the reception duties associated with her position: processing phone calls, tending to appointments as well as an occasional visitor now and then.
Abishai Kothapalli
Abishai is a CAUSE pastoral resident at Armitage Baptist Church. He was born in Hyderabad, India and was raised in New Delhi for 24 years, where he did his schooling and graduated with a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering. He accepted Christ in 2008 and recognized that God was calling him to ministry in 2014. He came to Moody Theological Seminary in 2015, to be equipped for ministry and graduated with an M.Div in Pastoral Studies in 2019. He served as a pastoral intern at Armitage in August 2018 and began his pastoral residency with Armitage in September 2020. He is a member of the church and also serves on the worship team, which he joined in October 2015. He loves exegeting the Bible, teaching, and studying Old Testament and Hebrew Literature for fun. He believes in upholding and instilling the significance of the Word of God in his ministry. He also loves music, coffee, watching sports, his friends, and his family.
Daniel Guzman
Daniel was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Chicago since the age of 6. Early on after moving to the Logan Square area his mother was approached by fellow Christians from a church in Hammond, Indiana. These fellow Christians would pick up Danny, his 2 older brothers, and his mom in a yellow school bus to attend church every Sunday. Danny made a profession of faith in Jesus at an early age during his years at Hammond. Daniel stumbled into Armitage Church looking for a local neighborhood church during his 8th grade and has considered this his church home since then. He and his wife, Annette, were baptized together in 2009 at Armitage. Daniel served in various roles throughout the years at Armitage Church: a parking lot attendant, Junior high Bible Study teacher, an usher, and for the past 3 years as one of our deacons. Daniel serves as a Chicago Police Officer in our 14th District, and whenever not at work or at church you can find him at home enjoying spending time with his wife Annette and their two children, Anabella & Tristen.
Diana Morales
Diana came to know the Lord in January 1998 through the ministry of Armitage and became a member soon afterward. She married Oscar Morales on August 1, 1998 and one short month later began working as a church secretary at Armitage in September 1998 resulting in one of the most memorable years of her life.
During her 3 1/2 years of employment at Armitage, she maintained the Bible Study records and then transitioned to overseeing the church finances. This move sparked her desire to pursue a career as an accountant later in life.
She left her employment to start a family. Oscar and she had three children: Oscar Jr., Micah, and Lucia. Over the years her various roles have included full-time homemaker, homeschool educator, and part-time student. She graduated from Triton College in 2016 and is currently pursuing her bachelor's degree in accounting at Northeastern Illinois University.