Meet the Choir

Close-up of a smiling woman with dark hair, glasses, earrings, and a black dress with embellishments.
A woman with dark hair and glasses, wearing a black dress with shiny, floral embroidery, smiling and holding a thin, black and silver baton.

KC Congdon (1992)
Lexington, IL

Artistic Director

Music has always been a big part of KC's life, but her love of bells began at sixteen when she toured Europe with the handbell choir from the First Presbyterian Church of Wheaton. At seventeen, she became the handbell director at the Evangelical Free Church in Wheaton, and at eighteen, she was the piano soloist for the Moody Concert Band. She then went on to graduate from Northern Illinois with a Bachelor of Arts in Organ Performance. KC has been a part of The Agape Ringers since 1992, first as a founding ringer member and now as Artistic Director.

In addition to The Agape Ringers, KC directs Bells In Motion, a Central Illinois community handbell ensemble, the handbell choirs at St. Matthew United Church of Christ in Wheaton, and the handbell choirs at First Congregational Church of Western Springs.  She also maintains two piano studios and collects airline miles while teaching advanced handbell techniques and conducting at state, area, national, and international handbell events.

When not directing handbells, KC lives in downstate rural Illinois with her husband, David, where she wears cowboy boots and Wranglers, drives a pickup truck, and helps care for livestock.

Close-up of a woman with long dark hair smiling, wearing a black V-neck top and layered gold and black necklaces against a white background.
A woman with long dark hair smiling, wearing a black dress with gold patterns, holding various communication or electronic devices against a plain white background.

Treasurer

Madeline Chang (2025)
Lisle, IL

Madeline started handbells in elementary school, took a brief pause due to program closure, and then happily returned when she entered St. Olaf College. She is currently pursuing a MS in Applied Data Science at the University of San Diego, while concurrently working as a Financial Analyst Professional at a healthcare company. In her free time, Madeline enjoys crocheting, crafting, and eating snacks.

Close-up of a woman with blue eyes and shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a black top and a gold and black necklace, smiling against a white background.
A woman with short brown hair and a black and gold patterned top smiling, sitting behind a black box with metallic accents and star decoration.

Jo Chiko (2016)
Darien, IL

Jo started ringing at age eight at Christ Lutheran Church of Clarendon Hills. She now directs there and at Gary UMC (Wheaton). A classically-trained soprano, Jo has a BA in music from Columbia College Chicago; pays her rent by working at the Hinsdale Public Library; and funds further musical study as a freelance singer. Jo owns a clarinet, flute, (digital) piano,and guitar; enjoys archery, needlework, and reading; and repairs bells on the side.

Close-up of a woman with short brown hair, wearing glasses, earrings, and a necklace, smiling against a plain white background.
Woman smiling, holding a handbell, wearing glasses and a black and gold patterned outfit.

President

Kristin Diaz (1992)
West Chicago, IL

Kristin discovered handbells in college and quickly became addicted. When not ringing, she is the Library Director at Hubble Middle School in Warrenville, IL. Kristin came to the Midwest from Coeur d’Alene, ID, to attend Wheaton College. She plays flute, piano, and Irish whistle; reads voraciously; and adores dark chocolate. Kristin and her husband, Tony, enjoy watching sci-fi movies, doing puzzles, and hanging out with their dogs, Luna(deaf) and Mochi (crazy).

Close-up of a woman with long dark hair, smiling, wearing a black top and a layered gold necklace, against a plain white background.
A woman smiling and holding a pair of black drumsticks with pink textured balls on the ends, against a plain white background.

Mijin Elsner (2019)
West Chicago, IL

Mijin was first introduced to handbells in 2006, has been to Cambodia and Tanzania for mission trips with her previous handbell choir, and currently serves as handbell director at Jubilee Bible Church in Medinah. She received her BM in Piano in Seoul, moved to the U.S. in 1997, and now teaches piano in the Wheaton area. Outside of music, Mijin enjoys playing golf, watching movies, and spending time with family.

A woman with long brown hair, wearing glasses, a black top, and layered gold and black necklaces, smiling against a plain white background.
A smiling woman with brown hair, glasses, and a black and gold patterned dress, standing against a plain white background.

Ringer-At-Large

Kirsten Hendrickson (2013)
North Riverside, IL

Kirsten has been ringing bells since she was asked to sub in a friend's choir at age 11 and never left! She enjoys trying out new instruments and can play (in decreasing order of skill) viola, violin, piano, recorder, cello, and banjo. Kirsten works at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center as a research nurse. When she's not working or doing something musical, Kirsten can most often be found with her nose in a book.

A woman with long reddish-brown hair wearing a black top, gold jewelry, and smiling against a white background.
Woman with long red hair smiling and holding handbells.

Karen Johnson (2010)
Evanston, IL

Karen started ringing bells as a child in New Jersey. She rang in college at Bucknell University, where she studied biology, and in community groups in the Northeast. After completing her PhD in Virology at Harvard Medical School, Karen moved to Evanston, completed a MSEd at Northwestern, and now teaches science at Evanston Township High School. When not ringing or working, Karen enjoys time with her dog, cat, and horse.

Close-up of a smiling woman with brown hair, wearing black top, gold jewelry, and a white background.
A woman smiling and holding handbells in each hand, wearing a black and gold patterned top, gold jewelry, with brown hair and a white background.

Kristin Kalitowski–Kowal (2004)
Gilberts, IL

KK started ringing in 1990 at Santa Maria (Mundelein). Also a member of Purdue Bells, she pursued a civil engineering degree in her free time. She designs roads as a Project Manager at Civiltech Engineering and directs at Gary UMC (Wheaton). KK has served Handbell Musicians of America as Area 8 Chair, Treasurer, and IL State Chair. May her twin girls catch the handbell bug too!

Close-up portrait of a man with glasses, a white mustache, and a white goatee, wearing a black, pinstripe shirt against a white background.
A man with glasses holding a large handbell with both hands.

Karl Kay (1992)
Oconomowoc, WI

Karl serves First Congregational UCC in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, as Organist and Chancel/Handbell Choir Director. He's rung since 1974 and conducted since 1980. Karl's led handbell workshops in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. He's a published composer and bass-bell specialist, and considers the 240–mile weekly round–trip to Agape rehearsals "worth every mile."

Close-up of a smiling woman with long brown hair, wearing a black top, gold and black jewelry, and a black headband with gold accents, against a white background.
A woman smiling, holding chimes in her hands, wearing a black dress with gold patterns, and a gold headband in her long brown hair.

Kendall Ladd (2022)
Lexington, IL

Kendall began ringing in elementary school at the age of ten and never stopped. She currently rings with two different handbell choirs; to further fuel her obsession she has served as the Central/Southern IL State Chair for Handbell Musicians of America and is currently the Faculty Coordinator for National Seminar. When not ringing, Kendal works as a Research Statistician at Sate Farm and enjoys traveling, napping, and spoiling her three cats.

A woman with brown hair wearing glasses, earrings, and a layered necklace, dressed in a black top, smiling against a white background.
A woman with brown hair and glasses smiling while holding handbells, wearing a black dress with a gold patterned jacket.

Secretary

Linda Lunt (2007)
Elmhurst, IL

Linda has been ringing handbells since 1998. She is the Handbell Director at Bethel UCC in Elmhurst, where she also teaches preschool music. Linda has a degree in computer science and worked at IBM, where she met her husband, Jack. She enjoys reading, movies, travel, and spending time with family and friends.

Close-up photo of a man with dark hair, brown eyes, and a beard, wearing a black shirt, against a white background.
A man with a beard and mustache wearing a black outfit with gold patterns, holding a handbells against a plain white background.

Kurt Mockenhaupt (1992)
Chicago, IL

Kurt served as Director of Music/Organist at First Congregational Church, UCC, Wilmette, for 26 years, and is now Director of Music/Organist at United Protestant Church in Grayslake. In a former life, he taught general music for eight years and was an admin at Chicago’s largest ad agency for 26 years. Kurt received a BM degree in music education from DePaul University, has been ringing/directing since 1982, and especially enjoys ringing solos and in small ensembles.

A man with gray hair and beard wearing glasses and a black, high-collared sweater, smiling against a white background.
A smiling man with gray hair and glasses, wearing a black shirt and a black jacket with gold swirl patterns, holding three mallets with yellow and blue heads against a white background.

Darren Reynolds (1998)
Chicago, IL

Darren's love of ringing started in 1979 when his mom "suggested" that he join the church choir. (Thanks, Mom!) His second hobby is horse math – he owns half of two horses, half of a horse trailer, and a whole truck to haul them places. Darren is a Purdue grad in Electrical Engineering and helps clinical teams at Rush University Medical Center design better ways to provide care to patients.

Close-up of a smiling woman with dark wavy hair, wearing a black top and layered gold and black necklaces, against a white background.
A woman with dark brown hair, smiling, holding a large chime, wearing a black outfit with a gold geometric pattern.

Brynelle Rozario (2018)
Chicago, IL

Brynelle began ringing in 2012 with the University of Notre Dame Handbell Choir, having previous classical training in piano and violin. She graduated with a degree in chemical engineering and currently works as a quality engineer. In her free time, Brynelle loves collecting plants, going to the movies, cooking, and moving furniture around her house.

Close-up of a smiling man with blue eyes, brown hair, and a beard, wearing a black button-up shirt.
A man with short brown hair and a beard, smiling, holding a large handbell, wearing a black shirt with a gold swirling pattern, against a plain white background.

Tommy Stoffels (2019)
Shaumburg, IL

Tommy has been ringing handbells since 2003 at Gary UMC in Wheaton, where he played duets and trios with his sister and mother. He graduated from Northern Illinois University with a BS in Accountancy and has started a new job at Road Ranger LLC as their tax accountant. Tommy also moved into a new apartment to be closer to work. In his free time, he enjoys playing Ultimate Frisbee, watching TV, and playing video games.

Close-up of a woman with brown hair, black-rimmed glasses, smiling, wearing a black top and layered necklaces, against a white background.
A woman with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing glasses, smiling, and holdinghandbells, standing against a white background, wearing a black outfit with gold patterns and jewelry.

Sarah Ward (2004)
Munster, IN

Sarah started ringing bells in 1987 at First United Methodist Church in Hammond, IN, where she currently directs the bell program. She has a marketing degree from NIU (DeKalb) and is currently an operations manager with Korn Ferry. She is an avid Cubs fan and enjoys traveling, music, traveling for music…or anything to keep her busy. “Music is my therapy.”