Curt and Patty Simmons were recently appointed to lead the Chicago Ministry Center of the Chicago Church of Christ. Curt and Patty have over 20 years ministry experience, but have been out of the full-time ministry since 2004 while Curt dealt with serious medical challenges.
Their ministry experience includes working in various leadership capacities in eight different states and they led churches in Lincoln (Nebraska), St. Louis and Cincinnati. The Simmons’ are both from the state of Washington and met while Curt was attending Western Washington University in Bellingham where he earned his degree in Journalism. Curt and Patty began their spiritual journey in 1981 in the campus ministry at Western Washington, under the leadership of Preston and Sandie Shepherd.
After numerous attempts to uncover the cause of his disability, Curt underwent reconstructive chest surgery in December of 2008 to correct the problem. A second surgery in March of 2010 has brought him back to full strength. While disabled, Curt wrote four books — The Revealer (2005); Small-Town Heroes (2006); The Brotherhood of Believers (2007); and Unsung Heroes (2008). He also wrote The Unveiling in 1995. During the time of Curt's disability, Patty worked for five years in the health-care field, serving the past three-and-a-half years as an executive assistant for the Vice-President of Quality and Operations at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in downtown Chicago, as well as the hospital’s Senior Vice-President and General Counsel.
Curt and Patty have recently moved to downtown Chicago and are excited to bring their 20-plus years of ministry experience to the diverse Chicago Ministry Center. They also bring their unique perspective and understanding of the challenges of working in the secular world (Patty) and dealing with serious health challenges (Curt) for the past six years.
They have been married for 28 years and have two children: Brad (24) and Brittany (20).