Since 2017, Faith Lutheran Church has been one of the key sponsors for Rev. Del Campbell, who serves St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Gary, Indiana.
All right. Maybe you worked on the recent gardening project at St. John’s, but…
Did you know…St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church is located in the Gary neighborhood of Tolleston. Tolleston was founded by German settlers in 1857. These German Lutherans met in homes before building the church that would be called St. John’s in 1868. The current building was constructed in 1923, and both the church and St. John’s Lutheran School, constructed in 1914, have been added to the National Registry of Historic Places. On any given Sunday, between 20–40 congregants hear the Gospel via Rev. Campbell’s great sermons. Rev. Campbell said it best: “For almost 100 years, God is still doing His work through His people in this same building!”
Did you know… Besides serving as St. John’s pastor, Rev. Campbell was active in launching Ascension Lutheran Christian School in 2017. Ascension Lutheran Christian School is a collaborative effort between the LCMS Indiana District, LUMIN (Lutheran Urban Mission Initiative), and the Lutheran School Corporation of Indiana. Although Ascension has many success stories, a unique challenge they face is the instability of many families, who may lack reliable transportation, food, and housing. Currently, one-hundred percent of the students at Ascension qualify for the Indiana School Choice Voucher. Despite many obstacles, Ascension’s enrollment has held steady at around 35 students even during the learning disruptions that so many children have had to go through this past COVID year. Rev. Campbell, continues to support Ascension and noted, “Building a school from scratch is hard work…but Ascension is really making a difference in the lives of our children and their families.”
Did you know… Rev. Campbell is a graduate of Christ College at Concordia University in Irvine (CUI), California, with a Master of Arts in Theology degree obtained through CUI’s Cross-cultural Ministry Center (CMC). CMC is a program sponsored by a partnership between CUI and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. Formed twenty-five years ago, CMC provides academic and practical training for missionary pastors and church leaders like Rev. Campbell for culture-crossing ministries. Since he was originally from Gary, Indiana, Rev. Campbell’s CMC training was a perfect fit for the missionary outreach and support needs of the current Lutheran population in his hometown community.
Did you know… During his spare time, Rev. Campbell has written “blogcasts” (and articles to print/read) via the web site, www.1517.org. 1517 (the year Luther posted his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle church) is a website that is “rooted in the legacy of Martin Luther and the first evangelicals of the Reformation.” Visit their website to check out the latest from Rev. Campbell: “For Those Who Wait: Abraham” (December 3, 2020).
It’s great that we at Faith Lutheran Church can support Rev. Campbell as he provides pastoral care to members of the Gary, Indiana, community by sharing the Gospel with them and ministering to their needs.
You can make direct specific contributions to Rev. Campbell and his work by hitting the GIVE link at the top of Faith’s website.