As you probably know, Faith supports Rev. Del Campbell in his work at St. John’s and in the community of Gary, IN. Rev. Campbell and St. John’s actively support Ascension Lutheran Christian School. To get know more about Ascension, we’ve interviewed Ascension’s Head of School, Stephanie Reeves.
What’s your background? How did you come to be in Christian education? I’ve been in education for over ten years. At one time or another, I’ve taught each of the lower grades (K-5th). I was named Ascension’s Head of School in June 2020. Before that I was on Ascension’s school board.
Tell us something about Ascension. Ascension opened in 2017 with 20 students in kindergarten, first, and second grades. We added grades each year, and this year we have four teachers teaching 47 children in grades K-6.
We receive oversight of our academic and faith programs from the Lutheran Urban Mission Initiative (LUMIN), a Recognized Service Organization of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.
The school itself was formerly Our Savior Lutheran School in Gary, IN. St. John’s is one of several Lutheran churches that support Ascension. The state of Indiana’s Choice School Scholarship Voucher Program provides financial support for Ascension, but we also charge parents a nominal monthly tuition for each student.
How are the children taught about the Bible, Jesus, and God’s love? We use a Bible curriculum called One in Christ. It’s a program tailored for each grade that has Bible stories and lessons that explore key concepts of our belief and life of Christian discipleship.
We also use a LUMIN program called RISE UP. Ask any Ascension student “What’s RISE UP?,” and they’ll tell you that RISE UP stands for Respect, Integrity, Service, Empathy, Unity, and Perseverance. Every week we focus on a different RISE UP character trait, and we study examples of that trait in the Bible. For example, this past week we studied Hebrews 12:1–2, where Christians and their faith are compared to runners in a stadium that persevere in a race.
Led by Pastor Campbell, we have chapel every Wednesday. The children are really into worship, and once a month, Pastor Campbell supports the students and teachers by directing the chapel service.
Tell us about your family. My husband, Bryan, is the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church right across the border in Richton Park, Illinois. We’re from Ohio originally and are Lutheran through and through. We went to the same church and were confirmed in the same class. We have two adult children: Olyvea, who is a stay-at-home mother of 2, and Silas, who attends Ivy Tech in Bloomington.
How can we at Faith pray for you? You can pray that we increase enrollment, that we find a permanent teacher for our 5th/6th grade class, and that we can continue to keep our students safe as we provide them with a solid Lutheran Christian education.
You can make specific contributions to Rev. Campbell and St. John’s and in their support of Ascension by hitting the GIVE link at the top of Faith’s website.
If you have an insurance policy with Thrivent, you can direct your Thrivent Choice dollars to Ascension Lutheran Christian School.
By Dean Maschoff