DCE Intern
DCE Intern - Luke Esselman
Introducing our new DCE intern, Luke Esselman. Luke's internship with us will be considered the last year for course work at Concordia University, Chicago in the DCE program. Following his internship, he will be eligible for a call as a certified DCE.
He is 22 years old with his hometown in Springfield, IL. Luke comes from an extremely loving and service centered, Christian family of father (Dennis), mother (Becki), and little sister (Hannah). Luke’s father has since passed away and moved on to his heavenly reward, but his mother and sister still reside in Springfield.
Luke is outgoing and loves meeting new people and building
relationships with them. He has played soccer since he was 4 years
old and his favorite physical activities are rock climbing, canoeing,
volleyball, and basketball. He also enjoys the theater. He was in a
number of plays and musicals in high school, as well as one in college this past year.
Luke has worked at a Christian day camp for the last four summers and for the last two years has led the Concordia Youth Ministry at River Forest, where he coordinated numerous teams of college students who were sent out to various congregations to help with retreats and lock-ins.
A guiding passage Luke has taken for his life is 2 Timothy 1:7-12
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power,
of love and of self-discipline.
So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.”
(2Tim 1:7-12 NIV)
Luke is looking forward to meeting everyone at Grace and is very
excited about the prospects of how God will use him and us all in the coming year.