St. John’s Lutheran School and Daycare, Springfield, Ohio

by Linda Sprick Kruse

My current call is serving as the vice principal for St. John’s Lutheran School and Daycare in Springfield, Ohio. I have been called to assist the congregation restructure and administration of the school, as well as to prepare the school to become self-sufficient. I also assist the pastor in providing spiritual care to the families of the school. It is an intriguing call in that more than half of our families are divorced, and out of those families, 18% have custody issues. They have chosen St. John’s mainly for security reasons. I teach money management and parenting; I lobby for educational reform; I am a health provider, business manager, comptroller, fundraiser, educator, and chaplain. I also help the congregation reclaim this ministry, as a ministry, by lifting up how God is present in the life of the school, and how faith plays a key role in our education and sharing miracle stories as a result of faith and prayer. The congregation hadn’t experienced the school in this way before.

My initial call to diaconal ministry came when I was five years old in my Missouri Lutheran home congregation. Two women missionaries gave a presentation on Africa and I was enthralled. That is when I sensed the Holy Spirit calling me to ministry. The LCMS tradition had few opportunities for such advancements, except as a deaconess. In college, I had the opportunity to serve in missions throughout the USA, mainly on Native American reservations, and it was then that I discovered other avenues of service.

After college, I was led to serve the Christian Appalachian Project in Kentucky and found a mission church in which I helped to create the congregation of All Saints, an ALC mission start. It was in this congregation that I was lifted up for ministry within the church. I decided to return to college and pursue a Master of Divinity degree focusing on global missions, but God had other plans and timing. However, while my candidacy committee understood my call to ministry, it was clear to both of us that ordained clergy was not the best fit. I settled on serving as a chaplain as an Associate in Ministry.

In 1992 when the diaconal profile was presented, we were all enlightened. The description fit better my call to ministry, so my Synod suggested I continue my candidacy and pursue a diaconal ministry call. Now I am able to use my social work background and incorporate a spiritual dimension that is often overlooked. My second call to Jeremiah’s Letter, a ministry combining social outreach of several inner city churches, allowed me to see the potential of congregational members and their hunger for service. God allowed me to provide the avenues and support. All three of my calls to ministry have helped families develop a plan for living (or dying).