Luke A. Gascho 2514 S Main St Goshen, IN 46526 Home Phone: 574-533-6480    Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center      [Goshen College] P.O. Box 263 Wolf Lake, IN 46796 Work Phone: 260-799-5869 E-mail |  Staff Web Page Dr. Luke Gascho is the Executive Director of Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College, Wolf Lake, IN. He has served in this role since August 1997. Merry Lea is among the best-assembled land preserves in Indiana and contains a diverse group of Indiana ecosystems. The 1,189-acre preserve – founded in 1965 – contains a wonderful complex of wetlands, bogs, lakeshores, upland and lowland forests, prairies, and meadows. Merry Lea’s 12 staff members provide support to the mission of providing environmental education for persons of all ages.

During the last twelve years, Luke has led the Merry Lea staff and board in strategically planning for the ways in which to best fulfill its mission. In addition to serving 7,000 K-12 students annually, Merry Lea is uniquely postured to expand environmental studies offerings at the collegiate level. He has led the design and implementation of field-based undergraduate course work at Merry Lea in environmental science and interdisciplinary studies. Most recently, the master’s degree program in environmental education has been developed and accredited under his leadership.

With the commitment to expand the collegiate programming at Merry Lea, Dr. Gascho has guided the process for creating a facility to house an environmental studies field station. A key objective from the beginning of design has been to have the facility in meet the best in sustainable practices. Luke was instrumental in selecting a design team of architects, engineers, landscape architects, wastewater engineers, commissioners, and contractors that have worked together in outstanding collaboration to complete phase one of the facility. The project has earned the Platinum LEED rating from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Previous to his current role, Luke served as principal of the Johnstown Christian School, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, for 20 years. He taught life and physical science courses in a high school in Grenada, West Indies for three years and high school science and math in San Juan, Puerto Rico for one year. Luke earned his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1999. His masters is in Christian School Administration is from Grace Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, Indiana, and his B.S. is in biology and secondary education from Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, Virginia.

In addition to his role at Merry Lea, Dr. Gascho has served as chair of the Goshen College Strategic Planning Committee for the last eight years. He is a founding member of the Ecological Stewardship Committee at Goshen College, which is working to reduce the ecological footprint of the college. He also provides leadership for Mennonite Creation Care Network, an organization guiding Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada in environmental stewardship. Luke regularly studies and speaks on the concepts of creation care theology and ethics, leadership, and ecological systems—and the intersection of the three. He enjoys gardening, native landscaping, photography, and woodworking as hobbies. Luke is married to Becky. They have three adult children and two grandchildren.


Recent Publications:

• Creation Care: Keepers of the Earth, MMA Stewardship Solutions, 2008. This Christian Education curriculum is available from the MMA Bookstore.
• Living in and as God's Creation, series of essays for Adult Bible Study, Faith and Life Resources, 2006. Available online at http://www.mph.org/abs
• "A Gateway for the Future," Bulletin: The Magazine of Goshen College, Vol. 91, #3, 2006. Available online at http://www.goshen.edu/bulletin/Archives/2005/Gateway_to_the_Future

Current Academic Courses

• “Leadership for Environmental Education Programs and Centers,” in the Master of Arts in Environmental Education degree program at Merry Lea.
•  “Theology, Ecology, and Spirituality” at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Elkhart, IN

Presentation Topics

• Regular presentations and seminars on the following topics:
- Regenerative Stewardship of God’s Creation
- Faith, Hope and Creation Care
- Greening Congregations as an Act of Faith
- Sustainable Building Design and Redesign
- Building Green in Indiana: A Case Study of Rieth Village
- Sustainability, Stewardship and Spirituality
- Systems Thinking as a Framework for Strategic Planning
- Encountering God in Nature
- Ecological Leadership: Patterns in Nature as a Design for Leadership
- General Presentations on Merry Lea

Creation Care Leadership Activities

• Facilitation of the Mennonite Creation Care Network
• Member of the Mennonite Central Committee Creation Care Task Force
• Member of the Advisory Committee for the Simply Sustainable Project of Mennonite Publishing Network
• Member of the Mennonite World Conference International Planning Committee for Care of Creation
• Signatory on the Evangelical Climate Initiative
• Regular participant in the Creation Care Leaders Forum of the Evangelical Environmental Network
• Member of the Ecological Stewardship Committee at Goshen College
• Board member for Hoosier Interfaith Power and Light