Christ on the Course
Luke Gannon Brings the Gospel to Golf
It was a hard question for him to escape growing up: “Have you considered going into ministry?” After all, as a PK (pastor’s kid), it’s nearly unavoidable. Luke Gannon, son of lead pastor Jeff Gannon, began working at the church at an early age.
“I was around 13 when I started doing some maintenance work at the church. Jay asked me to start doing some work with him, and I have been ever since.”
That was nearly 10 years ago, when recently retired head custodian Jay Robinson asked Luke to come under his tutelage.
“I’ll miss working with Jay. He made me get up early. I sleep in longer than I used to now that he’s retired. He would get there at 4 a.m. every day. I get there at 6 and he makes me feel lazy! He’s the most upbeat, most positive person and one of the hardest workers I’ve ever met. To be 82 and get up that early to go to the church, it was amazing.”
Luke graduated from the University of Southern Illinois last May, and recently got married to his wife, Ellyn. He’s worked part time at the church doing maintenance and custodial work as often as he’s been able to, when he’s not making the rounds on the pro golf circuit.
“Being a pastor’s kid, I’ve been asked a lot if I am going to follow in my dad’s footsteps. But there are definitely different avenues you can take in ministry. There’s a Christian golf fellowship, and I get to meet a lot of other people. I can serve in other ways. When you think about it, many of these golf tournaments take place on the weekend. People aren’t going to a church of their own. But that gives you opportunities to talk about faith in those moments.”
Luke enjoys the excitement of pursuing his professional passion for golf, and the familiarity of helping his church family at home.
“I love seeing all the people I’ve known for so long. The people here are just so great.”
We appreciate Luke’s steadfast service to the church over the years, as well as his faithful witness to the world when he’s out on the road.
