“He calls the best out of people. When I’m around him I feel great and just want to do life better.”

-Paul Jansen Van Rensburg

Jake came to us from Las Vegas, NV, USA. After four plus years on staff at Central Christian Church he joined the AXIS team in June of 2010. Discoveries from his time there include: casinos aren’t built because people win when they gamble (who knew?), not all Elvis impersonators are created equal in the eyes of the Lord, it’s God’s kindness that leads people to Him. There’s much Jake misses about Vegas (In-N-Out Burger, the desert breeze-or jet stream, 4” of rain annually, stucco, no lawn mowing & Central Christian), but there is much he is excited about here in Chicago (Lou Malnati’s, seasons, sledding, grass & trees, and Willow Creek Community Church).

Five Ways to Describe Him: Husband, Father, Communicator, College Football fan, Chips & salsa connoisseur.

What he does for AXIS: Oversees the direction of AXIS. Communicates the vision, values & culture of AXIS to the AXIS community.

Originally, from Houston, Texas. Ashlee moved to Los Angeles for college where she attended the University of Southern California and received a B.A. in International Relations and a minor in Managing Human Relations. Immediately after college she worked for Nestlé USA in their HR department. She was transferred here to Chicagoland to work for the Willy Wonka Factory as an HR Generalist. Her parents are both retired and live in Houston. After paying close attention to her heart and discerning God’s voice in prayer, something about AXIS as a community got her so excited and inspired. After months of prayer, she knew God was calling her to Willow and AXIS in particular.

Born and bred in Chicagoland, Luke went off to school at Judson University where he played soccer and earned his B.A. in Visual Communications. After graduating school, and working a variety of jobs, Luke got plugged into the community at AXIS and knew God was calling him to serve.