Luka is a native of Slovania, who came to Edmonton to study at Vanguard College. While in Edmonton he was heavily involved with our church, and met (and married) Cassandra. After completing his studies they moved back to Slovenia, where only 0.1% of the population are evangelical Christians.
Their dream is to see Jesus use their church plant to bring freedom, hope, and life transformation to those within their community in Ptuj, Slovenia.
MINISTRY FOCUS: With less than 0.1% of the population professing to be evangelical Christians, Slovenia is one of the least reached countries in Europe. Many Slovenian cities are becoming increasingly secularized without any evangelical witness. Of the few evangelical churches, many are struggling to find pastors to lead them.
In response to this, Luka and Cassandra lead a Pentecostal church plant in Ptuj where they seek to help their people answer the call to lead their own community to Jesus. Their church recently doubled in size, with more people coming to faith.
Luka, along with their congregation, organize a number of outreach ministries including a mother’s group and English clubs that meet weekly to reach mothers and teens respectively. He also leads and organizes their national Pentecostal young adult camps, which take place three times a year. Cassandra is a full-time high school English teacher; however, she also is heavily involved in their church ministries, organizing worship and kid’s ministries, while continually investing in the community.
MINISTRY HISTORY: In 2010, Luka left Slovenia, his country, to study pastoral theology at Vanguard College in Edmonton. He then met and married Cassandra through his time at Vanguard. They then both were involved in youth and young adult ministry for four years in Edmonton. In 2015, after finishing their education, they felt God call them to Murska Sobota, Slovenia, where Luka served as a youth and associate pastor. In 2017, they moved to Ptuj to help lead the newest church plant in the Slovenian Pentecostal movement. Luka and Cassandra welcomed their first child Liam in 2021.
Prayer Focus
- For God to call and establish new leaders who will serve in Slovenia’s Pentecostal church plants and ministries.
- For God to reach and transform their community in Ptuj through the various ministries they organize at their church.
- For God to help, strengthen, and provide wisdom for their family as they lead the church.