MEET OUR STAFF
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Reverend Larry Loree, Pastor
pastorloree@ascensionofchrist.org
Reverend Larry K. Loree Jr. was installed as part-time associate pastor of Ascension of Christ in
August 2021. Born in Pontiac, Michigan, Pastor Loree spent his childhood and most of his teen
years in Lapeer, MI. He graduated from high school in western New York and returned to
Michigan where he attended Concordia College in Ann Arbor. He met Teresa (nee Brownell)
while working at Montgomery Ward and the two wed at St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church in
southwest Detroit in April 1991. Pastor Loree has served congregations in Illinois, Michigan, and
Pennsylvania. He also served as an Air Force chaplain in the Air National Guard in Illinois,
Indiana, and Vermont. In December 2020 he retired after 25 years of total service (19 as a
chaplain) in the Air Force Chaplain Corps. He and Teresa have three adult children, all of whom
graduated from Lutheran high schools. In summer of 2021, upon the marriage of their daughter,
they gained a wonderful son-in-law. Pastor Loree and his family reside in Clarkston.
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Chelsea Cook, Child Care Program Director
Chelsea has been a member of Ascension of Christ Lutheran Church for 23 years serving in various capacities including Director of Children's Ministries. She worked as an Assistant Infant Teacher before earning the Infant Toddler Child Development Associate Credentials to become the Infant Lead Teacher. Soon after, Chelsea was promoted to Assistant Director where she served for five years prior to ascending into the role of Child Care Program Director. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Children and Families from the University of Michigan.
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Evelyn Schuette, Music Director
schuettee@ascensionofchrist.org
Evelyn Schuette came to Ascension of Christ in January of 2024 and is new to the Lutheran Church after over 50 years of serving other denominations as Music Director. Upon completion of the MM in Organ and Church Music at Wayne State in 1981, she went to Frankfurt, Germany to study organ and harpsichord on Fulbright DAAD grants for two years, earning a European Artist Diplom (DMA) in harpsichord with an organ cognate there in 1986. During the years in Germany, she also served US Army and Air Force chapels in the Frankfurt area. After returning to the US in 1992 to take additional classes for K-12 teaching certification for Vocal Music and German, she was then the Choral Director at Farmington High for 23 years concurrent with church music work.
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Melissa harnden, Deaconess Intern
melissaharnden@ascensionofchrist.org
Melissa began her year of deaconess internship at Ascension of Christ in August 2024. She grew up in Washington State, and received her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education with an endorsement in Special Education from the University of Washington. Melissa spent her two years of academic learning in the deaconess program at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN.
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Adele Werner, Marketing and Communications Coordinator
Adele joined the team at Ascension of Christ in July 2023. A third-generation Yooper, she grew up on the Lake Superior shores. Prior to joining the team at Ascension, she worked as a marketing content specialist for Concordia Publishing House. She is an alumna of the University of Michigan, where she majored in media and communication studies, minored in writing, and served in multiple ministries. In 2019, she married her high school sweetheart. Joel is another local LCMS pastor. Together, they have two children.
