Samantha Gasca
Challenger Samantha Gasca is running as a Republican for Senator in New Lenox, Illinois. The election was held on November 5, 2024.
First and foremost, I am a servant of Jesus the Christ. That is the name of my game. God comes first and last: before anyone or anything in my life. Period.
A little background...
I am a 2021 Magna Cum Laude graduate of Moody Bible Institute/Moody Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL, with a Master of Divinity in Pastoral Studies. Interestingly, I was one of the first women from Moody to graduate with a Master of Divinity in Pastoral Studies and subsequently the first woman/minority to be awarded the Faculty Award for Excellence in Pastoral Studies.
As far as my life as a child, I grew up in a home with verbal, mental, emotional, spiritual, physical, and sexual abuse. As a result, I made regrettably poor decisions as an adult including delving into psychedelic drugs, alcohol, etc. While suffering internally, I felt the need to succeed professionally to be worthy of love, which is why I spent so many years in school. I obtained a B.S. in Agriculture and an M.S. in Animal Science from Illinois State University. I also completed all requirements for my Ph.D. (apart from my dissertation) in Animal Science/Beef Cattle Nutrition from Texas A&M University. While in the final year of my PhD program, I recognized I wanted to work in a more "people-friendly"/compassionate environment.
I left Texas and came back home to Chicago where I began working at a home for sex trafficked children aged 10-21. It was while working here that I recognized I wanted to work in ministry – pastoral counseling, coaching, teaching, speaking, and writing. I met my former husband during this time, who was a Christian radio DJ attending Bible School. We dated long distance, so many of the indicators of toxicity were hidden. There were many red flags, but I did not know how to articulate them, nor did I understand how to allow them to paint a picture. Thus I found out upon marriage that my former husband, who would leave me for days at at a time (without telling me he was leaving or when he would be home), was addicted to alcohol, methamphetamines, and crack-cocaine, was often intimate with both men and women, was prostituting himself for drug money, and was abusive verbally, mentally, emotionally, and physically. My journey through separation and divorce was what led me to Moody, as it is the times of affliction that cause us to produce our best fruit.
Since this experience, I have worked with: domestic violence, all kinds of abuse and addictions, sexuality, identity confusion, gang violence, homelessness, poverty, divorce, marriage/couples, mens prison ministry, children in abusive/traumatic situations and/or with behavioral issues, depression/anxiety, and all kinds of trauma. In 2020, at the height of Covid, I started a women’s ministry at my church (New Life Community Church Midway in Chicago, IL) called Soul Care, where I taught weekly to offer a new perspective on hope, healing, and freedom found in Christ. I taught women how to cultivate a deeper relationship with Christ, to employ spiritual discipline, and to live out faith practically.
I am a Pastoral Counselor, coach, teacher, speaker, and writer. I also work at Moody Radio as a Data Specialist. My journey into politics was not a straight one, but I feel it is an excellent fit. I love working with people, helping them move forward and up, and my country. I am excited to use my 14 years in college (5 years in undergraduate work/9 years of graduate school) to serve you and the people of my state.
A little background...
I am a 2021 Magna Cum Laude graduate of Moody Bible Institute/Moody Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL, with a Master of Divinity in Pastoral Studies. Interestingly, I was one of the first women from Moody to graduate with a Master of Divinity in Pastoral Studies and subsequently the first woman/minority to be awarded the Faculty Award for Excellence in Pastoral Studies.
As far as my life as a child, I grew up in a home with verbal, mental, emotional, spiritual, physical, and sexual abuse. As a result, I made regrettably poor decisions as an adult including delving into psychedelic drugs, alcohol, etc. While suffering internally, I felt the need to succeed professionally to be worthy of love, which is why I spent so many years in school. I obtained a B.S. in Agriculture and an M.S. in Animal Science from Illinois State University. I also completed all requirements for my Ph.D. (apart from my dissertation) in Animal Science/Beef Cattle Nutrition from Texas A&M University. While in the final year of my PhD program, I recognized I wanted to work in a more "people-friendly"/compassionate environment.
I left Texas and came back home to Chicago where I began working at a home for sex trafficked children aged 10-21. It was while working here that I recognized I wanted to work in ministry – pastoral counseling, coaching, teaching, speaking, and writing. I met my former husband during this time, who was a Christian radio DJ attending Bible School. We dated long distance, so many of the indicators of toxicity were hidden. There were many red flags, but I did not know how to articulate them, nor did I understand how to allow them to paint a picture. Thus I found out upon marriage that my former husband, who would leave me for days at at a time (without telling me he was leaving or when he would be home), was addicted to alcohol, methamphetamines, and crack-cocaine, was often intimate with both men and women, was prostituting himself for drug money, and was abusive verbally, mentally, emotionally, and physically. My journey through separation and divorce was what led me to Moody, as it is the times of affliction that cause us to produce our best fruit.
Since this experience, I have worked with: domestic violence, all kinds of abuse and addictions, sexuality, identity confusion, gang violence, homelessness, poverty, divorce, marriage/couples, mens prison ministry, children in abusive/traumatic situations and/or with behavioral issues, depression/anxiety, and all kinds of trauma. In 2020, at the height of Covid, I started a women’s ministry at my church (New Life Community Church Midway in Chicago, IL) called Soul Care, where I taught weekly to offer a new perspective on hope, healing, and freedom found in Christ. I taught women how to cultivate a deeper relationship with Christ, to employ spiritual discipline, and to live out faith practically.
I am a Pastoral Counselor, coach, teacher, speaker, and writer. I also work at Moody Radio as a Data Specialist. My journey into politics was not a straight one, but I feel it is an excellent fit. I love working with people, helping them move forward and up, and my country. I am excited to use my 14 years in college (5 years in undergraduate work/9 years of graduate school) to serve you and the people of my state.
