Joshua Group

The mission of the Joshua Group is to guide and advance Gloria Dei’s conceptual plan for the development of the North Campus property as voted upon by the congregation at the 2006 annual church meeting.

The main components of the plan include: a life center that will serve as a hub for church, school, senior housing, and community activities, a senior housing development that will provide care and housing in a continuing care retirement community, and a retreat/conference center open to families, organizations, and businesses for events and meetings.

The Joshua Group consists of four members: Pastor L. Douglas Stowe, Larry Tonneson, Chip Lomax, and Keith Leckrone. Additional boards and advisory groups generated from Gloria Dei and the local community will be utilized to further advance and manage the development.

The goal of the Joshua Group is to create a range of programs that will support the mission and outreach of Gloria Dei into the wider community and a facility infrastructure that will enhance that mission.

Reverend E.T. Freeborn

Larry Tonneson

Keith Leckrone

Chip Lomax

The Rev. Edmund T. Freeborn is a minister of the Presbyterian Church, USA and is Executive Associate Pastor of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Hampton, Virginia. An ordained Pastor for 30 years, Pastor Freeborn received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, and his Master of Divinity degree from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. He completed course work in the Doctor of Ministry program at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, without project dissertation. Pastor Freeborn has also attended continuing education events in practical theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Columbia Theological Seminary, the Alban Institute, Woodstock Institute of Negotiation and Yale University.

He is a Diplomat of the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy with a specialty in Pastoral Psychotherapy and Clinical Supervision and has been a member of the College's Chesapeake Chapter since 1998. Pastor Freeborn is also a supervisor of Clinical Pastoral Education at Sentara Careplex Hospital, Hampton, Virginia and serves as Chaplain to Hampton’s Fire and Rescue, and Police departments.

Larry is married to Virginia (Ginny) Tonneson, a math teacher at Tabb Middle School. They have two children; Matthew a 1st Lieutenant stationed at Travis AFB, CA and Jennifer, conducting medical research at Dartmouth College. Larry and Ginny have had a long relationship with Gloria Dei joining the church in 1984. After several military assignments they returned to Gloria Dei a second time in 1995. Larry’s job as a defense contractor returned them again to Gloria Dei in January 2004. Larry served his first year on the Gloria Dei Church Council in 2005.

After graduating from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, Keith became a real estate developer of low and middle income housing on the south side of Chicago. For 25 years he acquired and developed, without displacement, distressed multi-family properties in low and middle income neighborhoods. He, along with his partner, completed the substantial renovation of over 500 units in 15 buildings in the Hyde Park, Kenwood, Oakland, Washington Park, Grand Boulevard, and East Garfield Park neighborhoods of the city.

Keith received his MBA degree from the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago in 1994. He moved with his family to Hampton in 1995 and for the following 10 years he continued developing residential housing in Chicago while commuting between Hampton and Chicago. He joined Gloria Dei in 1995 along with his wife, Mary Jane, a Hampton City school social worker and sons: Kyle, now a senior at Marist College, and Brice, a freshman at Southern Illinois University. During their time in Hampton the Leckrone family has enjoyed the fellowship and worship life at Gloria Dei and the opportunities to grow and serve in the life of the church.

The 2005 closing of the real estate development portfolio in Chicago has enabled Keith to join the Joshua Group in guiding the development of Gloria Dei’s North Campus.

Chip, a Hampton native, has been involved with athletics and community activities for over 20 years. He graduated from Christopher Newport in 1988, and for 2 years was their Director of Intramurals and Recreation Sports. Chip spent several years in the tennis industry in such positions as Head Tennis Professional at Cedar Point Country Club in Suffolk, VA, Manager of Contracts for MatchPoint Inc., a tennis services provider and Asst. Tennis Coach at CNU. More recently Chip has coached youth soccer for The Phillips Athletic Assoc. and directed their Advanced Program. He is currently on the board of the Riverdale Regional Civic Assoc. and is finishing his third term as president of the Riverdale Recreation Assoc. where his work focuses on summertime pool operations and managing over 10 acres of recreation space. At Gloria Dei, Chip helps coordinate the annual Fish Fry and Hanging of the Greens events as well as being a member of the Men’s Breakfast Bible Group. He has been working for FedEx for over 17 years in both operations and sales where he is currently a Senior Account Executive. Chip has been married to Dawn, a Cost Account Manager for government contractor S.A.I.C. and Gloria Dei Treasurer, for over 17 years. They have a daughter, Rachel, a freshman in high school and a son, Bo, fifth grader at Gloria Dei Lutheran School. Though most family time is centered on Rachel and Bo’s youth activities, Chip and Dawn very much enjoy their involvement with programs and people at Gloria Dei