Daryl and Jen Klenda, along with their three children, Isaac, Ethan and Alyssa, pour out their hearts volunteering for their parish, St. Luke Church in Beavercreek.

The family moved to the area in 2018 after Daryl, now a defense contractor, retired as an Air Force Colonel.

“Being in the Air Force for 20 years, you get to go to a lot of great places,” Daryl said. But a downside is that “you’re only there for three or four years, so you never really get involved in the community. We moved here and this is the first time we feel like we are part of a community.”

The couple volunteered where they could during their active years in the Air Force but their volunteer ministry fell into place when they arrived at St. Luke.

“When Daryl was deployed, he went to the church out there and volunteered in the choir,” said Jen. “While I was at home with the kids, I volunteered as a catechist for their school.”

“At St. Luke we decided to jump in deep, and luckily we had great people around us,” said Daryl. “It was really easy to get involved in that community.”

They had a great encounter when they chaperoned for the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC).

“We came back and started thinking about wanting to do something more in the Church,” said Jen.

Soon after, Jen learned of the open secretary position at St. Luke School. “All of a sudden, I was feeling like, ‘This is my spot. I’m  supposed to be here and interact with these people and do whatever God is calling me to do in this space,’” said Jen. “I felt very strongly pulled there.’”

She continued, “I enjoy being able to help somebody, so being part of the school where there are over 300 ‘somebodies,’ it gives me a lot of opportunities to reach out and help where people need it.”
Jen also enjoyed the opportunity to assist with a 14- week RCIA ministry about the Holy Spirit.

“That was really fun, as I got to know those people [during] their journey to becoming Catholic,” she said.

The couple has given their time and efforts to numerous retreats and programs at St. Luke, including speaking at the pre-marriage preparation, Genesis, and leading the parish’s first Advent Retreat for married couples.

“The things we get to do together really strengthen our marriage,” said Daryl.

They participate in the parish program Acts 2:42 as well. “Acts 2:42 is an effort…to have families come together in fellowship once a month at someone’s house,” said Daryl. “We go over a Lectio Divina and host other families.”

Daryl sings in the church choir with their daughter, Alyssa. Alyssa was the first volunteer to help run a barista stand initiated by another St. Luke family. “As you volunteer, you get more opportunities,” said Daryl. “We were at Mass one day and someone said, ‘We’re going to shut down coffee and donuts because no one is there to do it.’ We were like, ‘Why don’t we just do it? Why don’t we take charge of it?’”

“It is awesome to walk in a church and know a lot of people there, which we’ve never really experienced,” said Daryl. “Having the church to rally around and to make that the center of our lives has really strengthened our family. It’s such a huge grace. The fulfillment of being able to serve others is just a tremendous gift. Whatever we’ve given, we’ve received so much more in return.”

This article appeared in the March 2025 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.