About

Jeffrey A. Rasche Biographical Statement

Jeffrey A. Rasche is a prolific author and minister with a wide range of additional interests, including teaching pottery and stained glass classes, koi ponds, building renovation, and photography. He and his wife Shelly live in rural Camp Point, Illinois, and have operated “Windsong Acres,” a popular venue in Western Illinois for weddings and other special events, for more than a decade.

Jeff served as a United Methodist Methodist minister for 23 years, including six years at Pleasant Hill/Rockport UMC, then another six years at San Jose UMC, and finally 11 years as pastor of Camp Point and Centennial Ebenezer UMC. He then served in a ministry position for 12 years at Chaddock in Quincy, Illinois, a United Methodist agency that helps abused and neglected children find healing and new beginnings. In that role, Jeff worked with churches and civic groups and concerned individuals to connect them with Chaddock’s work, including preaching at hundreds of churches across Illinois.

After graduating from Decatur MacArthur High School, Jeff attended Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington. He graduated with a degree in Religion-Philosophy, then earned a Master of Divinity from Perkins School of Theology, SMU, in Dallas, Texas. Mid-career, he had also nearly completed the work for a Masters Degree in Counseling from Quincy University when he began working in Development for Chaddock.

Jeff has written a series of seventeen devotional books for Abingdon Press (Nashville, TN), and hundreds of articles or curriculum materials for religious and secular publications. These have included weekly columns, photo features, opinion pieces, and human interest stories for newspapers. He has served as a consultant and written Vacation Bible School materials as well as many other age-level curriculum materials for the United Methodist Publishing House. In addition, he wrote an online book/course on koi photography for Koi Organisation International, and magazine articles published in The Writer, Mature Years, Teacher in the Church Today, Devo’zine, Freshwater and Marine Aquarium, Brides Magazine, and more.

Ever since Jeff was five years old, he has been fascinated with aquariums, both fresh and salt water. Over the years that interest grew to include outdoor ponds, and koi keeping. As of this writing, he has built four ponds at “Windsong Acres,” and when his wife asks if that is the last one, he always says yes, but notes that there is still some dry land left on their property. At one time he was the only person in Illinois to have received the “Certified Koi Keeper” designation by Koi Organisation International, and he continues to offer classes through John Wood Community College and do private consulting for people who want to build or improve their backyard pond.

Shelly is a freelance commercial artist who brought a passion for art to their marriage. Her work is represented by Art Licensing International, based in Vermont, and over the past 30 years her designs have been featured on an extensive range of gift items and commercial products, including greetings cards, prints, mugs, figurines, paper towels, plush animals, fabric, counted cross stitch designs, puzzles, kitchenware, Christmas ornaments, lamps, baby bedding, clothing, and much more. Jeff and Shelly create and sell their own pottery called “Windsong Acres Pottery,” and Jeff teaches classes in both pottery and stained glass.

Born August 5, 1959 in Decatur, Illinois to John and Judy Rasche, Jeff has two younger siblings who still live in Decatur with their families–Kay (and Oziel) Villarreal and David (and Lisa) Rasche. Jeff and Shelly married in August of 1981, and they have three grown children, Ben (and Keeli) Rasche, Zachary (and Kristen) Rasche, and Nicholas (and Michelle) Rasche, as well as three wonderful grandchildren.