Lord of Life
lutheran church
Quarterly Magazine November 2020
Life in Action
Faith stories about connecting, celebrating and serving in God’s love.
My Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Faith, As we say farewell to each other, these words from an old liturgical prayer express my hopes for all of us as we continue to live out our Christian lives, wherever our journey takes us. For Emily and I, it’s off to traveling adventures, exploring the national parks and forests with our Casita travel trailer and eventually our Tesla Cybertruck! We also plan a marvelous trip to King’s College in Cambridge, England for the Christmas Eve “Service of Lessons and Carols”, fulfilling one of my great bucket list items! We were overwhelmed by your incredible gen- erosity in providing for this family trip. Thank you all! Our hearts overflow with love and gratitude for all the blessings these 10 years have brought to us and to Lord of Life. Oh my - the life stories we have shared, the mission ventures we have risked, the joys and sorrows we have faced as we have gone about “Welcoming all to connect, celebrate and serve in God’s love!” The road ahead for Lord of Life holds untold possibilities to do more of the same. As we retire from this marvelous con- gregation, Emily and I will remain here in The Woodlands, our new home- town. We have no interest in moving back north and owning snow blowers and shovels again. We will see many of you around town. But we will not be returning to Lord of Life except for an occasional concert, funeral, or perhaps preaching at your 100th Anniversary. Your new pastoral team needs to be present for you in your baptisms, wed- dings, funerals, and sharing with you all the joys and sorrows of your life to- gether as a congregation. It is impor- tant that Lord of Life move into its future without me sticking my nose into things. With your next phase of ministry, with your next senior pastor, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit, you are going to be just fine. I want to thank the staff members who have worked so diligently with me over these years, those who continue with you, and those who have moved on to other ventures. And also a great deal of gratitude for the tremendous lay leaders who have had the courage and good-heartedness to step out in faith together. As we part ways, our hearts overflow with love for you all! So then, till we meet at Jesus’ feet, Grace and Peace,
Administration Office Hours 8:30 a.m - 4:30 p.m. (M-F) Tele: 281-367-7016 Email: LOL@LordoflLifeOnline.org
Photo byClay BanksonUnsplash
You can reach staff by phone 281-367-7016 and dialing the extensions listed below. Office hours vary by position. Rev. Gary Heath, Senior Pastor, ext. 103 pastorgary@lordoflifeonline.org Pastor David Bauser, Associate Pastor , ext. 104 pastordavid@LordofLifeOnline.org LORD OF LIFE PROGRAM STAFF Dan Fenn, Director of Worship and the Arts, ext. 106 DFenn@lordoflifeonline.org Tammy Fincher, Coordinator of Worship Support, ext. 105 tfincher@lordoflifeonline.org Sarah Schlacks, Director - Bells of Life Handbell Choir Jenny McKenna, Director of Outreach, ext. 108 jmckenna@lordoflifeonline.org Patrick Nazaroff, Director of Teen Life Ministry, ext. 117 pnazaroff@lordoflifeonline.org Sarah Lutz, Interim Director of Children's Faith Formation, ext. 113 childrensfaith@lordoflifeonline.org ADMINISTRATION: Brian Dawson, Financial Manager, ext. 101 finance@lordoflifeonline.org Rick Janacek: Office Manager, ext. 100, rjanacek@lordoflifeonline.org Peggy Sloan, Director of Connecting Ministries , ext. 120 psloan@lordoflifeonline.org Marna Arlien, Communications Coordinator, marlien@lordoflifeonline.org Nicki Forester, Nursery Coordinator nursery@lordoflifeonline.org Michelle McGuire, Kids of the Kingdom Preschool Director, ext. 119 KOKmcg@yahoo.com Carlos Robles, Custodian Jeremy Kelsey, Coordinator of Instrumental Music Jarek Kreitz, Sound Technician
fare well
Sunday Worship Schedule Informal Liturgical Worship 8 a.m. Contemporary Worship 9:45 a.m. Traditional Liturgical Worship 11:20 a.m. Sunday School for all ages 10 a.m (Sept. - May)
Contact Us:
Senior Pastor
This is Christ's church. There is a place for you here. We are the church that shares a living, daring confidence in God's grace. Liberated by our faith, we embrace you as a whole person-questions, complexities and all. Join us as we do God's work in Christ's name for the life of the world. Evangelical Lutheran Church of America ELCA.org
Lord of life lutheran church 3801 s. pANTHER cREEK dR., tHE wOODLANDS, tx 77381 LOLonline.org
“Let us all be of courage; hold fast to that which is good; Render to no one evil for evil; Strengthen the faint hearted, support the weak, help the afflicted, love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Pastor Gary
1995 –Membership increased from 520 to 1300 in 10 years. The Woodlands population grew by 90%. Pastor George Bement is Associate Pastor until 1998. 1998 –3rdSunday morning worship service started. Pig Roast very popular and raises substantial money for Pastor’s Discretionary Fund. 2002 – Expansion completed to add educational space and Fellowship Hall 2004 –Pastor Kevin Meyer resigned as associate Pastor and Pastor Kindsvatter retires. Pastor Kick Monson accepted interim Senior Pastor position. 2005 –Pastor Beth Marie Halvorsen is Senior Pastor with Pastor Steve Quill as Associate Pastor. 2008 –Economic crisis affects LOL budget as all aspects of the economy tank. 2009 –Pastor Halvorsen resigned as Senior Pastor. Pastor Cliff Akerman becomes Interim and Pastor Nancy Simpson hired as Associate Pastor. 2010 - Pastor Gary Heath starts as Senior Pastor. 2011 –Strengthened partnership with church in Peru. 2012 –Pastor Jennifer Fuhr installed as Associate Pastor. 2013 –Gebert Mission Fund Golf Tournament begins 2014 –Balcony for sound and video controls is finished along with unexpected Fire Sprinkler system. 2015 –Park & Ride Ministry begins and Pastor Jennifer Fuhr accepts a call in Pennsylvania. 2016 –Pastor John Hirling takes position as Interim Associate Pastor. 2017 –Pastor David Bauser accepts position as Associate Pastor. Hurricane Harvey inflicts major flooding damage on our area with LOL providing relief work for our members and neighbors. The world celebrates the 500th year of the Lutheran Reformation. 2018 –Welcome Center is completed with new space for visitors, along with technology upgrades for video and security cameras, and landscaping. 2019 –Completed Kitchen remodel. Paid off building mortgage first time in 50 years. 2020 –Covid-19 SARS-Coronavirus changes normal life with lockdowns in March that closed the church for worship and all other gatherings. Senior Pastor Gary Heath announces his retirement. Worship resumes in September with new A/V systems to live-stream services to those not able to attend.
New education wing & 2nd story
This is Us
THIS FAR BY FAITH CELEBRATING 5 0
1968 --The beginning. No LCA (Lutheran Church of America) church between Loop 610 and Dallas going north. Mission Board buys land for new mission north of 1960. 1969 --First service Sep 6, 1969 in Tamina Hall on Hanna Rd, and other rented space in the area. 1970 - Charter signed May 3, 1970.Pastor Kurt Johnson called in 1969 to start a new mission, primarily focused around Oak Ridge North. 1971 – Church built were Bowlero bowling alley now sits. 1972 - Pastor Johnson resigns in 1972 and Pastor John Eckhardt becomes the interim. 1973 - Pastor George Falk becomes Pastor. Sunday School and Vacation Bible School starts. 1974 –The Woodlands is created with LOL at its front door. Octoberfest started in backyard of Fred and Ursula Wagner. 1977 – Planned overpass to take church property.Decision to move to location next to Lamar Elementary, but later changed to undeveloped new Panther Creek, where no homes yet existed. 1979 – Groundbreaking Jan 14, 1979 at 3801 S. Panther Creek. Bobby Blair, chairperson for building committee. 1983 – Pastor Falk resigns taking a call in California. Pastor Lowell Anderson accepts interim position. 1984 –Co-Pastors Carl and Mary Hansen arrive to serve as new ministers to LOL. 1986 –Ed Ross, Stewardship chair organized Miracle Sunday to put church finances back on track 1988 –Voted to join newly formed ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America). Community outreach programs expanded. 1989 –Pastors Carl and Mary Hansen resign, taking a call in Iowa. Congregation now at 500 baptized members. Pastor Don Gebert accepts interim pastor position. 1990 –Pastor Charles Kindsvatter arrives as new Sr. Pastor from Holy Cross in Austin. 1992 –Membership increases. Building program passed to expand and renovate the facility. 1993 –Gebert Mission Fund established. 1994 –Palm Sunday we processed out of “old sanctuary” (our current fellowship hall) into new (current) sanctuary.
Making way for new sanctuary
LORD OF LIFE LUTHERAN CHURCH 1970 - 2020
Building the altar
Original Sanctuary. Innovative "worship in the round". Current fellowship hall
YEARS
Visiting El Salvador Lutheran World Relief
This is where Chocolate comes from!
with
The countryside is beautiful from the air. It is covered in lush, deep green tropical trees and bright flowers with red tile rooftops peaking out from amidst the foliage. We see the curve of the coastline, with the waves of a bright blue sea lapping against sugar colored sand. It looks like the perfect place for a carefree holiday. But instead, when we land at the airport, we are whisked away in cars with armed drivers. This was our welcome to El Salvador and to an amazing journey with Lutheran World Relief (LWR). In June 2019 my husband Ed and I made this remarkable trip with fellow Lord of Life member Ginny Petersen and three other LWR donors. We were there to observe LWR projects and the Salvadorans implementing them. I had no idea what to expect, although overwhelmed was my first emotion. Evidence of poverty was everywhere – in the ramshackle houses, the groups of obviously unemployed young men just hanging out in front of homes and stores, the cows roaming along the highways – but I was most struck by how much effort it takes for Salvadorans not to be victims of crime. Every house’s doors and windows – not just in the city but in tiny villages – was covered with thick iron bars. People fortunate enough to have a walled garden had placed coils of barbed wire or shards of broken glass along the tops of the walls. Even the gas stations had armed guards. In fact, crime was the reason our group traveled to El Salvador in June rather than the previous October, as originally scheduled. Days before we were to depart, a Salva- doran man angry about a local LWR employee firing his wife, threatened that employee’s life. Initially we thought the situation, as frightening as it was, wouldn’t impact our visit. However, the situation escalated when the man threatened all LWR employees in the country. As a group we decided it was best to postpone the trip, less because of concerns for our safety, but because we believed the LWR staff needed to devote their time and energy to diffusing the situation. If all we had done was travel along Salvadoran highways, I would have felt nothing but hopelessness when it came to the country.But fortunat- ely, we were able to meet and get to know real Salvadorans and the people from LWR, most of them Salva- dorans themselves, who are helping them to rise out of poverty. The first day we met Eduardo, who initially connected with LWR through the organization’s sustain- able development program for cacao growers. This program helps growers have healthier, more productive crops, and to grow the most desirable cacao resulting in the highest prices. Eduardo went from growing top quality cacao to becoming a renown chocolatier and businessman, opening a gourmet chocolate shop in San Salvador. He even entered his chocolates at the prestigious Salon de Chocolat in Paris and won one of the top prizes. But who impressed me as much as Eduardo was his 20 something daughter. Confident, fluent in English and with a university degree, she left a job as a designer to work for her father’s chocolate business. She is responsible for his marketing, media and packaging. Because of her father’s success as a farmer and businessman, she has an amazing future. In a way, she is second generation LWR; she is benefitting not because she is working with LWR directly, but because her parents once did. One of my best memories is meeting a young couple that grow cacao. Their land had been farmed for years by the husband’s family, and he explained how he had convinced his father to stop using the land for grazing cattle and instead to grow cacao. What impressed me the most about this couple, even more so than their amazing knowledge of farming and willingness to work hard, was the optimism they had in their future. The farm is where they plan to live and raise a family. It will be their future, and hopefully the future of many workers, long after they have stopped receiving any kind of assistance from LWR. Like Eduardo’s daughter, they are the future of El Salvador. And it is likely that their children will also one day be “second generation LWR”. A recent LWR project is helping El Salvador develop an emergency response system. Although the nation is sub- ject to numerous natural disasters, it has not had a method of providing crucial warnings and safety information to its citizens. In a rural community center, we attended an emergency response-planning meeting. Most of the committee members were in their 20s and 30s, the very age that so many Salvadorans lose hope and think of immigrating to another country. It was wonderful to hear the plans these young people have to help make their community safer and to witness their enthusiasm and pride in making such an important program a reality. And then there were the Salvadoran LWR staff. One of the reasons Ed and I support LWR is because the organization hires people who actually live in the country being served. The staff we met and saw in action are certainly knowledgeable when it comes to farming, but they understand these farmers in ways that no one else truly can. These are their countrymen, their neighbors, people who may worship at the same churches and whose children may attend the same schools. The strength of LWR’s staff – those from El Salvador and the United States – became even more evident the day we met with the Assistant United States Ambassador to El Salvador and the Head of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for the region. These leaders are well aware of what LWR is doing in El Salvador and have a high regard for the effectiveness of its initiatives. We discussed the number of Salvadorans trying to immigrate to the United States, and the Assistant Ambassador had an interesting observation to make about that situation. He said that no matter where one stands on the issue of immigration from El Salvador and other Central American countries, everyone agrees that Central Americans want to stay in their own countries. This is where their families have lived for gen- erations, where they know the language, the culture and the amazing beauty of their land. Through providing economic opportunity, the people and programs of LWR are helping Central Americans stay where they want to be. Being in El Salvador and seeing first hand the poverty, crime and lack of an effective government structure, was certainly difficult to witness. And even the efforts of Lutheran World Relief will not result in quick and tidy solutions. But because of LWR, fewer Salvadorans are experiencing poverty, more farms are thriving, more people are work- ing, and a national emergency system is being created. Most importantly, because of LWR and all the people and congregations who support it - including Lord of Life - there is hope. A famous Salvadoran, Archbishop Oscar Romero, once wrote:We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and to do the rest. About the Author: Anne Spaulding has been a member of Lord of Life for nearly 16 years. It was through her participation with Lord of Life ministries and the Global Missions Team that Anne first became involved with Lutheran World Relief. She and her husband Ed are currently members of LWR’s President’s Advisory Council and live in Montgomery, TX.
by Anne Spaulding
Sources: mayoclinic.org & griefrecoverymethod.com
Brenda Stockham, RN & Parish Nurse Trainee, is a registered nurse that has worked in home health care with all ages for over 15 years. She has been active in her home congregations, including leadership roles with Vacation Bible School and Education, as well as working with youth on a weekly basis. She has been married for over 40 years and have 2 grown sons. The youngest was married on June 20 at Lord of Life.
How we celebrate the holidays will look differently this year. Some will be affected by the limited traveling of loved ones. Others will be coping with the loss of a job and income while others still will be preparing for the holidays while working from home. All of these changes create feelings of grief and loss--loss of family, loss of financial stability, loss of social inter- action, and loss of predictability of our lives. Some people will feel a duty to make this holiday season the best cele- bration ever, adding additional stress and anxiety to their already stressful lives. Handling the stress of any or all of these changes and self-imposed expectations requires adapting and utilizing creative solutions to celebrate the holidays during the pandemic. It also requires us to be honest with our- selves and others. Here are some ideas to help survive 2020’s celebration from the Mayo Clinic. ●Acknowledge your feelings. Everyone is experiencing some loss this year and it is perfectly acceptable to not feel as festive. These are your feelings and do not need to be justified. ●Honor traditions. Celebrate old traditions and create some new ones. Be open to new ideas. ●Be Honest. It is important to truthful with family and friends when planning for the holi- day preparations and celebrations. Ask for help, prioritize which celebrations are most important and let go of acti- vities that create more stress than joy. Identify any activities you do not want to participate in this season. ●Encourage Participation. Discover ways each family member can be a part of the festivities and in- cluding those who are alone due to dis- tance or need to self isolate. Remem- ber each family member is dealing with a loss this year and respect their level of participation. ●Take time to enjoy the season. Set aside differences and accept each person’s limitations. It is so easy to want to be the Hallmark movie and many times the script we have written in our minds does not match reality. Embrace the person not the event. ●Stick to a budget. Sit down and plan prior to shopping for foods and gifts and address how much money you have to spend this year. Remember Jesus only received three gifts. ●Plan ahead. Set aside specific days and times for shopping, baking, wrapping, and visit- ing friends. Make lists before you head out and consider increasing online shopping. Include all family members in the planning and execution of the holiday celebrations and don’t forget to include clean-up as part of the planning (nobody wants to be left alone in a kitchen with a big stack of dirty dishes). ●Care for yourself. Learn to say no. It is not necessary to participate in every activity. Maintain health habits like sleeping, exercising, and healthy eating. Set at least 15 min- utes a day to care for you. The holiday this year will definitely look different for everyone. However, with a little planning and some positive thinking you can find peace and joy during these unusual times.
By Brenda Stockham, RN & Parish Nurse Trainee
What is a Parish Nurse? “We seek to be the light of Christ as we integrate faith and health in the ministry of parish nursing.” Parish Nurse is an Integrator of Faith and Health, reminding people to care for the body, mind, and spirit. The parish nurse fills many roles within a faith community. These roles may include: Health Educator, providing programs in all formats from one-on-one to group sem- inars, encouraging the understanding of the connection between faith and well- being and the needs of the community at large. Educational programs may include all aspects of physical, mental, and spiri- tual health. Coordinator of care, enlisting, training, and assisting volunteers within the faith community to support members with their health and wellness needs. Resource person, assisting members in identifying and securing appropriate and available resources that address health and spiritual needs across the healthcare continuum. Health advocate and counselor, aiding members in the understanding of health concerns and helping members access appropriate health care within the community. In this role, the parish nurse may assist members with life transforming issues. Member of the pastoral team, collaborating with the spiritual leaders to provide faith education and worship offerings, comfort and support to members in need, and visitation to members in their homes or in various health care settings. Source: ELPNA.ORG
STRESS, COVID, & the
Holidays
Between Lines
“God loves you and I do too.” Since I arrived at Lord of Life in February 2017 this is how I have concluded each of my sermons and many of my letters to this community. They are simple words but for me they hold a deep meaning. It was brought to my attention recently that many of you, though you are familiar with me using this phrase to close my sermons, may not know where this comes from or why I choose to say it. This seems as good a place as any for us to explore this together. When I served my seminary internship at Abiding Hope Church in Littleton, CO my supervisor ended everyone of his sermons with this same phrase. As I listened and took notes on his sermons (part of the seminary experience) I often felt that it was a trite catch phrase. His own little way of wrapping up his message. Week after week the people of that congregation heard it. Sermons. Letters. E-mails. But it wasn’t a congregation -wide move. There were other pastors on staff, others who were preaching regularly (including myself) and none of us used this phrase but week after week he did. Every. Single. Time. He explained it to me once. He told me that his supervisor had done this before him. He told me that the phrase was a modification of language used in Via de Christo and other similar programs. He told me that when he took his first call he tried it once, liked the way it felt, and had used it every week since. I was unconvinced. I understood that it was genuine and meaningful to him, but I doubted its efficacy as a medium for concluding a message, for allowing the congregation to meditate on the Gospel being proclaimed. I went back to seminary without ever giving it a second thought. A year later I was in my home congregation in Kettering, OH and my internship supervisor flew in to preach at my ordination. He gave a beautiful sermon that resonates with me even now and ended by saying, to a room full of mostly strangers, “God loves each of you and I do too.” I found it odd – and beautiful. That was the fall of 2014. Fast forward to winter, 2017. I’m leaving my first call. It has been an interesting ride at Ebenezer Lutheran Church in Columbia, SC. I loved my time there and the people I worked with, but it was time for a new adventure. On my last Sunday I found myself wondering, “How can I let these people know how much they mean to me in one 12-minute sermon?” I wrote and re-wrote that sermon for days. Hours that I should have been packing were spent agonizing over this farewell sermon. The final Sunday came. I delivered my prepared message. And as I approached the end of my sermon, I found a voice in my head simply saying, “tell them the truth.” Moments later, “God loves each of you, and I do too” were the words that came out of my mouth. The final words I spoke as Pastor at Ebenezer. In the weeks that followed I realized that those words would always be true no matter who I was preaching to and no matter how long I had been with them. The truth behind these words is what allowed my supervisor to speak them every week to his congregation. And it is the same truth that allowed him to speak them to a congregation of strangers. Now, it is the truth that motivates me. As fellow travelers on the journey of faith, you and I will have many difficult discussions. There will be times we disagree. There will be times when the Gospel calls me to say things you do not want to hear. There will be times when the sermon I give will fall completely flat and you’ll wonder if I did any preparation at all. My prayer, then, is that when I say these words at the end of my sermons (or e-mails, or magazines, or anywhere else) that you remember this truth: it is all said out of love, from God and from myself. Because no matter what is said and no matter what is heard – pain or comfort, sorrow or joy, challenge or grace – these words will always be true. God loves you and I do too. Pastor David Bauser is a graduate of Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus OH. He is the Associate Pastor at Lord of Life and can be reached at pastordavid@ LordofLifeOnline.org. Hear more from Pastor David at BeyondSundayPodcast.com
By Pastor David Bauser
the
Pastor David
ALL FOR THE LORD, ALL IN, ALL THE TIME
One of the first observations one makes when you meet Pastor Gary Heath and his wife, Emily, is their “sold out,” 100% commitment to the Lord and His work. One of his congregation members at Lord of Life in The Woodlands, TX put it this way, “Gary is the ultimate cheerleader for the congregation. He keeps us going, keeps us motivated, encourages us to go longer, deeper and further into the heart of God. Emily is such a constant in our peace, joy and contentment here at Lord of Life.” They seem to have found their stride in alignment with each other’s faith for a leadership team that feels just right! Gary received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, attended Wartburg Seminary and received his Master of Divinity from Luther-Northwestern in St. Paul, MN. As well as being an ordained pastor in the ELCA, he is also a Marriage and Family Therapist, specializing in systemic and solution-focused healing methodologies. Emily was trained as a microbiologist at the University of Kansas but graduated with a degree in Business Management from Cardinal Stritch University. She is a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist. After seminary Gary served two years at Trinity in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin and ten years at Immanuel on the southside of Milwaukee. Along the way, they were blessed with two daughters, Rachel and Sara. As a couple, they established a non-profit ministry called Christos Ministries/Kairos Counseling, providing counseling, coaching and consulting services to clergy, their families and congregations. The intent of Christos Ministries was to promote healthy relationships in the church. Gary was the President with the vision, consulting and training skills and Emily was the Vice President of Operations, providing leadership in finance, marketing, adminis- tration and support services. Eventually the organization grew to 25 therapists and consultants with a $750,000 a year budget and served thousands of individuals and hundreds of congregations over a 20-year period. Gary also served as Interim Senior Pastor for two congregations in the Greater Milwaukee Synod, Christ the King in Delafield and Christ the Servant in Waukesha, before being called to the position of Senior Pastor at Lord of Life in The Woodlands in 2010. Legacy giving was not a new concept for Gary and Emily. They had previous plans included in their Last Will and Testament. However, in working with the Synod gift planner, they chose a more flexible, tax-advantaged plan that will grow with them over the years ahead. The plan will benefit ministry and other non-profit charities of their choice at the end of their lives. Quick to recognize an advantage to a personal endowment that would make a difference to ministry into perpetuity, they had no hesitation in completing their plan. Particularly attractive to them was the idea that these gifts would never stop giving. We are never as close to Jesus as when we are generous. Thank you, Pastor Gary and Emily, for your faithful step in legacy giving. It is a comprehensive approach to your lives of service to others! If you would like to speak to Dr. Liz Johnson, our gift planner for the synod, about your options at no cost or obligation, you can contact her at 713.775.1595 or lcjohnson@lfsw.org.
Pastor Gary and Emily Heath Story
We seek and welcome all to connect, celebrate, and serve in God’s love. Our Vision: That all have life through the love of Christ Core Values: WELCOMING ALL At Lord of Life, “all” means “all”. Regardless of age, race, origin, or sexual orientation: You are welcome here. All people are created in the image of God and have received talents, interests, and strengths to glorify God. FINDING CONNECTION In Christ, we are one body. We strive to foster meaningful relationships both with God, and with a diverse body of believers. EXPERIENCING GRACE In the tradition of Martin Luther, we recognize that we can only be saved by the gift of God that we do not deserve but that is lovingly given to us. Our community understands that receiving God’s grace frees us to live out of love for God's world. SERVING GOD'S WORLD We are called by the Holy Spirit to use the gifts, talents, and resources in our own lives and in our community of faith to serve the world in which we live. We seek to do this work locally and globally by building partnerships and cultivating relationships with those we serve. CELEBRATING LIFE A life in Christ is a life of abundance, joy, and forgiveness. We celebrate this life as Christ celebrated when he walked among us. The spirit of celebration is evident in our worship, in our fellowship, and in our serving.
3801 S. Panther Creek Dr. in The Woodlands
LOLonline.org
Get to know the people at Lord of Life who help you shape the mission and vision of our congregation
Hands of Faith Fair Trade Ministry
Favorite Bible quote: Psalms 37: 3-4 Member at Lord of LIfe since: 2018 Background: Administrative role in large and small companies coordinating events, as well as recruiting activities at the university level. I look forward to: Seeing members grow in their faith. I am a collaborator and build relationships with all those I encounter. These skills allow me to be able to connect with people and provide strong administrative support to the role. About Me: I was born in San Antonio Texas and I lived several different places early in life. My family moved to Houston when I was 10. I lived in Oak Forest until 1980. Monterey House was my favorite place to eat in Oak Forest and Mexican food is still my go-to food. The next 30 or so years I lived in the country where my kids grew up and attended Navasota schools. I moved to The Wood- lands in late 2014 and specifically to this neighborhood because, as I was looking for a house, I saw there was a Lutheran church close by and I knew God had chosen this neighborhood for me to live in. Favorite Books: I am a book nerd and you may find me on any given day reading the latest books from the likes of Liane Moriarty, Mitch Album, John Grisham, and Nicholas Sparks. Introvert or Extrovert? Introvert. Favorite Holiday: Christmas! I love the scents, decorations, food and family time. I always think my house looks a little dull when the season is over. Peggy's role at Lord of Life is to develop & maintain systems to welcome new people and help members feel connected to each other and God. You can reach her at PSloan@LordofLifeOnline.org.
hands-of-faith-fair-trade.myshopify.com
Meet our staff
Peggy Sloan
Director of Connecting Ministries
Our Mission at Lord of Life:
Lord of Life Lutheran Church 3801 S. Panther Creek Drive The Woodlands, TX 77380 LOLonline.org