 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||
 |
 |
|||||||||||
 |
 |
|||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||||||
|
 |
Music Director/Organist: Craig Harmann "Praise God for all of His goodness! I
enjoy having the opportunity to put my passions together of music
and serving others to glorify God here at King of Kings."
Craig received his Bachelor's Degree in Education from Concordia
University, Seward, Nebraska in 2001. He is married to Heather
and they have a dog, Gershwin and a cat, Monday. Director of Youth and Family Ministry: Heather Harmann Married to Craig, Heather enjoys serving the
LORD and His people at King of Kings. She is a certified
Director of Christian Education and loves working with Junior and
Senior High youth.
"Shout to the Lord for He is good! The Lord has blessed my life and I hope to bless others with the gifts God has given me." Kim has been a member here at the church for 10 years. She has an accounting background and hopes to expand her creativity and love of people to help the church grow. She uses her musical talents in the church services by playing the flute and assisting in Children's Choir and Chimes. She has 2 children, Cody and Emily. Her hobbies include music, sewing, and playing with her kids.
"Faith, Hope, and Love; I feel so incredibly blessed to have been able to find such an abundance of all three in our congregation. I have been given a wonderful opportunity to share my faith and show God's love through my work at King of Kings." Desi joined our staff in the office after many years of working with young children, a couple of those years were here at our ECDC. Her creativity and passion for serving is shown through her work. She serves in many of the different ministries and enjoys each of them for the unique opportunities they provide to serve others and share the love of God. Desi is married and has two beautiful, energetic children that keep the family very busy.
Director of the ECDC: Maggie Doria "Jesus has much to say about His love for children. It's my privilege to work in ministry sharing God's love with so many families." Maggie has served for the last several years with a vibrant heart and passion unto God and the many children and families of our community. She is making positive changes regarding facilities, curriculum, and staffing in order to better serve the children with God's love shown in Jesus Christ. She has served three Lutheran ECDC's and is trained in Early Childhood Development from Houston Baptist University. She and her husband, Pastor Jeff, enjoy serving here at King of Kings and call it home. Their daughter attends UTSA and their three boys are here in NEISD.
Assistant Director of the ECDC: Savannah Mendoza "I have been at King of Kings since November 2005. I worked in the Tiny Tot room for awhile and was given the opportunity for Assistant Director. I have been Assistant Director since January 2007 and absolutely love my job. I not only get to help in the office but also in the classrooms. I feel as though I get the best of both worlds with this job. I love every one here at King of Kings. It is not only a fantastic place to work but also a great place to meet great people. There is so much love and support here at King of Kings. We all work together in making this place great. In just the three years I have been here, I have seen so many great changes. The teachers provide excellent care and I can say I enjoy working with each one of them. A little about myself; my husband and I have two boys together, Noah and Daniel. I enjoy softball and tennis and being outdoors and most importantly family time. My door is always open here at the ECDC, so if you ever need anything or have questions, please feel free to come and see me."
Business
Manager: Diana Pratt
Lutherans believe a person is saved only by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Good works do not save us; however, they are our expected response to being saved. ABOUT GOD ABOUT THE CHURCH ABOUT SIN ABOUT SALVATION ABOUT SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE SACRAMENTS RESPONSE TO GOD'S GRACE Baptism is a common term yet its definition separates and divides the Christian Church. For some, Baptism is a "sacrament", an act of God that unites us with the risen Christ and makes us members of God's family. For others, Baptism is an "ordinance," a human act of confession of faith. Lutherans understand Baptism as a “sacrament”, an act instituted by Jesus Himself (Matthew 28:18-20) for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38-39) using a visible element (water) along with God’s Word.
Each person is baptized with water in the Name of the Triune God. Since Baptism is an Act of God, there is no age restriction on receiving the Sacrament. "All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God." [Romans 3:23] Jesus said to the disciples, "Let the little children [Luke uses the term "infant"] come unto me and forbid them not; for of such is the Kingdom of God." [Mark 10:14].
Parents, Sponsors [or God-parents] and Pastor all play a role in the baptism of a child. Parents are responsible for bringing their children to Baptism and for creating a family environment in which the child can be raised as a baptized Child of God. Sponsors present the child [or adult] at baptism and by example, prayer and encouragement help the baptized person grow in the new life that God has given. The Pastor and the church celebrate the Baptism in keeping with God's command and welcome the newly baptized into God's wider family. For Lutherans, Baptism is a sacrament. It is the rebirth by water and the spirit of which the Lord speaks in the Gospel of John [John 3:3-6]. It is a means of grace through which the Holy Spirit engenders faith in the heart of the baptized person. As a Sacrament, it conveys the forgiveness of sins won for us by Jesus Christ. Since the action is on the part of God and since Lutherans believe that all, including infants, are a part of this sinful world, there is no restriction on the age of baptism. In emergency situations an infant may be baptized at birth. A person is baptized into the Christian Faith, not into a particular denomination. Therefore, the Lutheran Church accepts as valid the baptism of any denomination as long as it is done with water and in the Name of the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Lutherans find no Scriptural restrictions on the way in which the water is applied and therefore use and accept baptism by immersion, pouring, or sprinkling. The link which baptism forms between the baptized person and the Lord is so complete that the Lord's death becomes our death and his resurrection becomes our resurrection into a new life. St. Paul wrote to the little congregation in Rome, "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life." [Romans 6:3-4].
In baptism through the work of the Holy Spirit we receive the faith which trusts in the grace of God. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God." [Ephesians 2:8] The role of the Christian life is then to live out his/her baptismal grace.
Lutherans teach and confess the Real Presence of Christ in the Lord’s Supper. Our teaching is unique in that it differs from both the Roman Catholic Church and the Reformed churches. We believe that Jesus Christ is truly present in, with and under the bread and wine. Therefore, when one communes and partakes of the sacrament, one receives four elements: bread, wine, body and blood. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the bread and wine are now changed into the body and blood, although the elements look, feel, smell and taste like the bread and wine. Therefore, in the Roman Catholic Church, one believes only two elements are received, body and blood (although they rarely receive the blood. This is usually reserved for the priest). The Reformed churches teach a symbolic representation of Christ in the Lord’s Supper. In these churches, the bread only represents Christ’s body while the grape juice (sometimes wine) only represents the blood. Lutherans recognize that no where in the Bible does ‘symbolic’ language occur when the Lord’s Supper is being instituted by Christ or later taught by St. Paul. The gospels record Jesus’ words as stating, “This is my body . . . this is my blood”. St. Paul describes this Real Presence in communion when he describes it as a participation (Greek: koinonia) in the body and blood of Christ in 1 Corinthians 10:16. Again, nowhere in the Bible is symbolic language used when describing the Lord’s Supper. See 1 Corinthians 11:23-29 Some have stated that Christ cannot be truly present as we Lutherans believe. They say the ‘finite can’t hold the infinite’. To this we ask, “Was Jesus divine? While walking the earth, playing as a child or teaching in the synagogues as an adult, was He really Emmanuel, God with us? Was He God in the flesh?” Of course He was! And He was in a finite body, taking up finite space, in a specific time period. We believe God makes His presence where He chooses to do so; the Lord’s Supper is a unique place where He has promised to be found. Furthermore, Jesus could have easily stated that the bread and the wine represented his body and blood. But no! Jesus said it is; therefore, we believe it! Those who distort His teachings here may distort His teachings elsewhere. We also believe the primary purpose of the Lord’s Supper is for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:26-28) and for us to proclaim the Lord’s death until He returns (1 Corinthians 11:26). The Lord’s Supper, also known as Holy Communion, the Eucharist, and the Last Supper, is central and vital to our worship life as a congregation. As far as logistical practice, we don’t serve the Lord’s Supper to just anyone who comes to the sanctuary for a worship service. Nor do we ONLY serve the Lord’s Supper to members of King of Kings. If you are a member of another LC-MS church and/or confess the faith which we hold (though you may not be a member here at King of Kings), and are coming to the altar with the right mindset of seeking God’s forgiveness while recognizing the body and blood of the Lord is truly present, then you are welcome to commune. However, be sure to note St. Paul’s warnings of people who commune with bad, false motives (1 Corinthians 11:27-29). We don’t want to contribute to this hazardous situation; therefore, we want to be careful to administer the sacrament properly so all receivers of the sacrament know what is happening. If you’re not sure about our teachings and/or your faith regarding this topic, please call or visit with Pastor before communing.
At the turn of the millennium, Time-Life magazine produced two lists, one covering the 100 most important events and one covering the 100 most important people. It doesn’t come as a surprise to Lutherans that the Reformation ranked 3rd (behind Guttenburg’s Printing Press publishing the Bible and Columbus discovering America) and Martin Luther also ranked 3rd (behind Thomas Edison and Christopher Columbus) on their respective lists. Becoming an Augustinian monk, Luther wrestled with the Scriptures and God almighty as he was taught. As a doctor/professor, he preached and taught in Germany. Yet Luther saw God as an angry God, demanding perfection, which the Scriptures state, “Be perfect as my Father in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48 and “I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20. But after much fasting, self beating, penance, and study, Luther began to see the grace of God found in the Scripture as well. It began to come clear to him as he realized that God’s love for mankind is found in Jesus Christ. It became clear to Luther that a person is saved not by his works, but by the grace of God which again, is found only through Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb of God. Of the many Scriptures that assisted him in his clarification of God’s Law and Grace was, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 Luther realized all of Scripture is centered around Jesus Christ, the messiah of God. As the apostle Paul stated, “We preach Christ crucified.” 1 Corinthians 1:23. Luther wanted to help the Roman Catholic Church see God’s grace found in the Scriptures but was rejected. Therefore, when Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of Wittenberg, Germany in 1517 to reveal the truth, God use him to spark a wide spread spiritual fire that continues to ablaze to this very day!
Luther went nose to nose with the Pope. In his encounters with
the emperor and the papacy, he was given opportunity to recant.
Luther refused unless he could
be convinced by the Scriptures and sound reason. “I can not, I will not
recant. Here I stand. I can do no other.” Luther was eventually excommunicated
from the Roman Catholic Church. He went on to marry Katie, an ex-nun, and have
a family. Lutherans don’t worship Martin Luther by any means. In fact, Luther himself didn’t want his followers to be called Lutherans. It was given by those who opposed Luther as a derogatory name. Nevertheless, the name has stuck for the past 500 years to describe those who recognize his theology over and against the Roman Catholic Church of that time. With Luther, the rise of the protestant churches began. The life of Martin Luther is another example of God’s perfect timing.
|
 |
 |
||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
Senior Pastor: 
Administrative
Assistant: 
Administrative
Assistant: 
