Staff and Leaders
As southerners like to say, I'm "from" Shreveport, Louisiana, but Overland Park has been my home since July of 2006. We lived 7 years in Chicago and 4 in the Kansas Flinthills, so my Louisiana accent is almost gone, but my roots appear in my love of jazz and zydeco, well-seasoned food, impromptu celebrations and all-round joie-de-vivre.
Growing up in Shreveport, my family attended a small Lutheran congregation which, at the time, was way outside of town amid the cotton fields. It was a compromise since my parents came from a blend of Methodist and Baptist/Episcopal traditions. The congregation was tiny and there weren't many children, but seeds were planted in my soul. I remember learning Bible stories, catching tiny rain frogs and trying to bring them into church, feeling the vibrations of the hymns as I sat sandwiched between Mama's soaring soprano and Daddy's rumbly bass, and being greeted every Sunday by Mr.Grann who made me feel as though I were the most important person on earth. Even so, life is complicated and at twelve I had my doubts, so I dropped out. Then my mother died and I discovered that life without faith is even more difficult. Through pure grace, God pulled me back and my senior year in high school I returned to worship, finding joy, love, meaning and forgiveness among God's people ever since. When life swallows us up, God is there in the chaos, holding onto us, never letting go.
My husband,Ed,is an amazing man and life with him as been an endless adventure shared with my best friend. We are blessed with a son who is a terrific teen and the three of us share life with our big black hound dog and Congo African grey parrot.
When I'm not working or studying, I enjoy savoring the simple things, like sitting in my porch swing with a good cup of coffee and the entertainment of birds, the whisper of prairie grasses, uninterrupted time with a good book, watching movies, poking around in the garden amid fresh flowers, knitting, listening to music, exploring nature, taking road trips, visiting museums, and spending time with family and friends. Joy abounds!
The God revealed in Jesus is all about forgiveness, love, life, marvel, mystery, beauty, grace, renewal, justice, mercy, awe. There are moments every day that make me gasp, and times when God's kingdom breaks through and all I can do is fall to my knees in worship. There are also moments when I can't "feel" my faith, and when I shake my fist and rage against God for all the pain and anguish in our world, and because I am frustrated and impatient and sometimes powerless in the face of suffering... and God takes it very well...and even joins me in my protest and tears. This is the God I want to share with you... the God who makes butterflies... who grows angry at injustice... who stays with us when we're on the lonesome road... who rejoices when our hearts soar... who loves us enough to become one of us in Jesus... and who dies with us so that we can rise up to new life again in Christ.
Originally from the metro Atlanta area, Greg Haynes has been living in the Kansas/Missouri area since 2006 with his wife, Erin, and currently resides happily in Kansas City, MO, despite the fact that it is difficult to find great sweet tea in the Midwest. Greg is blessed to have been invited on staff with LCR in the fall of 2010, and has since enjoyed coordinating the music team, planning worship music, and utilizing the musical gifts of the congregation with the goal of facilitating a worship experience that engages and speaks to individuals on a personal level. Greg is a percussionist by trade and holds four college degrees including the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in percussion performance from the University of Kansas, the Masters of Music degree in performance from the University of Georgia, and two Bachelor's degrees in music and cognitive science. In addition to serving on staff with LCR, Greg is currently employed as an adjunct music professor with Missouri Western State University where he teaches applied marimba and chamber music. Greg also serves as a marching percussion specialist and writer for Olathe East High School and teaches private studio lessons in Kansas City and Overland Park. Greg enjoys all kinds of music and is presently involved in a number of composition and performance projects. When not engaged in musical activity, Greg enjoys outdoor activities and attending local arts events with his wife, Erin.
Charl Louw was born in Virginia, South Africa where he completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance from the North-West University in Potchefstroom under pianist Truida van der Walt.
Throughout his career he has won several scholarships and awards including the prestigious MC-Roode and Gertrude Buchanan awards, Nellie du Toit Ensemble scholarship, the ATKV Scholarship for Music Studies and Teaching Assistantships from the University of North Texas and the University of Missouri Kansas City. He has been a top prize-winner in several competitions including the North West University’s Standard Bank Campus Festival, the UNISA Overseas Music Scholarship Competition, the ATKV-Prelude Competition, the Musiq Classical Music Competition and New Orleans Piano Concerto competition.
He has performed as soloist with orchestras in South Africa as well as the United States, including the South African National Chamber Orchestra, New Orleans Civic Orchestra and UMKC Chamber Orchestra.
Charl has also received master classes from world-renowned pianists and pedagogues such as Frank Heneghan, Joheved Kaplinski, Thomas Hecht, Andrej Jasinski, Joseph Banowetz, Bryce Morrison and Caroline Oltmanns. Completing his Master’s Degree in Piano Performance under Dr. Pamela Mia Paul, and also studying privately with Jeaneane Dowis, he has performed extensively as collaborative pianist with both instrumentalists and singers and continues to be active in this capacity. In 2004 he was invited by soprano Mimi Coertze to give a recital with mezzo-soprano, Tina Tsupane. This recital was part of a series called An die musik and was broadcast live on the radio station Classic fm. Charl is currently pursuing his DMA degree at the University of Missouri, Kansas City where he studies with Dr. Robert Weirich.
Steve Lewis has enjoyed a diverse musical career as both a conductor and French hornist. Steve is the Music Director of the Midwest Chamber Ensemble where he conducts chamber orchestra concerts and performs chamber music. He has conducted the Missouri Symphony, the Wilson Symphony (NC), the Beaufort County Community Orchestra (NC), and the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra. Steve made his opera conducting debut in 2011 with the KC Metro Opera's production of Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Gondolier's" and continued work with the company conducting their 2011 production of Lehar's "The Merry Widow." At the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection Steve has led performances of Faure's Requiem, Schubert's "German Mass" and Mendelssohn's "Psalm 42."
Steve studied French horn with David Jolley at the NC School of the Arts, Mary Burroughs at East Carolina University, and Ellen Campbell at the University of Missouri -Kansas City. Steve has performed at the Stamford International Music Festival (UK), the Brevard Music Center (NC), in addition to concerts with University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory Orchestras, the Mahlerfest Orchestra (CO) and the Missouri Symphony.
Before moving to Kansas City in 2010, he completed his BM in music theory and composition at East Carolina University. Steve completed his MM in conducting at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory in 2012 and is pursuing his DMA at UMKC where he is a conducting student of Robert Olson and a French horn student of Martin Hackleman. In 2012 Lewis was appointed conducting fellow of the Kansas City Youth Symphony. Steve has attended the South Carolina Conductors Institute (2007) and the International Conductors Institute workshop in Round Rock Texas (2011) and New York (2012