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.
This will be a bio for Jeanne
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 with the VPR Creative Group as the curriculum director of the Sticks of Thunder Community of Percussion Arts and with Olathe East High School as percussion instructor for the 2011-2012 school year. Before moving to Kansas City, Dr. Haynes was an assistant professor and the interim director of percussion studies at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin where he directed the percussion ensemble and basketball pep band, taught applied percussion lessons, percussion studio class, marching percussion, world music, music appreciation, and performed percussion concerti with the university wind ensemble and symphony orchestra. During his years of graduate study, Greg enjoyed serving as head instructor with the University of Kansas marching drumline, principal timpanist with the KU Wind Ensemble, battery technician with the University of Georgia drumline, principal percussionist with the UGA wind ensemble, and music coordinator/pianist at Christus Victor Lutheran Church in Athens, GA.
Greg enjoys all kinds of music and is presently excited to be involved in a number of composition projects within the church and the KC area youth percussion community.
When not engaged in musical activity, Greg enjoys outdoor activities and attending local arts events with his wife, Erin.
Steve Lewis has enjoyed a diverse musical career as both a conductor
and as a French hornist. He has conducted the Wilson Symphony (NC)
and the Beaufort County Community Orchestra (NC).
In 2005, Steve graduated high school from the North Carolina School of the Arts. In 2007 he attended the South Carolina Conductors Institute. Before moving to Kansas City in 2010, he completed his BM in Music Theory and Composition at East Carolina University. Currently, Steve is a Master’s student studying Orchestral Conducting at UMKC.
Steve recently made his opera conducting debut in KC Metro Opera's production of Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Gondolier's."
Visit Steve's website at: stevelewisconductor.blogspot.com