Faith Lutheran Church & School - Meet Ms. Koenemann

You and I were made to worship,

You and I are called to love,

You and I are forgiven and free…*

This popular worship song by Chris Tomlin captures the beliefs of my heart and is the foundation of my ministry. Born in Indiana, growing up on a farm and raised in a strong Lutheran Christian family, our faithlife was a large part of our family. I am a product of the Lutheran elementary school system, went on to public high school and then Indiana University. By the time I became an Education major, I knew I would not be happy teaching in a classroom without being able to talk about God, so I enrolled in the Colloquy program at Concordia University in Seward, NE, after earning my B.S. at IU.

Unbelievably, I am completing my 28^th year in ministry. I guess it’s true what they say about children keeping you young! My first teaching position was in southern IL, and after completing the Colloquy program (Lutheran doctrine and teaching methods), I accepted my first call to Fort Worth, TX. I taught 1^st and 3^rd grades before moving into being the music teacher and administrative assistant to the principal. After 16 years in TX, I accepted the call to Faith, and have been here since 1995, first as 5^th grade teacher and upper grade Music teacher, then being called as the Director of Music & Worship.

I now teach school music to all grades, direct our 3 school choirs, coordinate our weekly school Chapel worships, and direct the Christmas and Spring musicals. My primary responsibility is to the church, directing the seasonal choirs & worship team, scheduling sound/video techs, selecting hymns & securing the organist for our traditional worship, writing our contemporary & youth worships, arranging music for the band, and preparing all media slides.

My family is scattered across the country: Mom in Indiana, brother in Florida, and a sister in Ohio and another in Washington, D.C. Being single provides me to dedicate more time to the demands of this ministry. But through all of life’s ups and downs, I know God is with me – Isaiah 41: 9-10.

Julie Koenemann