Senior Pastor Caleb Williams
Pastor Caleb Williams is a second career pastor, working both in the military and law enforcement before attending seminary. He is committed to outreach and safeguarding the church for future generations. He has established Spiritual Lives Tours, which is a non-profit pilgrimage to the Holy Land, where he has taken people from nineteen different states in the past six years. He has served on the national board of the Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers, and is active in spiritual counseling for veterans and their families.
Assistant Pastor John Onstott
Pastor John Onstott comes to Zion Lutheran Church with a calling to give pastoral care to the parish, especially the more mature members. An ordained minister since 2006, he was previously a priest in the Episcopal and then Anglican denominations. Additionally, Pastor John has been a licensed Funeral Director for 49 years, beginning in his hometown of Wichita Falls, Texas. He is the Founding Partner of a funeral home in Houston, Texas.In Kerrville, he assists at Grimes Funeral Chapels on his days off from church. Pastor John wanted the opportunity to be a part of an energetic church that wants to grow the Kingdom of God. He is grateful to Pastor Caleb Williams for allowing him to be a part of the ministries of pastoral care and growth at Zion Lutheran Church.
Gloria & Jonathan Shim
Gloria & Jonathan Shim are a dynamic married duo that serve together as our Child, Youth, and Family Directors. They are equally talented in music and ministry to our community and work with not only our youth programs with the church but also with Zion Lutheran Child Center, and Foundations Christian Academy here on the Zion campus.
Judy Johnson
Judy Johnson is our Director of Worship and Music. She plays the organ, chooses hymns, directs the Chancel Choir, plays on the Praise Team, and coordinates liturgists. She has a Music Education degree from Texas Lutheran University and taught elementary school music in North Dakota and Texas. She has worked in various churches for over 50 years and has been on staff at Zion Lutheran since 1989. She also gives piano and guitar lessons. Her hobbies are gardening and writing songs.
Dan Stisser
Contemporary Service Director Dan Stisser
Brittney Compton
Brittney is the Church Secretary and is in charge of all administrative details of the church. She is a native to Kerrville and went to Schreiner University where she studied Political Science with an emphasis on foreign relations. In her free time Brittney likes to spend time with her husband Colton and teaches a variety of dance to youth.
Diane Hartjen
Diane Hartjen is our Finacial Director, she moved to Ingram Texas with her husband in 2017 to be closer to the grandchildren in San Antonio. A sunny southern California native, she is enjoying the natural landscapes and laidback culture here in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. Diane spent 40 + years as a Controller for the non-profit student organization (Associated Students) at California State University, Northridge. She started as a college student, and only left when she retired here to Texas. She is grateful for the warmth and friendship she has found here at Zion Lutheran Church. In addition to working part time as the HR & Financial Secretary, she plays in the Bell Choir, and sings in the Chancel Choir.
Murphy Heal
Murphy Heal is our Music Ministry Assistant, she grew up in Austin where she attended a private school for music and then continued her education at Saint Edwards University in Austin. Murphy is wanting to make a career of music ministry and is excited about the ability to work with and learn from our two music directors at Zion Lutheran. Muphy is passionate about theology and likes to write her own music in her free time. She hopes to use whatever gifts she has been given by God to grow His kingdom on earth.
Jim Abbatiello
Jim Abbatiello is our Bell Choir Director. He is a third-generation professional trombone player for over 40 years. Jim currently plays in Kerrville’s Symphony of the Hills and the Sentimental Journy Orchestra. Jim enjoys working together with the bell choir members to add to Zion’s worship experience.
Helen Steele
Helen is the Organist and Chior Accompanist at Zion Lutheran. Music has always been a part of Helen’s life, singing in a readymade trio with her 2 sisters, and her dad on guitar. For her, piano lessons were non-negotiable, and they continued through high school. She sang in high school Acapella ensembles, Madrigals, and choirs, and then toured with her student nurses’ choir and finally church choirs. Accompanying soloists and choirs has been an opportunity for Helen to keep practicing and playing. She has taken some college credit piano lessons as an adult and continues to learn. Though music ministry was not Helen’s professional career, it has been a means of her personal devotion and worship to the Lord.
