Triumphant Staff

God is working His will in the life of Triumphant. We have learned to rely upon the LORD and treasure one another. Through our growing faith and active discipleship, the LORD has destined Triumphant to be an extraordinary church through ordinary people.
Pastor William Jon Irons

Pastor
Pastor Bill has been at Triumphant since February 2008. He was born and raised Lutheran in a small town in Western Pennsylvania. After pursuing a career in physics that found him at Texas Christian University and the University of Southern California, he attended Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary where he graduated in 1988. Pastor Bill went on to serve as Associate Pastor of St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Fort Worth, Texas.

It was then that his ministry took a strange turn. A life-long churchman and a Boy Scout, he sought to combine those two passions into one career. In 1992, he was called to serve in outdoor ministry, running church camps and retreat centers across the southwest. Pastor Bill was on the staff of Lutheran Outdoor and Retreat Ministries of the Southwest as a program director and camp director through LORMS' dissolution in 1998. He then served as Executive Director of Briarwood Lutheran Ministries in Argyle, Texas, Bishop Stoney Camp and Conference Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and All Saints Camp and Conference Center in Pottsboro, Texas. He left outdoor ministry to return to parish ministry when he came to Triumphant.

Pastor Bill met his wife, Cathie, while a camp director. She served as a youth director in North Texas and brought her youth group to camp. The rest, as they say, is history! Cathie now works for Child Protective Services in Bexar County. They have 4 grown children, and one grandson.

Pastor Bill and Cathie are also foster parents, but have no children in their home presently.

Pastor Bill's other passions include music (vocal and keyboard) and model trains.
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Sharon Hopkins

Church Office Administrator
Sharon joined the TLC Staff in June 2009, coming from outside our congregation. She and her family have lived here in San Antonio for 3 years and are members of Summit Christian Center. Sharon enjoys her administrative Assistant role here at Triumphant, and is honored to be part of the TLC family.

Sharon’s passions include spending time with her family, worshiping the Lord, and investing in others. She has been singing with worship teams since 1981, and has served in full-time missions on the staff of Youth with A Mission’s University of the Nations for 7 years.

Sharon and her husband, Mike, met in California, where he was a rocket technician who built and launched Delta rockets. Their daughter, Hannah, was born in 1999. She loves to sing and dance and keeps life lively for Mike and Sharon!

Sharon grew up in Merritt Island, Florida and received her degree in Computer Science from the University of Central Florida. Her first employment was with IBM at Kennedy Space Center, as a computer programmer on the Space Shuttle Launch Processing Software. Each Space Shuttle launch was an anxious and yet extremely rewarding moment!

While with YWAM, Sharon helped pioneer and lead the School of Worship, training and mentoring students from many nations in worship and worship team development. The highlight of each School of Worship for her was leading student worship teams on outreach to countries in Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific!

In addition to her technical and missions background, Sharon has served as Administrator of SunWest Aviation in California.
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Nancy Hendricks

Director of Volunteer Ministries
Nancy has been a member of Triumphant since March of 1997. She joined the TLC staff in August of 2006 as a Volunteer Coordinator. Her job is to identify and recruit volunteers for the various ministries of the church and assist in data collection and input for the church records.

Nancy also works with TLC's Mothers Day Out program, specializing in the care of two-year-olds.

Because her father was a member of the USAF, Nancy's family lived in several locations around the country until he retired to Schertz in 1964. After graduating from Samuel Clemens High School, Nancy married and started to raise her family in Westmoreland, TN. Four years later, she moved back to Schertz, single with two small boys, and went to work for Motorola in Seguin, TX. Several years later, she met and married Gary Hendricks and instantly inherited two more boys. Nancy retired from Motorola with 31 years of service.

Nancy is also involved in several activities including gardening, yard work, exercising, choir, grandchildren, shopping and fishing.
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Carol Snyder

Minister of Music
In the Fall of 1993, Carol received a call that a position was opening at Triumphant Lutheran Church for an organist/choir director and she was asked to apply. That position has evolved into Minister of Music, with duties including playing the organ for the traditional 8:30 service, directing the choir, playing keyboard in the Praise Band at the 11:00 service, selecting music for both services and overseeing all other music programs.

Carol grew up in a family of music lovers, with her dad leading the choir at the Methodist Church and her mom singing in the choir. At 8 years of age, Carol began playing piano for the evening church service while her dad conducted the singing. She played for her first wedding at the age of 12. That began a career as a church musician, playing for many denominations before joining Triumphant Lutheran Church.

Carol grew up in Jacksonville, FL where frequent trips to the beach and lake were part up her being. She studied piano for twelve years, taking lessons at Jacksonville Conservatory of Music and Jacksonville University. She received a music scholarship to Wesleyan College in Macon, GA. Carol majored in Music with an emphasis on Pipe Organ and with a Psychology Minor. In addition to her BA in Music, Carol became certified as a teacher, teaching 1st grade for 5 years. She then obtained her Masters Degree in Guidance and Counseling from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio. Following 14 years as an elementary schoool counselor and 12 years as a middle school counselor, Carol retired from NISD.

Carol is married to her Florida State hubbie, Rick, and has raised two sons, one a Texas A&M graduate and dentist in Austin and the other a recent architecture graduate from UTSA. Carol and Rick are now raising a lab puppy who has many Marley-type characteristics. Carol also teaches piano lessons, lunches with friends and travels as often as possible, especially to the beach.
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Sharilyn Krauss

Director of Communications
Sharilyn has been a member of Triumphant since 1998 and has been on the TLC Staff since May 2007. She creates and edits our monthly newsletter and maintains the church website. As part of her ministry to the members of Triumphant, she organizes the schedule and lessons for Children's Chapel.

Sharilyn grew up in the Methodist church in San Antonio, TX, attending John Marshall High School. She graduated from Texas A&M University in 1990 with a degree in Business Administration. She and her husband, Brian, met at A&M and were married in February 1991. As Brian was in the USAF, they moved to Edwards AFB in the Mojave Desert in California. In 1994, they were sent to the NATO Air Base in Geilenkirchen, Germany. Their son, Collin, was born there and retains dual-citizenship. In 1997, they moved back to Texas, stationed at Randolph AFB. They decided to put down roots and separate from the Air Force in 1998. Their son, Daniel, was born in San Antonio in 1999.

Sharilyn worked for Edwards FCU as Teller Trainer and in the accounting department from 1991 - 1994. She worked at the International Library at the NATO base from 1995 - 1997. From 1998 - 2005, she owned home businesses with Usborne Children's Books and Southern Living at Home. Then, in May 2007, she was asked to apply for the TLC position of Newsletter and Website Editor, the position now known as Director of Communications.

Sharilyn is also involved with the PTC at her son's elementary school and enjoys the theatre, a day at the lake or beach, watching her sons play soccer and football, and reading a really good book.
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Chris St.Clair

Youth Director
Chris St.Clair has been the Youth Director here at Triumphant Lutheran Church since August 2010. Chris was born and raised in Dallas, TX. He was a star soccer player (or so his mother claims) when he was 5. After a brief baseball career where he has a .031 average, he decided to move away from organized sports and focused more on music and sleep. He grew up at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church where his grandfather was the pastor. Chris graduated from high school in 1999.

During his college years, Chris did his best impression of Abraham, moving every few months for about 5 years. He did two years at Texas A&M at Galveston. He then transferred to Texas A&M at College Station. The next year, he transferred again to Northern Kentucky University. Chris graduated from NKU in 2003 with a Bachelor’s in Psychology. Beginning in 2006, he attended Brite Divinity School (TCU affiliated) in Fort Worth, TX. He graduated with his Master’s of Divinity degree in 2010.

Chris has been in youth ministry since 2001. He worked for 2 summers as a camp counselor at Lutheran Hills Summer Camp in Bloomington, IN, and one as Program Director in 2003. In 2003, Chris accepted a position as Youth Director for Ascension Lutheran Church in Louisville, KY. After leaving in 2006 to go back to school, he worked as Student Youth Minister (you can abbreviate it to “Stud Youth Minister” if you want to… his ego would appreciate it) at First Christian Church in McKinney, TX. Chris left this position in July 2010 after graduating from Brite.

Chris met his wife, Britany, in 2005 while both worked in different churches. They got married in 2007 and do not have any children. Britany is a Licensed Professional Counselor Intern. Chris enjoys playing sports. (He has coped with his sports struggles from childhood.) He enjoys playing hockey, racquetball, volleyball and golf. He plays the guitar and is somewhere between “I think I know that song” and “wow, I used to know that one."
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Our Mission: "Triumphant Lutheran Church learns God’s way, worships Him, and shares His love through our everyday encounters so that, as His caring people, we and others grow in Christ.”
21315 Bat Cave Road Garden Ridge, Texas 78266 USA
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 210-651-9090
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