Triumphant Lutheran Church sits on Bat Cave Road in Garden Ridge, a small Texas town tucked against the edge of Comal County just northeast of San Antonio. Since the first worship gathering in 1979, the congregation has built its life around a single motto: We grow in Christ to serve others. That phrase shows up in the church's announcements and across its many ministries, and it explains why a congregation of this size runs an early childhood center, a Wednesday night dinner, mission trips, a Stephen Ministry, and a long list of weekly Bible studies and craft groups.
From a Bowling Alley to a Forty-Year Congregation
The story of Triumphant began with a hand-painted sign. In February 1979 a notice went up on Nacogdoches Road near FM 3009 that read "Site of Future Lutheran Church." A week later, on February 17, about thirty-five people met at the Bracken Fire Station and voted to form a new mission church for the Tri-County area. The call committee soon brought Pastor Nolan Sagebiel to serve as the first pastor, and on July 15, 1979, the new congregation gathered for worship at the Bracken Bowling Alley with 135 in attendance. Charter membership closed on December 23, 1979, with 118 confirmed and 158 baptized members on the rolls.
The current property was offered as a gift by Melvin and Nora Heimer. Construction on the church building began on June 15, 1980, and dedication services were held on February 22, 1981. Over the years the congregation expanded the Sanctuary, added offices to the original worship building, built a Fellowship Hall and an Education Building, and added more parking space. In 2019 Triumphant marked its fortieth anniversary, with the photo of that celebration still featured among its annual events.
The congregation was chartered as an ALC body on October 21, 1979, and joined the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in the 1990s. Successive pastors have shaped the congregation's ministry: Pastor L. G. Wehman (1985-1994), Pastor Douglas J. Schoelles (1995-2002), Interim Pastor Alan J. Watt (2002-2003), Rev. Mark Gruebmeyer (2003-2007), Rev. William Jon Irons (2008-2015), Interim Pastor Ann Koopmann (2015-2016), Interim Pastor Brady Eggleston (2016-2017), and the current Pastor, Rev. Aaron Richter, who began on August 15, 2017.
Sunday Mornings at 9 and 11
Triumphant offers two Sunday services in the Sanctuary. At 9 a.m. the congregation gathers for a traditional liturgy led by the Minister of Music and Choir Director Carol Snyder, with organ and piano and the church's Choir. At 11 a.m. the same space fills again for a contemporary service with music led by the Praise Band. Both services include Holy Communion, and the congregation shares the Lutheran conviction, held with Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Episcopal Christians, that Christ is truly present in the bread and wine.
Every worshipper is welcomed to the Lord's Table. Communion was reintroduced at the rail in July 2021 after the pandemic-period use of individual kits, and the format returned to a familiar, gathered experience.
The 9 a.m. service is livestreamed each Sunday through Facebook Live and YouTube Live, a practice that began in June 2021 when the church moved from prerecorded online services to live streaming of its early service. A digital bulletin is posted before each Sunday. The current Scripture readings for each Sunday are also published online.
Between the two services, from 10:15 to 10:45 a.m., children and youth meet for Sunday School. The church uses Sparkhouse's Whirl curriculum for kindergarten through sixth grade and the re:form program for seventh grade and up.
Wednesday Nite Live
From late August through May, Wednesday evenings belong to Wednesday Nite Live, the church's mid-week gathering that combines a family meal with age-appropriate programming. Dinner is served in the Fellowship Hall at 5:45 p.m., and at 6:30 p.m. the activities begin.
Elementary children head outside to the playground and then work through age-appropriate Bible lessons. Seventh and eighth graders, who are in the two-year Confirmation program, dig into what it means to be a child of God and how to articulate their faith. High schoolers engage with Scripture through imaginative storytelling and dialogue. The Creative Blessings craft group meets in the library, the Choir rehearses in the Sanctuary, and short-term adult study classes meet occasionally as well.
Wednesday Nite Live is also one of the church's clearest expressions of intergenerational life, with a single evening that pulls together the children's ministry, Confirmation, senior high youth, choir, crafters, and adults around the same shared table.
Children, Youth, and Confirmation
Children's ministry at Triumphant centers on Sunday School, Children's Chapel, the Puppet Ministry, Vacation Bible School, and Wednesday Nite Live activities. Sunday School runs from 10:15 to 10:45 a.m. on Sundays during the school year using the Sparkhouse Whirl curriculum, with a separate Confirmation class for the seventh and eighth graders. Children's Chapel gathers the younger children during parts of the Sunday services.
Vacation Bible School is a major summer event. The church has hosted a fun-filled VBS for ages three through sixth grade, with Bible stories, songs, crafts, and outdoor play. Dinner is served at 5:15 p.m. and the program runs from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Middle school ministry is built around Confirmation. Confirmation at Triumphant is a two-year journey through seventh and eighth grade, designed to equip youth with the foundations of the Lutheran faith and to give them opportunities to live it out. Sunday School teachers for Confirmation are Leon and Angie Henk, and Wednesday Nite Live Confirmation leaders are Pastor Aaron, Sharilyn Krauss, Jennifer Feutz, and Jim Moreland. Throughout the two years the students experience Confirmation Camp in the summer, retreats, sermon notes from the Sunday services, service projects, and the Credo Project at the end of their journey, where each student explains or demonstrates what they believe.
Senior high ministry, for ninth through twelfth grade, focuses on helping young people understand their faith at a deeper level and become active participants in the church. The high school Sunday School uses the re:form curriculum, and students gather at Wednesday Nite Live for a free dinner and discussion. Each summer the senior high youth group takes a mission trip to a location around Texas or the United States, serving communities and running programs such as a children's Bible club. Past trips have taken them to Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Native American reservations. Beach retreats and lock-ins round out the calendar.
Every summer, the church also helps families send their children to Camp Chrysalis, the Cross Trails Lutheran camp outside Kerrville, Texas. Programs are organized by age group from first grade through ninth grade, and the church subsidizes the cost from the budget and fundraisers so that the camp fee stays low.
Music: Choir and Praise Band
Music is one of Triumphant's most visible ministries. The Choir leads the hymns and anthems at the 9 a.m. service and rehearses on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary. The Praise Band leads the music at the 11 a.m. service and rehearses on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m., also in the Sanctuary. Both groups are led by Carol Snyder, who serves as Minister of Music and Choir Director. Ruth Garcia serves as Choir Director alongside her.
The music ministry also produces an annual Christmas Cantata. The congregation gathers to sing and hear a musical telling of the Christmas story, and a recording is shared online afterward. Past cantatas and Christmas Eve services are available on the church's YouTube channel.
Adult Learning and Bible Study
Triumphant offers a steady diet of adult Bible study, both in person and online. "The Grove" is an adult-focused fellowship and Scripture study that meets every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in Heimer Hall and is also offered over Zoom, with a permanent link and passcode. It is led by Tom O'Berg.
A Ladies' Bible Study meets every Thursday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Gathering Place and welcomes women of all denominations. A Men's Bible Study gathers on Friday mornings at 7 a.m. at the IHOP on I-35 at 3009 in Schertz, currently working through the Minor Prophets, beginning with Hosea.
A Prayer Team receives prayer requests from church members, their families, and friends by email. A Strengthening Relationships study uses Prepare-Enrich materials to help participants deepen their connections to those closest to them, and meets Sundays in the Gathering Place or by Zoom. Past studies have included 24 Hours That Changed the World by Adam Hamilton, End of Life Decisions, and a study of Leviticus called Jesus in the Law.
Online, the church hosts a small library of learning resources. Three Bible Project video series walk through themes like spiritual beings, the wisdom literature of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job, and the "bad words" of the Bible. There is also a "Dwelling in the Word" series and a "Growing With" series designed to support teens and young adults.
Stephen Ministry and Pastoral Care
Triumphant is a Stephen Ministry congregation. Stephen Ministers are trained lay caregivers who provide confidential, Christ-centered, one-to-one care to people going through grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, relocation, or military deployment. The ministry is named for St. Stephen, described in Acts 6 as chosen to provide caring ministry to those in need. Rose-Marie Smith leads the Stephen Ministry team at Triumphant, and care receivers have shared their stories in a video.
Groups That Fill the Week
Several small groups give Triumphant its week-round rhythm. The Quilting Bees meet on the second and fourth Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. in Heimer Hall, sewing quillows for the girls at New Life Center, a temporary home for underage girls in difficult family situations. A quillow is a quilt that folds into its own pocket to become a pillow.
Creative Blessings meets alongside the Quilting Bees on the second and fourth Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. in Heimer Hall. Members knit and crochet prayer shawls, hats, and baby items that are blessed and given to soldiers, chemotherapy patients, and others in need of comfort. Learners are welcome, and the group welcomes donations of soft yarn.
The Art Group gathers every Thursday at 9:30 a.m. in Heimer Hall. Members bring their own projects and share a sack lunch while they work. The Primetimers Group, for adults sixty and older, meets for lunch on the second Monday of each month at noon in the Fellowship Hall, with a different theme each month from Thanksgiving in the fall to Fiesta in the spring.
The Families Group gathers adults eighteen and over who are no longer in high school, including young adults and young families with children fifth grade or younger. The group hosts Sunday evening Bible studies, pool parties, game nights, chili cook-offs, family retreats, and date nights.
Servant Outreach: RACAP, Food Drives, and Mission
Triumphant's outreach, organized through a Servant Outreach Team, weaves through the church year. The congregation supports the Randolph Area Christian Assistance Program (RACAP), a Christian ministry founded in 1983 by local churches and civic leaders to serve unmet needs in the community. Triumphant contributes to RACAP through Thanksgiving Food Baskets, Food Drives, and Second Sunday Donations.
Each September the congregation joins ELCA churches across the country for God's Work. Our Hands, a day of service in the local community. In Lent, the church collects undergarments, diapers, and feminine products for Haven for Hope, Child Protective Services, and RACAP. At Christmas the Angel Tree program has benefited TruLight127, providing toys and pajamas for foster children, and ELCA Good Gifts, providing farm animals, vaccinations, and other needed items around the world.
In November the church assembles Thanksgiving Food Boxes for families in need, and other ongoing projects include school supply drives, shoe drives, care packages for college students, letters to deployed troops, and clothing donations. The church has also partnered with the San Antonio Urban Farm and the New Braunfels Food Bank to help feed the community while teaching clients to grow food at home.
Internationally, the congregation supports Rev. Dr. Carolyn Schneider, an ELCA missionary currently serving in Guyana. Triumphant previously supported her during long-term teaching at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Hong Kong, her work as a visiting professor at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo, and her volunteer service with the World Council of Churches' Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Triumphant Lutheran Preschool
Triumphant Lutheran Preschool is an accredited early childhood program serving children from age three to five, with classes five days a week. The preschool is directed by Karla Hammen and grew out of the Mother's Day Out program that began in 1981. The Mother's Day Out and Preschool programs merged into one cohesive unit in the fall of 2021. The preschool is one of the church's largest ongoing ministries, and Jennifer Feutz, a member of the Church Council, oversees Early Childhood Programs.
A Lutheran Identity
Triumphant describes itself as a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, holding a Lutheran understanding of the Bible and the sacraments. The church teaches that the Bible is the God-breathed, written expression of God's own heart and hands, and that Scripture is the inspired and inerrant Word of God. The congregation practices two sacraments: Holy Baptism, in which God makes an eternal claim on the person baptized, and Holy Communion, which is celebrated at every weekend service and is open to all who come to the table.
The congregation's stated values emphasize that God's love declares all people valued and loved, and the church works to share that news in worship, Bible study, and community events. The mission is summarized in the phrase that runs through everything from Sunday School to the preschool: We grow in Christ to serve others.
Annual Events and the Church Calendar
The church year at Triumphant is marked by a handful of annual events that bring the wider community in. Oktoberfest is a free October gathering featuring a barbecue dinner, live music by The Bohemian Dutchmen, a biergarten, a baked goods silent auction, and kids' activities. Proceeds benefit local and national non-profits including Meals on Wheels, Lutheran World Relief, and Homes for Our Troops. Cowboy Sunday in February invites the congregation to wear western hats and boots, enjoy a cowboy breakfast, and bring the children for pony rides, a trick roper, and a petting zoo. Holy Week services include Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday, leading into Easter Sunday. Christmas Eve is marked by a lessons and carols service, and Vacation Bible School fills a long June week each summer.
Facilities, Rentals, and the Columbarium
The church property includes the Sanctuary, Fellowship Hall (called Heimer Hall in some spaces), an Education Building, offices, and parking expanded over the years. Triumphant rents its facilities for member, non-member, and non-profit events, with separate rental documents available.
The church also hosts weddings and funerals. Funeral planning help is offered through downloadable worksheets, an example service, suggested Scripture readings and hymns, and a list of helpful questions and answers. The campus includes a Columbarium and Meditation Garden, where cremated remains can be placed. The cemetery grounds remain an active part of the church's ministry to its members and their families.
Communications and Giving
Weekly announcements and a monthly e-newsletter called The Trumpet keep the congregation informed. A mobile app carries church information, and giving is available online through Tithe.ly, by texting "give" to (833) 563-0421, through the Tithe.ly app, and through bank bill-pay.
Triumphant Lutheran Church is located at 21315 Bat Cave Road, Garden Ridge, Texas 78266. The church office can be reached at (210) 651-9090 or info@triumphantlutheran.org.