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558 N. Main St.,
Prineville, OR 97754
Phone: 541.447.6205 |
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| New pastor for 'Our Savior's' |
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 | | MINDY MACDONALD/CENTRAL OREGONIAN | | Gary Koutsopoulos recently became the new pastor at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Prineville. |
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By Mindy MacDonald
Our Savior's Lutheran Church recently welcomed a new Pastor, Gary Koutsopoulos, and his family from LaMirada, Calif.
Koutsopoulos grew up in Southern California and graduated from Santa Monica High School. Although his mom worked for MGM production studios, and his classmates were future big and small screen stars such as Dean Cain, his aspirations didn't coincide with those of most people in the Hollywood area.
"I never wanted to be an actor," he said. Instead, Koutsopoulos had a spiritual calling.
After high school, Koutsopoulos attended Lutheran Bible Institute in Anaheim, and later transferred to Concordia University where he earned a BA in Religious Studies, with a minor in Greek.
During his junior year in college at Concordia, Koutsopoulos met his wife Stephanie, who graduated with a BS in Behavioral Science from Concordia. She has done extensive work with developmentally disabled adults, and Koutsopoulos considers her to be blessed with a gift in this area.
They were married in July of 1989, and the following year they moved to Ephrata, Wash. There Koutsopoulos completed a Pastoral Ministries internship at Holy Trinity Church. Through his Bible college years, Koutsopoulos desired to teach religious studies at the college level, but he said, "After a year of internship in Pastoral Ministry, I realized this is where I was headed."
Koutsopoulos finished his final year of school, earning a Master of Divinity at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn. Then he and Stephanie headed back to Southern California, where he served as a full-time pastor for Laguna Mission Lutheran Church, a congregation of 400.
In 2001, Koutsopoulos taught Biblical Studies one day a week at Concordia University in addition to his pastoral duties at the church.
Most recently, Koutsopoulos served a small church in LaMirada, Calif. as a Transformational Pastor. He worked very hard for three years to grow a struggling congregation of six to 51.
Koutsopoulos' main points of focus for Our Savior's Lutheran Church are evangelism - growing as a church body and reaching out to the community; being active with the youth of the community with the purpose to educate and encourage; Bible education, as continual learning is the key to growth; and worship that speaks to and reaches people.
Gary and Stephanie have four sons. Alex is 11; Benjamin is nine; Steven is four; and Thomas is nearly 2.
Koutsopoulos said it was difficult for them to leave their friends and family in California. In fact, the day before they left, Alex cried, "This is the most emotional day of my life." However, Koutsopoulos knows and has tried to assure his sons that change grows comfortable over time, and they are sure to make many new friends. Koutsopoulos said they love Prineville so far, and they believe, "God is calling us to serve this church."
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