Rev. Ken Owens

 
Hi!  I’m Ken Owens, and I’m honored to be the new senior pastor at Lexington United Methodist Church.  I know some about your great history, powerful ministries, and passionate staff, and I’m very much looking forward to learning more about my new congregation.  However, even more than that, I’m looking forward to getting to know each of you individually, hearing your stories, and discovering how God is working in your lives.  God is very real to me, and I can’t wait to see how He reveals himself to you.

Let me begin by introducing you to my family.  First is my wife Kathy.  She and I have been married for seven years.  Kathy works with Edward Jones Investments, and hopes to continue working with them in the Lexington area.  Her passion, however, is her family.  She will tell you she does not have any hobbies to speak of, since she chooses to spend all her spare time enjoying her family.  She also spends as much time as possible in Spartanburg visiting with her step-dad, who is under hospice care, and helping out her mother.   So she would covet your prayers for her parents.

Together, Kathy and I have three daughters.  Danielle is 25 and lives in Spartanburg.  She is an Erskine alum, and works at the Safe Homes/Rape Crisis Coalition.  Jodi is 23, and has recently returned home in order to complete her nursing degree at Midlands Tech.  Megan is 21, and also lives at home with us as she completes her degree.  She has attended Converse College and Winthrop University.  She is now weighing her options with both USC and Columbia College to create an interdisciplinary major in Family and Consumer Sciences.  The last member of our household is Chance.  Although he is technically Jodi’s dog, we all claim him.  She rescued him from the pound, giving him a second “chance”. 

Now, about me:  I’ve been a husband, a father, one half of a clergy couple, a widower, a single parent, a dating pastor, a newly wed (again), and the dad in a blended family.  I’ve served as a pastor for about 20 years.  As a matter of fact, in the 90’s, I served in the Columbia District at Lebanon UMC.  From there I went to the Spartanburg District (my hometown) to organize a brand new church, in which your apportionments helped to pay my salary and purchase the land where the church now stands.  So thank you very much for your faithfulness in paying your apportionments.  I was one of the missionaries that you supported.  I’ve also had the privilege of being the pastor to a special retired missionary couple that has powerful ties to Lexington UMC, Will and Agnes Rogers.

I am a graduate of Wofford College and Emory University.   However ------ to some of you this is probably the worst thing you’ll find out about me, but here it is ----- I was a graduate assistant in the history department at the University of Georgia.  I’m a Bulldog!

I enjoy singing, spending time outdoors, feeding the birds, good competition (like college football), reading, matchbox cars, popcorn, and ice cream.  I especially like being a dad and dating my wife.

As I’m getting to know you, you might notice that I like to find out unusual things about people, so here are three unusual things about me. 

Number 1: When I was growing up we had all sorts of pets, including a pet skunk named Bo.  He was de-scented.  But when he was mad, he’d still turn his back and try to spray you.

Number 2:  I was 45 years old -- just a couple of years ago -- before I lost my first grandparent.  Now both of my grandfathers are gone, but both of my grandmothers are still living.

And, number 3: I once pastored both Dickie and Brenda Knight’s mothers. 

So, there I am in a nutshell.  Now, I’m looking forward to getting to know you and discovering how God intends to use us together.  On this journey, I will covet your prayers and support, and be assured that I will be praying for you as well.  Together, we start a new chapter.  Won’t it be exciting to see where God leads us!