Church Phone [432-366-9311]

Church

Emmanuel Lutheran

Pastor Loudenback was born in Clinton, Oklahoma on August 21, 1934.  His father was a piano teacher and his mother a teacher in public schools.  Upon graduation from Lawton High School in Lawton, Oklahoma, in May of 1953, he began his college training at Cameron State College.  After completing two years at Cameron, he moved to Long Beach, California, where he was employed by Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company as a switchman.

During this time, he enrolled at Long Beach State University, where he continued to work toward a Bachelor's Degree, with a major in music and a minor in biology.  It was during his training at LBSU that he met and married Linda Craft, of Whittier, California, who was also studying toward a degree in music.  They were married in December of 1964.  They have four children, Donald, Jennifer, Daniel and Nancy; and nine grandchildren.

In June of 1973, he entered Concordia Theological Seminary at Springfield, Illinois with a view to entering the ministry of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  He spent his vicarage at Zion Lutheran Church, Bismarck, North Dakota, and graduated from the seminary in May of 1977 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where the seminary was relocated.

Pastor Loudenback has served in the parish ministries of Faith and Grace Lutheran Churches, Dexter and Malden Missouri; Trinity Lutheran Church, Riesel, Texas; St. John's Lutheran Church, Galveston, Texas; and Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Brenham, Texas, and finally, Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Odessa, Texas.  In addition, he served as Assistant Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Brenham, Texas and vacancy Pastor at Our Shepherd Lutheran Church, Crosby, Texas and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Cleveland, Texas.  He has taught music (band and choir) for a total of 14 years.