New lead pastor to be installed at Batavia church
On Sunday, Oct. 16, the Rev. Eric Kennaugh will be installed as lead pastor at 2:30 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 950 Hart Road in Batavia.
The service will take place in Immanuel's Family Life Center, with a reception immediately afterward.
The sermon will be offered by the Rev. Larry Tieman of Immanuel Lutheran in Crystal Lake. Tieman was the associate pastor at the church where Kennaugh was a seminary field worker. The community is invited to participate in this special event.
Pastor Kennaugh was born in Royal Oak, Michigan, and attended Western Michigan University. He graduated in 1995 with bachelor of arts degrees in history and Latin and a minor in medieval studies. He and his wife, Amy, were married on May 25, 1996. The following year, he attended the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and studied Byzantine history.
It was while he was in D.C. that Pastor Kennaugh joined Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Bethesda, Maryland. Following encouragement from friends at Pilgrim, he moved to St. Louis, Missouri, and began studies at the Concordia Seminary. He served his vicarage at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Brunswick, Ohio and received his master of divinity degree May 18, 2001. Following his ordination in 2001, he accepted a call to be the associate pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he served until 2003. While at Trinity, he served as a zone counselor for the Lutheran Women's Missionary League.
In December 2003, Pastor Kennaugh was installed as pastor of Risen Christ Lutheran Church, Springfield, Ohio. While at Risen Christ he led the congregation through several transitions. They started Risen Christ Lutheran School, converted to policy-based governance, added a contemporary worship service, and built a sanctuary. Pastor Kennaugh served as the pastoral counselor for the Lutheran Women's Missionary League Ohio District Convention. He served on the board of directors for the Marriage Resource Center of the Miami Valley. He also was very active serving the Ohio District as an executive coach and board of directors member for CoachAdvance, as a consultant for the Transforming Congregations Network of the Ohio District, and was a member of the Ohio District Church Extension Fund Board of Trustees.
He joined the staff at Immanuel as associate pastor in 2014. Pastor Kennaugh and his wife, Amy, have three daughters, Mikayla, Jocelyn and Kera.
For details, call (630) 879-7163 or visit www.immanuelbatavia.org. Follow www.facebook.com/Immanuelchurchandschool/.