Senior
Pastor
Rev.
Matthew P. Jacobs
Pastor
Matthew Peter Jacobs was born on March 4, 1957 to Richard
and Gwenda Jacobs of Hamlin, New York. Pastor Jacobs
is the oldest of five children in the Jacobs family.
Pastor Jacobs was baptized into the Christian Faith
on March 17, 1957 at St. John Lutheran Church of Hamlin,
New York. Pastor Jacobs was confirmed in the Christian
Faith on May 30, 1971at St. Paul Lutheran Church of
Hilton, New York. Pastor Jacobs also benefited from
a Christian education and is an Eighth Grade graduate
of St. Paul Lutheran Day School in Hilton, New York.
Following graduation from Hilton High School in June
1975, Pastor Jacobs came to Texas and Earned a Bachelors
Degree in Biology from Texas Lutheran College in Seguin
in 1979. It was in Seguin that he met the lovely Melissa
Griffin. They were married September 17, 1980. Pastor
and Melissa have been blessed by the Lord with the gift
of four children and six grandchildren.
Following
graduation from college, Pastor Jacobs worked in the
environmental field of water and waste treatment. In
the fall of 1985 the Jacobs family moved to Ft. Wayne,
Indiana where Pastor Jacobs began his studies for the
Holy Ministry at Concordia Theological Seminary. Pastor
Jacobs served his vicarage year and the year following
at a vacant parish, Bethany Lutheran Church of Connersville,
Indiana. Pastor Jacobs received a Master of Divinity
Degree from Concordia Theological Seminary in May of
1989.
Pastor
Jacobs has served as a Pastor at Grace Lutheran in Brenham
since August 1993. He began his ministry at Grace as
the Associate Pastor. He accepted the Call to serve
as Grace's Senior Pastor in September 1996. He presently
serves also as the Circuit Counselor for Circuit #32
of the Texas District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri
Synod. Prior to serving at Grace Pastor Jacobs also
served parishes in Eden and West Sinton, Texas. He has
also been privileged to serve as a Vacancy Pastor at
Brady, Menard, Alice, William Penn, and Lyons, Texas.
Associate
Pastor
Rev.
William H. Holzer
I
would like to introduce Pastor William Howard Holzer.
He was born September 23 in Decatur, Illinois to Howard
J. and (Constance) Joanne (Dunkel) Holzer and was baptized
December 2, 1956 in Pilgrim Lutheran Church of Decatur.
He was confirmed on May 17, 1970 at Pilgrim. His confirmation
verse is John 3:16. He attended J.J. Pershing Elementary
School and Mound Middle School. Pastor Holzer graduated
from MacArthur High School on June 4, 1974. While in
high school he worked as a newspaper boy, at a movie
theater, at a Dairy Queen and as a busboy and food carrier
at the Brown Jug Restaurant in Decatur.
Pastor
Holzer attended Army Basis ROTC summer camp at Ft. Knox,
Kentucky in the summer of 1974. In the fall he enrolled
at the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, New
Mexico. He graduated from the New Mexico Military Institute
on May 15, 1976 with an Associate of Arts degree. He
attended the Army Advanced ROTC summer camp at Ft. Riley,
Kansas in the summer of 1976 where he completed his
Army ROTC training. He graduated from Eastern Illinois
University on May 13, 1978 with a Bachelor of Arts in
History. He was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha social
fraternity and served as president. During his college
years Pastor Holzer worked as a construction laborer
and helped build the Herald and Review Newspaper building,
parts of Interstate 72 around Decatur, Stephen Decatur
High School, the library at Millikin University, an
addition to Decatur Memorial Hospital (where he was
born), and the sewer treatment plant in Forsyth, Illinois
along with several other projects.
Pastor
Holzer was commissioned in the United States Army as
an Armor second Lieutenant on May 26, 1978 at the University
of Illinois. He entered active duty in March 1979 at
Ft. Knox, Kentucky and completed the Armor Officer Basic
Course in June. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion,
32nd Armored Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Armored Division
(Spearhead) located in Frieberg, FRG and served as a
tank platoon leader, company executive officer and battalion
motor officer returning to the USA in December 1982.
He completed the Armor Officer Advanced Course at Ft.
Knox in July of 1983. He was assigned to the Material
Management Center, Headquarters, Division Support Command
of the 2nd Armored Division (Hell on Wheels) at Ft.
Hood, Texas in September 1983 as the Force Modernization
Officer. He commanded the Headquarters and Headquarters
Company of the 3rd Battalion, 66 Armored Regiment from
August 1984 until July of 1985. He served in the active
reserve from 1985 to 1987 in the 520th Maintenance Battalion
at St. Louis, Missouri. In the summer of 1987 he completed
the resident course of the Combined Arms Services Staff
School at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. In 1990 he was promoted
to major and completed correspondence course of the
Command and General Staff Officers College. He remained
in the inactive reserve until his retirement in October
of 1998.
Pastor
Holzer began his theological education at Concordia
Seminary, St. Louis, MO in September 1985. He served
his vicarage at Trinity Lutheran Church, Denver, CO
from 1987-8. He graduated from Concordia Seminary with
a Master of Divinity in 1990. He was ordained at King
of Kings Lutheran Church, San Antonio, Texas on January
7, 1990 and installed as Assistant Pastor. He served
as pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, Mart, Texas from
1991 until 1997. In April of 1997 he was installed as
Associate Pastor of Grace, Brenham. He has continued
his theological education through numerous extension
courses offered by Concordia Theological Seminary.
Pastor
Holzer married Tina Marie Dunn on February 1, 1991 in
San Antonio. Tina came equipped with two sons: George
John Daniel (Danny) Baugh (2/28/81) and Robert Michael
Baugh (7/6/82). They have been blessed with four children.
Tina works in the Financial Aid office of Blinn College
here in Brenham. Danny Baugh, with wife Stephanie (married
7/5/08), is serving in the Army, Danny has one son,
Riley. Robert Baugh is assistant to the assistant manager
at the local Dominos Pizza. Howard William (1/31/92),
Emily Marie (6/30/92), Karl William (5/26/95), and Mary
Katherine (1/3/97) attend school here in Brenham.
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