Our Staff & Council

The Reverend Veronika Czutor

Pastor

Photo of Pastor Veronika smiling. She has pale skin, hazel eyes and brown hair pulled back in a bun. She is wearing a white alb and a red stole with an outline of a dove on it.

Pastor Veronika (she/her) brings a unique perspective to our congregation. Growing up in the charming town of Szabadkígyós in Hungary, she was raised by her Roma father and non-Roma mother, instilling in her a deep appreciation for diversity and inclusion. Her journey to ministry started in Rome, Italy, where she worked at the bishop’s office of a bilingual (German-Italian) church. She came to the USA when she received a scholarship to study theology at Lutheran School of Theology Chicago and later she earned her Masters of Divinity from Luther Seminary. 
Along the way, Pastor Veronika served in multiple congregations across the nation. In new missional ministry positions, like cross-generational and young adult ministries, she responded to her call to serve all members of the Almighty’s diverse family. 
When she’s not inspiring us from the pulpit, Pastor Veronika dedicates her free time to rescuing and nurturing animals, a reflection of her commitment to respecting all of God’s creation. Fun fact: she’s also a huge fan of salsa music, infusing her life and ministry with rhythm and joy. 
Join us at Central Lutheran Church and experience the warmth, compassion, and vibrant energy that Pastor Veronika brings to our community!

Pastor Veronika’s office hours are 10am-2pm, Tuesday- Friday or by appointment.
To contact Pastor Veronika, send her an email at pastor@centrallutheran.org

Dr. Joseph Henry

Music Director

Dr. Joe Henry (he/him) has spent his life as a teacher, a performer and as a church music director. 
He has taught at Grambling State University (Grambling, Louisiana), Louisiana Tech University (Ruston, LA), the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN), Concordia University (St. Paul, MN),) and Union County College (Cranford, NJ). He currently teaches piano at the Dallas Music Academy in Dallas and at Prime Music Institute in Plano.
He has served Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran and Methodist communities as a choir director, music director, organist and vocal soloist for over forty years in Minnesota, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, Louisiana, and Texas.
His degrees in piano performance are from the Cleveland Institute of Music (BM, MM) and the Manhattan School of Music (DMA)  His degrees in organ performance are from the University of Minnesota (MM, DMA).
He is a veteran of the U.S. Army, and served as a piano player and as a chaplain assistant in eight different army units over a period of twenty one years. He is also a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Romania 1998-2000).
To contact Joe, send him an email at music@centrallutheran.org.

Rachel Brown

Administrative Assistant

Photo of Rachel smiling. She has pale skin, blue eyes, and brown hair. She is wearing a grey sweater.

Rachel Brown (she/her) has been the administrative assistant at Central Lutheran Church since November 2022. When you call or email the office, Rachel will be the one you talk to. She has her B.A. in Professional and Technical Communication from the University of North Texas. Her other career is freelance copywriting. In her free time, Rachel enjoys petting every dog she sees and reading LGBTQ+ novels. Ask her for book recommendations!


Rachel’s office hours are 10am-2pm, Monday-Friday (except federal holidays).
To contact the office, email office@centrallutheran.org or call 214-327-2222.

Bill Slingerland

Caretaker

Photo of Bill smiling. He has pale skin, brown eyes and grey hair. He is wearing a green shirt and has sunglasses on top of his head.

Bill Slingerland (he/him) has been the part time caretaker at Central Lutheran since the Fall of 2023. He was first involved with Central through the Al-Anon meetings the church hosts twice a week. Bill’s first career was as a house painter. He has lived in the White Rock Lake neighborhood for quite a few years. In his spare time, Bill enjoys hiking and bicycling the trails around the lake.

Harold Knight, PhD

Music Director Emeritus

Photo of Harold wearing a purple choir robe playing the piano. He has fair skin, grey hair and is wearing glasses.

Harold Knight (he/him) he has played organ and conducted choirs in Lutheran or Episcopal churches continuously since 1965.
He is a Nebraskan who has lived in California, Iowa, Massachusetts, and Dallas. He earned his B.M. degree in organ performance at the University of Redlands in California and his doctorate in Organ Literature from the University of Iowa. He has taught in three colleges. He came to Dallas in 1994. He is a writer and came to Dallas to study creative writing at the University of Texas at Dallas. Hymnology – the study of hymns– has been a major focus of Harold’s work. That focus is the center of his love of making and teaching church music. Harold has many interests: his cats, opera and musicals, reading and writing fiction, the Lutheran church in Palestine, finding every Japanese restaurant in DFW, and walking at the Frazier Dam Recreation Area.

Our Council

The council is our group of lay leaders who represent different ministry fields. They meet on the second Sunday of every month after worship in the Parish Hall. All church members can attend any council meeting.

Our council members for 2024 are as follows:

President- Jan Moody (jmzmoody@att.net)
Vice President- Ted Steinke (ts@tedsteinke.com)
Secretary- Linnea Castillo
Treasurer- Janis Farrow (farrowcpa@sbcglobal.net)
Administration- Mark Moody (mtmoody@att.net)
Worship- Mary Glenn (maryglenn1963@gmail.com)
Education/ Youth/ Activities- Carrie Enocksen
Evangelism/ Mission & Outreach- Jeff Lowry (lowryj1@yahoo.com)