Senior Pastor – Phil Congdon

Pastor Phil was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, one of twelve children. His dad and mom taught Bible college for many years, and Phil trusted Christ as Savior at the age of five. Phil is a graduate of Multnomah Bible College and Dallas Theological Seminary.

During Bible college, Phil served on ministry teams to rural churches, and in music and children’s ministry in Portland, Oregon. During seminary, he spent a summers in Nigeria preaching and teaching Bible Study methods, and in Saudi Arabia leading a high school and college ministry. Upon graduation, he became Youth Pastor in a church near Sydney, Australia. During his three years there, he met and married his wife Jenny.

During the subsequent 25+ years of ministry, they have been involved in church planting, pastoral ministry, and teaching Bible college. In 2004, New Braunfels Bible Church invited Phil to become its first pastor.

Phil and Jenny have 8 children (Sarah, Ben, Rebekah, Joseph, Abby, Lydia, Caleb, and Joshua), and two granddaughters, Emma and Caroline. In his spare time, Phil enjoys sports, music, reading, and good movies. He is passionate about the clear, undiluted, and unencumbered presentation of the gospel of grace, the free gift of God of eternal life through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, apart from works.

Worship Leader – Sean O’Connor

Sean was born and raised in South Austin. His family did not attend church regularly when he was growing up, but his parents came to faith when he was a teenager. Sean attended church reluctantly, with the prodding of his parents and a long-time friend. On December 12th, 2000, Fellowship Church’s youth pastor shared the gospel of grace with him over lunch. He prayed to receive Christ that day, and has been following Him since.

Sean moved to San Marcos in 2002 to attend Texas State University where he became involved in Campus Crusade for Christ. During a Crusade conference, God laid leading worship music on Sean’s heart. He began leading worship for Crusade’s Thursday night campus meetings and Fellowship Church’s youth group in the Fall of 2002.

In the summer of 2004, Sean had the opportunity to be Fellowship’s worship ministry intern under a seasoned worship pastor. He learned a great deal about worship ministry and his passion for leading worship continued to develop. That same year, Sean met his wife, Kristine, after she was invited to Fellowship by a friend and joined his small group. They were married in 2006, and now have three children.

Sean received his degree in Communication Studies in 2007, and moved his family to New Braunfels in 2009 for a job opportunity. In his spare time he enjoys reading, listening to and playing acoustic guitar, and watching movies with Kristine. He is thrilled God has called him to usher the Church into His presence for worship, and loves seeing God’s people develop as worshippers and grow in their understanding of grace.

Church Secretary – Sharon Ogrin

Sharon was born in San Antonio and has remained a Texan ever since. She grew up with two brothers and two sisters (one being her identical twin) in the Garden Ridge area, where her parents still reside. She participated in Vocational Office Education in high school and has continued working in the secretarial field throughout her career. Sharon has in the past worked with her husband in Houston at High Meadow Ranch Golf Club which he designed, along with employment by Stone Oak Development, Frost Bank, Guadalupe Valley Telephone, and New Braunfels Christian Academy.

She is married to David and they have four grown children, Amy (1988), Jessica (1989), Dana (1992),  and Clark (1993) along with two grandchildren, Danzig and Pepper Jo.   Sharon and her husband, a professional golfer and instructor at the Alamo City Golf Trail in San Antonio, have traveled over half of their 30 years of marriage on the PGA Golf circuit. Her most memorable trip was to Ireland for the Ryder Cup.

She has volunteered in the past with MOPS as craft chairman and child-care coordinator, AWANAS as a Cubbie listener, and Young Lives as a mentor. She currently helps out in the nursery, oversees various ladies’ activities, and cooks meals for those in need.  Her favorite things in life include sister trips, floating the river, long lunches with girlfriends, and spending time with her family.

Sharon continues to grow closer to the Lord through exciting, and sometimes challenging experiences in her life. Through it all, she still remains faithful to our ever-loving God and welcomes opportunities to share with others.

Mother’s Day Out Director – Amy Hannah

Amy Hannah was born and raised in New Braunfels.   After high school, she moved to College Station to attend Texas A&M University, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences.  While she was there, she met her husband, Johnathan Hannah, and they have been happily married since 2012.  After college, they moved to Dallas where she worked in the travel and hospitality industry.  Two years ago, their journey brought them back home and they have been in New Braunfels ever since.

Amy and John have two daughters, Harper (born in 2014) and Emily (born in 2016) who have both loved attending MDO.  While her background is in travel and sales, she is so excited to be taking on the new role as MDO Director.  She truly feels that this is where God has led her and can’t wait to see where this adventure leads.  She is always looking for new opportunities to serve the Lord and it is so exciting that God found such a unique way to mold service and work together, in a way she never imagined possible.

Church Treasurer – Mike Diver

Mike was born and raised in a small town in the Northwest Montana Rockies called Whitefish near Glacier Park. He grew up fishing and hunting and enjoying all forms of summer and winter activities. He attended high school in Minot, North Dakota and undergraduate college in Moorhead, Minnesota. While attending college, he worked as a night and weekend butcher and shift manager for a small family owned neighborhood grocery store and as a manager trainee in a local family owned hardware chain. After earning his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management, Mike entered the U.S. Army as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Intelligence Corps.

Mike met and married his wife Karen in El Paso, Texas after a tour of duty in Vietnam as a reconnaissance and surveillance pilot. They have three children, Nathan (1985), Riley (1987), and Kaitlin (1991).

After serving 29 years in Army Intelligence and fixed wing aviation, Mike retired from the Army in 1999 as a Colonel. While in the Army, he served in various staff positions throughout the world and commanded intelligence and aviation units at all levels, most notably at the NATO military headquarters in Mons, Belgium during the crises in Bosnia and Desert Storm and the fall of the Berlin Wall. As a capstone assignment, he served as Director of Intelligence for Joint Staff Force Six in El Paso leading 65 men and women from all services in providing intelligence, analytical and architectural support to law enforcement agencies nationwide in the fight against illegal drug production, distribution, and use.

After retirement from the Army, Mike served for a year as the Archuletta County Veteran’s Affairs Officer in Pagosa Springs, Colorado and subsequently moved his family to New Braunfels in 2001. He soon entered Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos to earn his Masters in Secondary Education. After a brief period as a high school math and business teacher in Schertz and New Braunfels, in 2004, Mike began working as the Church Administrator and bookkeeper for New Braunfels Bible Church. Mike and Karen are Charter Members of the church, having been part of the original group to spawn from Northeast Bible Church in Garden Ridge in 2003.

Mike and Karen have lived throughout the U. S. as well as overseas in Germany, Belgium, Italy, and Japan, and Mike has also served in the Republic of Vietnam and Honduras. They have traveled and enjoyed many other foreign countries in their 12 years of overseas living. Mike also has a second master’s degree in Electronic Systems Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterrey, California. Karen has worked in administration, banking, and real estate, has a flair for foreign languages, and enjoys meeting new people.

Mike has served as a volunteer in other locations in a multitude of church ministries; as a deacon, council president, secretary, and treasurer, church school superintendent, bible teacher for 2 year old through adult, and AWANA leader. He has also served as a Scout leader and little league and adult softball coach.

Church Administrator – Dennis Kirchner

I was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and grew up near the small town of Andover.   As a boy I enjoyed hunting, fishing, working on a farm, all kind of snow sports, plus working on cars and a lot of other things with engines.  Shortly after graduating high school in 1981, I enlisted in the Air Force.  My first Air Force specialty (vocation) was working on conventional and nuclear weapons on bombers, fighters and helicopters.  Eventually my specialty changed to Airfield Navigational Aids and Weather Equipment maintenance.  Changing again, the last specialty I held was Manpower and Personnel. Throughout my 28 years in the Air Force I was stationed in various places; Germany, Turkey, North Dakota, South Dakota, Mississippi, Colorado, Utah and Texas.  I retired from the Air Force in the rank of Chief Master Sergeant.

After retiring from the Air Force, I spent five years working for the US Postal Service as a postal clerk in seven different post offices in the Rio Grande District, headquartered here in San Antonio.  Before joining the Air Force, I thought I probably would never have an opportunity to obtain a higher education.  However, God provided the opportunities, blessing me with a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources from Colorado Christian University and three associate degrees in Electronics, General Maintenance, and Human Resources from the Community College of the Air Force.  I also attended in residence Professional Military Education schools such as the Non-Commissioned Officer Academy and the Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Academy.

At the age of 19 years I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior and began my new life in Christ.  Each Air Force assignment meant attending with a new local body of believers in worship, service, and fellowship.  I have had the opportunity to serve the Lord in Youth for Christ, various Air Force Chapel programs, church youth programs, constructing a church building, Sunday School teaching and being a Deacon.  Each new church taught me how God can work with all kinds of people, with different methods, in furthering His kingdom.  Same God, same Truth expressing and working itself out in different ways.

I have been married to my wife Heidi for 37 years. We have two children, Evie and Gretchen, and four grandchildren, Dita, Sterlyn, Ritter and Blaza.  I have been attending New Braunfels Bible Church since 2009.  I attribute my spiritual growth here at New Braunfels to the preaching and teaching of God’s Word, opportunities to serve, fellowship, and Small Groups.

I look forward to serving the Body of Christ here at New Braunfels Bible Church as your Church Administrator.

Associate Pastor – Gary Armstrong

Gary is originally from Indianapolis, Indiana. He is married to his wife (Chela) and has three wonderful sons Zach, Keaton and Garrett. Gary came to faith in Christ at 10 years of age through the ministry of a summer bible camp.

All through his teens years, Gary wandered from the Lord and experienced many hardships as a result.  It wasn’t until his early twenties, after getting married, that Gary surrendered His life to God and came back into fellowship with Him.

Soon after that, Gary, along with Chela and their two small sons, moved to upstate New York to attended Word of Life Bible Institute. Gary went on to graduate from Appalachian Bible College and Piedmont International University.

God has continued to work in Gary and Chela’s life, taking them across the country to serve in various ministries. They have been blessed to learn so much along the way and continue to learn about God’s amazing grace. 

God called Gary & Chela to serve with New Braunfels Bible Church in 2016 as the Associate Pastor of Youth and Young Adults.

Gary enjoys watching NFL football (Go Colts!), playing golf, ultimate Frisbee, and getting to know people. He is available to talk with anyone who may need help or encouragement in their walk with Jesus.

Children’s Ministry Director – Cara Hicks

Cara Hicks has attended NBBC for almost 15 years with her husband of 22 years, Lee Hicks. Lee and Cara met at what is now Texas State University in January of 1995.  They were married June 29, 1996.   They have a family of 7 kids starting with twin 16 year olds to a 1 year old.  God had a profound effect on both her and Lee’s faith as He worked and continues to work on their hearts through their children and the children of others.  Though she believed in Jesus at a very young age of 6 her heart discovered the incredible and powerful grace of God closer to her being 30. She studied many subjects and obtained a double major in Anthropology and History with a minor in Geography.  She found that often these subjects were explored without the presence of God or divine design but with each class her faith grew stronger because of the absence of explanation of the answers people sought.  God was the only answer and Jesus the great redeemer. In obtaining her degree in 1998 from a fairly godless place God revealed himself to her and would do it again.  After being married for a few years they desired to have a family but soon discovered Cara had some issues that presented many difficulties.  Though many tears were shed, and many prayers prayed after about two years of fertility treatments they discovered they were expecting twins.  Caleb and Declan entered this world small but determined in 2002 and almost exactly 4 years later without fertility treatments, Avelinn would enter their lives. Brennan would follow in 2009, Euri in 2011, and Faelen in 2014 (6 days after Avelinn’s 8th birthday).  After 2 losses Ghlenna blessed their lives in 2017. Though they had many a scare in each birth with stunted growth and breech births, a knot in a cord, placental breakdown and nuchal cord, the flu, and other happenings God provided and gave peace.  He sustained and exceeded our human expectation.

Cara enjoys the outdoors, hiking, discovering the beauty around her, and camping (in their travel trailer because she is a bit of a wimp and loves comforts and air conditioning).  She loves working in the yard and changing things up with different designs.  She loves seeing things created out of what some would consider nothing.  She started an adventure in homeschooling with all her kiddos in 2015.  She has learned a lot about herself and her family in the process and continues to learn on a day to day basis.  One important lesson is taking everything day by day and let God provide for that day and not worry for the next.  She is very excited for what God has in store as she steps into the role as NBBC Children’s Ministry Director but knows that with each day, with much prayer and petition, God will indeed provide.