About the Pastor
Pastor Mary Lou Baumgartner has been serving at King of Kings since 2009. A graduate of St. Olaf College (Northfield, MN) and Luther Seminary (St. Paul, MN), she also attended the Japanese Missionary Language Institute and the Japan Lutheran Theological Seminary (Tokyo, Japan). She has also served internships in Los Angeles, CA and Edina, MN. In 2020 she earned the degree of Doctor of Ministry at Luther Seminary. Prior to coming to King of Kings she was the pastor of Salem Lutheran Church (Toledo, OH) for two decades.
At King of Kings, Pastor Mary Lou preaches and leads worship, oversees our educational programming, supports congregational teams in their ministries, and coaches leaders. She is available for individual and family pastoral care in homes, nursing homes, etc. as well as for baptisms, weddings, and funerals. Committed to ministry in the community as well as in the congregation, Pastor Mary Lou currently serves as the Secretary of the Greater Newburgh Interfaith Council and as the Dean of the Delaware-Hudson Conference of the Metro New York Synod of the ELCA.
History of King of Kings
King of Kings was founded in 1962 as a mission congregation of the Lutheran Church in America and joined the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in 1988. Initially worshipping at the Vails Gate Fire Station, the congregation moved to its current location in 1968. Subsequent renovations were completed in 1978 and 2000.
The congregation has been active in many community agencies, such as Habitat for Humanity, Newburgh Ministries, Family Promise, Youth Advocacy Program, as well as in Lutheran Social Service organizations, such as ELCA World Hunger, Lutheran World Relief, and The ELCA Malaria Fund. We also host community groups such as AA and Boy Scouts and work closely with the Town of New Windsor, which is located adjacent to our property.