Hi! My name is Barb Koch (pronounced “cook”). It is my joy to be the pastor at Mt. Zion – St. Luke Lutheran Church here in Oglethorpe, Georgia. I have been here since January 3, 2016, and my husband, Duck, and I have enjoyed being a part of this church and the surrounding community. Oglethorpe is a good place to live, and we have felt welcome from the beginning! 

One of the things I like best about being the pastor at MZSL is the many ways we join with other churches in the area to do ministry together. It's good to have good neighbors! 

I love planning and leading worship, especially when I can get creative and change it up with a skit or a solo with my guitar, or get in character to tell a Bible story from a first-person perspective.  

I am a Certified Spiritual Director, and am available by appointment to meet monthly with persons who want to deepen their prayer life or develop a closer relationship with God. For those who want to be a part of the contemplative life, I lead a weekly Centering Prayer group in the sanctuary on Tuesday mornings. I enjoy teaching the Spiritual disciplines, and helping people discover the mystery of God in all things. 





  And, of course, when you see me, my husband, Duck, will usually be somewhere close by. Prior to following me around the country, he was a nursing home administrator, but now he is a small business owner in downtown Oglethorpe. He is a certified motorcycle mechanic, and works out of his own shop down town, across from the court house. We have three grown children and five grandchildren between us, all who live far away, which is no fun.  But, thank God for Facebook!

I enjoy kayaking, reading mystery novels, gardening, strong coffee, dark chocolate, writing poetry and taking long rides in the country with Duck on the back of one of his BMW motorcycles.  (I don't drive, I just hang on!)

If you are in need of a pastor, want someone to prayer with and for you, or just want to have a lively discussion about things of God, give me a call! We'll talk.  

Peace, Pastor Barb <><