Living Grace Lutheran Church

The Reverend David E. Hardy

Biography

PASTOR DAVID HARDY, A NATIVE OF NORTH CAROLINA, IS A GRADUATE OF LENOIR RHYNE COLLEGE IN HICKORY, NC, AND A GRADUATE OF WATERLOO LUTHERAN SEMINARY IN WATERLOO, ONTARIO, CANADA.  UPON BEING ORDAINED BY THE NC SYNOD, PASTOR HARDY CHOSE TO START HIS MINISTRY AT TRINITY LUTHERAN IN ST. JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND, THE MOST EASTERLY LUTHERAN PARISH IN NORTH AMERICA.  HIS SECOND CALL, WHERE HE SERVED MORE THAN 10 YEARS, WAS TO ZION LUTHERAN IN SAULT STE. MARIE, ONTARIO.

FROM 1987 THROUGH 1997, PASTOR HARDY WORKED IN THE INERNATIONAL SETTING AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR CANADIAN LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF IN WINNIPEG MANITOBA.  IT WAS HIS RESPONSIBILITY TO DIRECT ALL THE THIRD WORLD EMERGENCY RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT WORK FOR THE LUTHERAN CHURCHES OF CANADA.  HE HAS TRAVELED EXTENSIVELY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD IN THIS CAPACITY AND HAS BEEN TOUCHED BY THE LIVES OF MANY.  FOR HIS WORK, THE UNITED EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCHES OF INDIA HONORED HIM WITH THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF DIVINITY.  IN 1996, DR. HARDY ALSO LIVED FOR SIX WEEKS IN EAST JERUSALEM, THE MOUNT OF OLIVES, WHILE ON A SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT FOR THE LUTEHRAN WORLD FEDERATION.  WHILE LIVING IN WINNIPEG, PASTOR ALSO SERVED AS INTERIM PASTOR OF ST. LUKE’S FROM JANUARY 1997 UNTIL HIS CALL TO ATLANTA.

IN MARCH 1997, PASTOR RECEIVED A CALL TO SERVE ST. MATTHEW LUTHERAN CHURCH IN ATLANTA, GA AND BEGAN SERVING IN MAY OF THAT YEAR UNTIL PRESENT, 20 YEARS AGO.  HE BEGAN TALKS TO MERGE ST. MATTHEW AND ST. MICHAEL CONGREGATIONS AND LATER THEN NEW LIVING GRACE LUTHEAN CONGREGATION BOUGHT PROPERTY IN TUCKER AND BUILT THE CHURCH WE NOW WORSHIP IN, 11 YEARS AGO.

PASTOR HARDY HAS SERVED THE CHURCH IN VARIOUS ELECTED AND APPOINTED POSITIONS AND HAS BEEN A CONSULTANT TO THE LUTHERAN WORLD FEDERATION.  HE HAS ALSO BEEN ACTIVE IN COMMUNITY WORK, TWICE HAVING BEEN NAMED A VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR.  HE CURRENTLY SERVES AS CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF LUTHERAN SERVICES OF GEORGIA.

IN HIS LEISURE TIME, GOLFING IS A SPORT WHICH HE ENJOYS, IS AN INVETERATE COLLECTOR, ENJOYS READING EXTENSIVELY, AND WITH HIS WIFE, COOKING.  HE AND MARLENE ARE RECENTLY BACK FROM A TRIP TO CANADA WHERE THEY VISITED IN WINNIPEG AND SAULT STE. MARIE AND WORSHIPPED IN FORMER CHURCHES.

PASTOR HARDY AND MARLENE ARE PARENTS OF ALLISON (JAMES COMBEE), KATHRYN (CHRIS CASTRO) MATTHEW (JODIE) AND MICHAEL, AND PASTOR IS THE DEARLY LOVED “GAGEE” TO JAMIE, AARON AND JONATHAN COMBEE AND SOPHIA AND JAXXON HARDY.

Stephen (Steve) Honeychurch grew up in North Carolina, where he began his musical career at the age of fourteen, serving for four years as organist at Bethel Lutheran Church in Salisbury, North Carolina.  After high school graduation, Steve served in the United States Army as a bandsman, where he played the oboe.  During his band service, he was a member of the Third U. S. Army Band at Fort MacPherson, Georgia.  He received his Bachelor of Music degree from Louisiana State University with a double major in organ and oboe performance.  Steve has served numerous churches for over forty years as a choir director and an organist, currently serving as Director of Music and Organist for Living Grace Lutheran Church in Tucker, Georgia.  Steve holds the CAGO certification.

Leanne Beutler is the Living Grace’s Parish Administrator.  She works as a part-time volunteer and has been serving in this capacity for over 25 years. When she was working at her full time job at the General Services Administration, Personal Property Division, she worked for the church during the evenings and weekends.  She worked in the Personal Property Division for 37 years, started as a Clerk-Typist and worked her way up to Marketing Specialist, Auctioneer, Contracting Officer, and retired as the Sales Manager of the Personal Property Southeast Sunbelt Region in 2010.   She now works 4 days a week with increased job responsibilities.  She also volunteered for the Georgia High School Mock Trial Program during their competition weekends in Gwinnett County as the scorer of the competition.  She volunteered in this capacity for 21 years.  She also chairs the Worship and Music Ministry, a lay assistant, sings in the choir, and the Treasurer of the Women of the ELCA, Living Grace Chapter.  Since she is the only one of her family living in GA, the Living Grace Church is her family.

Dot Beaver is Living Grace’s Facility Manager. Prior to this part-time job, she worked for Sun Trust as a Head Teller and On Call, and opening and closing of branches as they started going into Publix. She worked at Sun Trust for 35 years. After these years, she went from inside to outside with her own landscaping business. She retired from this business and now beautifies our landscaping of the church grounds along with caring for the inside of the church. She is the coordinator of our 2 yard sales a year, plus coordinator of our community garden plots. She loves the work she does and continues always with a smile.

Prior to our merger of St. Matthew and St. Michael to become Living Grace, she managed both churches’ properties. She is a valued staff member.