Cross of Christ Lutheran Church
Our Staff
Rev. John De Young — Pastor
Rev. John De Young was installed at Cross of Christ on February 5, 2000. He is a graduate of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri, where he received his Master of Divinity degree in 1989. After his graduation he served his first call to Resurrection Evangelical Lutheran Church in Quartz Hill, California.
Pastor De Young was born in Washington D.C. and raised in Maryland until he attended Concordia College in Austin, Texas, where he met his wife, Tammy. The De Youngs have two children.
Email: pastor@crossofchrist.org
Jackie Peña — Church Secretary
It is with great pleasure that we welcome Jackie! She comes to with many years of child instruction & administrative experience.
Phone: (972) 223-9340 Email: secretary@crossofchrist.org
Lila Fussell — Director of Education, Early Education
“Miss Lila”, as she is affectionately called by all her children at C of C, first discovered her love of kids at an early age, as a part of Future Teachers of America, her junior year at Waxahachie High School. After graduation she attended Mountain View and Cedar Valley Colleges with a focus on business and ultimately attained her Child Development Associates Certification.
Her gift of relating to children of all ages was further developed as a Sunday School and VBS teacher, and Youth Counselor at Our Savior Lutheran, where she served in various capacities for 14 years. Lila then worked with older students as a nurse's assistant at DeSoto High School for three years, advancing her mastery of child safety.
After leaving DHS, she came to our school where she pioneered the Mother’s Day Out program, growing it into the 4 Star Early Childhood Center it is today. Her focus remains developing well-rounded, educated, kind and compassionate children who can excel in their individual God-given talents at any age. Her favorite times of the school day are the children’s “Hello” and “Goodbye” hugs and smiles, and her greatest joy is when former students return to share their accomplishments with her. We are so blessed to have such a dedicated Administrator as Miss Lila guiding our program here at Cross of Christ for 25 years.
Phone: (972) 223-9586 Email: school@crossofchrist.org
Stephen Brynestad — Organist
Stephen Brynestad was born in Fort Smith, AR to Rev. Dale and Julee Brynestad. He has three older brothers and two younger sisters. He has lived in Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, and Kentucky.
Stephen graduated with a degree in Music Education from Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, TX where he lived for 20 years. He has served as an organist at Messiah Lutheran and Kantor at Trinity Our Savior Lutheran, both located in Corpus Christi. He is now serving as the Kantor at Cross of Christ Lutheran. He is employed at Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center as an Event Manager.
Email: organist@crossofchrist.org