Welcome New Families - October 2026

This past weekend, Concordia welcomed new families to the congregation. Get to know these new faces, and extend a warm welcome when you see them.

Daniel Hill

Daniel is originally from Carthage, MO. He moved to the St. Louis area in 2021 after changing jobs. Daniel is currently employed at MTM in Lake St. Louis. Some of his hobbies include hanging out with friends, traveling, fixing electronics, and spending time with family.

The Hirth Family

The Hirths are all native to the St. Louis area. Jessica and Barclay both work as teachers for the Special School District of St. Louis County. Barclay works at South Technical High School, teaching the Electrical Trades program. Jessica is a Special Education teacher within the Lindbergh School District. Their oldest son, Elliott, attends Lutheran South and works as a junior instructor at Fusion Martial Arts. Oscar, their youngest, attends Salem Lutheran. As a family they enjoy; spending time with their relatives, travelling to Branson, MO and Florida, camping at MO State Parks in their trailer, and participating in martial arts class. Barclay enjoys most anything associated with music and fishing. Jessica likes gardening and is very artistic. Elliott and Oscar both enjoy gaming and attending their martial arts classes. Both boys are also quite the performers, each of them having played a lead part in a school performance while attending Salem Lutheran. All of them, except for Oscar, will admit to really enjoying singing! Joe is their pup, who joined their home during the COVID pandemic. He’s been clenching pretty much everyone’s adoration since then.

Alex McDonald &

Camryn Dixon

They are currently planning to get married at Concordia next May and are very excited about meeting more members of the church. Alex works in commercial banking at JP Morgan. Camryn works in marketing at HLK Agency. They share a dog, Peaches, and are active volunteers at the APA. They spend their free time in the gym, trying a new STL restaurant or planning their next trip.

Doug and Carrie Reck-Meyer

Doug and Carrie met while attending Webster Groves High School and continued their relationship through college, marrying after graduation. Today, they are enjoying retirement to the fullest, especially traveling, spending time with family, and making new memories together. Before retiring, Doug enjoyed a career as a purchasing agent with The Boeing Company. Carrie was blessed to serve in ministry at Christ Community Lutheran School, where she was the Director of Technology. Doug and Carrie are proud parents of three adult children and five grandchildren.

Mary Lou Moewe &

John Freund

John and Mary Lou bring together a fun mix of healthcare careers, music, travel, and adventure. John grew up in Brentwood, MO. A general dentist in Richmond Heights for more than 30 years, he attended dental school in Kansas City and has enjoyed a long career caring for generations of patients. When he’s not in the office, John enjoys music, playing guitar, model trains, softball, traveling, and hitting the road for RV and camping adventures. Mary Lou is a long-time healthcare technology professional whose career has taken her from medical technology into healthcare IT and leadership. Before moving to St. Louis, she spent more than 20 years in Nashville, TN, and her career has included work with major healthcare organizations and academic medical centers. Outside of work, music has always been a big part of Mary Lou’s life. She has played piano for more than 50 years and loves to sing. She also enjoys reading, traveling, snorkeling, and scuba diving. John and Mary Lou share a love of music, travel, new experiences, and enjoying life with family and friends.

Chris Newell

Chris is a paramedic at Abbott GMS working night shift. When not on an ambulance, she picks up shifts lifeguarding at Chesterfield Y. She fills her time with dancing, swimming, and crocheting. A lot of time goes into making amigurumi’s, crochet stuffed animals, that are given to pediatric patients at her work. She has a passion for music playing the flute and French horn. Chris is a member of Sanctus Winds and loves to play in church. Chris is the daughter of Steve and Judy Newell.

Steve and Judy Newell

Steve & Judy Newell have been married since 1989 and live in Chesterfield. Steve is a management consultant implementing business planning software while Judy works for Parkway in their English as a Second Language program at Central Middle School. Steve and Judy were active members of Concordia Kirkwood from 1989 to 2009 with their three children (David, Elizabeth, and Christine) who were baptized there. They also have an additional child, Frieda who is a two-year-old Miniature Schnauzer. Steve and Judy share a love of travel, both domestic and international (especially to Spanish speaking nations). They also share a love for the Kansas Jayhawks and the Blues. Steve loves to cook and Judy loves to eat Steve’s cooking. Steve and Judy are supporters of Lutheran Family & Children Services and WashU. Judy is active in Girl Scouts.

Taylor and Colin Sachteben

They met in St. Louis in 2022 and recently got married in October of 2025. Taylor is originally from northwest Iowa, and Colin is from southern Illinois. They spent the past two years living in Chicago while Colin completed his master’s degree in business at Northwestern University, and they recently moved back to the St. Louis area. They bought their first home in Kirkwood and are so excited to put down roots and call St. Louis home. Taylor is a certified physician assistant working in OB/GYN at Missouri Baptist Hospital, and Colin leads Cornerstone Logistics, a logistic company in the transportation industry. When they are not working, they love to travel, exercise, and spend time with their two dogs. They are also excited to be expecting their first child, baby girl Sachtleben, due in February 2027! They are looking forward to becoming part of the church community and meeting other families in the area.