Linda Albers - Elder
Linda Albers came to First Presbyterian from St. Andrew in San Antonio in 2004 when she and her husband Morris moved to La Grange.
She is a native of Mississippi, where her mother and many family members still live. She spends as much time as she can at the family farmhouse out from her hometown of McComb. After graduating from Baylor (where she started as a Baptist and finished as a Presbyterian), Linda spent some years in North Carolina and New York working as a high school teacher and computer programmer before settling in San Antonio. She met Morris there.
When they “graduated” from their jobs, they decided to buy the house in La Grange built by Morris’ great grandfather von Minden decades ago. His parents grew up here, and Morris and Linda and daughter Jill had made many visits over the years. They are continuing to renovate the house. Morris is adding a backyard deck now when he has breaks from law school in Houston.
Their daughter and son-in-law live and practice medicine in Kaufman, where Jill is also home-schooling three children and raising a fourth. The Alberses get them to come here as often as possible or make their way up there.
Linda sings in the church choir, belongs to two women’s circles and volunteers at Second Chance. She was installed as ruling elder in 2007 and chairs the finance team.
Richard Schultze - Elder-Clerk
I was Born and baptized in the Presbyterian Church in Bronx New York and raised on Long Island where I collected Sunday School Attendance Pins, until I was confirmed at age 14 and became an Assistant Sunday School Teacher until I graduated from High School, and yet none of it stuck.
In college I tried being an Atheist for a while but somehow that didn’t seem right so I settled for being an agnostic, and nominally called myself a Christian (Non Denominational).
I was Commissioned in the Army, out of College, and went to Fort Benning, GA for Infantry Officer Basic, Airborne, and Ranger, and then to Germany where a crusty old Master Sergeant became my mentor (every Second Lieutenant needs one) eventually he introduced me to his stepdaughter, Heidi, and we married.
While stationed in the Orient, I completed Special Forces Training, and began to study Buddhism and later I studied Hindu, and was fascinated by the spirituality these people had. So I began to meditate. Christine was born in Okinawa, I was gone on a six month mission and got back only days before she was born.
Then back to Fort Benning for Infantry Officer Advanced Course, and Pathfinder School, Jennifer was born there, I was in the field when she was born.
Then we went back for another tour in Germany, That was when the Army decided to reduce the force and got rid of almost all Special Forces Officers.
We moved to Austin Texas, and started over, worked through a few jobs, which led us to Conroe Texas and a Job working for the Texas Army National Guard as a Training Officer for an Airborne Brigade. In Conroe, David was born (the first time I was there from start to finish).
While I was at Air Ground Operations Training, with the Air Force, I started meditating my normal Hindu routine and was chanting “Rama” over and over again when I realized I was not alone in the room. I heard a voice say to me, “Why are you praying to me in Hindu”? I fell prostrate on the floor, what else do you do in the presence of God? Then I crawled across the floor and pulled a Gideon’s Bible from the night stand, and through my tears I read all night.
After that things changed, God sent us to Church, He sent me to Law School at nights, and I gradually learned more about Christ. First I attended Sunday School, then I became the teacher, then I was ordained as a Deacon. I graduated from Law School and we moved to La Grange, then I was ordained an Elder, then God asked me to go to Lay Leadership Training and then to Pastor in Hallettsville.
I won’t tell you life became a rose garden, we’ve been through a lot of tough times, but God has been there with us and we have seen our Children grow up. We now have two great Son in Laws, and three granddaughters.
Michael Smalley - Elder
I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on September 24, 1968. My family moved to Lubbock in 1970 and we joined the First Presbyterian Church in Lubbock. I grew up in the Presbyterian Church, which is where I first started to learn about Jesus and his teachings.
At the age of 12, I attended Kanakuk, a Christian camp in Missouri. This camp is where my faith in Jesus Christ really started to grow and where I started to develop a love for sports, the outdoors and being around youth groups. My favorite hobbies are golf, hunting, wildlife management and fishing.
My family lived in Lubbock until I was 16 years old. I was involved in church activities, including youth group. I played on the football team and was a member of the Boy Scouts.
My family and I have been members of this church for the past 20 years, we have loved living in La Grange and have enjoyed all of the relationships we have made in this church.
Served as Elder and Team Leader for Christian Education from 2005-2007.
