Messiah Lutheran Church, Knoxville TN

Pastor Eric Murray

Eric Murray was reared in Lake City, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. Not a life-long Lutheran, he found himself embraced by a Lutheran congregation after being invited to worship by his childhood friend and neighbor.

A graduate of Georgia State University, Eric moved to Knoxville where he worked as a physical therapist at Fort Sanders Hospital prior to entering seminary. Upon graduation in 1995 from the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, SC, Eric received a call to serve Mt. Zion - St. Luke Lutheran in Oglethorpe, GA. In 1999, he was called to a staff ministry at Christ the King Lutheran in Norcross, GA. Eric has been serving as Messiah's Pastor since July 2004

When not at Messiah, Eric enjoys spending time with his wife, Heidi, their daughter, Anna, and the two greatest pets East Tennessee has ever known.  Eric is also known to spend time bicycling, hiking, reading and enjoying a good cup of coffee with friends.

Contact Pastor Eric by email.

Vicar John Tirro

Vicar John Tirro joined our staff on August 15, 2009. 

Contact Vicar John by email.

Joan McGinnis - Director of Music

Joan McGinnis has been the Director of Music at Messiah since January, 2006. A native of Powell, TN, Joan studied organ with member and former organist, John Brock, Professor of Music at the University of Tennessee where she received her Bachelor of Science in Music Education. Joan has served churches in Knoxville and Memphis, Tennessee, and Warren, Michigan. Prior to coming to Messiah, she was organist at First Baptist Church in Oak Ridge, TN.

Joan teaches organ lessons at Messiah and piano lessons at her home studio in Powell. She has two "furbabies," Charley and Emma, and enjoys spending time with her family, especially her great nephews and nieces.

One of her interests is the visual aspects of the worship space. She has made several paraments and vestments for the churches she has served. She has also contributed to the worship space for the Methodist retreat center at Lake Junaluska, NC, as part of Liturgical Arts Week and Holston Annual Conference. As owner of threads of faith she has also been commissioned to create banners and paraments for churches and pastors across the southeast.

Contact Joan by email.

Kristin Kennedy - Administrative Assistant

Kristin has served as Messiah's Administrative Assistant since September, 1995. Prior to moving to Knoxville she served several years at a Southern Baptist church in Virginia Beach, Virginia and also a Lutheran church in Hampton, Virginia. Kristin has an additional eight years of experience working with other nonprofit organizations, such as the Confederate Air Force and Ada Wilson Children's Hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas. Kristin with her husband Karl have two adult children, Josh and Kelsey. They are members of Grace Lutheran-Knoxville where Kristin sings in the choir and plays handbells. Her special interests include music and scrapbooking.

Contact Kristin by email.