Meet the Pastors
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Rev. Glenn J. Harless, Senior Pastor
Pastor Glenn Harless was born in Nebraska and grew up in Omaha. He graduated from Concordia College, Moorhead, MN, in 1975 with majors in Biology and Religion. In 1979 he received his Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary, in St. Paul, MN. He then served for three years (1979-1982) as Associate Pastor at Hawley Lutheran Church, Hawley, MN, followed by ten years (1982-1992) as Youth Pastor at Calvary Lutheran Church in Golden Valley, MN. In 1992, Pastor Glenn was called as Senior Pastor to Thanksgiving! Lutheran Church. He is married to Suzanne, who is a pediatric physical therapist, and together they have three grown children; Marisa who is married to John Hougland, Siri and Jon. Pastor Glenn loves spending time with family and friends and also enjoys golf, bird hunting, and most sports. His favorite movies are Rio Bravo, Twister, Blind Side, and City Slickers; and his favorite book in the Bible is The Gospel of Mark
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Rev. David S. Witkop, Pastor of Congregational Ministries
Pastor David Witkop has served at Thanksgiving since May of 1997. His undergraduate degree is from Augustana College, Rock Island, Il. He received his Master’s of Divinity in 1997 from Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. He has been married to Lisa for eight years and they have three children, Jeremiah, Jacob, and Moriah. His role at Thanksgiving is Pastor of Congregational Ministries. He loves to spend time with his family, rooting on the St. Louis Cardinals, and playing tennis when time permits. He loves to read and highly recommends The Shack, Velvet Elvis, and of course, The Good Book, the Bible.
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Rev. Bruce L. Kotila, Pastor of Discipleship Training
Pastor Bruce Kotila was director of Lutheran Evangelistic Movement, Inc. from 1997 to 2008 and is now Pastor of Discipleship Training at Thanksgiving! Lutheran Church in Omaha, Nebraska. A 1991 graduate of Bethel Seminary, he served as pastor of Cavalry Lutheran Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, and has since been involved in two church plants. A teacher at heart, he directs guided Doorway to Discovery Silent Retreat Weekends, pastor’s retreats, evangelistic meetings, and workshops on discipleship. His cell church ministry had included both advisory and networking dimensions for many years, and he is now preparing curriculum for these groups through Cell Shepherds. He’s taught college-level courses at both the Association Free Lutheran Bible School and the Lay Ministry Training Center. Bruce and his wife Barb live in Omaha, Nebraska with their two children.
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Office:
| Thanksgiving Lutheran Church
3702 S 370 Plaza,
Bellevue NE 68123
(402) 292-2695
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