LCC - Lutheran Church of the Cross

Installed as the Pastor of Lutheran Church of the Cross in Rockville, Maryland on November 1, 1998.  Due to the expansion of the professional church staff, he was called as Senior Pastor in April 2005.  Lester P. Stano was born in St. Louis on March 31, 1947.  He married Carol G. Kreek on January 6, 1994 and has a stepdaughter, Laurie.

Pastor Stano received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration in 1969 from the University of Missouri, St. Louis and in 1973, a Master of Divinity Degree from Concordia Seminary, Springfield, IL.  As part of his studies in Clinical Pastoral Education, Pastor Stano also spent a year as a Chaplain Resident at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C.  In 1974, he was ordained at St. Lucas Lutheran Church, St. Louis, and was then installed as Assistant Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Baltimore, Maryland.  The following year he was installed as an Instructor of Religion, Baltimore Lutheran High School Association.  In June 1976, he was installed as Pastor of First Lutheran Church of Towson, where he served until November 1998.

Community Ministries
Until retiring the position in 1999, Pastor Stano served as an Intermittent Chaplain in the Veterans Administration Health Care System for 22 years.  In 1995, he was the first Protestant Staff Chaplain at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, and served until the end of 1998.  Also for 22 years, he served as a Campus Contact Pastor for both Towson University and Goucher College.  He functioned as President and Secretary of the Towson Area Ministerial Association, 1978-1979, and was a member of the Jewish/Christian Roundtable of Baltimore from 1985 to 1992.  In 1988, Pastor Stano was the impetus for two social ministry outreaches of First Lutheran Church of Towson.  He helped found and served as the treasurer of ACTS, Inc., which ministers to survivors of domestic violence; and Timothy House, Inc., which provides apartment housing for middle-income elderly residents.  (Both of these ministries were honored by the Southeastern District, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and presented with the Servant of Christ Recognition at the 1994 convention.)  In the Spring of 1999, Pastor Stano became an active member of IFCAD (Interfaith Community Against Domestic Violence) of Montgomery County.  He continues to serve on the Board of Directors and previously served as Treasurer.  He also has been active in Community Ministries of Rockville.  Elected to the Board of Directors of LSS/NCA (Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area) in 2006, Pastor Stano currently serves as the Chairman of the Board.

Synod & District Involvement
Pastor Stano served the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod as a Southeastern District Circuit Counselor from 1981 to 1991; 1994-1998; and 2000-2006.  He served as counselor in the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, Chesapeake District, from 1980 to 1984 and 2001-2004.  Additionally, he has provided service as a member of the SED Pastoral Conference Planning Committee from 1989 to 1992; board member of the Lutheran Mission Society of Maryland from 1977 to 1990; and board member of the Baltimore Lutheran High School Association from 1976 to 1993.  Pastor Stano has also been trained as an LCMS Disaster Response Coordinator and as a facilitator for "Bridge Builders," which helps congregations in conflict.

Continuing Education
Pastor Stano received a Master of Business Administration in Church Administration from the Graduate Theological Foundation, Donaldson, Indiana, in 1991.  He also participates in continuing education courses at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, PA, and at Georgetown University.

Pastor Stano is a member of the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education and the Association of Professional Chaplains.  His ministry as a Chaplain in the Veterans Administration Health Care System was recognized by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in 1997 when he was presented the St. Martin of Tours Medal.  He has been honored with inclusion in the Second, Third, and coming Fourth Edition of Marquis "Who’s Who in Religion."

 You can contact him on his e-mail pastorLes@lccrockville.org.

Pastor Luu was born into a Chinese family in South Viet Nam in 1957. His aspirations to become a successful businessman were destroyed in the Viet Nam war. He was blessed with the opportunity to flee the war-torn country in July 1978, to Malaysia, where he lived in a refugee camp. Eight months later, Lutheran Church of St. Andrew in Silver Spring sponsored him so he could come to the United States.

By the Grace of God, Pastor Luu became the first member of his family (Buddhists for more than 17 generations) to become Christian. He was baptized in 1982 and decided to enter the ministry in 1985. He began his studies at the lay ministry program at Concordia University Wisconsin, where he earned a BA in Theology and became a Certified Lay Minister. He began his pastoral training at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis in September 1990. He completed his vicarage at Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Milpitas, CA in 1994, and he graduated with a MDiv. degree in Pastoral Ministry in May 1995.

He was ordained in June 1995 at Lutheran Church of St. Andrew and later that month was installed as Pastor at True Light Lutheran Church in New York City. He became a member of the Chinese Task Force, World Mission – LCMS and was Vice Chairman for the Chinese Ministry Conference in June 1998. In August 2000, he became Assistant Pastor at Our Savior Lutheran Church and Lutheran Student Center in Carbondale, IL, where he ministered until the call was extended to him by Lutheran Church of the Cross.

You can contact him on his e-mail pastorLuu@lccrockville.org.