
Ken Kneieriemen
I was born in Gary, Indiana (close to Chicago) on February 7, 1950 and was raised in Hammond, Indiana. As the youngest of six children, my two older siblings moved out of the home while I was still very young. I lived in the same house until after graduation from college. My family and I attended a Christian denominational church the entire time I lived with them. While at college God brought a wonderful blessing into my life, and her name was Kathleen Urban. She became my sweetheart, and after graduation in 1972 my sweetheart and I married and moved to the great State of Texas due to a job offer from Texas Instruments (TI). But the U.S. Government had other plans for me and sent a draft notice later that year, so I opted to join the U.S. Naval Air Reserves operating out of NAS Dallas. I spent the next six years as a weekend-warrior while continuing to work at TI. Retirement from TI/Raytheon came in 2009. Kathy and I have been blessed by God with five wonderful children and 16 wonderful grandchildren. We have attended both denominational and non-denominational churches during our marriage. Garland, Texas has been our home since 1973.
Growing up in a Christian home, I always attended church with my family. I was taught that the Bible is the true word of God for us, and I believed that teaching. During one Sunday sermon, our pastor proclaimed the plan of salvation. He indicated that we cannot sit on the fence when it comes to our relationship with God. We must either be with God or we will, by default, be against Him. I realized that I had been living my life as a “fence-sitter” and knew that it was time to make a choice. That is the day I gave my life to Christ, and He became my Savior and my Lord. The journey since then has had many blessings and many challenges, but I knew from that point on that God was my Rock and my Salvation. I enjoy Him each moment while living in this world, but I also look forward to spending eternity with Him when my time here is done.
My favorite verse in the Bible is Ephesians 2:8-9.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.