St. Peter Lutheran Church (LCMS) in Portage, Indiana, joyfully announces that Mario Samaniego has joined their Music Department as Assistant Music Director. He plays keyboards, bass, electric and acoustic guitar, drums and also sings.
Samaniego grew up in Portage. He has been a professional musician for 25 years and has played with church bands for the past 10 years.
He started taking piano lessons at the age of nine at Nativity of Our Savior Catholic School, but his real first musical love was the guitar. He grew up in a musical family. Father Louis played bass, and oldest brother Lou played guitar and is now also a professional musician. Middle brother Michael and mother Mary Jane were their enthusiastic audience.
Samaniego studied Music Theory at Columbia College in Chicago, Audio Engineering at The Recording Workshop in Chillicothe, Ohio, and is currently taking classes from the Berklee Online School of Music.
He has played and recorded with several bands, including The David Thornberry Band and the Nashville Recording Artist Highnoon Band, and also with several different churches. He is happy to be affiliated with St. Peter.
St. Peter offers two distinct services every Sunday: a contemporary praise service with singers and a band at 9 a.m. and a traditional, hymnal-based liturgical service at 11 a.m. Pastor Ben Ahlersmeyer presides at both services.
Samaniego has already begun to play at the early service. He joins singer/guitarists Jack Carroll and Phil Luster-Bartz and vocalists Veronica Labonte, Sarah Lackey, Scott Lehmann, Linda Lemond, Victoria Luster-Bartz and Ethel Wells. Eventually, he will take over organ duties at the later service.
Samaniego says, “I have a heart for Christ and want to use my talents for his glory!”
He and wife Laura have two children, ages 5 and 13.
Everyone is invited to come and worship at St. Peter. Besides the Sunday morning services, during March the church offers a community dinner beginning at 5:30 p.m. followed by a Lenten service at 7 p.m. There will be Maundy Thursday and Good Friday Services at 7 p.m. on April 13 and 14, and Easter services at 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. with an Easter Breakfast and children’s activities between the services.