Pastor says goodbye to local community

To The Eagle:

I am eternally grateful for the Wahkiakum community. When my family and I moved to Puget Island four years ago we didn’t know what to expect. However, as pastor of Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church I knew I had a responsibility to faithfully serve my congregation and the Wahkiakum community. It’s a Biblical expectation for me to have a strong rapport with people outside of church, and hopefully in these past four years I left a positive imprint on the Wahkiakum community.

There’s a long list of people I want to thank who have enabled my family and me to expand our reach in ministry such as Rick Nelson and The Wahkiakum County Eagle staff. I’m unable to name everyone so I want to at least thank Bob Garrett and Stephanie Leitz for allowing me to serve the high school, Ginger Hake for giving me a chance to serve the Wahkiakum Community Network, and Sheriff Mark Howie for gracing me to serve the Wahkiakum County Sheriff’s Office. My time serving this community in any way possible has been memorable.

Next month my family and I are moving to Des Moines, Iowa, to serve Zion Lutheran Church and its surrounding community. This is a unique opportunity for me to be challenged and diversified in doing ministry that extends compassion to and impacts a larger number of lives. My last service at Our Saviour’s will be August 6 at 10:30 a.m. I would love many people in the community to join us that day to celebrate my four years of ministry here. Our departure will be bittersweet, but I want to thank Our Saviour's and you Wahkiakum because this community has provided a platform for me to grow as a person, Christian, and pastor!

Pastor Theron Hobbs Jr.

Puget Island