After 29 years as the Pastor of the Pataskala Seventh Day Baptist Church, Pastor Robert Van Horn has announced his retirement in the fall of 2019. While we will miss him as our pastor, we are blessed to have had him as our spiritual leader, pastor, teacher, and friend for so many years! Pastor Robert and his wife Lana are not planning to remove their membership from our church, but are going to spend their winters in Florida and come north to join us again in the the summers.
At this time, Pastor Robert is continuing in his role as our Pastor throughout the summer, with an indefinite retirement date sometime before the end of October 2019. In January a Pastoral Search Committee was appointed consisting of Chip Thorngate, Darwin Van Horn, Dean Fox, Marissa Patterson, and Christopher Van Horn. This committee has been revising & preparing a job description for the new Pastor as well as beginning the process for identifying and selecting potential candidates. As a church we have already begun praying for the right person to become our new Pastor. (If there is a time gap between when Pastor Robert leaves and a new Pastor is selected, the Deacons will have the responsibility for arranging coverage of the weekly worship service.)
Pastor Robert has certainly left his mark on the many lives he has touched through baptisms, teaching Sabbath School, Camp Joy staff & board member, special music and drama, hospital visits, baby dedications, children’s stories, workshops, leading praise time, youth retreats, sermons and more. One area most appreciated about Pastor Robert are the many times he has dropped other things just to help someone out — from a flat tire to moving a piano! Another way we have been blessed through the years is Pastor Robert’s ability to bring people together over a meal, whether grilling out, hosting a banquet, holding a seder, enjoying a church potluck, or inviting people into their home.
Yes, we will miss Pastor Robert Van Horn & Lana as our church’s Pastor and wife. We wish them many years of enjoyable retirement as they continue to serve God in a different way. We are also excited & hopeful to see who God will lead to become our new Pastor, Shepherd, Teacher, and Friend.
Pataskala Seventh Day Baptist 