Gibson celebrates 50 years of ordination
May 28—LIMA — Robert F. Gibson is a retired Evangelical Lutheran Church in America pastor. Today he is being honored for 50 years of service in the Lutheran Church. He now has the title of Pastor Emeritus.
Gibson was born and grew up in Detroit, Michigan graduating from Lutheran East High School in 1961. He went to Concordia College in River Forest, Illinois, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in education. He received his Master's in Divinity degree from Concordia Seminary in Springfield, Illinois and was ordained as a pastor in the Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod in May of 1972. In the 1990's Gibson was accepted into the ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Gibson served as a pastor in churches in Michigan and Ohio for twenty years. He also served as a chaplain at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.
"I think I enjoyed most my time at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit as a chaplain. Seems to me if I had known when I first got in to ministry that I would be drawn to that kind of ministry I would have probably pursued it sooner than I did. It was satisfying to me."
Gibson then began work in the Ohio prison system with stops in London, Lucasville, and Lima for a ten-year span.
"I first started in Lucasville, and I left there just before the riot in '93. It was depressing in some respects but I knew that I could go home every day. We did a lot of things I never thought I'd be doing. We had Bible classes for men on death row. We'd visit the cells of the men who were on death row. It was a chaplain's duty to look for anyone who might be a spiritual guide for an inmate if that inmate required someone from their own denomination. The prison itself had a very nice chapel. It was built at a time — and I assume that it still exists — when they thought that was a very important part of the prisoner's life that they be able to worship."
"It was interesting in the worship services. We'd take a collection. Every Sunday we had a service. Inmates would contribute stubs of pencils, combs, pads of paper, whatever small thing they had that they thought maybe somebody else would need. It struck me the first few weeks I was there to see that because these guys had basically nothing. Yet they thought 'I got plenty of this. I'll give it to somebody else.' That's pretty good to see."
"I was on call if there was an emergency. But you know, I knew when I was there for eight hours a day I was able to focus on what had to be done. A lot of times it was answering questions from inmates that they might send through the prison mail."
"When I left the prison, some of the inmates got permission to give me an honorary prison shirt. Many of them signed their names to it."
Gibson retired from prison chaplaincy in 2003.
As a retiree, Gibson continues to serve as a supply pastor and an interim pastor taking him throughout parts of Ohio — from Leipsic to Springfield and from Attica to Convoy and many churches in between.
Gibson was an avid runner, but has lowered the pace to a walk. He enjoys working on his cars — a '65 Mustang and a '48 Chevy. He currently is waiting to get a carburetor that is being rebuilt for the Chevy.
"I was working at something that I could still partly be involved in after retirement. I think it really helps for a person to continue to work at what they enjoy working at. I still help out in churches. I enjoy doing that, especially leading worship. So I keep my hand in it that way. If somebody wants to go on vacation or time off I try to help them."
After fifty years of ordained ministry, Robert F. Gibson continues to serve as best he can, whenever he is called. Whether it is in the church or as father to his sons and step-sons, and as grandfather to his six grandchildren and six step-grandchildren and to his wife Carol.
Reach Dean Brown at 567-242-0409
