New pastor installed at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Worthington
Feb. 6—WORTHINGTON — St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Worthington has recently received new leadership in the form of Rev. David Hahn. The church installed Hahn Jan. 7, following 18 months without a pastor.
According to Hahn, the wait was fairly standard.
"It's not something that happens overnight," he explained. "The average wait for a pastor in our synod is about two years. It gives the congregation time to think about what they want in their next pastor, and gives them the time to look for that. God called me to this position, so I'm jumping right in."
Hahn graduated from Concordia Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri in 1995. He's been in active ministry for 28 years, serving in the communities of Eagan, Clear Lake and Milaca. His last call to serve the church was just over five years ago.
After a brief look into chaplaincy, and discovering it wasn't for him, Hahn began to look into other forms of community work, which he said he believed God was calling him to do.
"As I was waiting, time kept ticking by and I thought of, well, if I would get called back into a church or not," Hahn explained. "I started asking what I want to do, what I can do with my life if it wasn't in the direction of the church."
Hahn comes from Apple Valley, just south of Minneapolis, where his wife Rebecca teaches instrumental music at Rosemount and Glacier Hills Elementary. Hahn began working in the district in September 2019 as a paraprofessional, until he was called to join the fellowship at St. Matthew in Worthington.
"I was kind of thinking maybe this is where God wants me to be, in the school system, helping out the special needs children," Hahn said. "I started my masters program to become a teacher, but ... about a year in, I got a call from a church."
"I thought, 'Which direction should I go? I thought I wanted to go this way, but God is calling me in another direction," Hahn shared. "I learned that if I am faithful to God, he will provide the blessings. We have truly been blessed."
While Hahn gets established in Worthington, his wife will finish out the rest of the school year in Independent School District 196.
Worthington weather certainly gave a strong first impression. Hahn said his first day after being installed at St. Matthew, he was forced to cancel all events in the building.
"I was welcomed into Worthington with 50-below (temperatures) and a blizzard," he said. "In this month there's been a 100 degree turnaround, and now we're looking at 50 degrees above with the snow melting. I think I've probably experienced the whole spectrum of Worthington winter weather in just a few weeks.
"I'm looking forward to the spring and fall," Hahn added with a laugh.
Hahn noted that multiple congregation members have offered him a place to stay as he looks for a more permanent home in the area. The welcome, he said, has been very warm in spite of the winter.
"Just showing how God provides, I didn't have anywhere to stay, so my first week here, someone welcomed me into their home. The following week, another person went on a little vacation and allowed me to house sit for them," Hahn said.
He has now found a more permanent solution with a member of the congregation, and will be staying with them until he and his wife are able to sell their home and settle in the community.
"(The hospitality) shows a lot about the community," Hahn said.
Going forward, Hahn says his hope is to grow close with this congregation and see what's needed in the community. As he continues to meet others and gather a consensus, Hahn said he will strive to serve his people and to be faithful to God.
"There's a lot of good things to do and people to meet," he said. "There is never a dull moment to be had."
