Mars church welcomes new pastor on Sunday
MARS — For the Rev. Brian Hauser, the Lord does indeed move in mysterious ways.
Hauser, 35, was content being the pastor to two yoked churches, Edenburg Presbyterian Church in Knox and Concord Presbyterian Church near Parker, and had been for the past seven years.
That was until he saw that Mars United Presbyterian Church, 232 Crowe Ave., was looking for a pastor on a website that lists clergy looking for churches and churches looking for clergy.
“I was pretty happy where I was. I was drawn here by the Holy Spirit,” said Hauser, who will conduct his first official service as pastor at the 10 a.m. Sunday service.
Hauser and his family: Ashley, his wife of nine years; and his children, Luke, 6; Mary, 4; Hannah, 3 and Leah, 1; has spent the last three weeks moving to their new home outside Mars. It was a move complicated by the birth of their fifth child, Jacob, three weeks ago.
“It's certainly been a busy life,” said Hauser.
And it's been a life always involved in ministry, he said.
Hauser grew up outside of Mount Pleasant, a borough in Westmoreland County, the son of Doug and Judy Hauser. After he graduated from Mount Pleasant High School, he went to Clarion University, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in elementary education.
“I have always been involved in ministry one way or another my entire life,” he said. He was a summer camp counselor and was involved in the Koinonia campus ministry at Clarion.
It wasn't until 2011, however, that Hauser felt the call to pastoral ministry.
He graduated from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in 2014.
After interviewing at Mars United Presbyterian Church, Hauser presided over what is called a candidacy service at the church April 18.
After the service, he said, the congregation voted unanimously to offer him the pastorship.
He replaces interim pastor Paul Aiello, who served for nine months. It's been three years since the church had a permanent pastor.
Asked the what the most important function a pastor has, Hauser said, “It's to follow the will of God and to make disciples of all nations, as it says in Matthew 28.”
And looking beyond the 60-member congregation at Mars United Presbyterian, Hauser said, “I hope to serve the community with energy, imagination and love.”
The 120-year-old church is looking forward to reopening its 80-student My School Preschool in September.
“I believe very strongly in this. I say it at the end of every Sunday service,” said Hauser. “No matter where you are on life's journey, you are always welcome in the house of the Lord.”
