The Reverend Kevin O’Hara never planned to be a pastor.

O’ Hara, who has served as pastor of Emanuel Lutheran Church since 2021, said he originally wanted to be an educator. But in college, his mentor told him that education was not the right path for him.

O’ Hara said he grew up rebellious. He read the Bible seeking to disprove it. Instead, he found his faith and ended up being encouraged by his mother to join the ministry.

As an openly gay man, O’Hara said he has faced struggles in his career. One supervisor did not want him to become a pastor because of his sexuality.

O’ Hara encouraged anyone thinking about the ministry to “find the voices that affirm that. There are voices out there. It doesn’t take much to just feel that sense of belonging.”

 

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