Son Follows Father Right Into His Old Job

Sat., Oct. 9, 1999

Nina Culver Correspondent

The Rev. Ron Hunter of the Coeur d’Alene Church of the Nazarene has not only followed in his father’s footsteps, he has his father’s old job.

Hunter, 55, was born in Coeur d’Alene when his father was serving as pastor to the church. “There was a lady here who claimed she changed my diapers,” he said with a laugh.

His father left the church during World War II when he joined the Army as a chaplain. That started a time of travel, as Hunter followed his family around the globe. He grew up primarily in Central and South America, where his parents served as missionaries. They also served in Africa after Hunter left home.

Despite family tradition, Hunter had no intention of becoming a pastor. “I resisted pretty hard,” he said. “I was a math major in college.”

But he found that nothing would come together. He struggled academically and personally. “I was just out of sorts,” he said.

When he finally yielded to God’s call, everything snapped into place. “From that point on, everything came together smoothly,” he said. “I really believe God channeled me into this.”

He graduated from Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas in 1969 and ended up in Grand Coulee for 14 years. He was getting a lot of job offers from other churches, said Hunter, but didn’t want to leave Grand Coulee.

Then one day he got a call about the position at his father’s old church in Coeur d’Alene. “I opened my mouth to say no and nothing came out.”

He’s been in Coeur d’Alene for 17 years now and still follows his father’s footsteps. Hunter once went on a mission trip to Guatemala and worked on erecting a building for a church his father founded as a missionary decades ago. Now he will follow his father to Africa. In about two weeks he leaves for Mozambique for three weeks of “preaching and teaching.”

The worship service at the Coeur d’Alene Church of the Nazarene, 4000 N. Fourth, begins at 9:30 a.m. each Sunday.

Church events

Guest speaker Rev. Sonia Lim will speak during the 9:30 a.m. worship service Sunday at Faith Tabernacle Church, 5165 E. 16th in Post Falls. Lim is the founder of Dove Foundation International and started the Annual World Prayer Congress.

First Presbyterian Church at 521 Lakeside in Coeur d’Alene is planning a talent show and potluck on Oct. 17. The event begins at 6 p.m. Those planning to attend are asked to bring a dish to share. Anyone interested in showcasing their talent can call the church office at 667-8446.

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