Meet Pastor Hughes
I am Rev. Michael Hughes. I usually go by Mike with family, friends, and colleagues. I am husband to Cory and father to Brennen and Emelyn. Cory and I have been married for twenty-three years. We have homeschooled our children for the past five years. Brennen is a senior and Emelyn is a freshman.
Cory and I met at Capital University, Columbus, Ohio, where we graduated with degrees in elementary education. Cory taught in public schools until Brennen was born. In addition to homeschooling the children, she has a small business teaching people how to use dōTERRA essential oils as a natural option for health and wellness. We have both lived in Ohio for our whole lives, with the exception of my vicarage year in Yorktown, Virgina.
St. Matthew, Spring Lake, will be the third congregation I have served as pastor and my first congregation as a pastor in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. I entered the LCMS from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) through a process called “colloquy,” in which I submitted papers and met with panels of clergy for interviews. I was certified for call in May and, while I have been in the call process, I have been blessed to serve several congregations in pulpit supply. My previous calls were to St. John’s Lutheran Church, Stony Ridge, Ohio and St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, Lima, Ohio.
In the years between college and seminary, I served as the year-round program director at an ELCA camp in my hometown of Mansfield, Ohio. Church camps have been a big part of our lives and we regularly spent a week at a family camp. We were delighted to hear that some of you at St. Matthew enjoy that tradition, too.
Our family enjoys playing board games and card games, hiking, birding, and listening to an eclectic mix of music. We enjoy trying new foods as well as making and eating new recipes and family favorites. Cory is a tremendous cook and Brennen is coming into his own in this area. (He’s earned the moniker, “the Paladin of the Kitchen.”) Emelyn is crafty and enjoys exploring the arts, most recently studying ballet, piano, and the guitar (self-taught). Some years ago, I inherited my grandfather’s woodworking tools and I look forward to getting into that hobby, if the Lord wills it.
I enjoy reading in a variety of genres and keep a sizeable home library in addition to the books in my study at church. I enjoy exploring used bookstores, so I look forward to discovering what west Michigan has to offer. Even as my children have grown and are reading books of their own interests, I have continued to read aloud to them. We have worked our way through many series like C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia and J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. We are currently reading The Count of Monte Cristo. We keep a habit of studying the scriptures together, too. We have recently discovered Rev. Will Weedon’s “The Word of the Lord Endures Forever” podcast and find it edifying.
We are looking forward to getting to know you as we live and serve together in the Lord’s name.
The Lord be with you.
Pastor Mike Hughes