By Garret Ammesmaki,
Editor
With the retirement of long-standing Pastor Hugh Brewer, the search for First English Lutheran Church’s next full time reverend is underway.
While those searches can take anywhere between six months and two years, experienced interim pastor Alan Daugherty has taken the reins of the Lennox flock.
Daugherty isn’t new to leading congregations. He’s been an ordained minister for over three decades, but being a reverend wasn’t his first career path.
Originally, Daugherty practiced law.
Daugherty came from a family that didn’t practice religion, and didn’t find his way to Christ until he was older.
“I wasn’t baptized until I was 30,” he said.
The 69-year-old is an avid comic book collector as well.
Daugherty is drawn to comic books because he believes lessons on the scripture can be found in any hero story that involves personal sacrifice for others.
He owns over 40,000 comic books, which fill up “so many boxes, I can’t haul them in a small pickup truck,” Daugherty said.
Currently, he has an ad in the paper for anyone out there with an edition they would like to sell.
He has many rare and vintage editions dating all the way back to the 1930s, and include some that are valued at hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars. All of those are back at his home base in Spokane, Washington with his wife, Sandy.
Daugherty and his wife have six children, nine grandchildren, and another grandchild that should be with them by Christmas Day.
As interim pastor, he said he’s most interested in connecting with the community through coffee-shop and home bible studies.
“I want to open it up to the public and let everyone participate,” he said.
Right now, he’s getting settled in and focused on vacation bible school. He’s waiting until fall, when everyone gets back from summer vacation.
So far, he’s enjoyed the Lennox area and the people he has met.
“This place is great,” he said, “and the people are greater.”
If you’d like to reach out to him, you can call the First English Lutheran office at 605-647-5140, or reach him on his cell phone at 509-904-5173.