by Kara Hildreth
Thisweek Newspapers

The Rev. Paul Kobi likes preaching and looks forward to getting to know his new congregation at Faith United Methodist Church in Farmington.

Kobi gave his first sermon to the 300-member congregation Sunday, June 25 at the church located at 710 Eighth St. Kobi shared with the congregation about his life so far, including life growing up as a young man in search of his calling.

Kobi, 41, grew up in Rochester, and was baptized at Christ Methodist Church. His family up lived in Denver, Colo., Chicago, and then moved back to Minnesota.

Kobi said he always considered himself a hybrid because he was baptized Methodist and later confirmed by the Evangelical United Brethren Church, although today he lives as a United Methodist.

When Kobi was 13 years old he developed Hodgkin's disease, a form of cancer of the lymphatic system and began radiation treatment. He recovered fully and recalls how the experience helped shape his character at a young age and perhaps made him grow up a little too quick.

Kobi recalls how he became involved in high school drama and graduated from high school in 1982. He was also involved in Sunday school and church youth groups as a young man.

"I have truly discovered since then, that being a Christian means more than occupying a pew or a pulpit on Sunday mornings,î Kobi said.

During college, Kobi decided to study government at St. John's University in Collegeville and he held aspirations to enter politics as a career.

Kobi said that small voice inside him had grown louder. He started to listen to that voice calling him into the ministry.

"God must see me as one who could be a pastor, and who was I to argue differently? I guess God was right after all,î Kobi said.
Kobi transferred to Bethel College in St. Paul where he studied psychology. But the Hodgkin's disease returned while he was a college student and he needed to endure nine months of chemotherapy.

As he reflects on his life living through cancer as a young man and later as a young adult, Kobi said, "I can honestly praise God for it. I began to really understand what it means to trust God. Everyday I had to trust God with my whole life.î

"But through this ... I grew to love God in a much deeper way. I never really feared for my life either, for I knew that God had plans for my life and we had only just begun,î Kobi said.

Graduating from Bethel in 1986, Kobi spent the summer in British Columbia, Canada on the Pacific Coast where he worked as a missionary with Native American Indians and lived on a small Indian reservation in a building that doubled as a nursery school and a boxing gym.

Kobi prepared for the pastoral ministry at Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky and later graduated in 1990.

"Because of my time in the South, an occasional y'all or some other strange sounding word may slip out, so feel free to ask me for the Minnesota translation, you betcha,î Kobi said jokingly.

Kobi met his bride, Michelle O'Hara, from Binghamton, N.Y. at Asbury. He recalls how when she walked across a stage during a play and he instantly fell in love. Michelle was also a seminary graduate and she holds a master's degree in Christian education and missions.

"She is very gifted and we make a great team,î Kobi said.

The couple married on New Year's Eve in 1988 and later adopted a daughter Eleaschia who is 18 years old today and attends Ridgewater College in Hutchinson.

Today, 22 years since his last chemotherapy treatment, Kobi is thankful to be cancer-free. Four years ago, Kobi said he had triple bypass surgery, and today he reports how much healthier he is and feels.

"I value life a whole lot more when you realize your own mortality, and you learn to make the most of the time you have and you don't take it too lightly,î Kobi said.

Enduring and learning about the medical aspects of becoming a cancer patient, and going through therapies, tests and treatments, Kobi said it helped him gain the empathy and compassion to be able to understand a 70-year-old person who is undergoing chemotherapy.

"Life is precious ñ when you go through something that is unexpected and you realize that God is in control,î Kobi said. "I am so positive about it that I just wanted to jump back into the pulpit.î

During his pastoral career, Kobi has led many congregations as part of the Methodist church. Before moving to Farmington, he served for six years as the pastor of a Methodist church in Jackson.

"The anticipation of this new journey had made me smile and shiver. I can hardly wait to get started,î he said. "I am so excited to see what God will do in and through us.î

"We believe he (pastor Kobi) is the one who can lead our congregation into a new era of reaching others for Jesus Christ and making our church a spiritual lighthouse in our community and in the world through our mission efforts,î according to representatives from the staff parish relations committee at Faith United Methodist Church in Farmington.

Barbara Carson, chair of the staff parish relations committee at the church, said the church is very pleased to have Kobi leading the congregation.

"He is a good fit with the congregation,î Carson said.

The church was led for a year by an interim pastor the Rev. Ed DuBois. Before DuBois, the Rev. John Conklin led the congregation for more than a year and needed to step down for health reasons, Kobi said.

"It was healthy for us to reevaluate who we are as a church,î Carson said.

"We are very grateful to Pastor Ed DuBois for the year he gave us by helping us and giving us direction,î Carson said.

Kobi said he invites everyone in Farmington and the surrounding community to the church.

Kobi said his preaching style is down to earth by teaching with some "home colorizationî that he brings to light Bible stories that apply to everyday Christian living. Kobi said he likes to use a sarcastic sense of humor and his quick use of puns that surprise people, but people grow to appreciate his lighthearted humor.

"We want to meet the practical needs,î Kobi said. "There is a lot of hurt and pain and frustration out in the world. Our church has a lot to offer.î

"In spite of what has gone on it your life, people need to know that they are still loved by God, and that opens the door to having a relationship,î Kobi said.

Faith United Methodist Church in Farmington plans on growing their children's Sunday school program and now has a large children Sunday choir and has recently added a bell choir. The church may add a second, more contemporary service in the future on Sunday mornings, Kobi said as the congregation grows together.

The congregation plans on hosting several small gatherings in people's homes to get acquainted with the new pastor and his wife. The meetings will be called "Kookies, Kola, Koffee and Konversation with the Kobis.î

"Let everything we do, everything we say and everything we seek to be, lie between these two,î said Kobi, explaining what he calls the bookends of life and the ministry he hopes to build with his new congregation.

Kara Hildreth is at farmington.thisweek@ecm-inc.com.

Top of Page

Check out this week's newspaper for more about your community.

Thisweek Newspapers
12190 County Road 11, Burnsville, MN 55337
Telephone: 952-894-1111 Fax: 952-846-2010