Rev. Robert J. Luidens — Altamont's Pastor Bob

Reverend Robert J. Luidens, affectionately known throughout Altamont as Pastor Bob, has written a memoir, “The Kingdom Will Come Anyway: A Life in the Day of a Pastor.” In 50 chapters that serve as parables — some of them light and humorous, others of them heavy and soul-searching — Luidens writes of becoming a minister and serving first in a rural Kansas community for three years and then for 31 years as pastor of the Altamont Reformed Church. In this week’s podcast, Luidens tells of how helping people through difficult times is humbling beyond measure. He also describes his world view, which does not hew to traditional church teaching and was shaped by his becoming a parent, and now a grandparent. He says, “God who is our parent, our father and mother, could never show preference for some and not others …. I believe in and through Christ every human being in the end will be drawn into the family of God for eternity and with one another.” His goal as a pastor, now retired, was not to frighten people into believing in Christ but to warmly welcome them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.