Local Pastor Retires

The Reverend Kim A. Stover and All Saints Lutheran Church, Lilburn, GA have announced the retirement of Pastor Stover effective June 1, 2020.

Pastor Stover is a 1969 graduate of Ravenna High School, Ravenna, Nebraska, and Concordia University, Seward, Nebraska (1973). He and Susan Warrick of Ravenna, were married, May 27, 1972, and following college graduations, moved to Stamford, CT where Kim served as Director of Christian Development for Zion Lutheran Church (LC-MS).

In 1976, the couple moved to Ravenna, where Kim taught first grade in the Ravenna Elementary School, remedial reading and math, and First Grade. The family moved to Kearney and after three years of teaching in Ravenna, Mr. Stover sold farm shop supplies and then photocopiers in central Nebraska. For nine years, he was employed by Ross Laboratories, a subsidiary of Abbott Labs, Chicago.

In 1990, the Stovers, which then include three children, Jeremy, Joshua, and Andrea, moved to Columbus, OH, where Kim entered Trinity Lutheran Seminary to train for ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. His Ministry in Context training was that of serving as Chaplain at Orient Correctional Facility, Columbus. His Clinical Pastoral Education was at Children’s Hospital, Pediatric Care Unity, Columbus. His Internship year was completed at St. John Lutheran Church, ELCA, Grove City, OH. Following graduation, he was called to Springboro Lutheran Church, Springboro, OH. Ordained August 14, 1994, he served four years before returning to Nebraska.

In Nebraska, Pastor Stover served 2 congregations, Trinity Lutheran Church, Hildreth, NE (1998-2006) and Our Savior Lutheran Church, Wayne, NE, (2006-2010). Over those years, he also served on several committees of the Nebraska Synod, was trained in Stephen Ministries and Stewardship Programs.

Resigning their calls to Our Savior, the couple, now with children grown, moved to Atlanta, GA in early 2010 and then to Durham, NC, where Kim served as Intentional Interim for St. Paul Lutheran Church, ELCA. In May 2012, Kim and Sue returned to Atlanta, where Kim would serve as Pastor for All Saints Lutheran Church, Lilburn, GA. In 2019, the church recognized Pastor Stover for 25 years of service as an ordained pastor.

Often, it is said that pastors “could write a book.” But the experiences and memories are too many, too heartwarming, too heartbreaking, and at times too mysterious to tell, even in a book of many, many pages. “My cup runneth over.”

Pastor Kim and Sue Stover’s daughter serves Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, ELCA, Welcome, North Carolina, along with her husband, Pastor Kyle Bates who serves Wittenberg Lutheran Church, ELCA in neighboring Granite Quarry, NC.