St. John’s Member Spotlight—the Hobler Family

by Kerry Ognenoff

The St. John’s Member Spotlight is a space in each issue of the Lamplighter to share a little more about some of our members of St. John’s.

Matt and Kathy Hobler, along with their four children (Stephen, Evelyn, Michael and Clara) are long-time members of St. John’s Church, and all four children are current students at St. John’s School. Kathy formerly taught the K3/K4 Sunday School class and currently serves on the Christian Education Society (CES) at school. Matt serves on the Board of Outreach at church and is the assistant coach for the 5th grade B2 basketball team.

Evelyn is in 4th grade and is the proud guinea pig mom of Gus and Scruffs. She is a lover of the arts: music, dancing, tumbling and the school’s art club. Michael, in 2nd grade, is known to re-enact Star Wars fight scenes and has often been seen sparring outside with sticks against an imaginary opponent. Their youngest, Clara, in K5, is not one to be lost in the shuffle. She makes her voice heard and is learning to write, dance, and play piano.

Matt is a client services manager at Zenith America where, according to the kids, he “sends emails all day.” Kathy has been a Special Ed teacher for Milwaukee Public Schools since 2009. She enjoys baking, especially with her kids. After the kids go to bed, Matt and Kathy can be found playing their favorite game, Scrabble. Matt even proposed using a mini Scrabble board and his dog, Abby (who carried the ring across a field on her collar).

Stephen, the oldest Hobler child, is in 5th grade. He loves running on the school’s cross country team and building with Legos, playing outside and plotting Nerf battles.

Matt and Kathy have remained long-time members. They noticed the many families with young children being welcomed and encouraged to attend and knew that community would welcome them with open arms when they decided to start a family. The Hoblers also appreciated the school that would meet their kids’ spiritual needs on a daily basis.

The midweek Advent and Lent services followed by dinner in the fellowship hall are Hobler family favorites. “The opportunity to worship with so many students followed by fellowship with family and friends is such a blessing!” said Kathy. Camping is another favorite family pastime. They love swimming, hiking, enjoying family time, sleeping under the stars, and marveling at God’s creation.

The Hoblers look forward to the future of St. John’s with excitement. Kathy says, “We are excited to see the interest and growth in the Early Learning Center programs at St. Johns. We look forward to St. John’s providing an exceptional Christ-centered education for students for years to come.”