The Pastor of the Weiser Community Church, Steve Penner, will be retiring in August after more than 31 years of sharing the Gospel. The announcement was made during a city council meeting where Steve has been doing invocations in rotation for the city government over the last 3 decades, among other church leaders.
Steve Penner has dedicated his life to filling many different roles within the community including Chairman of the Board of Community Guardians, a group that provides help to adults who are no longer able to care for themselves. Living in the News featured a story on this back in 2021. He will be continuing his role as Chairman of the Board of Community Guardians.
For about 20 years, Steve also served as the chaplain for the Weiser Police Department and as a public information officer for Washington County Disaster Services. As many can recall, Steve was at the forefront of the infamous Snow-mageddon back in 2017 when several buildings in Weiser collapsed under the heavy snowfall that broke records that year. He will be retiring as chaplain in August as well.
When asked what he enjoyed most about his career as a pastor, Steve shared that he most enjoyed getting to know the people of Weiser, spending time around town, and connecting with community members through various events.
As many know, Steve has spent the last 8 years in a battle with 5 different bouts of cancer. He was first diagnosed with follicular lymphoma which turned into b-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Fighting through chemotherapy, vocal cord surgery, and eventually going into remission was later squashed when pancreatic cancer was discovered. After a successful surgery to remove the pancreatic cancer, melanoma was removed from his head right before going in for a stem cell transplant to battle a second round of b-cell lymphoma. With many prayers of love, healing, and support, Steve found the strength to push through. He is now doing very well and looking forward to retirement in good health.
Steve Penner is also the Chairman of the Hillcrest Cemetery District and will continue in that role moving forward. When asked what he has planned for retirement, he said, “Well, I’m just retiring from being a pastor. I will stay busy, and I’ll be around doing other things.” Steve has been a true blessing to the church and the Weiser community. His presence has impacted many different aspects of the community where he has dedicated his time for the benefit of others. Knowing his kind nature, he will continue devoting his spare time to worthy causes for many years to come.
