By LINN ANN HUNTINGTON
Special to Hays Post
It’s not unusual for a minister in Ellis County to pastor multiple churches, particularly if some of those are in rural areas. But it is unusual for one minister to pastor churches from two different mainline Protestant denominations.
That is the situation for the Rev. Ben Houchen.
Houchen became the priest at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, 2900 Canal Blvd., and St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 2422 Hyacinth Ave., in 2024. As of Sept. 14, he is now also the part-time pastor at First Presbyterian Church, 2900 Hall St.
First Presbyterian had been without a pastor since its interim part-time pastor, the Rev. Christine Wagner, retired in December 2024. Its nominating committee had already been searching for a new pastor for several months before that. Since Wagner’s retirement, First Presbyterian’s pulpit has been filled by lay persons from Hays, Ellis, and surrounding communities.
Houchen said the First Presbyterian Church leaders reached out to him several months ago about becoming their new pastor.
“At first, I had some reservations about taking on the work of a third church, but after prompting from my bishop and engaging with the wonderful folks on the First Presbyterian Pastoral Nominating Committee, I knew that this would be an amazing opportunity to bring all of these lovely people together to better serve Hays. The traditions and customs of the three groups may have differences. But the hearts of these people are dedicated to a Christ-like love for their community,” Houchen said.
“In every conversation I heard a heart cry to know how to do more. How to create better care, more love, more engagement, and more resources for the people of our city. These churches are coming together to improve and empower the lives of the people in Hays, America, and I just had to be a part of that,” he said.
Gia Scott, chair of First Presbyterian’s Pastor Nominating Committee, said in a news release, “We’re thrilled to welcome Rev. Houchen as our new pastor. His deep commitment to mission, youth, and community-building made him an ideal fit for our church. We believe this shared ministry will enrich both congregations and expand our collective impact in Hays.”
One of the challenges of pastoring three churches, of course, involves logistics. Houchen said the three churches will continue to have separate worship services in their respective buildings. But all of their worship times have changed.
First Presbyterian now meets at 9 a.m. Sundays, St. Michael’s meets at 11 a.m. Sundays, and St. Andrew’s meets at 1 p.m. Sundays.
“Our hope is to be one church with three services,” Houchen said. “That means we want to do ministry together, serve Hays together, create, and support, and empower our community together.
“But we are still maintaining and respecting the varied traditions of each group in their respective places of worship. I have had a good deal of practice with this already as St. Michael’s and St. Andrew’s have very different traditions of their own, even though they are both of the same denomination.”
Houchen said he is not an ordained Presbyterian minister, “and it won’t be a necessity. The Episcopal Church and The Presbyterian USA Church are finalizing work to be ‘in full communion,’ which will allow me to perform all the same rites for both denominations. But I will be attending some trainings to better understand Presbyterian polity and traditions so I can fully lead in the church with knowledge of and respect for their particular observances.”
Houchen earned bachelor degrees in pastoral leadership and biblical studies from Oak Hills Christian College in Bemidji, Minn., and he has a master’s degree in intergenerational leadership from Denver Seminary.
He served as a pulpit supply pastor in Minnesota for three years, as a youth and family pastor in Colorado for five years, and taught leadership studies classes in China for Fort Hays State University from 2014 to 2021. He began working as the administrator at the two Episcopal churches in Hays in 2022 before becoming the priest at both in 2024.
He and his wife, Nikki, have been married for 21 years and have four children, ages 11 to 20.
Houchen said he has two main goals for his churches’ shared ministry. One of those involves Feeding Hays, a ministry that St. Michael’s began in 2022. Houchen said his wife was the one who originally had the idea of the church providing a free hot meal every week, and someone else had the idea of making it a drive-thru.
Thus, Feeding Hays was born. The church continues to provide a free hot meal from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. each Thursday. There are no income requirements. Normally, the meal is spaghetti and meat sauce, a salad, and dessert.
The ministry that started out serving 20 to 30 people per week is now serving 230 to 250 people per week, Houchen said. The meals are free, but some recipients wish to donate money to the church. Feeding Hays donates that money to pay off student lunchroom debt at USD 489 Hays public schools. Houchen said during the 2024-2025 school year, Feeding Hays donated more than $2,500 toward student lunch debt.
Recently St. Michael’s received funds from the United Way to hire an administrator for the Feeding Hays program. It is working on creating a board of directors for Feeding Hays so it can become a separate non-profit 501(c)3 organization.
Houchen’s first goal is “we want to find a way to increase the amount of food we serve and the number of nights we can serve it. But we also want to move beyond food service and help find ways to get people back on their feet and able to self-sustain.
“Getting them fed well is a huge building block towards that end. But it’s just the beginning of what we’ll be doing here. I can’t wait to see what all comes next.”
While his first goal involves meeting people’s physical needs, Houchen’s second goal involves his flocks’ spiritual needs.
“On a spiritual level, our purpose is to continue to stand out as churches that are here for the people who love their faith, as well as those who are looking for a faith to love,” he said. “Our churches aren’t just for those who believe in God. They are for those who don’t have anything to believe in--the lonely, lost, and homeless. They are a place of refuge. And as they continue to grow, they will first and foremost grow in their love, acceptance, and grace for each other.”