Lester's Story
For most people, nearly fifty years of serving in ministry might signal that it is time to retire. But not for Lester Rowan. Serving the Lord has characterized his entire adult life and has given him a lifelong mission.
The Pataskala, Ohio resident has spent much of his life shepherding others as a pastor and serving in various other ministries. Today, he continues his calling to ministry as a faithful volunteer at Quiet Pastures at Green Oak.
Since September 2023, Rowan has volunteered at Quiet Pastures, spending several evenings each month feeding the horses. While his original motivation was simply to be around horses again, Rowan quickly discovered that his volunteer role connected naturally with both his love for God's creation and his lifelong calling to ministry.
Rowan committed his life to the Lord at age seventeen and soon felt called into ministry. Over the decades that followed, he pastored and shepherded churches in Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania, and he also spent nine years serving as a law enforcement chaplain.
In 2021, Rowan and his wife Kristina returned to Ohio to be closer to family after he had pastored a church in Pennsylvania for twelve years. He was subsequently offered a remote position with New Destiny Treatment Center near Akron, Ohio, where he continues to work today.
New Destiny provides residential and outpatient care, including faith-based care for individuals struggling with substance abuse. Rowan's work there made his connection with Quiet Pastures especially meaningful.
“Using horses is a viable and important method of ministry that can be used in recovery,” said Rowan. “So there is a definite connection between what I do daily at my job and what Quiet Pastures does through their programs.”
Although Rowan mainly serves behind the scenes at Quiet Pastures, his role is truly an expression of a life devoted to serving the Lord.
His story is a reminder that ministry can take many forms throughout the different seasons of life. The setting may change. The responsibilities may change. But a calling to serve God and others does not end.
Rowan's own journey has included decades of pastoral ministry, university campus ministry, chaplaincy, work in addiction recovery, and now, feeding horses at an equine ministry. But each season has provided a different opportunity to be faithful.
“Satan tried to convince me that, if I committed my life to the Lord, life would be boring,” Rowan said. “But I made a commitment to the Lord at age 17, and I felt called into ministry.”
Nearly five decades later, Rowan can look back and see a life that has been anything but boring.
“It hasn’t all been sunshine and roses,” he said. “But the blessings and the benefits of walking with the Lord far outweigh the adversity and the hardships.”
Today, he continues to answer that call—no longer from a pulpit, but alongside a pasture fence, caring for horses and serving wherever God has provided an opportunity.
“I am grateful that God put a call on my life at an early age and that He enabled me to respond and to be obedient,” said Rowan.
Lester Rowan's story is a picture of what it can look like to follow Christ for a lifetime: continuing to say yes, never ceasing to serve, and remaining available for whatever opportunity God places in front of you.
To learn more about the ministry of Quiet Pastures or about how you participate in that ministry, visit quietpastures.org or contact info@quietpastures.org.