Our Staff
Pastor Bob
Reverend Bob Klingler is a lifelong United Methodist who was raised in the suburbs of Pittsburgh and confirmed in the Holiday Park UM Church. He graduated from Plum High School and attended college at Gannon University earning a B.A. degree in Theology and Psychology. Bob then attended the Methodist Theological School in Ohio earning a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Liturgical Arts as well as a Certification in Town and Rural Ministries. He was ordained as a Deacon then an Elder in the Western PA Annual Conference.
Bob is blessed to be married to Julie, a retired teacher who worked with children at the Stone Memorial Library in Conneautville. Julie is also an avid gardener. They have three grown daughters, Molly, Bethany and Emma, two sons-in-law, Kevin and Brian, two granddaughters, Harper (age 7) and Sophie (age 5) and a grandson Oscar (9 months).
Bob is a founding member of the Rural Chaplains Association - a Certified Rural Chaplain and member of the Leadership Team responsible for communication and the design and maintenance of the association website (www.rcahome.org).
Bob is passionate about - rural communities, missions and leading vital, relevant worship. He enjoys quality coffee, music, photography, reading, Disc (frisbee) Golf, woodworking and cooking.
Bob is a Centrist, conservative on some issues and more liberal on others, admires Francis of Assisi and reads Leonard Sweet, Brian McLaren, Frederick Buechner, Adam Hamilton, Andy Stanley, Philip Yancey, Richard Rohr, Anne Lamott, Diana Butler Bass, Tex Sample and others.
He has participated in a mission trip to the Dominican Republic, five mission trips to Guatemala, three mission trips to the Upper Sand Mountain Parish in Alabama, three mission trips to Henderson Settlement in Kentucky and more than 150 ramp builds with Ramps of Hope. Bob now serves on the Board of All God’s Children Ministry, The EM Anti-Racism Team and chairs the FranklinDistrict Anti-RacismTeam.
Bob helped establish the Northwestern Community Youth Center and has served on the Board of Directors for fifteen years. He has served Sugar Grove UMC in Washington Courthouse, Ohio; Sugar Grove and Chandler’s Valley Charge; West Springfield and Cranesville Charge and served as the lead pastor and chief dreamer of the Heartland Crossroads Cooperative ministry (6 churches) in the Conneautville area.
Bob began his ministry at Oakland on July 1st, 2022.
