Child of God Eric Wangen-Hoch, father of Elijah and Jonah, husband of Rachel, has served as the mission developer of the Living Stones Prison Congregation in the Washington Corrections Center in Shelton, Washington since January of 2006. God showed him his passion for prison ministry while he was at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley, CA when he did his clinical pastoral education in nearby San Jose at the county jail.
When asked why he does ministry with the incarcerated and what he learns from it he states: “Prison is where all the rawness and toxicity of life come together in one single place and at the very same time, both the cross and the empty tomb of Jesus Christ standout in the midst of the chaos calling us all to God's forgiveness and grace and to be forgiving and grace-bearing people. I cannot imagine doing anything else but equipping the Living Stones for their ministry; I have come see God has put me exactly where God wants me to be. Such a strong sense of call has led me to appreciate the power of vocation both in myself and in others. My prayer for the church is that lay and clergy alike find the same kind of passion in their vocation.”
When not at prison, Eric learns what it means to be Dad to two young boys, a Partner to his wife who lives out her vocation as both Mom and pastor, and uses his spare time for artwork, gardening, and hiking.