Eastern Shore Presbyterian Welcomes New Pastor Wilson Van Hooser in Fairhope
The Rev. Wilson Van Hooser, a former Tulane wide receiver turned seminary graduate, has become the new pastor of Eastern Shore Presbyterian Church in Fairhope, calling his return to Alabama a meaningful homecoming.
Eastern Shore Presbyterian Church in Fairhope has a new pastor: the Rev. Wilson Van Hooser, who describes his arrival as a “Sweet Home Alabama” homecoming after years of ministry outside the state.
Van Hooser grew up in Montgomery, and family vacations to the Baldwin County beaches gave him an early love of the area. That connection made the chance to lead the Fairhope congregation especially meaningful when Eastern Shore Presbyterian’s search committee reached out about the position.
From College Football to the Pulpit
Van Hooser’s path to ministry runs through athletics and academics as much as it does theology. He played wide receiver at Tulane University, graduating in 2013, and spent a brief stint with the New England Patriots before turning toward a different calling.
He went on to attend Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi, after what he has described as God’s call to ministry. Following seminary, Van Hooser served as a campus minister at Oklahoma State University before becoming pastor of a church in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
A Family Ready to Put Down Roots
Van Hooser and his wife, Grace, have been married for 11 years. Like her husband, Grace is a Tulane graduate and a former collegiate volleyball player. The couple have three children, all under age 7, and the family is looking forward to settling into life in Baldwin County.
As he begins his new role, Van Hooser said his early focus is on listening: hearing members’ stories, getting to know the congregation, and introducing himself to the wider community. The church says he also welcomes invitations to speak with local groups.
About Eastern Shore Presbyterian Church
Eastern Shore Presbyterian Church is a congregation in the Presbyterian Church in America denomination, located on the hill near the entrance to the Rock Creek subdivision on Highway 98 in Fairhope. The church offers two Sunday services each week: a traditional service at 8:15 a.m. and a blended service at 11 a.m. Through its ministry, Bayshore Christian School, the congregation includes a mix of younger families and older adults.
Church leaders say visitors are welcome at either service.
About the Presbyterian Church in America
The Presbyterian Church in America held its first General Assembly in December 1973 at Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham and is now headquartered in Lawrenceville, Georgia. In the PCA, a congregation calls its pastor by vote, and the call must be approved by the regional presbytery, which also examines the candidate before he is installed.
Reformed Theological Seminary, where Van Hooser trained, was founded in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1966.
