Memorial Service for Rev. Albert W. Gibson, Jr. at Hope Lutheran Church

A Memorial Service for The Rev. Albert W. Gibson, Jr., Pastor Emeritus of the Hope Lutheran Church, will be held on Saturday, September 14th, with visitation with his wife Lois and family at 2 PM, the Memorial Service at 3 PM and refreshments and fellowship to follow the brief private Committal Service with the family in the Hope Lutheran Memorial Garden.  All are invited.  Many former members, friends and colleagues from around the US will be attending.  Pastor Patricia Medley will officiate and The Rev. Richard Barbour, a son of the congregation, will preach.  Eulogies will be presented by Martha Stebelton, his daughter, Pastor Steve Sweet, who was mentored by Pastor Gibson, and John Drager, a long-time member and congregational leader.  All are invited to submit remembrances for a Memory Book to be presented to the family. 

Pastor Gibson was the founding pastor of Hope Lutheran Church and served here for 31 years, beginning in 1967.  The Hope Christian School was also established that year.  His wife Lois was a local Freehold Township Kindergarten teacher.  

His ministries outside of Hope included visiting prison
inmates at Marlboro Mental facility (1968) and chairing the Freehold Recreation
Commission. He was a member of the Township Planning Board, Youth Guidance
Council and Human Rights Council.

During his ministry in Freehold,
Pastor Gibson was on the board that planned, and then established Freehold Regional
Hospital, now CentraState Medical
Center.  He later became chairman of its Board of
Trustees, and was instrumental in establishing a multi-faith Chaplaincy at the
Hospital.  He helped establish the
Freehold Clergy Association; Open Door in Freehold, (1970) and under his guidance Hope
was an early supporter of Western Monmouth Habitat for Humanity.

In 1978 Hope Lutheran and the
Catholic Parish Family of St. Robert Bellarmine established an Accord, by which
the two churches began to share common ministries.  In addition to Vacation Bible
School and Baccalaureate
Services, they established joint Thanksgiving Worship, which has since been
extended to the entire Freehold faith community.

In 1978 he participated in the
resettlement effort for a Vietnamese Family, Sai and Sen Nguyen, who still
reside in Freehold.  Under his leadership
a Counseling Center was established at Hope, which
still provides service today.  Nationally
Pastor Gibson was elected to the Church Council of the American
Lutheran Church
and Chairman of the Board of Regents at Capital
University, Columbus, Ohio.  He died in Gettysburg on July 1, 2013.  He was 80 years old.

Memorial gifts may be made to the Hope Lutheran Church.  Please note: "Gibson Memorial" on the byline. 

(For further information contact:
Wanda Nebiolo 732-462-7545, hopefreeho1d@aol.com or Pastor Pat Medley, 732-822-0711, PastorPat@aol.com)