Who We Are

Hello! My name is Bob Voels, and I am honored to be the pastor at Wesley United Methodist Church!

This is a good church, with good people who love Jesus, love the Trenton area, and love each other and we would love for YOU to be a part of the Wesley family!

I’d like to share a little bit of personal information. My wife and I are Iowa natives who moved to Missouri for a “change of scenery” in 2021. We have been blessed with four great adult children (living in four different states), and one wonderful daughter-in-law! We have lived here in Trenton since 2023, having been generously welcomed by the Wesley family into their midst!

Altogether, I have had the privilege of serving as a pastor for the last twenty years, serving UM churches in both Iowa and Missouri, and I continue to be amazed at what God is doing among us! My own faith story began in Dubuque, Iowa, as the oldest of three siblings. Our parents took us to church EVERY SUNDAY, and that is where the initial foundations of my faith began. As a matter of fact, the very first time I read Scripture from the pulpit was as a teenager in the church I grew up in!

When I graduated from high school and moved on to college, though, I fell away from the church, and my “wandering in the wilderness” lasted for more than 20 years! Of course, my life continued on, and I married a wonderful woman, and we raised our family together.

But many years later, the Holy Spirit put something on my heart, reminding me that my parents brought me to church, and so maybe I should do the same with my kids. So, I did - and I soon discovered that it wasn’t just for my kids, but that it was for me, too! I joined the men’s group at this church (as the cook for our Saturday morning gatherings), and my life began to change as we grew deeper in Scripture and fellowship. The men’s group took a trip to Chicago to a “Promise Keepers” conference, and on a Friday night in June 2001, I found myself on the floor of the United Center, with tears rolling down my cheeks, experiencing what Methodist founder John Wesley experienced on Aldersgate Street when his “heart became strangely warm”.

Up to that point, I knew that Jesus Christ was THE Savior - but in that moment, I started knowing him as MY Savior! I continued to grow in various ministries in my local church, but others saw that God had something else for my future. And four years later (in 2005), I was introduced at a church in Cedar Rapids as Pastor Bob! My ministry will always be guided by 2 overriding principles – preach Jesus, and love the people!

So, anyway, that’s my story so far, but the good news is that God isn’t done with me yet! And the same is true for you, so I hope you come and join us, and we can experience God’s ongoing love and grace together!