St. Andrew United Methodist Church announced Monday that founding pastor Rev. Robert Hasley has died after a 15-month battle with cancer. He was 70 years old.
“Robert was the shepherd of the St. Andrew community for 36 years and showed each person he knew how to live with grace, kindness, and love,” current St. Andrew senior pastor Rev. Arthur Jones said. “Robert lived each day knowing that death is not the end but the beginning of life eternal and his voice and legacy will forever echo in the walls of St. Andrew and in our hearts.”
After serving as an associate pastor at Highland Park United Methodist Church, Hasley was tabbed by the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church in 1986 to form a new church in Plano. For the next 36 years, he dedicated his life to that task.
During that time, he also led many community-focused initiatives including an East Plano ministry serving kids in need, an international ministry helping the Cabecar people of Cost Rica, and the Helping Hands ministry which provided meals to first responders and hospital workers during the pandemic.
In 2009, Hasley and his wife Sharon founded The Storehouse of Collin County. What began as a small food pantry today serves more than 600 families per day. It also offers clothing and education programs.
Just a few weeks prior to receiving his cancer diagnosis, Hasley stepped down as senior pastor. However, he remained active in the church and recently started a new ministry for retirement-aged people
A memorial service for Rev. Robert Hasley will be held at 3 p.m. Tuesday, July 26 at 3 p.m. in the St. Andrew main sanctuary. A chapel bearing his name is scheduled to be completed at St. Andrew next summer.
Oh really sad.