Pastor Wayne Babcock 2016 to Present
Pastor Wayne arrived in Quartzsite, Arizona in 2013, and found his way to Isaiah 58 Project the following year. He like many others, had found Jesus at an early age and had fallen away. The Lord delivered him from alcohol in 1987, and patiently started working in his life. Wayne recommitted his life to Jesus in 1990 in Prineville, Oregon. He became a serious student of the Bible beginning in 1987 and continuing to this day.
Before the Lord brought him to Quartzsite, from April 1996 until March 2006, Wayne served as the registered Chaplain of the Crook County Correctional Facility in Prineville. While working at a fulltime job in town, he held regular scheduled church services four times a week at the jail. He also made occasional unscheduled visits to the jail, many the result of a late night phone call, or a visit from a corrections officer at his workplace.
On Father’s Day, June 19, 2016, Wayne filled in for Pastor Mike Hobby, while he and his wife Linda were on vacation in Washington. On that date, in Washington, Pastor Mike suffered a stroke that would claim his life three days later. Wayne has continued to fill the pulpit since then.
In January 2017, Wayne was officially ordained and installed as an Assistant Pastor of Isaiah 58, with Pastor Linda in attendance and Pastor Mike’s son Michael officiating the ceremony.
Working closely with Pastor Linda, they drew closer in their personal relationship as well and were blissfully married on August 15, 2017.
Pastor Linda passed away on April 15, 2021. Wayne has stayed on and continues to run the ministry endeavoring to uphold the vision of its founders, Mike Hobby and Linda Hobby Babcock.
With the help of many other volunteers, and following the will of God, we carry on with this work, keeping this a place to serve people and fulfilling the mandate spoken of by the Prophet Isaiah in chapter 58 of his book in the Bible.