https://www.christianpost.com/news/i...nxiety-227028/
Inland Hills Church Pastor Andrew Stoecklein died Saturday after being on life support from attempting to commit suicide Friday morning.
"""It is also unclear how long the pastor had been battling depression and anxiety but in a blog post on the first anniversary of his father's death he revealed that life had suddenly become much harder without the man who was his hero.
"Life without you is harder than I imagined it would be. I miss you every day, more and more. I sit in your office and meet with people. I thumb through your library as I prepare the messages each week. I stand on your stage to communicate the grace and truth of Jesus. Your example of how to be a husband, father, pastor, leader, and follower of Jesus is literally all around me. And for that I am so grateful," he wrote.
By the time the second anniversary of his father's death came around in October 2017, Stoecklein was in the hospital to undergo two surgeries to remove a mass from his chest, according to a post on Instagram. It is unclear if this mass was due to sudden illness or injury.
"It took two surgeries this week to remove a softball size mass from my chest. Hoping and praying for good results and recovery. Thanks for the love and encouragement! And big thanks to my beautiful wife @kaylasteck for hauling me around and taking care of me," he wrote at the time.
He had also only returned to preaching about two Sundays after taking what he called a summer sabbatical. He explained it was about four months when the senior leaders of the church stepped in to lead while he took some time off to get better.
On his first Sunday back on Aug. 12, he praised his wife, telling his church that he had not been a "very fun person to live with."""
Inland Hills Church released a statement on its FB page: """Inland Hills Church grieves with heavy hearts as our Lead Pastor Andrew Stoecklein was welcomed into Heaven on Saturday night after battling depression and anxiety. It’s not the outcome we hoped and prayed for, and today we grieve as a church family. In his time leading Inland Hills, Andrew reached so many with his warm wit, passionate heart for God, and teaching that always, always pointed others to Jesus. The loving husband, father, son, and friend that he was will continue to inspire us in leading others into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
And in this tragedy, we encourage anyone who is hurting emotionally to ask for help. If you or anyone else is struggling, the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-TALK (8255) is a potentially life-saving resource.
May we be a beacon of hope for the community, to rescue the hurting and honor the God that Andrew served so well.
Andrew, we love you. And we always will. #godsgotthis #inlandhills"""
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