The Strength That Holds Us Together: Pastor Hazel Hoylman

There are people in our community who quietly hold everything together. If you are not paying attention, you might miss just how essential they are.

I have witnessed Pastor Hazel Hoylman and her family step into moments when others step back. When temperatures drop and many of our most vulnerable residents would otherwise be forced to endure the elements, Pastor Hazel works alongside the City of Fort Pierce to help set up emergency shelter for the homeless. This is not symbolic work. It is hands on. It is immediate. It is necessary.

Through her leadership with In the Image of Christ, Pastor Hazel and her team prepare food, blankets, and supplies for anyone who walks through those doors. And when I say prepare food, I do not mean something quick and impersonal. I mean real home cooked meals. Meals that taste like somebody cared while they were cooking. Meals that remind people they matter.

I had the honor of speaking with Pastor Hazel, and what stood out most was her humility. She did not speak about recognition. She did not speak about praise. She continually thanked the Lord for the opportunity to serve. That kind of perspective is rare. To see service not as sacrifice, but as purpose.

I often ask myself where our community would be without people like Pastor Hazel Hoylman. Her work and passion are often overlooked, yet they are the absolute glue of our society. There are many in Fort Pierce who struggle with mental health challenges, addiction, trauma, and illnesses that make holding a steady job nearly impossible. Without leadership rooted in compassion, many of those individuals would be left exposed and forgotten.

Pastor Hazel does not allow that to happen quietly.

She organizes. She cooks. She prays. She leads.

The Strength That Holds Us Together is not always loud. Sometimes it looks like a warm meal on a cold night. Sometimes it looks like a blanket handed to someone who has nowhere else to go. Sometimes it looks like a woman who simply believes service is a privilege.

Fort Pierce is stronger because Pastor Hazel Hoylman shows up.