Finalist 1
A Day of Reflection: Pastor and Counselor Hobbs
by Amanda Yuan
Clifton Hobbs III was born on February 3, 1980, in Bellevue, Nebraska. By the time he graduated high school in 1999, he knew he’d be a pastor. At 33 years old, he started his own church called the Glory Tabernacle. Each Sunday, they play live music with drums, bass, organ, and keyboard while they worship and dance. When the work week hits, he’s off to either his Lincoln or Bellevue counseling office where he works to aid in the public mental health crisis. Specifically, the Black therapist shortage. While African Americans constitute approximately 14.4% of the country's population, they represent only 2% of practicing psychiatrists according to the National Library of Medicine. This is due to systemic racism and segregation in the medical field, and Clifton Hobbs is doing what he can to help. Black patients prefer someone they can relate their identity to, according to Clifton.
Pastor Clifton Hobbs checks his watch before entering his office at U Reimagined Counseling services in Lincoln, Neb., on February 21, 2026.
Brandi Hobbs shares a laugh with her husband, Clifton Hobbs, in his new counseling office in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Feb. 21, 2026. Brandi is Clifton’s wife of 26 years and the office manager at both of his counseling locations. “In every part of my life, work and marriage, she is my boss,” Clifton Hobbs said.
Setting up: Clifton Hobbs adjusts his computer cords after unpacking new supplies on Feb. 21, 2026. Clifton expanded his counseling and pastoral services to Lincoln from Bellevue after finding success in both fields. “Obviously not everybody is necessarily a believer; I will tell my clients I am a pastor, but I don’t impose values in sessions. I find it helps them feel safe if they want to talk about it,” Clifton Hobbs said.
Beginning Glory Tabernacle: The interior of an uninhabited building that previously served as the Glory Tabernacle church on Feb. 21, 2026. Before moving the church to its current location in the basement of an office building, Clifton Hobbs started the congregation in his family’s living room. “We quickly outgrew our space and had found a new one in the building that used to be a Burger King. We also ran a food pantry that was doing up to 200 orders a week from there,” Brandi Hobbs said.
Family practicing faith: Clifton Hobbs and Brandi Hobbs host a Bible study with their son, Caleb Hobbs, their daughter, Shaylee Hobbs, and friends Shane Daughtrey, Gabby Madera and Andrea Minter on Feb. 21, 2026, at Mo Java Coffee Shop in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Clifton Hobbs laughs as he shares stories about his youth on Feb. 21, 2026, at Mo Java Coffee Shop in Lincoln, Nebraska. Hobbs said he wants to make faith accessible to all groups after negative experiences as a young Christian. “When I was a kid, I couldn’t even go to the drive-in because that’s where the pastor thought people got pregnant out of wedlock,” Hobbs said.
Clifton Hobbs, Brandi Hobbs, Caleb Hobbs, Shaylee Hobbs, Shane Daughtrey, Gabby Madera and Andrea Minter have a conversation at Mo Java Coffee shop on Feb. 21, 2026. Clifton’s favorite way to practice his faith is by connecting with younger people. “I enjoy this more than I do church,” Clifton Hobbs said.
Clifton Hobbs, Caleb Hobbs and Shaylee Hobbs lock hands in prayer at Mo Java Coffee Shop on Feb. 21, 2026. After several hours of conversation, the group ends their meeting with their usual routine.
A relic of the past: A framed copy of "Amazing Grace" signed by the congregation hangs in the Glory Tabernacle church on Feb. 21, 2026. The memento reminds Clifton Hobbs of the church's growth.
Clifton Hobbs sits in his congregation's chairs as he contemplates the following day's service at Glory Tabernacle church on Feb. 21, 2026. Hobbs expressed concern regarding the shifting religious climate. “They're using the Bible to ostracize people in the LGBTQ community and immigrants, and it won't be long until they ostracize me as a Black man married to a white woman,” Hobbs said.