Local youth pastor wins 2nd place prize for Best Dad

Among 25 outstanding nominees for Best Dad in Maricopa presented by Maricopa Ace Hardware, two ran away from the pack in online voting. Finishing in second place by just 16 “likes” on Facebook was Matt Lincoln.

The father of six, including two adopted children, holds down two full-time jobs, one in retail and one as the youth pastor over more than 100 kids at Church of Celebration. Lincoln said he was humbled by the support for his nomination, whch totaled 328 likes.

“It’s a blessing to even be considered for it,” he said. “That that many people actually voted and took the time to actually have an opinion about it is pretty amazing.”

Lincoln first became a father at the age of 19 when Matthew came into the world.

“It was life-changing,” Lincoln said. “I had to grow up really, really fast. I had to learn wisdom very, very quickly for survival. It’s probably the best thing that happened to me.”

He was nominated by wife Yvette and children Matthew, Jeshuah, Nicholas, Jordan, Devin and Talia.

“He leads, lives and loves wholeheartedly with the mindset of building up the next generation to succeed,” Yvette Lincoln said in her nomination. “He’s selfless, humble and he never gives up on anyone. He pushes through every battle.”

Matt Lincoln said his philosophy of fatherhood is “God first.”

“In order to be a great father, you have to learn from the creator of fatherhood, and that’s God,” he said. “So, I follow those principles, and that’s worked pretty well.”

Lincoln’s prize was an exterior paint project from Dun Edwards that included six 5-gallon buckets of paint, a 4-foot aluminum ladder, brushes, drop cloth, roller tray set and roller covers. The Lincoln family picked up their prize at Maricopa Ace Hardware on Friday. Yvette Lincoln said they recently received an HOA reminder that it was time to repaint the house.

Meet the winner