Dear Family and Friends of The Neighborhood Church,

Two of my favorite girls arrived this week: my wife, Kristen, and our youngest, Lucy. We’ve been praying about, and working towards, this move for this chapter of our lives for a couple of years now. And it’s finally here! I would love to introduce them to you this coming Sunday in the worship service and as we enjoy afterwards a time of fellowship and special refreshments out on the patio area.

As many of you know, Kristen is also a pastor, rostered with the UCC, and has been called as Senior Pastor to serve one of our sister congregations here in Southern California, First Congregational Church (UCC) of Riverside.  It is an urban congregation and has been in the heart of the city for many decades of ministry—with obvious gifts and passion for meeting the human need and services which abound on the streets of most all cities today. She is excited to lead and serve there and begins August 1.

Lucy is our swimmer, committed to the University of California at Santa Cruz where she will begin her first year of collegiate studies in Marine Science and compete for the Banana Slugs swim team. She loves her distance swimming, has long had a great passion for the ocean and its creatures, and has been aiming for such a place for a long time. Soon, in about a month and a half, this adventure will begin for her, and we, too, are excited for what lies ahead.

Change is exhilarating, challenging, exhausting, and full of hope, promise, and discovery. Change is inevitable—whether you choose it, work it, or if it simply happens in your life. Kristen, Lucy, and I are in the thick of it right now and wonder what new “normal” will arise in the wake of such changes. As a congregation in transition, The Neighborhood Church is amid change as well. Walking alongside of you for a while, helping you to reflect, celebrate, consider, and enjoy this time of life as a congregation is what I love to do. I hope you share some sense of God being up to something here, with a marvelous future in store.

Next week, I plan to share with you a snapshot of where we’ll head with our process so that you can anticipate the next steps in our journey together. Until then, see you in worship!

Pastor Rick
Intentional Interim Minister