Rich grew up in Jos, Nigeria, where his parents served as missionaries. Rich was five when his father was called to serve as a senior pastor in Everett, Washington (and thereafter in Turlock, California). Although Rich was in the Word and felt he knew God growing up, he came to see a difference between what was in his head and what was in his heart. At Hume Lake camp when he was thirteen, Rich committed to make Christ the Lord of his life. He attended Biola College, minoring in Bible, with the intention of going into full-time ministry but two circumstances moved his life in a different direction.
First, a seminary professor and other Christian men in Rich’s life told him that God calls us to serve Him in different areas of giftedness and need (Ephesians 4), and that Rich wasn’t “selling out” if he chose to serve God outside of full-time ministry. Second was an unfortunate split at Rich’s home church in which he witnessed people who had mentored him, and family friends, fall into sin and tear apart the body of Christ. He decided to take a break from his studies to figure things out, teaching and playing tennis in Maryland and coaching Biola’s tennis team. During that time, God began to give clearer direction on his life, restoring his love for Christ’s bride, the church, and ultimately leading him to attend law school.
Rich has now practiced law for close to thirty years, and is a partner at his firm practicing business and real estate transactional law. God has affirmed to Rich time and again that God desires him to live out the good news of the gospel in the business and legal community.
Rich and his wife Pam have two children, Daniel and Stacy and have attended SGCC since 1995. Rich loves studying and teaching God’s Word, pursuing daily times of study, prayer and meditating on the greatness of our Lord, praising God for his mercy and forgiveness when he fails, and giving and welcoming accountability with those who share the common bond of Jesus Christ. Rich enjoys sports – particularly golf, tennis, baseball (go SF Giants!) and ping pong.
Rich would say his favorite passage of Scripture is Joshua 1:8-9: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
