Pastor Richard received his Master of Divinity degree (MDIV) from the Lutheran Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas in 2008. His undergraduate degree is from John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas(Bachelor of Science in Communications and Broadcasting) in 1998. Pastor Richard's first call was at Gethsemane Lutheran Church in San Antonio, Texas, where he served for five years. Between College and Seminary, he worked in Radio broadcasting in several music genres.

 

Pastor Richard met his wife, Shelia, after high school in Shreveport, Louisiana. They married in 1992. Shelia has a BA in English (2009), an MBA in Organizational Management and Leadership from Concordia University in Texas (2013), and an MA in English from Youngstown State University (2018).  She has worked in Higher Education for years and was a professional singer for several bands. Presently, she  is working on her Ph.D. in English at Kent State University, where she is a Teaching Fellow in the English Department. She also has worked as an adjunct English Instructor at Youngstown State University.  Both Pastor Richard and Shelia love a variety of music such as Blues, Americana, Rock, and Gospel as well as reading - from classics to modern fiction and non-fiction.

 

Pastor Richard's favorite theologian is Martin Luther (of course) also Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Soren Kierkegaard. His favorite songwriter is Bob Dylan and his favorite singer is his wife.

 

Pastor Richard's passion is telling people about God's grace through Jesus for all people!