Dear Church of The Wayfarer Family,
First off, I want to let you know how very excited and honored I am to be your new Pastor. Through meetings with your SPRC and Pastor Mark, I am learning about all of the wonderful ministry being done through this congregation. It is with great joy that my family and I accept the opportunity to join you in this important work. As way of introduction, I thought it might be helpful to share a little bit about my background with you.
Like many Californians, I am a transplant. I was born in Akron, Ohio but moved to California with my mother in 1991. I had the privilege of being raised in the beautiful Napa Valley but also was able to spend my summers and holidays back in Ohio with family. I believe that being raised with both west coast and mid-western values has helped me to better understand people from various walks of life.
After graduating from High School in Napa, I went on to attend California State University, Chico. It was there during the 2nd week of my Freshman year that I met Stephanie, the beautiful woman who would become my wife. Stephanie is a wonderful partner in life and ministry and has a passion for working with children. In fact, not only is she a California Credentialed Teacher, but she has also served for the past 3 years as the Children and Family Minister at San Ramon Valley United Methodist Church.
After College, I answered God's call to pursue ordained ministry and enrolled at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA. In addition to my coursework at PSR, I was also able to take a wide variety of courses at the Baptist, Episcopal, Lutheran and Catholic Seminaries which helped provide me with a broad understanding of the Christian Tradition. I graduated with my Master of Divinity Degree with an emphasis on Church Leadership in 2012.
My former Ministry settings include Wayside United Methodist Church in Vallejo, CA, and San Francisco General Hospital. Since 2011, I have been serving at San Ramon Valley UMC in Alamo, CA. SRVUMC is a congregation with roughly 1150 members and serves families located throughout the East Bay Area. My time at SRVUMC has provided me with many rich experiences to work with people of all ages in both large and small group settings. In addition to my work at SRVUMC, I also serve as a Chaplain with the San Ramon Valley Fire District and the San Ramon Police Department.
In April of 2015, Stephanie and I were blessed with our first child, Caleb. As a boy fully embracing his "terrific twos," Caleb keeps us on our toes at all times and adds a lot of excitement to our family. Being raised as a PK (Pastor's Kid) in the church, Caleb is not shy and loves to meet new people. You will definitely see him mingling each Sunday during the fellowship hour after worship. Our family also includes a 5 year old Chocolate Labradoodle, named Chico.
Our family enjoys outdoor activities, meeting new people and exploring new places. We are very excited to be regulars at Carmel's world famous beach as well as many of the local coffee shops, bakeries and restaurants in town. We whole heartedly believe that the best way to get to know someone is over a meal and hope to share our dinner table with each and every one of you. My favorite thing about ministry is getting to hear people's stories and I look forward to hearing yours.
It is my hope that you are as excited as I am to begin this new chapter of ministry together. My family and I are counting down the days until we get to make Carmel our new home. We are praying for Church of the Wayfarer every single day and can't wait to see how God will continue to use this congregation to make Disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. I look forward to seeing you very soon.
Peace and Blessings,
Rev. Luke