Hi, I'm Bob, the Senior Pastor at Messiah Lutheran Church. At Messiah, we take your spiritual, emotional, and personal growth and development very seriously. I love telling stories. So it is often through stories—with a bit of humor, warmth, and personal vulnerability—that I try to integrate our stories with God’s story. As we discover our connection to God’s story we want you to be challenged to love both God and other people in new and deeper ways.
As a native of Southern California, I am familiar with many of the challenges that people face in this fast-paced Orange County culture. We believe Messiah is a welcoming community for people to share the struggles and joys that we all experience on this journey of life.
Over the past several years, my heart has been deeply moved by the people of Uganda and their living conditions. The realization that we are all interconnected to the lives of others in this world has become influential in how I live life and do ministry here at Messiah. We are continuously looking for ways to deepen our connections with people and find new ways to reach out to those in our neighborhoods, communities, and halfway around the world. One of my favorite quotes and a driving force in how we serve is "I cannot do all the good the world needs, but the world needs all the good I can do.”
I grew up in Torrance, California and attended El Camino Community College, California Lutheran University, Wartburg Theological Seminary, and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. Prior to joining Messiah in 1985, I worked in parishes in Englewood, Colorado and Scottsdale, Arizona.
I love to travel and have visited 25 countries, and 35 states, I love the outdoors, walks on Balboa Island and the trails of Irvine. In recent years I have taken up photography, but most of all I love spending time with my family. My wife, Jeannie, is an artist/illustrator and is the Department Chair of the Visual Arts Department at Lutheran High School of Orange County. Jeannie also heads up the Ambassadors Leadership Program and oversees International Academic Travel for the school. We have two grown children. Our son and daughter in law, Ty and Coco, along with our granddaughter, Helaena, live in Brooklyn, New York. Our daughter, Tessa lives in Manhattan, New York. Ty, Coco, and Tessa are all working and are thriving artists with their own individual art businesses.
A life of joy is what I hope to share with you. Please come by sometime! Check us out and say hello.