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Missouri Synod. He and Judy were married June 25, 1988, and they
moved to Gulf Breeze, FL where he was called to serve Good
Shepherd Lutheran Church. They would spend 15 years there and
grew the congregation, relocated it along a busy highway, built a new
facility and started a Christian Day School PK—5th grade. During that
time he served in several leadership positions in the church body and
in civic organizations. While at Good Shepherd, Rich received his
Doctor of Ministry degree from Trinity Theological Seminary.
It was shortly after arriving in Gulf Breeze that Rich first said the words
to Judy that they have lived by for 31 years, “ we must move forward
in faith”, a paraphrase of 2 Corinthians 5:7. Judy became very
involved in the ministry and that is where a young girl of the
congregation gave her a name she still treasures and jokes about,
“Mrs. Pastor”. Judy began volunteering at the Gulf Breeze Hospital,
where she served as President of the Volunteers. She was elected to
serve on the Florida State Board Association of Florida Hospital
Auxiliaries and volunteers in 1995. She was elected Florida State
President in 2001, and worked with the Florida Hospital Association
and lobbied for them in Tallahassee, Fl and Washington, DC. Judy
loved traveling for the AFHAV and working with the many wonderful
healthcare volunteers around the state.
After fifteen years of serving Good Shepherd, Rich accepted a Divine
Call to serve as pastor of St. John Lutheran church and School,
Staten Island, NY. St. John was a large congregation with a large
school and staff of 25. Rich spent a lot of time working with the school
providing leadership for the teachers and teaching religious classes.
One of his weekly thrills was leading chapel for more than 300
students who attended St. John School. Judy enjoyed living and
playing in the ‘city’, seeing broadway shows, experiencing different
cultures, riding on the Staten Island ferry and her volunteering which
was centered on the church for those years.
In 2005 Rich and Judy purchased a summer home on the Greenbrier
River in Alderson, WV, where Judy would spend most of each sum-
mer on the river with Rich joining her as often as possible. In 2010
Rich accepted a divine Call from the Board of directors of the Ohio
District to serve as a Mission Pastor and this call included planting a
church in the Greenbrier Valley. They moved to ‘the river’ and the first
meetings and months of services of Christ Our Savior Lutheran
Church were held in their home. This established the only Missouri
Lutheran church in a two hour driving radius. Rich continues to be an
active missionary in the area, teaching Bible classes and building rela-
tionships by serving on many boards and other activities as well. He
has served on the Board of Directors for the Shepherd’s Center of
Greenbrier Valley, the Hospitality House in Alderson and currently