A Letter From THE CHAPEL's Interim Pastor

Dear Friends:

Since I will be serving as your interim lead pastor for the next few months, I thought I should introduce myself a bit. My wife Tanya and I joined The Chapel back in the fall of 2016, becoming members in early 2017 and joining the staff team that fall. I served in several roles during my time at the Chapel, serving as youth pastor and filling in as interim lead pastor in the spring of 2020 when Pastor Chuck went on sabbatical. The Chapel has had a huge impact on my life over the past 6 years!

A few years in to my time at The Chapel, Chuck and the elders approached me about being sent out as missionaries to plant a church overseas. After some prayer, my wife and I eagerly said yes. I enrolled at Westminster Seminary in Escondido and we began to prepare to go overseas. We moved down to Escondido in the fall of 2020 and I am scheduled to graduate this December and head overseas in early 2023. Throughout this, The Chapel has been our spiritual home and we have returned regularly Pasadena as I have helped out occasionally with preaching. I am very excited to get reconnected with everyone during this time as an interim; to reconnect with folks I know, and to meet and get to know those of you who have joined recently. Although my availability is limited as I finish papers and complete finals, after the next few weeks I would love to connect with anyone I can!

My vision for this interim period is to connect us to God's word, to continue to emphasize our mission as a church, and to lead us into rejoicing in God and resting in his promises. The last year since Chuck unexpectedly passed has been challenging! I am so grateful for Derek's service (I loved getting to know him), for the leadership of our elders and staff team, and for the faith, patience, and love I have sensed from all of you.

Hebrews is a book about Jesus--his supremacy, his victory, and his trustworthiness. I hope our time in this book will refocus all of us on the foundation of our church and the savior of our souls!

Pastor Steven