I have always been convinced that most comedians are just preachers who haven't answered their call, so after 20-years as a full-time standup comedian, I answered the call and helped plant Emmaus Church (you win a Christian maturity ribbon if you can pronounce Emmaus) in Redlands, California, which is now a decade old and going strong. Then I was a teaching pastor at Canyon Lake Community Church for four years and have ventured back into church planting as the lead pastor of Center Church. (You get nothing if you can pronounce that, except the satisfaction of being hooked on phonics.) Westminster Seminary California allowed me onto their campus even though I baptize grownups. That seminary and its professors have been formative in my life. But not as much as my wife who I have been married to for 31 years as of July 2024. That's me in the selfie with my wife Dinika, our son Rex (6), our daughter Eden (23), and our daughter Kate (14). That's right—eight years between kids, because we're good planners.
Daniel is a professor at Martin Luther King Jr. in Riverside. Needless to say, Dan is a great teaching elder at Center Church. He has been married to Jenny for 24 years and they have four children, Julia (16), Charlotte (13), Mary (2) and Grant (little). Daniel also serves as church treasurer. His wife Jenny works for Mission Vista Charter School as an Educational Specialist where she works with homeschooling families. Both Dan and Jenny have a long line of teachers in their families. As a couple, they are also advocates of orphan care, having just adopted Mary, and are in the process of having her brother Grant become part of their family as well. They have been with Center Church from its inception and Dan has been part of the leadership team since the original launch of 2016.
Steve Adler is a consummate rocker, as in rock n’ roll back when it was rock n’ roll and not whatever it is now. Techno. Exactly. Tech? No. The first rock concert Steve attended was KISS in 1979 and yes, he was in full makeup. Thankfully for us, he has left face painting behind and leads the worship team at Center Church. Steve brings his passion for the Lord into the sanctuary with every note of his guitar. If there is an instrument, whatever it may be, Steven can probably play it, even the ukulele. He started playing music at 11 years of age and was awarded a gold medal at an international music festival with a jazz ensemble in 1984. He is a first-class bass player, but his skills go far beyond his instrument of preference. This is why one of his great gifts is in developing other musicians and singers into worshippers who sing to the Lord with their whole hearts and on key. (Praise the Lord for that.) Steve has been married to Tammy (who was such a good sport for this selfie which came without warning) for 28 years in October. They have three children, one in college (Dave, 26, studying psychology at Cal State Long Beach), one who just graduated college (Michaela, 27, BS in geology from Cal State Fullerton) and Sam (22) who's studying at Cal State Fullerton also. Before Center Church even had a name, Steve came to me (Thor) and said, "If you start a church, I'll be your worship leader." And he's been with us ever since.
Dale studied psychology and Biblical Studies at Biola University and works with United States veterans. He has been married to Angelique for... quite a few years. Dale has a great passion for prayer and teaching the Word of God. He is one of our small group and discipleship leaders. Angelique also helps lead and organize the Women's Small Group Bible Study. They have always been involved in the ministry of whatever local church they attended, so they both come with many years of experience in loving and caring for the local church body. Dale was installed as part of the leadership team in 2019 by a unanimous congregational vote.
Copyright © 2024 Center Church - Use Everything Freely.
Sundays @ 10 a.m.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.