Introducing Rev. Pastor Richard Poole
NEWS FLASH April 27th… IT’S OFFICIAL! Richard will start his Pastoral call with us May 1st!
Newhall Church will be resolutely entering its 135th year of proclaiming the Gospel to the Santa Clarita Valley by welcoming our new Senior Pastor, Rev Rich Poole, who will be bursting into his 16th year of local ministry. This morning, the congregation voted to make it official. Rich will be joining Rosie on our wonderful ministry team. “Candidate Weekend” was kicked off Saturday with a “Meet and Greet” where Rich graciously answered any and all questions we had for well over an hour. He then delivered his first sermon this morning, emphasizing the unity and community of Christ’s church, followed by more questions and answers. As the head of the presbytery, Rev Juan Sarmiento commented, “With extensive experience in both traditional ministry and forward-thinking advocacy, Rich brings a wealth of leadership, passion, and vision to Newhall.” In both Paul’s letters and Isaiah’s admonitions, the Bible contains numerous verses about new beginnings, emphasizing God’s creation of new things in the world and declare that in Christ, we are a new creation, and speak of God doing a new thing, urging us to forget the past and embrace the new. A New Thing has happened in Newhall, and…It’s Official!
Your Pastor Search Committee is truly excited and grateful to introduce you to Rev. Pastor Richard W. Poole (Pastor Rich) as our selected candidate for Senior Pastor/Head of Staff at First Presbyterian Church of Newhall. The search committee, chosen by you, consists of Elders Chisato Kanagi, Don Trammell, Drew McCreery, John Favalessa, Shane Sindle, and Val Boss and, as a representative of the Deacons, Debbie Dalton. The Committee was unanimous in their decision!
Rich has been a longtime friend and ally of Newhall Church, serving alongside Bill Barnes, advocating for Jack Irwin’s ordination as a Certified Ruling Elder (CRE), working in Presbytery leadership with Phil Aijian (whose father, Phil Aijian Sr., was a longtime pastor at Rich’s current church), and zealously advocating for our church at the Presbytery. Rich also recently attended and spoke at Phil’s retirement celebration in Fellowship Hall.
Over his 15 years in the Presbytery of San Fernando, Rich has held numerous leadership positions and currently serves as the Moderator of the Presbytery. Additionally, he was the Presbytery’s representative at the 225th General Assembly in Louisville, KY. With extensive experience in both traditional ministry and forward-thinking advocacy, Rich brings a wealth of leadership, passion, and vision to Newhall.
Pastor Rich is a fourth-generation California native. He attended The College of Wooster in Ohio, a Presbyterian affiliated institution, where he earned a double major in Religious Studies and Geology. He then successfully pursued his Master of Divinity at San Francisco Theological Seminary. Rich has since served several churches in various capacities before becoming the head pastor of Faith Presbyterian Church (formerly First Presbyterian of North Hollywood) fifteen years ago. In 2021, he partnered with presbytery leadership in a faithful innovation experiment, leading both Faith Presbyterian and the Kirk O’ The Valley in Reseda as a part-time pastor at each…resulting in a more than full time position. From whence he comes to us.
Pastor Rich has been married to his wife, Jane, for 12 years and they parent four children. Jane became a stepmother to Rich’s two older sons, Austin (21) and Will (18) when they met 14 years ago, and together they are the proud parents of Joshua (10) and Charlie (7). Jane is an accomplished singer and actress who operates her own voice studio while also writing, recording, and performing. As a family, they all enjoy spending time together outdoors, playing board games, traveling, and sharing mom’s love of music and cinema—all of which are among Rich’s personal passions as well.
Pastor Rich is honored, humbled, and excited to be called to serve a congregation with such a proud heritage, strong present, and bright future.
From Rev. Dr. Juan J. Sarmiento, our Executive Presbyter
Rich is a leader passionate about strategic change, he has guided congregations through transformative ministry, including innovative revenue models and community engagement initiatives. His commitment to equipping pastors and church leaders is reflected in his certifications as a coach through the Fuller Church Planting Initiative and as a guide for Cyclical Full Circle. Additionally, his extensive training in leadership development, conflict resolution, and evangelism uniquely equips him for this new role. Rich is helping our presbytery navigate challenges and embrace opportunities for growth and renewal through the process of reviewing our organizational design with an eye on missional and strategic effectiveness. His leadership will be characterized by a commitment to discernment, collaboration, and a vision for the future of our congregations.
With extensive experience in both traditional ministry and forward-thinking advocacy, Rich brings a wealth of leadership, passion, and vision to Newhall.
There will be a “Candidate Weekend” beginning with a “Meet and Greet” on Saturday, April 26, at 4:00 PM. This will be an opportunity to ask Rich questions, followed by a church-wide potluck dinner. Then, on Sunday, April 27, Rich will preach, and immediately after the service, a Called Congregational Meeting will be held to vote on Rich becoming