Rev. Murray Richmond
541 779-1711, Ext. 202
Cell Phone: 907-347-3365
Email Address: PastorRichmond@firstpresmedford.org
“I have come that you might have life, and life abundant.” John 10:10
When I moved to Medford in 2013 to become the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, I knew I was making a good decision, but I didn’t know it was going to be one the best decisions I ever made. More than any other church I have served, the people of First Presbyterian understand that they do exist for their own enjoyment. We exist to serve others and enjoy God.
I feel particularly blessed to serve this congregation. I received my Master of Divinity from the Divinity School at Duke University, and spent a year studying theology in Bonn, Germany. I served two churches in North Carolina, and one congregation in Fairbanks, Alaska, where I lived for 18 years. I have also worked as a hospital chaplain, group therapist, and spent three enjoyable years as a legislative aide for the Alaska Senate’s Education Committee, where I wrote legislation covering all Alaska schools, from pre-k to University. I taught an Intro the Bible course at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks and was active in the public radio station in Alaska, both as an DJ (Jazz and classic rock) and as a fundraiser.
I love to cook up some North Carolina Barbecue for my friends and for the church, and for fun I read pretty serious works of theology.
One of the things I like about First Pres is that the church resists all labels. We are not liberal or conservative, in theology or politics. We are Presbyterian, but we are open to anyone from any other denomination. We emphasize both worship and community service. We have a variety of worship services, from traditional to informal to our Jazz Vespers.
We take our call to be disciples of Jesus Christ very seriously, but we have a lot fun at it as well. If you are looking for a church home, come check us out! We have our doors open for you!