Ted Hamilton, Senior Pastor Born in Northern California and raised in Southern California, Ted is the first child of a Los Angeles attorney and a mom who was a part-time dental hygienist. Though they had always attended church, it was wasn’t until the so-called “Jesus Movement” in the early 1970s that Ted, along with his parents and two sisters, really began to more fully submit their lives to the radical Lordship of Jesus Christ. Those were life-changing years, as Ted kept one foot in the organized church and the other foot in the Bible studies and home-based groups more characteristic of the Jesus Movement in those years. Ted’s family had moved to Huntington Beach when he was in Junior High. There, in addition to his school studies (which he had probably always taken a little too seriously), Ted became an avid sailor, which complemented his other sporting love – snow skiing. Continued Click here for portraits of Ted by the young artists of New Life! Kevin Daane, Associate Pastor Before moving to California in 2003, Kevin spent most of his life living in the upper mid-west. He has a B.A. from Calvin College (1987) and an M.Div. from Westminster Seminary in California (2005). Before heading west to attend Seminary, Kevin spent eleven years working in sales and marketing, along with four years working in full-time Youth Ministry. Kevin thanks God for his wife, Kathy, who has been an amazing help to him through the years. She volunteers in the Children's ministry at New Life and serves as the Editor of a daily devotional published by Haven Ministries. But more importantly, she makes our house into a home, keeps our family organized and running in the same direction. Our children, Madeline and Steven, continue to amaze and surprise us as they move through Middle School and Elementary School respectively. Kevin has been on staff at New Life since 2003. He considers it a delight and a privilege to serve the church through teaching, preaching, counseling, and administration. While Kevin has so much to love about living in Southern California—the beaches, the mountains, the hiking, the biking, the weather and the absence of mosquitoes—what gives him the greatest joy is pointing people to Jesus. And that is exactly what he gets to do here at New Life! In Kevin’s words: “This is a community of Christians passionately committed to the Word of God, to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to caring for one another, and to loving our neighbors.” Rip Pratt, Pastor of Youth and Family Ministries Rip Pratt is delighted to serve New Life as the Pastor of Youth and Family Ministries. Rip has ministered to youth and families since 1979, working in Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Escondido, and Dallas, Texas. He received a BA in Biblical Studies from Vanguard University and has a Master's Degree from Westminster Seminary California. Rip is a national speaker for Reformed Youth Services, a frequent guest teacher at Westminster Seminary, a faithful leader and speaker at the Anchorage Alaska Men's Conference, and a favorite local youth speaker. He is the husband of Katie Pratt, whom he encourages in her position as director of academic support at Santa Fe Christian School. Rip and Katie are the parents of two sons, Lucas and Ian, who both attend (or attended) Covenant College, and of one daughter, Erin, who attends Santa Fe Christian School. Rip's work to foster a dynamic youth and family ministry comes from a combination of his deep dedication and commitment to God's Word, his high regard for the creeds and confessions of our faith, his sincere compassion for God's covenant youth and families, and his love of the outdoors as a venue for "stretching" activities. Rip leads New Life's jr. high and high school families' ministry on Wednesday evenings. Each Sunday morning during the TLC hour, Rip leads the high school students and their parents in the "Creeds with Feet" class, a unique program which trains the participants to stand firm in their faith and engage the watching world.