Pastor Henry Richard (Rick) Rodriguez

I was born in Tampa, Florida, and grew up in a blue-collar family.  My father was a press mechanic in a can company, and my mother a homemaker.  Even though my name is Hispanic, I do not speak Spanish.  My wife, Eileen, is Pennsylvania Dutch in background. My wife and I have been married thirty-nine wonderful years.  Eileen is also ministry minded and she is a tremendous ministry help and support.  She has served in a variety of church capacities involving evangelism and leadership.  We have two adult children. Holly, a graphic artist, and Richard, who is in mortgage sales.  Richard lives in Princeton New Jersey and is an account manger for Coldwell Banker, while Holly lives nearby and is the art director for The Daily Local newspaper. Eileen and I love the outdoors and like to bike and go fishing.  We own a camp trailer that is located on the Indian River Bay in Dagsboro, Delaware.

SALVATION AND CALLING

I was brought up in a good, but unchurched family.  When I was a high school junior, I was invited to a Christian summer camp by some of my school friends.  My way was paid through an anonymous scholarship.  During that conference, while I was memorizing Ephesians 2:8 & 9 for a team competition, I came to faith in Christ.  After high school, while I was attending the University of South Florida, God began to burden me about ministry.  In January 1967, a Jewish friend I had led to Christ and I left the University of South Florida to attend Florida Bible College, in Miami.  I graduated from Florida Bible College in May 1969 and was ordained simultaneously by the Grove Community Church of Miami, where Eileen and I had ministered to youth in my student years.

DEVELOPMENT AND FURTHER EDUCATION

After Bible college, my wife and I started an outreach ministry to youth through Youth Ranch (a ministry of Florida Bible College) in the Philadelphia area.  I was drafted into the United States Marine Corps just after the ministry was up and running.  After an honorable discharge (I received an very early discharge so I could return to the ministry), I returned to the Youth Ranch ministry and accepted a position as Youth Pastor at Grace Chapel in Havertown, PA.  While ministering at that church, I was encouraged and assisted in attending Dallas Theological Seminary for three summers.  I graduated with a Master’s Degree in Bible in May 1976.

MINISTRY and PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

1969-1976   Eileen and I directed the above mentioned youth ministry and I served as youth pastor at Grace Chapel in Havertown, PA. for five years.  We had involvement in the lives of youth from junior high through college/singles.  God unusually blessed in these years, and dozens of young people from the community came to faith in Christ.  Many of these, as well as those who grew up in the church are presently serving as missionaries and pastors throughout the world.

In 1972, we adopted a 2 day old girl we named Holly.  In light of now having a family and my beginning seminary, direct involvement in youth ministry became increasingly difficult. So in 1974, I accepted a role assistant pastor at Grace Chapel and left the Youth Ranch ministry.  My duties were still related to youth, but were expanded to include pastoral responsibilities. 

1976-1983   After seminary, I accepted a position as pastor of the newly formed Calvary Fellowship Church in Downingtown, PA.  The church, which was the merger of two small churches, was blessed by God and grew from an attendance of 60 to 300 and became multi-staffed.  Property was purchased and a worship center with an educational wing was constructed.  For two years during this period, I also taught personal evangelism and Bible doctrine at an evening institute of Philadelphia College of Bible.  During this period we adopted our son, Richard, who was six weeks old.  Even though Eileen was a stay at home mom with our now two children, she started and served in several ministries that expanded the churches outreach. Calvary Fellowship’s recently retired pastor, Carl Green and his wife Patsy (now missionaries), were both student leaders in the youth ministry we oversaw at Grace Chapel.  Carl assumed the Senior Pastor role after my departure.

1983-1986   I accepted a position to oversee pastoral studies at Florida Bible College.  Besides teaching responsibilities, my duties included a fair amount of administration and counseling. For a very brief period I served as president.   Several students who were a part of the pastoral program are now pastors or missionaries.  My wife and I also helped plant and I became pastor of a church in Kissimmee, Florida.  That church is now pastored by a man who was a student in the pastoral department and assisted me during the church plant.  During this season of ministry Eileen completed a degree in Bible.

1986-1998   I accepted a position to serve as associate pastor at Church of the Open Door in York, PA.  Besides normal pastoral duties, Eileen and I had a ministry that emphasized evangelism to new folks in the community.  Several came to faith during those years and are actively serving in the church.  This was a blessed ministry and is where my children reached adult years.  The Senior Pastor retired and at approximately the same time the Lord gave us the unique opportunity to return to Calvary Fellowship Church.

1998-Present   I am presently serving as equipping pastor of Calvary Fellowship Church in Downingtown, PA. What a joy to return to this church in which Eileen and I had earlier foundational ministry!   I have overseen the adult teaching ministry for the past 9 years.  A highlight of our ministry has been the starting of a ministry called Ventures Fellowship that is designed to encourage baby boomers that will soon to retire to retool their lives for ministry for Christ.  Several have accepted the challenge and are presently serving in church or missionary positions of leadership.  Eileen recently retired from 17 years of doing title work in both the wholesale and retail auto industry to also concentrate on this unique ministry.