THE ASSOCIATE PASTOR NOMINATING COMMITTEE
IS EXCITED TO INTRODUCE
ADRIANRODRIGUEZ
as our candidate to become Vienna Presbyterian Church’s Associate Pastor for Outreach
LETTER FROM THE APNC
We are delighted to introduce Adrian Rodriguez to our church family. Adrian has answered God's call to join Vienna Presbyterian Church as the new Associate Pastor for Outreach. He brings a warm, personable, and generous nature, and most importantly, an infectious love for God. Adrian's faith journey and his calling to Outreach are inspiring. Over the past 12 years, Adrian has wholeheartedly served in youth ministry, reaching out to young people and their families with the love of God. He is deeply passionate about community engagement, understanding the needs of his community, and finding ways to address those needs while fostering connections between the community and the church. We are grateful that God has sent Adrian and his wonderful family to VPC in answer to our prayers!
“Adrian has a tremendous vision for what Outreach is. He understands the importance of church in a community, and thinks about if the community would miss the church if it one day disappeared.”
"Adrian brings an infectious enthusiasm about God and the Gospel that will help grow our church and our community. I am excited that he and his family will be coming to our wonderful community in Vienna."
“Adrian has great humility and a heart full of compassion for those who are broken-hearted and feel lost. He sees the best in everyone and with the help of God, helps others to see their worth.”
MEMBERS OF THE APNC
Todd Burger
RJ Clarke
Jason Chung
Chris Jones
Wendy Lincoln
Melinda Mayes
Anna Nordseth
Jennifer Zicht
"His passion, skills, and experience are what we need to reach out to the diverse community around us with the love of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
“Teaching and showing people the love of God in Christ is the foundation of his ministry.”
“Adrian is passionate about letting people know that God’s love for them is true and unfailing.”
“Adrian strongly desires to lead us in making disciples of all nations as Jesus commands us.”
“Adrian is so personable and easy to get to know.”
LETTER FROM ADRIAN RODRIGUEZ
To my friends and co-laborers in Christ at VPC, I greet you in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. As I write this letter, I am overcome with gratitude for God’s faithfulness in our lives. I am grateful that the APNC saw enough in me to approach me with the opportunity to serve VPC as the Associate Pastor for Outreach. I remember the day I received a call from Anna Nordseth and wondered, who is she and how did she get my phone number? She may not know this, but receiving her call on September 11, 2023, was an answer to prayer. I had recently finished my studies at Fuller Theological Seminary, and I prayed God would bring about an opportunity to serve in church outreach. Outreach and community building were firmly rooted in my studies at Fuller and have been part of my ministry for more than a decade.
I am also grateful that God has orchestrated and aligned my passion for serving communities with a church that also shares this same passion. As I have worshiped with you from afar, I have witnessed VPC’s heart for outreach and love for those within the community. Know that I have been praying with you as we continue to respond to God’s calling to be a church that builds relational community. I pray that through the leading of the Holy Spirit we grab hold of the Spirit’s power and guidance, giving us a continued heart of humility, service, worship, and dependence on God to carry our missional calling for a lifetime.
VPC, thank you for being patient. I know you have been waiting for this day to come for some time now, as I have as well. Although I haven’t met everyone, my family and I have felt your love, kindness, and compassion through the APNC. When my wife and I visited VPC and the surrounding community, we immediately felt a connection. In fact, on the last day of our visit, my wife, Alecia, looked at me and said, “This feels like home!” So, I want you to know that the A-Rods can’t wait to come home and labor in ministry with our co-laborers in Christ at VPC.
Until then, let us continue to be persistent in Jesus Christ’s call to…“Gothereforeandmake disciplesofallnations,baptizingtheminthenameoftheFatherandoftheSonandoftheHoly Spirit,andteachingthemtoobeyeverythingthatIhavecommandedyou.Andremember,I amwithyoualways,totheendoftheage.”
In God’s Precious Grace,
Adrian
STATEMENT OF FAITH
While God is complex it is easy to know that God loves me, every aspect of me, because I am his beautiful creation, and I have been created in his loving image. Nothing on earth nor in heaven can separate me from this gracious love.
I believe in one God who is revealed in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is one in nature and spirit and to whom we belong. God is the creator of all things in heaven and on earth. God’s creation reveals to us his majesty and power, whereby simply speaking a word all creation came to being. Although majestic and powerful, God is also personal and loving towards His people by caring for every aspect of our lives and extending us grace.
I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, who is the incarnate Word of God and known to be fully human and fully God. Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior because he gave up his rightful place in heaven by humbling himself and coming to earth, emptying himself, and living a life without sin.
STATEMENT OF FAITH
He healed the sick, preached to the poor and forgotten, ate with sinners, forgave sinners, and performed many miracles. Jesus became obedient to God the Father, suffered a brutal death on the cross, and was raised from the dead by God the Father for all human pain, so that His life could be this beautiful reminder of grace and redemption given as forgiveness for the sins of the world.
I believe the Holy Spirit is God with us, filling me and the Church with God’s presence. It is Spirit that convicts and pushes us towards repentance and trust that in Christ there is salvation. Through the Holy Spirit we are given new life, as it unites us with Christ and all believers. The Spirit gives us courage, moves us towards service, and gives us comfort.
I believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God and is our guide for faith and life that comes to us in the Old and New Testament, which we have come to know through the Triune God. The Word of God is how the Triune God communes, communicates, converses, and is in fellowship with us. Scripture is what informs us as to what we are to obey through the power of the Holy Spirit working with us.
I believe Baptism and the Lord's Supper are ways that God gives us his grace to begin and continue the Christian life. The Christian faith and Christian life begin with Baptism because of what God does for us by claiming us as His own through His love, mercy, and grace. Through the Lord's Supper we are continuously nourished by God, as God meets us because of the sacrificial body and blood of Jesus Christ.
It is because of these beliefs that in the Christian life, I seek to be a follower and disciple of Jesus Christ, by loving God and my neighbor. This Christian life is a gift from God where with joy and gratitude we as the body of Christ, the Church, seek to live lives of hope that are according to the purpose of God, which call us to work for justice, peace, love, and the common good of all human life until God comes again.
ABOUT ADRIAN RODRIGUEZ
Since childhood the Christian community has been an integral part of my life. My mom often required me and my younger siblings to attend church whenever the church was open. Now whether I desired to be a regular participant in the church community is a different story. My mother’s faith was the cornerstone of faith in our home, and she drug us to church every chance she could. Being a follower of Christ and in community with other believers was meaningful to her and gradually it became important to me.
I was born in Puerto Rico as the eldest of three children and grew up as an Army brat with stops in Germany, Kansas, and finally Texas. At the age of 14, my family relocated to Texas, and I made a personal profession of faith and accepted Christ into my life. As a teenager I developed a passion for youth ministry. I continue to enjoy sharing Christ’s love and faithfulness with others, and by the God’s grace, I have served in youth ministry for 12 years. I have worked with Young Life, and I have also served as the Director of Youth Ministry at First Presbyterian Church in Arlington, Texas.
I am a graduate of The University of Texas at Arlington where I earned a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in Urban Planning and Minority Studies with a minor in Spanish, and a recent graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary where I earned a Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree with a concentration in Leadership in Times of Change.
I am married to my high school sweetheart, Alecia, and we have two daughters, Aileigh, and Addileigh. Since we all have names that start with an A, we are known as the A-Rods. I love spending time with family, watching sports (Fly Eagles Fly), and creating lasting memories with my wife and girls. They definitely keep me on my toes, but I love every minute of it!
As you get to know me, you will find out that I am extremely relational, and loving people with the love of Christ is who I am. This is who God created me to be and I can’t wait to build relationships with my new friends at VPC.
THE RODRIGUEZ FAMILY
Alecia is a loving and caring faithful follower of Jesus who knows no stranger. On many occasions you can find her praying with people she has just met. It is through these attributes that Alecia has served as a licensed master social worker (LMSW-S) leading a team of social workers at the non-profit organization Communities In Schools. She has a deep desire to serve others and equip them with the tools to be successful in life. She is an avid crafter, loves reading, and enjoys romantic comedies. She has a love for coffee and trying new coffee shops, so if you have any recommendations, please send them her way.
Aileigh(10/5thgrade)– Aileigh is kind, energetic, and very relational, like her dad! She loves Jesus, and anything Stitch related, from the movie Lilo & Stitch. In her spare time, Aileigh prefers to watch YouTube toy reviews, and she is actively advocating to start a YouTube channel herself. She loves a good purse too. Most Sundays, you will find her carrying her purse to Sunday School. Her hobbies include dance and t-ball. Although Aileigh can be a bit shy when trying new things, once she gets comfortable, she is all in!
Addileigh(7/2ndgrade)– Addileigh (Addie) is one of the most caring people you will ever meet. She loves volunteering and helping others. She is all about acrobatics and gymnastics. On any given day you can find her doing handstands and cartwheels at home. She enjoys building forts, reading, and writing stories. She loves church and reading the family a Bible story each night. Addie is the adventurous one of the family and down to try just about anything.
L-R: Aileigh, Alecia, Adrian & Addileigh
