Called to Serve: New Places. One Mission
By Ken Miller
Across the Northern California Conference, pastors and educators are stepping into new places of service. Their journeys are different, but their calling is shared: following God’s leading, serving alongside others, and advancing one mission.
Grand Advent
For Pastor Damon Washington, Grand Advent is both a new assignment and a return to a meaningful place in his ministry journey.
In June, the church welcomed Washington as lead pastor, joined by family, friends, and members from Pittsburg and Oakland Immanuel Temple churches, where he and his wife, Jeanice Warden-Washington, served for four and a half years.
Washington was ordained at Grand Advent years earlier. Now, God has led him back to serve the congregation. “I am in awe of the workings of God,” Washington said. “I was ordained at Grand Advent, and now I will serve as its lead pastor. I am honored and blessed to be chosen to lead this great congregation.”
Washington looks forward to partnering with the Holy Spirit and members as they live out Grand Advent’s mission to love, worship,
and serve.
Immanuel Temple
A new season of ministry has begun at Immanuel Temple, where members welcomed Pastor James Willis during a special installation service on June 13.
Church members, family, friends, and Northern California Conference leaders gathered for worship and prayer, affirming God’s calling and the ministry Willis and the congregation will share.
“There is a spirit of hope and expectation at Immanuel Temple,” said Rudy Peters, African American Ministries coordinator. “I believe God has brought Pastor Willis to this congregation for such a time as this, and I look forward to seeing how God will use this partnership to strengthen the church and expand its ministry.”
Galt Adventist School
God’s call has taken Gladys Paloma across oceans, cultures, and communities—and now to Galt Adventist School.
After earning her education degree in the Philippines, Paloma and her family served 13 years as missionary teachers in Palau. They later ministered through La Vida Mission on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. Most recently, Paloma taught K–2 at Bayside Adventist Christian School before becoming teaching principal at Galt.
Paloma is naturally left-handed but writes with her right hand. She enjoys badminton and volleyball and is learning pickleball. After following God’s call across oceans, she admits there is one journey she still prefers to avoid: riding an elevator alone.
El Dorado Adventist School
For Karen Wiechmann, Adventist education is ministry. She believes Jesus belongs at the center of school life and that every child should be known, loved, challenged, and encouraged to discover their God-given purpose.
Her approach is rooted in “meaningful excellence”: strong academics grounded in faith, high expectations supported with compassion, and shared accountability. She wants students to leave El Dorado thinking critically, grounded in character, and confident in who God created them to be.
Wiechmann is quick to smile, find humor in a moment, and make people feel welcome. She is also a hands-on leader who would rather work beside someone than simply give instructions.
For Wiechmann, El Dorado is a community where children discover belonging, purpose, faith, and the confidence to accomplish hard things together.
Orangevale Adventist School
Every principal has a hidden wild side. Tonja Rasmusson’s involves museums, efficient filing systems, and the occasional diagrammed sentence. She will happily tell you she is “kind of boring.” Her calling, however, has been anything but ordinary.
After graduating from Union College with degrees in English education and religious education—and a minor in youth ministry—Rasmusson began a journey that has included more than 26 years of helping young people reach their God-given potential.
At Orangevale Adventist School, she has found a community committed to serving together. “I have found the Orangevale church and school community to be incredibly caring and supportive—a wonderful example to its young people of how working together for God can be beautiful,” Rasmusson said.
For Rasmusson, Orangevale is a new place with a familiar mission: follow where God leads, serve alongside others, and help young people become who God created them to be.
There are more stories than we can fit in this newsletter. Discover more from across the NCC on the Northern Lights blog.