In order for a spiritual community to survive, we depend on volunteers; volunteers who are committed and principled and who practice the principles in their daily lives. Fred is such a volunteer, he has the heart of service. As a matter of fact, he is the epitome of selfless service to God or SEVA. Rev. Pattie Mercado also has the heart of service and goes above and beyond her paid job description in her work as Youth and Family Director. Both Fred and Pattie have served on our Board of Trustees which is an enormous commitment. Both of them have served as President and Fred also served for eight years as Treasurer. Because they have both been integral to my twenty years of ministry here, I am grateful for everything they have given and I won’t attempt to cover everything.
Some words that describe Fred: thorough, brilliant, forward-thinking, passionate, loyal and deeply spiritual. He is a good listener and a great practitioner. He cares about our Center, our members, and friends. He is a powerful leader and a compelling speaker. When Fred Mercado represents us at a public event, he is confident, prepared, and in many ways elegant. I feel very proud and blessed to have had him as our board president. I have overheard many people say that he and Rev. Pattie make a great couple! I would agree because they complement one another. But the main reason they are such a good match is that both of them have inner beauty as well as outer beauty.
Some words that describe Rev. Pattie: spirit led, caring, compassionate, tenacious, hard-working, creative, loving and fun-loving, principled, kind and non-judgmental. Rev. Pattie has been my Youth Director since I came to the Center in 1999. Then she worked part-time and was paid a stipend. Her work was primarily on Sunday. She was already a great practitioner and I saw that she had the heart of a minister. I was blessed to have twelve wonderful students in ministerial training beginning in 2009. I taught the class because I recognized something in Pattie (which I also saw in the other students as I got to know them.) I perceived that she was already doing ministerial work. She has continued to bloom and grow in consciousness to this day. She has been my right-hand person for many years. As our Assistant Minister, she has shown up as wisdom, support, love, and kindness. She has become a gifted speaker as well as the prototype for Youth Ministry. She will continue to thrive and prosper as she lives her dream. Huntington Beach Center for Spiritual Living is greatly blessed.
I am so proud of who Rev. Pattie is. I am learning to let go and trust the process.