Guest Preacher August 7 - Rev. Felix Villanueva

Sunday, August 7, will give us an opportunity to strengthen our connection with the denomination of our church—the United Church of Christ—which is a group of over five thousand Congregational churches around the country. As a member church of this denomination, we are independent as a local church but also connected to resources and other people like us. Some of our members have a long history with the UCC.  Following service, Rev. Felix will answer questions that anyone might have about church resources, pastoral ethics and boundaries, and the role of the conference in the transition time.

Dr. Felix Villanueva is a native of Puerto Rico. Felix spent 21 years as a U.S. Navy Chaplain. At the time of retirement in 2003, he held the rank of U.S. Navy Captain. His last assignment was as Division Chaplain, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California. Dr. Villanueva had the opportunity to serve in the Far East while stationed in the Republic of the Philippines. He has also participated in humanitarian rescue operations in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and Haiti. In March 2003, Felix was called to go into Iraq as American forces prepared for war. He spent three months in Iraq where he led his unit as they moved from Kuwait City to Baghdad.

Felix retired from military service after returning from Iraq.  In 2010, Felix was called as the Conference Minister for the United Church of Christ in Southern California and Nevada.  In that position, he oversees the ministry of 135 churches and 325 clergy located throughout Southern California and Nevada.

Dr. Villanueva has a vast experience in strategic planning and organizational visioning. As UCC Conference Minister, he led in the implementation of a new board of directors model focused on mission and service to the member congregations.  He has also led various strategic planning and visioning workshops in Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Diego, Claremont, Las Vegas, as well as other cities within Southern California.  In addition, he is a member of Rotary International, District 5300 Visioning Team.  

During his time serving as a U.S. Navy officer, Dr. Villanueva developed training and strategic planning for over 100,000 military personnel and their families in the US and overseas.  He was also responsible for the implementation of effective annual training plan, resulting in zero casualties or injuries during war operations.

The Reverend Villanueva holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico, a Masters of Divinity (M.Div.) from the Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico, a Master in Theology in Pastoral Counseling (Th.M.) from Princeton Theological Seminary in New Jersey, and a Doctoral Degree in Education in Organization Leadership (Ed.D.) from Argosy University in Los Angeles, CA. 

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