Craig Riddle Biography

Many of us come to church each Sunday just to enjoy the sermon and listen to the glorious music from our choir and contemporary band. We pray together, and after the service, we greet our friends on the patio. We may be blissfully unaware of all that is going on behind the scenes. Running a church facility is as complex in many ways as maintaining a large business building. We rarely see those members of our church family who are making a lot happen to be sure we are safe and comfortable. There are numerous variables, details, and factors to analyze, track, and repair. One of the more important goals is to maintain a comfortably warm or cool sanctuary environment for worship. A tireless volunteer in this effort is Craig Riddle, who works with the Facilities Committee and the church staff. Craig and others determined the remedy needed and implemented the solution to achieve this so that on Sundays, he knows what to do if there is a glitch. He has worked with Gabby and Adam to be able to do the same. During Craig’s tenure on this committee, our buildings and classrooms were repaired and repainted, and the awning by the offices was torn down and replaced, in addition to many other tasks too numerous to mention. It can be a challenge to maintain a spiritual connection with so many worldly details to coordinate. He finds this connection through using his skills and experience in service to the church, which are truly appreciated and needed. Pastor Geoff asked Craig to engage the facility personnel and other staff as we rose out of the post-COVID doldrums to address upgrades to lighting, painting, and other maintenance requirements. Craig is well known for his care in the planning and analysis of what is needed to accomplish those goals. Giving to our church family has given Craig a revised sense of purpose since his retirement as a Federal Civil Servant from the Department of the Navy and as a Commissioned Naval Officer. In these stressful days, an organization must provide security. In addition to maintaining our church facilities, Craig, with the help of other like-minded congregants, created the Guardians. They are a group of members whose purpose is to observe and report anything out of the ordinary around our buildings. They patrol the campus during services and other highly attended events to ensure our safety. So, on Sundays, we may not see Craig while he is monitoring the HVAC system for our comfort and the campus for our safety. However, he is there with his team. Let’s keep them in our prayers as they offer us their time and service. Our church family benefits by their willingness to serve. Craig would welcome and train anyone who is interested to join the Guardians or the Facilities Committee. In all he does, Craig's faith and trust in God help him and others address and remedy any of the church facility's needs.