Huffman has been a leader both within his denomination and across the Christian and Protestant spectrum, including the National Assn. of Evangelicals and the World Council of Churches.
He also has been to more than 100 countries to meet with international leaders on matters of theology and relief and justice efforts.
He chaired the board of World Vision, best known for pairing local sponsors with children in need around the world, from 1996 to 2001.
Huffman also has been a sports chaplain for football teams and golf tours.
He and his wife, psychoanalyst and Fuller board member Anne Ridgeway Mortenson, raised three daughters; Carla is married, lives in Seattle and works at Microsoft; Janet works in advertising, is married and has a son; and Suzanne, who graduated from Princeton University, died at the age of 23 from Hodgkin’s disease.
At the end of his farewell sermon, Huffman chose to have the St. Andrew’s choir perform his favorite hymn, written by a man who experienced more than his due of suffering.
“When peace like a river attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll, Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, ‘It is well, it is well with my soul,’” the choir sang.
New Man In Pulpit
Richard Kannwischer is the new pastor of St. Andrew’s.
Kannwischer, 36, gave his first sermon the weekend of Sept. 19; he spent several weeks co-pastoring with the Rev. John Huffman, the church’s senior pastor, who stepped down this month after 31 years at the helm.
Kannwischer comes to Newport Beach from the First Presbyterian Church of San Antonio. He holds a master of divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary, and is currently a doctor of ministry candidate at Fuller Theological Seminary.
He and his wife, Kelly, reside in Newport Beach with their two daughters, Danica and Ashby. Danica is a kindergartner at Newport Heights Elementary; Ashby is a preschooler at St. Andrew’s.
“Pastor, teacher, counselor, friend and confidant — Rich has served all these roles for my family and me. He and Kelly possess an energy and passion for serving God that is infectious. Attend his sermons only if you are prepared to be intellectually and spiritually challenged ... otherwise golf might be your preferred option for Sunday morning,” Randall Stephenson, First Presbyterian congregation member and chairman and chief executive AT&T, said in a release.
