Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Community Congregational: honoring diversity

“Love the Lord with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Victoria Freiheit
Victoria Freiheit

Community Congregational Church of Chula Vista

  • Contact: 276 F St., Chula Vista 619-223-8986 www.chulavistachurch.com
  • Membership: 120 (Attendance 60)
  • Pastor: Victoria Freiheit
  • Age: 84
  • Born: San Diego
  • Formation: San Diego State University; Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ.
  • Years Ordained: 25

San Diego Reader: What is your favorite subject on which to preach?

Sponsored
Sponsored

Pastor Freiheit: At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus Christ says to his apostles, “Go out into all the world and make disciples of all people.” That’s the mission he gives us all; but the subject on which I like to preach is what that mission is. My favorite Gospel quotation is where Jesus says, “Love the Lord with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” This passage covers everything in terms of the Gospel message. For this reason, I love preaching it, not only as a way to understand the Gospel message but also as a way to apply it in our own lives. This passage, what Jesus says about loving God and loving one another, is a guide to life.

SDR: What is the mission of your church?

Pastor Freiheit: Our church prides itself on its mission of diversity. The honoring of diversity includes not just diversity of race but also gender and all the new gender issues coming out. It’s a very open church, and every Sunday, no matter who you are or where you are on your journey, you are welcomed here. The other day, I was looking at the church members attending a Bible study at the church, and there was a person form Australia, someone from Haiti, two from the Philippines and one from Mexico. There was also one whose parents were from Japan. I looked around and it was clear we were being true to our mission. This sense of diversity at our church is important.

Place

Community Congregational Church

276 F Street, Chula Vista

SDR: Where’s the strangest place you found God?

Pastor Freiheit: My late husband and I lived in Saudi Arabia for a year, and Muslims they have a whole different set of beliefs on things. It makes you question your own beliefs when surrounded by those who don’t share it. Saudi Arabia is a strange place, but I was happy to have the grounding in my beliefs, which got me through some hard times there.

SDR: Where do you go when you die?

Pastor Freiheit: I joined this Bible study group for women at another church. I’m not leading it; I’m just one of the persons in the study. Recently, we got to talking about heaven, and everyone had their own idea about what it was going to be like. I said to them, “Well, here’s my idea of heaven, ladies. Thirty years from now, we’ll all be in heaven, and we’ll see each other. When we do, let’s go to a forest glade — because we’ll find that in heaven. We’ll look for a comfortable place to rest and remember what we studied today.”  I’ve read different books on heaven, such as C.S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce, who says that to get to heaven, we queue up and get on a bus which goes to heaven. When you get there, you look out and see lights coming toward you to escort you into heaven. One guy on the bus, though, isn’t ready to get off and the bus driver takes him back.... But I think that, at some point before the final judgment, everyone comes to their senses and we’re all with Jesus and we’re all together.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Pranksters vandalize Padres billboard in wake of playoff loss

Where’s the bat at?
Next Article

Jazz guitarist Alex Ciavarelli pays tribute to pianist Oscar Peterson

“I had to extract the elements that spoke to me and realize them on my instrument”
Victoria Freiheit
Victoria Freiheit

Community Congregational Church of Chula Vista

  • Contact: 276 F St., Chula Vista 619-223-8986 www.chulavistachurch.com
  • Membership: 120 (Attendance 60)
  • Pastor: Victoria Freiheit
  • Age: 84
  • Born: San Diego
  • Formation: San Diego State University; Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ.
  • Years Ordained: 25

San Diego Reader: What is your favorite subject on which to preach?

Sponsored
Sponsored

Pastor Freiheit: At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus Christ says to his apostles, “Go out into all the world and make disciples of all people.” That’s the mission he gives us all; but the subject on which I like to preach is what that mission is. My favorite Gospel quotation is where Jesus says, “Love the Lord with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” This passage covers everything in terms of the Gospel message. For this reason, I love preaching it, not only as a way to understand the Gospel message but also as a way to apply it in our own lives. This passage, what Jesus says about loving God and loving one another, is a guide to life.

SDR: What is the mission of your church?

Pastor Freiheit: Our church prides itself on its mission of diversity. The honoring of diversity includes not just diversity of race but also gender and all the new gender issues coming out. It’s a very open church, and every Sunday, no matter who you are or where you are on your journey, you are welcomed here. The other day, I was looking at the church members attending a Bible study at the church, and there was a person form Australia, someone from Haiti, two from the Philippines and one from Mexico. There was also one whose parents were from Japan. I looked around and it was clear we were being true to our mission. This sense of diversity at our church is important.

Place

Community Congregational Church

276 F Street, Chula Vista

SDR: Where’s the strangest place you found God?

Pastor Freiheit: My late husband and I lived in Saudi Arabia for a year, and Muslims they have a whole different set of beliefs on things. It makes you question your own beliefs when surrounded by those who don’t share it. Saudi Arabia is a strange place, but I was happy to have the grounding in my beliefs, which got me through some hard times there.

SDR: Where do you go when you die?

Pastor Freiheit: I joined this Bible study group for women at another church. I’m not leading it; I’m just one of the persons in the study. Recently, we got to talking about heaven, and everyone had their own idea about what it was going to be like. I said to them, “Well, here’s my idea of heaven, ladies. Thirty years from now, we’ll all be in heaven, and we’ll see each other. When we do, let’s go to a forest glade — because we’ll find that in heaven. We’ll look for a comfortable place to rest and remember what we studied today.”  I’ve read different books on heaven, such as C.S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce, who says that to get to heaven, we queue up and get on a bus which goes to heaven. When you get there, you look out and see lights coming toward you to escort you into heaven. One guy on the bus, though, isn’t ready to get off and the bus driver takes him back.... But I think that, at some point before the final judgment, everyone comes to their senses and we’re all with Jesus and we’re all together.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About doTERRA

Next Article

The Fellini of Clairemont High

When gang showers were standard for gym class
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader