The Riverside Kansas Avenue congregation welcomed their new pastor, Leeroy Coleman, on Sept. 22. Southeastern California Conference President Gerald Penick, Executive Secretary Sandra Roberts, and Vice-president for Black Ministries George King represented the conference at the Sabbath morning installation service.

Also participating in the worship service were David Richardson, vice president for Black Adventist Ministerial Fellowship; Jacqueline Lynch, associate pastor, Loma Linda University church; Bobby J. Mitchell, Sr., regional ministries director, Pacific Union Conference; Paul S. Munford, Riverside Ministries Association; Leslie N. Pollard, vice-president for diversity, Loma Linda University; and Kansas Avenue's youth pastor, Ruben Rios.

Also on the platform were the two pastors who have led the church during the interim period: Adrian Pressley, administrative pastor, and Leslie Pollard, preaching pastor.

Coleman, a native of Jamaica who grew up in Canada, comes from Chicago, Ill., where he was pastor of the Bolingbrook Fellowship. He is a graduate of Andrews University, has a master of divinity degree from the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, and is a candidate for a doctor of ministry degree. With more than 23 years of pastoral ministry, he has served as an evangelist, conference and motivational speaker and trainer, and is founder of Family Rescue, a plan to help families survive and thrive.