PHOTO: KALMANI AMOAH
LA SIERRA UNIVERSITY lasierra.edu
Of Prophetic Voices, Callings, and Community:
New La Sierra University Church Pastor Recounts His Journey By Darla Martin Tucker
I
t was an extraordinary moment for Iki Taimi and his family. The word came on February 25 while he and his wife were driving home from a breakfast out—"I got a call from the president of the Southeastern California Conference, Jonathan Park, and he
said that the search committee had decided to invite me to be the lead pastor for the La Sierra University church. We were blown away.” Taimi, currently the senior youth and young adult ministries director for the Southern California Conference (SCC), will officially begin his new role in May. A native of Tonga who grew up in Southern California, he will serve as the first person of color to lead the university church, which was previously guided for 13 years by Chris Oberg, who broke ground as the church’s first female lead pastor. The new and unexpected appointment affirmed Taimi’s original calling to
30 Pacific Union Recorder
