I began attending Bel Air and became a member 45 years ago while in law school at UCLA. Although born and raised in a pastor's family in the Midwest, I came to California in 1966 to attend college and then "wandered", or should I say "ran", away from my Christian training and lifestyle for about 10 years. In a time of desperate need for direction, I decided it was time to start attending a Christ-centered church. No doubt this entire time my parents were great prayer warriors! So, I turned to the yellow pages to find a church, hoping I could find one that didn't advertise with a picture of its senior pastor. Bel Air was the first one I found without a picture of Donn Moomaw!

Having rededicated my life to Christ, I became a member in late 1979 and became active in many of its groups and Bible studies. I met my husband Manny while practicing law and we married in the sanctuary (what is now Evans Chapel) in 1981. Our two children were both baptized as babies at Bel Air and still remember Family Camp as the high point of our family outings each summer. I have served on various committees at the church over these many years and have previously served on Session, Missions Committee, Stewardship Committee, Students Committee and, when we had one, an Evangelism Committee. During Steve Marsh's time as an Associate Pastor, we would joke about the committees he pastored on which I served and decided to refer to them as M-E-S-S (Mission, Evangelism, Students and Stewardship)!

It has been a great privilege for me to serve at Bel Air and to return the love and support that God made available to me through Bel Air.

I have been at Bel Air Pres. Church since 1966. My fiancé was building homes across the street from the church and happened to help Pastor Moomaw one day. He told my fiancé he was the pastor of the church across the street and invited him come and ‘test drive’ Bel Air. We did and made Bel Air our church home. It has been very dear to my husband, three kids and me for all these years.

I have loved the Lord from the time I was a very young child. (That was a long time ago) and have a passion for God’s word, His Church and His people. Through the years I have served as Deacon, elder (several times) , served in Christian Education and been a Bethel teacher, am a member of the prayer team, served on Personnel, Nominating Committee have led two teams to Armenia with Habitat for Humanity and I help write the Weekly Prayer Guide.

I love Bel Air, it’s been my church family even while I was the administrator of two other churches, it’s been my church home.

I am truly humbled and extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve as your elder.

I will continue to love, encourage and support our wonderful staff, leaders and congregation. This is an opportunity of a lifetime for the Church. I’m excited for Bel Air at such a time as this!

Jim Rea, Jr. (aka Buck) grew up at BAC and his Mother, Fran Rea, was on staff as the director of the Counseling Center for more than 25 years. Buck had an early childhood faith influenced by Rev. Dr. Louis H. Evans, Jr. the founding Pastor of Bel Air, and made a public declaration of faith in Junior High at Forest Home Church Camp. He has had the privilege of serving in Youth, Family, and Men’s ministries, and has been a member of the Congo Mission team since 2013, and additionally has served as an Elder and President of the Corporation. Buck has also served locally in the PCUSA as a Trustee of Pacific Presbytery, and nationally as the Chair of Presbyterian Investment & Loan “PILP” Agency. Currently he serves as a Director and Joint Investment Committee member of Fuller Theological Seminary / The Fuller Foundation. Buck and his wife DruAnne raised their three daughters at BAC (each attending Bel Air Pre-School). For vocation Buck works in the Investment arena assisting families, institutions, endowments, foundations, and corporations with managing their assets. For the past 17 years he has served as a Managing director and Sr. Portfolio Manager for Bank of America Private Bank. Bel Air Church is a key aspect of his faith journey and his Life in Christ.

I came to Christ as an adult and was baptized in a pool in Burbank. I worshipped at a Pasadena church for over a decade, but then I bought a condominium in Culver City, and went back to college; so, I left that Pasadena church, intending to find a church closer to home, but I got so busy with school, work, and an internship that I never did. After graduation and experiencing a deep need to reconnect with Jesus, I looked for a church near me. After just one Sunday on BAC’s campus, I knew that’s where God wanted me. Two weeks later I joined our church.

Since then, so much of my spiritual maturation and Christian leadership have been fostered, tested, and encouraged at Bel Air. More than that, as I worshipped, I didn’t just make Christian friends at Bel Air, but I blessedly received a faith-family. Both my Christian leadership and my faith-family were profoundly influenced as I’ve led or served on in leadership or on lead teams. My experience in leadership has been on the hospitality team, men’s ministry, church camp, mission teams, life group leader and life group lead team, Discover Bel Air table facilitator and being a deacon and deacon moderator and vice-moderator. My Bel Air faith journey also encouraged me to and helped pave the way to my earning a Masters of Divinity degree at Fuller Seminary in 2020; giving my final preaching practicum sermon on the patio at the 6:00pm service here at my home church was such a blessing for me.

I’m excited, honored and challenged by this ordinal call. I’m looking forward to serving our church in ’25, ’26, ’27; I’m ready to be stretched as we all engage in a challenging season at Bel Air; and I’m looking forward to doing so with the Holy Spirit, and so many people I already know and love on session.