Pastor Steve Ruetschle (pronounced: “Richly”) is the senior pastor at our neighbor Sunset Presbyterian church. He and his wife and boys came to Sunset from the Philippines where Steve had pastored the Union Church of Manila. Steve says he has three passions that run throughout his life's story: a passion for the arts, for people, and for Jesus. Steve walks side-by-side in ministry with his wife, Michelle. They have three sons: Aidan, Jude, and Zephyr.
In 2010, Steve was in a catastrophic motorcycle accident. He broke his neck and suffered a nearly complete spinal cord injury. He became a quadriplegic and was paralyzed from his shoulders down. The doctors said he would never walk again. (He was given less than a 1% chance of walking and less than a 10% chance of any movement below his shoulders.) But by God's grace, he is now a walking miracle. Michelle Ruetschle has written about that first year in a book called Forty: The Year My Husband Became a Quadriplegic (2016, Amazon.com)
As we are looking at faith, the impact of faith, and how we “Make it Real” part of the message will be a video interview Pastor Brian had with Steve. So, come hear Steve tell his own story of faith, what faith in Jesus means for him and how Jesus met him and Michelle, turning tragedy into a miracle, and this man of faith into a vehicle of blessing.
Steve's life story is a living testament to the greatness of our Lord Jesus Christ.