Introducing … Josh Figueroa
This week, Pastor John hands over the TAGD keyboard to Sarah Pate, Northpoint’s Celebration Choir Director.
Introducing … Josh Figueroa
Hello Church Family,
It was a dark day (figuratively) when Eric Belvin informed me he was leaving to move to Texas for a full-time job. Eric’s skills as a pianist and choir accompanist seemed almost irreplaceable. Nevertheless, after several sleepless nights filled with prayer, God brought exactly what we needed: Josh Figueroa—an artist, a technician, a teammate—who expressed a strong desire to come be our pianist! So, let’s meet Josh:
Josh is 28 years old, and has been playing the piano for 20 years, including throughout his college years at CBU. He has a bachelor’s in accounting from CBU (Note—accountants make great piano players—very exact and attentive to details!), and went on to get his teaching credential from the University of Redlands. He is now a music teacher in the Val Verde Unified School District (Perris). In addition to teaching full-time and taking on the job here at Northpoint, Josh is working on his Master’s in Music Education at CBU. Josh and his wife, Bethany (Beth) have been married for six years and recently bought a house in Lake Elsinore. He drinks a lot of coffee (Starbucks drink of choice is a triple grande latte, in case you want to bring him a treat on a Sunday morning!). Josh enjoys playing tennis (poorly, but with enthusiasm) with his wife. Josh and Beth come to us from First Presbyterian Church in Upland. In my short time of knowing him, I have already found a friend in Josh—he is funny, energetic, and very talented!
Questions from the staff questionnaire were posed to Josh (My comments are in parentheses):
Where are you originally from? The great metropolis of Oxnard, CA, home of the Strawberry Festival (I’ve never been, but apparently it’s a big deal in Oxnard!).
What are some of your favorite books (outside of the Bible, of course!)? I love anything by John Steinbeck, especially East of Eden; Great Expectations by Dickens; Anna Karenina by Tolstoy; and anything by C.S. Lewis.
What’s on your iPod? I have a really wide range of music on my iPod: everything from classical to . . . well, I even have one country song on there—but it’s for my wife. I have quite a range on there!
What do you think is the best invention ever? Air conditioning!
What’s your favorite movie? Up. (Why?) it’s a great story and the music is phenomenal. (He explained why it was good music, but none of us really got it and you probably don’t care.).
What’s another profession you would like to try? I always thought about being an architect. A small part of me might like to be a farmer . . . but only a small part.
What’s another profession you would NEVER want to try? I could not handle anything in the medical field—I get queasy. And I don’t like being stuck behind a desk all day.
What’s your favorite word? Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious. When I was little, Mary Poppins was a favorite movie. It’s cheerful, bouncy, and nonsensical.
Sarah Pate