Willow Valley United Methodist Church

Meet: Reverend Rychie Breidenstein

Rychie Breidenstein is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, holds the PhD in Liturgical Studies from Drew University, and served as adjunct faculty at United Theological Seminary.

We endeavor to strengthen the spiritual life of our congregation. We desire to invigorate our membership with small group programming and seek opportunities to gather for fellowship of the body. We will collaborate to meet the needs of our church body during times of joy and grief.

Meet: Teri Richards

My journey to the Certified Lay Ministry (CLM) path is not a new whim, but the culmination of a decades-long process of “God-assignments.” My career has spanned nursing, professional photography, and aviation, but the underlying thread has always been a call to Radical Hospitality and Social Advocacy.

Over 20 years as a Registered Nurse, primarily in Obstetrics. I have walked with mothers through the miracle of birth and the complexities of special needs care. I work now as an Employee Health Nurse and Infection Preventionist for a Critical Access Hospital with 450 employees. My medical background provides a foundation of empathy, technical discipline, and ethics. I present and educate in a variety of situations.

During my aviation years, with a decade of service as a Flight Attendant, I worked for a regional and mainline carrier-Southwest Airlines. This role required an intense situational awareness, and the ability to maintain a “cool head” in high-stress environments.  I was exposed to people of every race, color, creed which opened my heart to all of God’s people. 

Five years as the owner of a professional photography studio. Eight years as co-owner of 3 short-term rentals and tour business with my spouse. I have managed my entrepreneurial endeavors with real-world Marketplace Ministry ideas. This era sharpened my gifts in administration, marketing, and graphic design—skills I intend to use to modernize church outreach.

My guiding principle is that if God provides the vision, He provides the resources. This is not a theoretical belief; it is my lived experience. I have a proven gift of Faith and Exhortation, having launched my photography, short-term rental, and tour businesses purely from dreams the Lord gave me. I am not afraid to “step out of the boat” and move into new territories, trusting God’s design and provision for every detail.