Pastoral Team
Pastor Ralph E. Etharidge
Pastor
My wife and I have been married a total of 48 years and we have also spent that same amount of time pastoring in the Assemblies of God. My wife was 18 years old and I was 21 when we pastored at our first church in Willow Creek California. We also spent six years pastoring on the Hupa Indian reservation in Northern California. It would take me quite a while to list all the churches we have pastored, but we have had an amazing life blessed by the Lord!!!
During our years as pastor, we have also ministered in 16 different prison systems and youth authorities for a total of 12 years.
God also opened many doors for us to do missions out-reaches in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Pakistan, Japan, Mexico, and Canada.
Our life has been very blessed by the Lord. For the past 17 years we have pastored here in Merced; however, three years ago a new adventure began. We are now pastoring River Worship Center in Merced. We have had the help of an amazing group of people, and our heart is to build a church here in Merced that will be an outreach to this entire area. We believe that we have been called to take Gods Word to the streets of our city and to courageously go thru any door the Lord opens for us to Minister!!!!!!
We have also been blessed to:
Lead educational tours of Israel
Youth Pastor Chowchilla, CA
Choir director - I was privileged to direct a 38 voice choir of teenagers. We traveled to Washington D.C., met President Jimmy Carter, and sang at the 25th Anniversary of Disneyland.
Pastor Ralph E. Etharidge and his wife is Cynthia K. Etharidge have been married for over 40 years. He has been blessed with two daughters, DeeDee Etharidge Claunch and
Aletha Etharidge. Both are involved in ministry. They bless us and others in Worship and working with Youth. We are bringing up our grandchildren to be strong in the Lord and Ministry as well.
Demetria D. Claunch
Pastoral Staff
Demetria Etharidge Claunch has been involved in her parents Ministry since she was a child. She has worked in every aspect of church ministry through the years, teaching Sunday school and being a Youth Pastor for several years.
She has been working in after school programs with the City of Merced for several years and has been founder and director of these ministries!!!!
She has worked side by side with her Dad who is the Pastor of RWC for the last 18 years.
Demetria (DeeDee) also assists her sister Aletha Etharidge who is the Worship leader of RWC. They have been singing together most of their lives. They had the great honor a few years back to sing on the Grand Ole Oprah in Nashville, Tennessee. DeeDee and Aletha play Bass guitar and keyboard, we have a great band that works with their leaders. RWC is a church that loves to Praise God and we definitely have a heart of worship!!!!?