Rich Little began his new job Aug. 15 as the preaching minister at Pepperdine’s University Church of Christ. On Sunday, Malibu and the university community will welcome Little and his family with a special church service in Firestone Fieldhouse. The service will begin at 10:15 a.m.
Little was born and raised in Brisbane, Australia, but has been working as a minister and professor in the United States since the 1990s. He was named as the Malibu church’s minister after a nationwide search. Little replaces Ken Durham, who accepted a new position in Nashville after 11 years as the church’s preacher.
Little comes to Pepperdine after seven years as a minister at the 500-member Naperville Church of Christ in Chicago. The church built a reputation under Little’s leadership for community outreach and ministering to those hurting spiritually and physically. He has become a frequent speaker at universities and churches nationwide, and has led numerous mission trips abroad.
The University Church of Christ is celebrating its 40th anniversary in Malibu. It first met in 1970 in the basement of the then-new Malibu Civic Center, and moved to the new campus in 1972. A special church service commemorating the anniversary will be take place Oct. 17 in Firestone Fieldhouse, in which former members and the Malibu community will be invited to join in the celebration. The church normally meets every Sunday in Elkins Auditorium on campus, with the morning service beginning at 10:15 a.m.
Little married his college sweetheart, Heather Troutwine, in 1995. He and his wife have four children: Annie, age 11; Shelby, 9; William, 8; and Claire, 3.