(Please see reason for updated goal at the end)

Dear Friends,

Our beloved friend, family member, and pastor, David Ricketts, passed away unexpectedly on April 12 while serving on a mission trip in the Dominican Republic.

Dave lived a life of deep faith, compassion, and service. He and his wife, Siv are college sweethearts and were together when Dave served for 7 years at Solana Beach Presbyterian Church. They then raised their sons Corban and Quinn in Moraga, Ca while Dave served as an Associate Pastor at Moraga Valley Presbyterian Church (MVPC) for 19 years. He loved and supported this community so faithfully. Last year, Dave and Siv moved to Laguna Nigel so he could take on a new role as a Co-Pastor at San Clemente Presbyterian Church, "his dream job".

Over the years, Dave has served on numerous mission trips with Amor Ministries in Mexico and Kids Alive in the Dominican Republic.

His sudden passing has left his family, friends, and community heartbroken. As his family walks through this devastating loss, they are also facing immediate financial burdens. . Siv, who will need to cover the mortgage, has also just recovered from a broken shoulder and is currently not employed. The costs to bring Dave home from the Dominican Republic , funeral and memorial expenses, and travel between the their homes in northern and southern California during this grieving process are very high at the same time the family's primary income has significantly changed.

Serving is what Dave loved best and now it is our chance to give back to the family that has given so much of themselves in faithful service to others for so many years.

Please keep the Ricketts family in your prayers and consider giving generously to support them in this extremely difficult time. Every gift will make a meaningful difference and help provide comfort, stability, and support during this heartbreaking time.

Thank you.

(Thank you so much to the hundreds of caring and generous people who are supporting the Ricketts. We set an initial goal of 100,000 as an idea of how to support them financially in this time of need. We are raising the goal to 150,000 as we do not want to accidentally discourage generosity for those who have not had a chance to participate. We encourage all generosity, but please give in support of the Ricketts, not to reach a specific number.)