Victoria Freiheit

Community Congregational Church of Chula Vista

• Contact: 276 F St., Chula Vista 619-223-8986 www.chulavistachurch.com
• Membership: 120 (Attendance 60)
• Pastor: Victoria Freiheit
• Age: 84
• Born: San Diego
• Formation: San Diego State University; Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ.
• Years Ordained: 25

San Diego Reader: What is your favorite subject on which to preach?

Pastor Freiheit: At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus Christ says to his apostles, “Go out into all the world and make disciples of all people.” That’s the mission he gives us all; but the subject on which I like to preach is what that mission is. My favorite Gospel quotation is where Jesus says, “Love the Lord with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” This passage covers everything in terms of the Gospel message. For this reason, I love preaching it, not only as a way to understand the Gospel message but also as a way to apply it in our own lives. This passage, what Jesus says about loving God and loving one another, is a guide to life.

SDR: What is the mission of your church?

Pastor Freiheit: Our church prides itself on its mission of diversity. The honoring of diversity includes not just diversity of race but also gender and all the new gender issues coming out. It’s a very open church, and every Sunday, no matter who you are or where you are on your journey, you are welcomed here. The other day, I was looking at the church members attending a Bible study at the church, and there was a person form Australia, someone from Haiti, two from the Philippines and one from Mexico. There was also one whose parents were from Japan. I looked around and it was clear we were being true to our mission. This sense of diversity at our church is important.

SDR: Where’s the strangest place you found God?

Pastor Freiheit: My late husband and I lived in Saudi Arabia for a year, and Muslims they have a whole different set of beliefs on things. It makes you question your own beliefs when surrounded by those who don’t share it. Saudi Arabia is a strange place, but I was happy to have the grounding in my beliefs, which got me through some hard times there.

SDR: Where do you go when you die?

Pastor Freiheit: I joined this Bible study group for women at another church. I’m not leading it; I’m just one of the persons in the study. Recently, we got to talking about heaven, and everyone had their own idea about what it was going to be like. I said to them, “Well, here’s my idea of heaven, ladies. Thirty years from now, we’ll all be in heaven, and we’ll see each other. When we do, let’s go to a forest glade — because we’ll find that in heaven. We’ll look for a comfortable place to rest and remember what we studied today.”  I’ve read different books on heaven, such as C.S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce, who says that to get to heaven, we queue up and get on a bus which goes to heaven. When you get there, you look out and see lights coming toward you to escort you into heaven. One guy on the bus, though, isn’t ready to get off and the bus driver takes him back.... But I think that, at some point before the final judgment, everyone comes to their senses and we’re all with Jesus and we’re all together.