Linda McMasters
Hi! I'm Linda.
I grew up in the small town of Chester, CA—so small that my graduating class had only 40 students. From there, I moved to the big city of Redding to attend Simpson College, where I encountered stoplights, freeways, and Costco for the first time—oh my!
During college, I took part in every mission trip I could, traveling the world and meeting incredible people along the way. I spent two summers in Ukraine, followed by trips to Mongolia and Namibia. While many ladies head to a Christian college looking for a husband, I can proudly say that a guy from Shasta College found me! I married that curly-haired worship leader from a tiny Vineyard church, and together, we moved to San Luis Obispo.
After a couple of years, we returned to Redding to prepare for church planting, building a team and making the leap to Santa Cruz. There, we had our 3rd child, baptized new believers, and lived out the church-planting dream—even when it meant doing it on very little. Eventually, we returned to Redding to recover financially, emotionally, and spiritually, realizing that the Santa Cruz lifestyle wasn’t sustainable for the long haul.
And now, here I am—still deeply involved in ministry, as I’ve always felt the church is a place to serve. Whether it’s running the slides during worship, setting up chairs, serving food, or greeting people at the door, I’ve always been happy to jump in wherever needed. These days, I have the privilege of directing our Sunday School program. It’s a small but vibrant team of volunteers who feel like family. We work together to serve the kids and see young families grow—many of whom later choose to serve the church as well.
I can’t express enough how much this church community means to me. It’s a place where we can love and be loved. I choose this. Every time.
I grew up in the small town of Chester, CA—so small that my graduating class had only 40 students. From there, I moved to the big city of Redding to attend Simpson College, where I encountered stoplights, freeways, and Costco for the first time—oh my!
During college, I took part in every mission trip I could, traveling the world and meeting incredible people along the way. I spent two summers in Ukraine, followed by trips to Mongolia and Namibia. While many ladies head to a Christian college looking for a husband, I can proudly say that a guy from Shasta College found me! I married that curly-haired worship leader from a tiny Vineyard church, and together, we moved to San Luis Obispo.
After a couple of years, we returned to Redding to prepare for church planting, building a team and making the leap to Santa Cruz. There, we had our 3rd child, baptized new believers, and lived out the church-planting dream—even when it meant doing it on very little. Eventually, we returned to Redding to recover financially, emotionally, and spiritually, realizing that the Santa Cruz lifestyle wasn’t sustainable for the long haul.
And now, here I am—still deeply involved in ministry, as I’ve always felt the church is a place to serve. Whether it’s running the slides during worship, setting up chairs, serving food, or greeting people at the door, I’ve always been happy to jump in wherever needed. These days, I have the privilege of directing our Sunday School program. It’s a small but vibrant team of volunteers who feel like family. We work together to serve the kids and see young families grow—many of whom later choose to serve the church as well.
I can’t express enough how much this church community means to me. It’s a place where we can love and be loved. I choose this. Every time.