VC Chaplin Reed Gibson

In 2022, Reed Gibson joined the RMA Ventura County team as a chaplain. After 20 years as an engineer, Reed decided to focus more on his heart for ministry and community. Reed uses his prior experience as a youth pastor to now “live his dream” of full-time ministry. He’s also excited to share his love of music, participating in RMA VC’s worship team as singer and guitarist.

Outside the Mission, Reed is “super close” with his family. He and his wife of 40 years, Debbie, have a son, O.J., 32, and daughter, Allison, 30. Reed loves playing his guitar, hiking, and going to the beach. “At my age, I just have to keep moving,” Reed laughed.

Had you heard of the Mission before you began working as a chaplain?

I knew about the Mission, but I had never served here before. One of the reasons that working at the Rescue Mission appealed to me is that… I had (previously) volunteered to go to the Ventura County Jail once a month for about four years to witness to the inmates there. One of the things that I found so heartbreaking was the number of men that I talked to who were on their second, third, fourth trip to jail because they couldn’t beat their addictions. They would get sober in jail and then just return to their broken lifestyle outside. I knew that working at the Mission would give me the opportunity to give those men something more lasting than just my brief time with them at the jail.

What was your first impression of the Mission?

The thing that was so exciting the first day, first week, first month, was the positive vibes here in the interactions with the guys. We all have a common reason for being here and I was so invigorated the first time I saw that. Then, many of the guys who serve here are former graduates! It was so encouraging to me because they were ‘all in’. When I see people totally committed to something, that gets me really excited. I thought, “Wow, this is a great place to be!”

What keeps you going?

I “press on.” Philippians 3:13-14 says, “… forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

When you work in something and that something counts for eternity, that’s something better than any other type of job you can have... This is the best job I could ever have.

I’m learning something new every day, perfecting what I do, and keeping it up. I’m 67 now and I’m not ready to retire. I’m going to keep going for as long as I can.