by Sara Beth Williams–
Dozens gathered at Friends Church in Citrus Heights on Saturday, Nov. 1, to celebrate the life of the church’s longtime pastor of 28 years, Edward Tweed Moore. The service included worship songs, tributes from friends and ministry partners, and fellowship with friends, family and longtime church attendees.
Moore, who was known as Pastor Tweed, passed away on Oct. 7 after fighting a second battle with terminal cancer, the church announced in a message to congregants. Moore was 61.
Moore began pastoring Friends Church in Citrus Heights in 1997 and pushed for many advancements and innovations during his pastoral service, longtime friend and church treasurer Mike Axford said during the memorial service. Axford, who has attended Friends Church for 38 years, said Moore pushed the church toward the use of more technology and less paper, and was involved in much of the church’s administrational and organizational responsibilities.
Though in contrast, Moore often utilized numerous notebooks while researching for sermons, Axford said.
About ten years into his pastoral service, Moore said the church needed a website, which Axford said he helped establish. Moore also pushed for the use of e-bulletins instead of the standard paper bulletins that are handed out during Sunday morning service.
While he pastored Friends Church, Moore’s two sons became part of the church’s worship team, with his oldest playing and leading for over a decade, Axford said.
Prior to pastoring Friends Church, Moore had also been involved with church planting in Southern California before he moved to the Sacramento area.
“He was a regular kind of guy in most cases; he brewed beer, and he started a competitive fantasy football league, purely for bragging rights.” Axford said, adding that he also loved movies and Pokémon Go.
Moore was also missions-oriented and helped fund and support missionaries, both homegrown and missionaries who were part of the Friends Southwest denomination.
Moore was heavily involved within the church’s denomination, frequently attending conferences and meeting with other regional pastors of other Friends Southwest churches in Northern California. Hans Bletterman, pastor of Pico Rivera Friends Church, Andy Shoemaker, discipleship pastor of Grace Community Church, and Heidi Matson, executive director of Friends Southwest Denomination, shared memories of friendship and of Moore’s deep commitment to ministering to, loving, and caring for others, even while he was in the midst of battling cancer. All those who spoke of Moore said he cared greatly about his family and his church congregants, but that he was at peace while battling cancer.
Friends Church is continuing to hold services on Sunday mornings and services for youth on Wednesday evenings. While the church’s elders begin the process of searching for a new pastor, retired pastor Matt Kuffel plans to take on pastoral leadership as an interim pastor beginning in December. Kuffel and his family previously attended Friends Church during Moore’s early years of pastoring before Kuffel’s family became missionaries. Kuffel also pastored another church in Denair, California before retiring.
Moore leaves behind a wife, three adult children, and one grandchild.
Friends Church is located at 7070 Woodmoore Oaks Drive.
