Pastor Nick Tawa

Pastor Nick Tawa joined the PVBC family on November 1, 2022 as the Senior Pastor. He formerly served at Cerritos Baptist Church as the Community and Outreach Pastor. Nick spent his formative young adult years in Sacramento, where he worked as a civil engineer and served at a local church plant. He also had the privilege of serving on short term missions to India and Japan. Nick earned an MDiv from Western Seminary in Sacramento, and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from U.C. San Diego.

Nick enjoys spending time with his amazingly gifted wife and 2 young daughters. His passion is connecting with people and hearing the stories that shape our communities. He loves Jesus, surfing, CrossFit and coffee (in that order).

Linda Okumura - Children’s Ministry Co-Director

Linda Okumura has attended Palos Verdes Baptist Church since 1990. Over the years she has served in various capacities including: Sunday School and Vacation Bible School teacher, junior/senior high school small group leader, PVBC Osaka missions team leader, and PVBC Board of Deacons member.

Linda has dedicated much of her life to the field of education. She graduated from USC with a BS degree in Education and completed an MA degree from CSUN, specializing in Early Childhood Education. She taught in infant/toddler, preschool, and elementary schools for over 30 years and was a college instructor for child development and teacher training. She has worked with every age group from infants to adults! Upon her recent retirement, Linda currently works as an in-home tutor and school volunteer.

Linda and her husband, Donn, have two children, Stefanie and Sean, and a daughter-in-law, Katie. In her free time she enjoys reading, line dancing, watching USC football and Lakers games, and going to Disneyland. Linda is excited about sharing God’s love with children and supporting their families in following Christ.