Saeed Richardson

Rev. Saeed serves as Senior Pastor of The First Baptist Church of Waukegan, a two-congregation church with a multi-cultural English-speaking and Mexican heritage Spanish-speaking congregations, weekly support systems for narcotics and alcohol use support, and a 12-year-old full summer and academic year experiential educational program for children in Lake County.

He also serves as Director of Policy for the Community Renewal Society, a 135-year-old faith-based organization, that organizes and equips congregations to create policies, bills, and laws in Cook and Lake Counties, and at the capital in Springfield for housing, jobs, opportunities for the formerly incarcerated, and police accountability.

He holds two graduate degrees from the schools of Divinity and Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago, and a BA in Statistics and Leadership from Virginia Tech.

Rev. Saeed's life centers at the intersection of several domains: faith communities, pastoral care, social services, justice, community organizing, technology, organizational systems dynamics, and program & policy formation. In all his experience he has most valued the need to be a resource and servant for individuals and communities.

His greatest joy is living as a father and husband. Saeed is married to his lovely wife Anne of 20 years. They celebrate two beautiful children, Jeslyn (15) and Jonathan (10).