{"id":1080,"date":"2023-08-30T07:02:37","date_gmt":"2023-08-30T07:02:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/2023\/08\/30\/a-clown-barber-and-california-pastor-unite-on-pulpit-testifying-their-unique-bond\/"},"modified":"2023-08-30T07:02:37","modified_gmt":"2023-08-30T07:02:37","slug":"a-clown-barber-and-california-pastor-unite-on-pulpit-testifying-their-unique-bond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/2023\/08\/30\/a-clown-barber-and-california-pastor-unite-on-pulpit-testifying-their-unique-bond\/","title":{"rendered":"A Clown Barber and California Pastor Unite on Pulpit, Testifying Their Unique Bond"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article_content\">\n<header>\n<h2 class=\"subtitle\">&#8216;Why can&#8217;t God use Richie?&#8217; says Pastor Joey Tellez<\/h2>\n<div class=\"article-byline has-tools\">\n<div class=\"article-tools\"><a href=\"#cp-talk\" class=\"has-number talk-cp-255279\" data-scrollto=\".viafoura\" aria-label=\"Go to comments\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.christianpost.com\/assets\/img\/icon\/chat-rect.svg\" alt=\"\"\/><span class=\"number\"\/><\/a><a href=\"\" class=\"js-share\" aria-label=\"Share\" id=\"share-btn\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.christianpost.com\/assets\/img\/icon\/share-outline.svg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<figure class=\"img-box align-center center\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><picture width=\"760\" height=\"436\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.christianpost.com\/images\/cache\/image\/15\/01\/150128_w_760_436.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.christianpost.com\/images\/cache\/image\/15\/01\/150128_w_760_436.jpg\" class=\"type:primaryImage\" width=\"760\" height=\"436\"\/><\/source><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption\"><span class=\"photo-des\">A screenshot of Richie the Barber from an August 2023 video. <\/span> | <span class=\"credit\">Screenshot: YouTube\/RichieTheBarber<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A Southern California pastor is helping a self-described clown barber to become a pastor himself after documenting his conversion on social media.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Richie the Barber, whose real name is Richie Esposito, is ready to jump into pastoral ministry after professing faith in Jesus Christ following a number of podcast appearances in which the 38-year-old barber shared his newfound faith.<\/p>\n<p>With a long list of media appearances in recent years, Richie <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RICHIETHEBARBERCLOWN\/posts\/pfbid0YcxWJDLoXdaH6P81cE38c5jPKKfrxDH1YVDxcPtPe2boXhCKw7m4nJhibJTutqZal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">announced <\/a>last week he\u2019s studying to become a pastor with a little help from Pastor Joey Tellez of <a href=\"https:\/\/connectionhouse.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Connection House Church<\/a> in Whittier.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FRICHIETHEBARBERCLOWN%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0YcxWJDLoXdaH6P81cE38c5jPKKfrxDH1YVDxcPtPe2boXhCKw7m4nJhibJTutqZal&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"687\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The caption read: \u201cI\u2019m studying to become a pastor. I finally got my first book. Pastor Joey is helping me study for my test<a href=\"https:\/\/l.facebook.com\/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2F_u%2Fthejoeytellez%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2LGnyF7PLX-PnN7qcnaVBYXBxreIkPv8KOovilVxn_HibC3i2AOrZNeQo&amp;h=AT3U4jubLHMd4ar-Gvx-aW4t-LWZQfdPwUb9nkl1p6iL4eVJTgf2blZqjlr1cqWgdbuFOg6PagU6vrcXFly1xWoR7-WtHikEMDnrbFG8aFMI1zOHNqlFkJkC3ttUC5qYc5ZB&amp;__tn__=-UK-R&amp;c%5B0%5D=AT19BxbrKbiCUU-H3DXhCpGTFo3Efs76IUluGInC7pn2lgou6pMbF2wEOIzvIOQyR92Bl6jdFYqcpYopMyN-_yvhfusIo7hCG-5KcIPGlUcg2leTONTsiI5vZp6nF2Mw2rnhGy_61RXX-MFtaIOsJUtIWpAI9v2ZgYAGoJFUj14qBjcLgbA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> @thejoeytellez<\/a> It\u2019s gonna take a year, but I\u2019m dedicated to [doing] this in Jesus name <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hashtag\/richiethebarber?__eep__=6&amp;__cft__%5B0%5D=AZU5tbf7XNO38p4hwnqZJr_v71oZ0ZtQeU6gDxSbvj29kCZHweTOw8jAjcfpz3xgodv2oqThaauGgadMCR4_qw60ZRQB7Oh-UP9y99TqxCTYffTZHtz3zXSBsfnE2_OpoLgni4TO8rauIeVnApW7o2tt&amp;__tn__=*NK-R\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#richiethebarber<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hashtag\/jesus?__eep__=6&amp;__cft__%5B0%5D=AZU5tbf7XNO38p4hwnqZJr_v71oZ0ZtQeU6gDxSbvj29kCZHweTOw8jAjcfpz3xgodv2oqThaauGgadMCR4_qw60ZRQB7Oh-UP9y99TqxCTYffTZHtz3zXSBsfnE2_OpoLgni4TO8rauIeVnApW7o2tt&amp;__tn__=*NK-R\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> #jesus<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hashtag\/jesuschrist?__eep__=6&amp;__cft__%5B0%5D=AZU5tbf7XNO38p4hwnqZJr_v71oZ0ZtQeU6gDxSbvj29kCZHweTOw8jAjcfpz3xgodv2oqThaauGgadMCR4_qw60ZRQB7Oh-UP9y99TqxCTYffTZHtz3zXSBsfnE2_OpoLgni4TO8rauIeVnApW7o2tt&amp;__tn__=*NK-R\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> #jesuschrist<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hashtag\/pastor?__eep__=6&amp;__cft__%5B0%5D=AZU5tbf7XNO38p4hwnqZJr_v71oZ0ZtQeU6gDxSbvj29kCZHweTOw8jAjcfpz3xgodv2oqThaauGgadMCR4_qw60ZRQB7Oh-UP9y99TqxCTYffTZHtz3zXSBsfnE2_OpoLgni4TO8rauIeVnApW7o2tt&amp;__tn__=*NK-R\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> #pastor<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hashtag\/facetattoo?__eep__=6&amp;__cft__%5B0%5D=AZU5tbf7XNO38p4hwnqZJr_v71oZ0ZtQeU6gDxSbvj29kCZHweTOw8jAjcfpz3xgodv2oqThaauGgadMCR4_qw60ZRQB7Oh-UP9y99TqxCTYffTZHtz3zXSBsfnE2_OpoLgni4TO8rauIeVnApW7o2tt&amp;__tn__=*NK-R\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> #facetattoo<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hashtag\/facetattoos?__eep__=6&amp;__cft__%5B0%5D=AZU5tbf7XNO38p4hwnqZJr_v71oZ0ZtQeU6gDxSbvj29kCZHweTOw8jAjcfpz3xgodv2oqThaauGgadMCR4_qw60ZRQB7Oh-UP9y99TqxCTYffTZHtz3zXSBsfnE2_OpoLgni4TO8rauIeVnApW7o2tt&amp;__tn__=*NK-R\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> #facetattoos<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hashtag\/tattoo?__eep__=6&amp;__cft__%5B0%5D=AZU5tbf7XNO38p4hwnqZJr_v71oZ0ZtQeU6gDxSbvj29kCZHweTOw8jAjcfpz3xgodv2oqThaauGgadMCR4_qw60ZRQB7Oh-UP9y99TqxCTYffTZHtz3zXSBsfnE2_OpoLgni4TO8rauIeVnApW7o2tt&amp;__tn__=*NK-R\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> #tattoo<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hashtag\/piercing?__eep__=6&amp;__cft__%5B0%5D=AZU5tbf7XNO38p4hwnqZJr_v71oZ0ZtQeU6gDxSbvj29kCZHweTOw8jAjcfpz3xgodv2oqThaauGgadMCR4_qw60ZRQB7Oh-UP9y99TqxCTYffTZHtz3zXSBsfnE2_OpoLgni4TO8rauIeVnApW7o2tt&amp;__tn__=*NK-R\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> #piercing<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hashtag\/piercings?__eep__=6&amp;__cft__%5B0%5D=AZU5tbf7XNO38p4hwnqZJr_v71oZ0ZtQeU6gDxSbvj29kCZHweTOw8jAjcfpz3xgodv2oqThaauGgadMCR4_qw60ZRQB7Oh-UP9y99TqxCTYffTZHtz3zXSBsfnE2_OpoLgni4TO8rauIeVnApW7o2tt&amp;__tn__=*NK-R\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> #piercings<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hashtag\/clown?__eep__=6&amp;__cft__%5B0%5D=AZU5tbf7XNO38p4hwnqZJr_v71oZ0ZtQeU6gDxSbvj29kCZHweTOw8jAjcfpz3xgodv2oqThaauGgadMCR4_qw60ZRQB7Oh-UP9y99TqxCTYffTZHtz3zXSBsfnE2_OpoLgni4TO8rauIeVnApW7o2tt&amp;__tn__=*NK-R\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> #clown<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hashtag\/clowns?__eep__=6&amp;__cft__%5B0%5D=AZU5tbf7XNO38p4hwnqZJr_v71oZ0ZtQeU6gDxSbvj29kCZHweTOw8jAjcfpz3xgodv2oqThaauGgadMCR4_qw60ZRQB7Oh-UP9y99TqxCTYffTZHtz3zXSBsfnE2_OpoLgni4TO8rauIeVnApW7o2tt&amp;__tn__=*NK-R\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> #clowns<\/a>\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Huntington Beach native has become a fixture on Instagram and other social media sites for his colorful \u2014 some might say even startling \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/lifestyle\/face-tattoos-silicon-brow-implants-turned-richie-barber-real-life-clown-im-not-gonna-stop-clowning-190436192.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">full-facial clown makeup tattoo<\/a>, silicon implants and signature red clown hair.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And while in recent years, Richie, with his 152,000 followers on Instagram and another 181,000 on YouTube, has managed to land himself on \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent\u201d and in local media reports primarily for confetti-bombing celebrities like the Kardashians and Jennifer Lopez, he now says he\u2019s a changed man who\u2019s ready to lead others in Christ.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LIJqq_Y6-g0&amp;pp=ygUbcmljaGllIHRoZSBiYXJiZXIgdGVzdGltb255\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shared <\/a>his testimony on stage and in a number of podcast appearances, including one he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CwdIgRGMk1P\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shared <\/a>on Aug. 27 in which he says where he once did drugs and \u201cpartied with satanic celebrities,\u201d he \u201calways knew God but always said, \u2018I&#8217;ll be there later.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After getting sober about three years ago, Richie said he finally gave his life to Christ after a broken relationship.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI came home and I started to believe, and the Holy Spirit just entered,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Esposito did not respond to a request for comment from The Christian Post. This article will be updated if any response is received.<\/p>\n<p>The conversion, according to Tellez, is very real \u2014 and it\u2019s having an impact on others\u2019 lives as well.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe biggest miracle is ultimately salvation, you know?\u201d Tellez told The Christian Post. \u201cAnd what I\u2019ve seen in Richie minister is that people are getting set free, and it&#8217;s such a beautiful thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After the two first connected on social media, Tellez said shortly after that, Richie was baptized and was starting a Christian punk band and offered a spot to Tellez to play drums.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe just hit it off playing music initially,\u201d said Tellez. \u201cAnd then I just started to speak into his life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Since then, he has opened up his pulpit to Richie multiple times.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted him to share what God has done because, ultimately, it\u2019s just been an incredible testimony for what the Lord continues to do in his life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>A Facebook <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RICHIETHEBARBERCLOWN\/posts\/pfbid02CpinauX7P19Byh5mU3LCEJXeP31Dn9u9fppRsNUKs71QFk8mR9BopkNy8RdDSHPtl?__cft__%5B0%5D=AZXB64cfmbGmf5j52OiVabfSYAAE-oA97z_9QMu3VurojoEDdoK1C-p22FZmsCnvB6NBzzOxeYGHlVmr8Qmpu6qKjH9q9AITZ_1rPF-xiS6FZJuvadydEpdXJ5z5kw03c0XrdyCNqaapHW_vsgTrwekg&amp;__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post <\/a>from June shows Tellez and Richie baptizing a woman at a bar in Glendora, California, where the pair \u201cdelivered healing in the name of Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FRICHIETHEBARBERCLOWN%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02CpinauX7P19Byh5mU3LCEJXeP31Dn9u9fppRsNUKs71QFk8mR9BopkNy8RdDSHPtl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"706\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>When asked whether the clown getup is a potential stumbling block for the Gospel, Tellez said that\u2019s not how he sees it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In fact, Tellez said he believes Richie is an answered prayer after Tellez said he specifically remembers praying in his backyard for the Lord to bring people into his life whom nobody would expect God to use.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And, says Tellez, God has done just that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve seen a lot of people come to Christ through Richie\u2019s testimony,\u201d he said. \u201cA lot of young people who feel that maybe they can&#8217;t go to a traditional church where they might feel like they\u2019re outcasts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Part of Richie\u2019s appeal, said Tellez, is to the younger generation who are tattooed and \u201cpunk rockers\u201d who are really \u201clooking for hope and they\u2019re really searching for answers of love and compassion and empathy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of these young people feel like they can&#8217;t walk into a normal church without being critiqued and being judged in a sense because of what they look like,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd the tendency, I think, is for people to judge the exterior instead of looking at the interior of a person.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c&#8230; We make room for people who normally might not feel comfortable in a regular church setting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And as for those critics who say Richie\u2019s clown persona could be a distraction from the message of the Gospel, Tellez said he\u2019s not really concerned with what \u201creligious people\u201d might think.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think Jesus had the hardest time with the religious people,\u201d he said. \u201cHe had the hardest time with Pharisees and Sadducees, who looked within the confines of a box, and so anything outside of the box is thought to be extreme.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut the thing is, why can&#8217;t God use Richie?\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"article_credit\">\n<p>Ian M. Giatti is a reporter for The Christian Post and the author of\u00a0<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/BACKWARDS-DAD-childrens-book-grownups\/dp\/B09RM46XMN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">BACKWARDS DAD: a children&#8217;s book for grownups<\/a><\/em>. He can be reached at:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianpost.com\/news\/mailto:ian.giatti@christianpost.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ian.giatti@christianpost.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"eoa_freedom_post\">\n<h2><span>Free<\/span> Religious Freedom Updates<\/h2>\n<p>Join thousands of others to get the <strong>FREEDOM POST<\/strong> newsletter for free, sent twice a week from The Christian Post.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async defer src=\"https:\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianpost.com\/news\/californa-pastor-shares-pulpit-with-clown-barber-says-testimony.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8216;Why can&#8217;t God use Richie?&#8217; says Pastor Joey Tellez A screenshot of Richie the Barber from an August 2023 video. | Screenshot: YouTube\/RichieTheBarber A Southern California pastor is helping a self-described clown barber to become a pastor himself after documenting his conversion on social media.\u00a0 Richie the Barber, whose real name is Richie Esposito, is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1081,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[]},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1080"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1080"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1080\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1080"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1080"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1080"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}