Longtime Hamptons Poultry Farmer Tends New Flock As North Fork Minister

SOUTHAMPTON, NY - You'd be hard-pressed to find someone in Southampton who hasn't heard of Richie King.

King, a well-loved farmer whose family business, North Sea Farms in Southampton, is woven into the community canvas with roots stitched deep into the town's history — his father, Tate King, planted the seeds for the farm's future prosperity way back in 1941, when he was paid $10 a week.

A member of Southampton High School's Class of 1970, Richie King is a 35-year member of the North Sea Fire Department, a former trustee of the Southampton School Board of Education, and a member of Masonic Lodge 7009.

And now, King, who served for more than 20 years as a youth minister for the First Presbyterian Church of Southampton, taking hundreds of young people and adults on mission trips to Cuba, Mexico, New Orleans and the Dominican Republic — and who has spent a lifetime nurturing the community, donating food to Human Resources of the Hamptons and organizing Bible study groups — has found another calling, as the minister of the Cutchogue Presbyterian Church.

Over the years, King has worn many hats, once managing an Agway and also serving as a founding member of the Peconic Land Trust; he went to high school with the group's president John Halsey.

As youth director, King was able to nurture young people and has long been called to the ministry; currently, he's been commissioned as a ruling elder, which is "a step below ordained, and a step above a regular elder," he said.

King studied online for a degree with the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary and was soon contacted by the head of the Presbytery of Suffolk County to ask if he'd consider the pastor's position in Cutchogue, a part-time post.

Farmer Turned Minister

Because it's a part-time position, King said he's able to weave the duties into his already busy schedule on the farm, where he wakes every morning at 4:30 a.m., opening the store, picking up supplies, delivering eggs, seeding, cultivating, and planting.

North Sea Farms, he said, is known for turkeys, chickens, eggs, tomatoes, lettuce, herbs, baked goods and flowers and other produce.

"It's a small farm with a little bit of everything," King said.

The transformation from farm to minister, he said, has been a natural one; he especially love the children's messages at the beginning of each service, since he's found working with youth so meaningful for years, including years teaching Sunday school.

And the two positions are not entirely different. "My father said, 'Now you're a farmer and a preacher, the two lowest paid jobs you can find." King laughed.

King's sister Kathleen is also well-known for Tate's Bake Shop, with its legendary cookies. "I'm known as Kathleen's brother," he joked.

Farming and the ministry have common ties, King said. "They're very similar. You plant seeds, you start out with babies, and they grow. In church, you start out with planting seeds of hope, and love."

As a minister, King says the most meaningful part of the experience is working with the people. "I tell them, 'I'm here, but you guys are the ministers,'" he said. "They make the church work."

The congregation, he said, is the heartbeat of the ministry. "God has got to be present," he said.

King's sermons are rich with love and kindness, caring and understanding, and the heartfelt dedication to the congregation has had visible results.

When he began at Cutchogue Presbyterian Church on March 9, 2014, there were only eight to 10 members attending. Now, that number has doubled, and sometimes, tripled, if a member brings an extended family to services.

King said he enjoys being at the helm. "It's great. It's a challenge, but it's fun."

Serving as an interim pastor at the First Presbyterian Church in Southampton for a weeks helped bolster his confidence, he said. "That's when I knew I could do it."

The two congregations differ a bit, he said, with Southampton's church arguably the eldest on the East End, with a longtime claim to the title a point of spirited debate between Southampton and the First Presbyterian Church of Southold.

Cutchogue Presbyterian, he said, "was struggling," but has seen marked rebirth.

A rich history

With a history that stretches back to May 26, 1792, when Cutchogue residents "raised the timbers for a meeting house" in the village, the church stood for nearly a century as the only church between Mattituck and Southold, according to its history in the weekly bulletin.

Known as "The Cutchogue Church," during the Revolutionary War, British troops occupying the area used the structure. On February 22, 1852, 120 years after it was born, the church was demolished and the current sanctuary erected and dedicated on December 8, 1852. The steeple and a Meneely bell from Troy were added in 1883 and in 1905, the north end of the church was extended 24 feet, with stained glass windows and a Kilgen pipe organ added. The church steeple renovation was completed in 1998.

The Cutchogue Presbyterian Church, King said, was a gathering spot for generations. "This was the farm church," he said. "And I'm a farmer. How ironic." He smiled.

Two hats, one heart

Both careers, King said, have nurtured him and taught him patience. "I'm not always the most patient person. I have to have things right away. But it doesn't work that way. You have to cultivate the patience of watching a crop grow into fruition."

Farming, he said, can be more discouraging at times, with variables like the weather a constant concern.

King said his family, including his wife Robin and grown children Christine, Brad, and Julia are at the heart of all his life's pursuits.

Since becoming minister, King has added a Bible study program and reinvigorated the Sunday School program at Cutchogue Presbyterian.

Looking ahead, ideas include a readers' theater, with monologues and two-act performances; dinners at the manse, mission trips and other locally-based activities to give back to those in need. Sunday worship services at the beach is another idea being considered.

The most meaningful part of his journey as a farmer, King said, has been watching the farm grow and flourish over the years. "That's the beauty of it, watching it take off. My father always knew something good would come, but it took awhile."

As for his work as a minister, King said his mission trips have fed his soul. "It's all about hands on, both with the farm and with kids on a mission trip. It changes your life, because you see the joy in the faces of the people you help. They have nothing. Nothing but the Lord. And they are convinced that church is their way out, if they stay on track. Church is where they go for fun," he said.

Mission trips, King added, also change the lives of kids who attend, working with those in need and opening their hearts and minds to a life of service.

Reflecting on a life rich with helping others, King said there was one moment that stands out in its simple message: "I was with a family who had just lost their father. We had a Bible study on the beach and everyone was struggling. There were monarch butterflies at that beach, and that day, the butterflies never stopped coming. One by one by one by one, and that was a sign to them. That was one heck of a day."

As a minister, two commandments are at the heart of all King believes, he said: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself. The rest will take care of itself."