Rick Weiss was born and raised in Pittsburgh. He remembers first hearing about the “His Place” ministry when Bill Baker (the college professor who conceived the concept of a “drop-in center” for street people) spoke to an area-wide youth rally back in the early ‘70s. Baker challenged the churches to open a “His Place” in Pittsburgh and Rick was among those who agreed to help. Little did he know that, in a few years, he would become the director of this inner-city ministry. He and his new bride, Debe (Robbins) had been volunteering at the Center for several months when he was asked to come on as full-time director. Rick held this position from 1977 - 1993 when he left to become Director of Children’s Ministries at West Hills Christian Church. At that time, Debe stepped in as Director of “His Place”. Together, they have nearly 30 years of service at the Center.
In addition to his work as a children’s minister, Rick is a cartoonist and uses his artistic abilities to oversee publicity and promotion for “His Place.” He also enjoys bicycling and helps run the annual Bike-A-Thon for “His Place.” Rick has served as a board member at “His Place” for 13 years and is excited about the new opportunities “His Place” has to impact the Northside community in it’s larger building. His goal is to encourage a new generation of volunteers and missionaries through projects such as “M&M” Club--which is a program that seeks to encourage fellowship between young children of different races.