04/27/2026
We thank God for the life of Mitch Friedman, founding pastor of The Journey Bible Fellowship in Leander.
Following his retirement from that post, he taught and encouraged people of all ages throughout our area through various other avenues of ministry.
He spent his life showing and proclaiming that Jesus is better.
May the Lord bless his bride, Sheri, their children, grandchildren, friends and all those who will feel his loss so deeply.
Dear Journey Family,
With a heavy heart I share with you that our brother in Christ, the founding Lead Pastor of the Journey, Mitch Friedman, passed away early this morning at 4:35 AM. He was 69. His wife, Sheri, was at his side.
Mitch was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in November and immediately began a valiant battle against it. In February, it appeared that the cancer was gone. We celebrated. Soon after, the cancer was discovered in his spinal fluid. From there, it became clear the Lord was taking him home.
Mitch was the lead pastor of the Journey from its founding in 2003 until 2021. Many of you grew profoundly in Christ under his preaching, vision, and pastoral leadership. Mitch was fiercely dedicated to the truth of the word. He was courageous, joyful, and optimistic with whatever came his way. One of his favorite phrases in recent years was, “It’s a great time to be alive!” Even when our culture and world seemed darkest, Mitch saw opportunity to SHINE. And shine he did.
For those newer to the Journey who didn’t know Mitch: we stand on his shoulders in many ways. The Journey simply wouldn’t exist without God’s work in Mitch. God’s word was Mitch’s foundation, and thus it is the Journey’s foundation. We will keep it that way moving forward. I am deeply grateful for the legacy he passed on to me and the opportunities we have today due in large part to his faithfulness.
We will share service details with you as soon as we have them. This Sunday, we’ll have church. We’ll worship the Lord, pray, preach the word, and we’ll spend some time to grieve and to honor Mitch as well.
Many of Mitch’s sermons are on our Journey website under “Resources.” You may enjoy listening to one today to remember him.
As we saw in Philippians 1, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Mitch gained today! He met his Savior! We grieve, but with hope. The Lord knew today was the day for Mitch to go home. Our day will come soon too. Pray for Sheri, their adult children, and grandchildren.
It’s a great time to be alive, brothers and sisters, so in honor of Mitch, go out and make today count.
Grace and Peace,
Curt
