The Lord’s Plans
Charity Sandstrom follows the call to Emporia’s First Friends Church
By Brandy Nance
Friday, November 17, 2006
Fifty years ago, First Friends Church was running at around 300 members. Today it is down to 40 or 50, according to the church’s new pastor.
Charity Sandstrom, 27, the new pastor at First Friends Church, hopes that the Lord will lead the church into changing those numbers. Sandstrom is significantly younger than the generation she has been leading since Oct. 1.
Sandstrom is here with her husband, Richard, her 3-year-old daughter, Kathrina, and a baby on the way the first week of January.
“I believe ministry is a calling,” Sandstrom said. “I feel like the Lord started to lead me into ministry about seven years ago. He opened the doors and provided an opportunity for my husband and I financially so I could go to school.”
She said she always knew she wanted to be in ministry somehow, but never dreamed she would actually lead a congregation. Her husband was in youth ministry, but it was after he had left that they were sitting in a church service and she felt like the Lord wanted her to preach.
“I argued for a while,” she said. “It was close to a year until I started pursuing education for that purpose. I probably didn’t really think I’d be in full-time ministry until probably a year ago. The Lord, when he has his plans, it’s very difficult to fight against that.”
After choosing to pursue education in ministry, Sandstrom attended and graduated from Barkley College in Haviland in 2003.
Before coming to Emporia, Sandstrom served as associate pastor at Pratt Friends Church in Pratt. She said the church was going through some leadership transitions, so she put her resume through her denomination.
“Emporia was one of those churches,” Sandstrom said.
Sandstrom said she didn’t expect to get a full-time position, being a young pastor. But First Friends Church in Emporia hired her.
“It took a lot of courage and obviously a lot of willingness to experience change to even consider hiring a young, pregnant woman pastor,” she said, with a laugh. “I feel very blessed to be here. It wasn’t what I thought I wanted for a long time, but I know I’m in the right place.”
Sandstrom said there is a need to draw younger families to the church.
“The primary goal is to follow the Lord and make sure we are where we need to be as individuals,” Sandstrom said. “As a congregation we need to allow God to work out his plan for our congregation.”
Sandstrom spends about 3 1/2 days at the office. She comes in, checks messages and spends some time in study and prayer.
“I keep numerous to-do lists,” she said. “I also have time during the week for visitation and sermon preparation.”
Sandstrom described the congregation at First Friends Church.
“I’d say warm and friendly,” she said, with a smile. “Very loving and accepting. We have several mentally and physically disabled people (in the congregation) and that shows me that people are loving and accepting for who they are.”
Sandstrom said she enjoys the people part of being a pastor.
“I like to get to know people and find out who they are,” she said.