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Reverend Dr. Stephen A. Sanders
Rev. Sanders is originally from Arkansas but hails most recently from Louisiana, where he served as an Army Chaplain and as the Interim Minister for a Disciples church in Leesville. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Arkansas, a Master of Divinity and a Doctorate of Theology from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Master of Library Science from Louisiana State University. He is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, having served both war zones as an Army chaplain. More recently, he has served as Task Force Chaplain for the Bon Voizen mission in Haiti, ministering to the religious needs of more than 700 members of the military who are there helping with recovery from the 2010 earthquake. Rev. Sanders is also an ordained minister in the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ. He and his wife, Claire, have three "grown" children living in Oklahoma and Louisiana.
Rev. Sanders is an accomplished preacher, worship leader and teacher. He loves to study and ruminate on the Word and then find ways to apply the Bible to our contemporary lives. In his view, the mission of the church is to engender a lively relationship with God through meaningful worship, Bible studies and small group ministries. "I like the metaphor of 'faith journey,' for that describes a relationship with God which has sustained me from the beautiful Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, to a dangerous war zone in Iraq."
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| Associate Minister, Pastoral Care |
| Reverend Sherry Shanks
Rev. Shanks has served as Associate Pastor of Pastoral Care at FCC Lewisville since the fall of 2006 when she answered God's call to full time ministry and became our Associate Pastor in charge of Pastoral Care. Not only does she visit the shut-ins, make hospital visits and care for those in crisis, Sherry also equips and encourages the congregation to minister to one another and their community.
Sherry and her husband, Stan, have been married for 30 years and have two sons, Ben and Luke. Stan, Sherry, and the boys had been attending our church for almost a year prior to joining our ministerial staff. Stan serves as Board Chair and teaches one of our adult Sunday School Class. They have been a blessing to our congregation.
It came as an unexpected grace for God to call Sherry into ministry at this stage in her life. Wanting to be a hospital chaplain, Sherry is working towards her Masters of Divinity from Perkins Theological Seminary. Juggling a full time job, seminary, and her ministry at FCC Lewisville has been a challenge, but one that she treasures. "I love being with people during the important moments in their life. I love watching how God ministers to them and it is such a blessing to see them interact with God during these times. Pastoral Care is not work for me, it is a blessing."
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