Introducing Lynette Sanchez our Communications Assistant
This August Lynette Sanchez joined the conference staff serving as the communications assistant. She shares about her past ministry experience in the ECC, her family, and her desire to connect through story.
Get in touch with Lynette and share your story by emailing her, Lynette@pacnw.org.
Transcript:
Eric Cave: Hello everyone, Eric Cave here, your Director of NextGen Ministries for the Pacific Northwest Conference. Today, I am particularly excited because I get to introduce you to Lynette Sanchez. She is our new Communications Assistant for the Pacific Northwest Conference. Now, she may look familiar to you because she has served at quite a few of our churches, but she's also famous for co-hosting the Golden Apple Awards along with me at our last annual meeting. So, welcome, Lynette! Really glad that you're here and really glad that you're on staff. Take a moment and introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your ministry background, which is so varied and exciting.
Lynette Sanchez: Thanks, Eric. Yeah, I'm excited to be starting this new role and working with the conference.
I grew up in the Midwest, really close to the epicenter of the Covenant in the Chicago area, but I had no idea that the Covenant existed until my husband and I moved down to California. I applied for a job at a Covenant church down there and ended up working for five years at Peninsula Covenant Church, which is famous for being the church President Tammy attended when she was in youth group.
After those five years, we moved back up to Portland, Oregon. I worked at West Hills Covenant Church for a few years as the Children's Ministry Pastor, and then spent five years at Countryside Community Church. I started off in children's ministry there as well, but was eventually moved up into their pastoral lead team. The running joke was that I did everything from preaching to prepping crafts!
Most recently, I am serving as the Interim Pastor at Cascade View Covenant Church in Vancouver, Washington.
Eric: That's quite a resume! Okay, so tell us a little bit more about your personal life, like your family, where you live, and what you like to do when you're not doing ministry?
Lynette: We live in Portland and have been here for a little over ten years. I've got three kids who are 15, 12, and 9, which means I'm constantly driving them places. More recently, my son has started driving us around, which is a new adventure!
Right now, we're doing a lot of stereotypical back-to-school nights, soccer practices, and games. My kids are also musical, so we do a lot of band events. My husband is an assistant principal in the Beaverton School District, so we are always visiting different schools. He has a great heart for how education functions as a ministry, a little bit subversive, but definitely caring for kids and students in need, which has been a huge part of his work.
When everyone is asleep, I love to read a book or do some baking now that it's getting cooler. So, that's kind of what we're up to as a family.
Eric: That's great. I know I've said this before, but I can't wait to meet your husband in person because I heard we share a love for video games. We've got to make that happen soon!
As I said, I'm really excited about you coming on staff, especially for this communications role. You have some prior experience with communications, right? Tell us about that.
Lynette: Yes! I originally got a degree in magazine journalism—very specific. My dream back then was to go into Christian publishing. However, in the midst of getting my journalism degree, I felt a call to ministry. It's always been this back-and-forth balance of wanting to use my editorial experience and journalism background alongside ministry.
I also served as a proofreader and assistant editor for a theological journal here in Portland. Getting to pair my seminary training and pastoral background with my journalism training—and my natural itch to find misplaced commas or misspelled words—has been a fun space to inhabit. It's all about how I can use my journalism background alongside my call to ministry.
Eric: That's great! The main purpose of our Communications Department for the conference is to tell the story of our conference. What drew you to this role—other than the obvious love of spending time on Zoom with me? What gets you excited about this opportunity?
Lynette: When I first found out about the Covenant, got my ministry license, and started on the path to ordination, I realized pretty quickly that the Covenant felt like home. So much lines up with what I believe and how I practice faith. I love what the Covenant Church is doing, and a big part of me just wants to support it and continue its work. Getting to work on the conference staff and support not just one church, but our whole network of churches in the Pacific Northwest, is a huge win for me.
When I'm preaching or serving in ministry, I think story is one of the most powerful, transformative tools we have. I love to geek out over Scripture, preach, and engage with people through the Word, but I also love sharing our own stories of how God is currently moving in our churches and lives. Sharing those moments of transformation and hope is what really inspires people. Getting to hear those stories from other churches and spread what God is up to around the conference is a huge bonus for me.
Eric: Wonderful! If people have ideas for stories—maybe they've seen something happen in their church or community, or they're involved in a ministry they think would be great to share with the rest of the conference—how should they reach out to you? What is the process for being part of The Catch?
Lynette: You can definitely email me, and we'll put a link to my email down below. You could also show up at my house in Portland with a great cup of coffee or a baked good—that's always a good option!
Otherwise, just reach out to me. What we'll do is set up a brief 10-minute interview—nothing too long. It's just a chance for you to share what you've been up to, tell the story of how God has been working, and hopefully encourage others. I would love to hear from you, so please do reach out.
I also want to make one more unplanned plug: I am the Chair of the Commission for Children and Family Ministry for our conference. We are an amazing group that wants to support your churches in working with children and families. If you have questions about strategies or support for children's ministry specifically, or family spiritual formation in your churches, you can reach out to me at that same email. I'd love to connect around that as well!
Eric: Nice plug at the end there! Well, thank you for sharing about yourself and this opportunity. I can't wait to see where this goes.
Lynette: Yeah, thanks so much, Eric!