Conversations with Sandra Anthony

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandra Anthony.

Hi Sandra, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
In 1988 The Church of the Beatitudes United Church of Christ in Phoenix planted Congregational Church of the Valley United Church of Christ (CCOV). Initially the new congregation met at the Mayo Clinic (Scottsdale) until Hayden Hall, the first building of our campus, was completed. Mark Hayden was the founding pastor of CCOV, and the beloved Scottsdale Mayor, Herb Drinkwater, was our founding moderator (board chair). On the first Sunday of Lent in 1989, the first service of worship was held on our beautiful and beloved desert property at 12001 E. Shea Blvd.

The congregation initially grew and then contracted in a pattern familiar to other mainline Protestant denominations. COVID hit us particularly hard, and we were prayerfully in search of a new mission that would inspire the remnant and attract new members. In what I can only describe as a serendipitous God-thing, in April of 2024, Jay walked into Congregational Church of the Valley with her mother. Jay, now a Scottsdale nurse, grew up in Kenya, Africa where her mother still lives. They were planning to go to a church down the street but got there too late, so they came over to our church for worship instead. Jay and her mother noticed the belt that our long-time moderator, Brent Jensen, was wearing. Being Maasai, they knew immediately it was crafted by the Maasai people. Brent and my co-pastor, Dr. Richard A. Wing had been to Kenya the previous summer photographing the work of World Neighbors, a missional organization Dr. Wing’s previous church supported. Jay and her mother quickly connected with Brent and Dr. Wing. Long story short, Jay became an integral member of our church.

During fellowship hour, right after worship that morning, we learned that the village of Ilbisil in Kenya (100 miles south of Nairobi) was in need of a well. People there spend half a day going long distances to fetch water for drinking and cooking. Our people with “world mission” antennas out, said, “Let’s find a way to get a well dug in the village.”

Dr. Wing contacted an organization called Wells for the World in Michigan. There he found a wonderful hydrogeologist who has been arranging for wells to be dug in Kenya for years. He makes his living by serving corporations and congregations here and exercises his faith by serving the non-profit he began. The hydrogeologist gave us an an estimate for digging the well and getting an electric motor established. The amount was $16,000 for the crew in Kenya to get the project done. Our congregation said, “We can set that goal and accomplish it!”

We decided to have two fundraisers under the title TURNING WINE INTO WATER. Our congregation is full of excellent cooks and many of its members love wine. Dr. Wing travels the world for wine and enjoys leading wine tastings. Our church took two things that we all like and do well–food and wine–and turned them into funds for a well in rural Kenya. Within a year’s time and after two hearty nights of food and wine tasting for our congregation, its friends, and some community members, we raised $16,000. Jay’s mother, who had returned to Kenya, offered a piece of her land for the well site.

The well has now been built, and it has been life changing for the residents of Ilbissil Town. You can see videos and pictures of the Kenyans on our Facebook page expressing heartfelt gratitude to CCOV. As a side note, the average person in Kenya needs and uses three gallons of water a day and in this particular village must drive a long distance to get it. The average American uses seventy gallons a day that is piped into our homes.

We are grateful that this need has found the people of Congregational Church of the Valley UCC. Every “need” is our neighbor and provides us with a privilege to serve. Our current mission project is partnering with Foster Your Future, a local nonprofit which helps foster children transition successfully to adulthood. We will be teaching them life skills, especially how to shop, cook, and food prep economically.
By Rev. Sandi Anthony
CCOV UCC Co-Pastor

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As I mentioned before, our church has grappled with the same decline of membership that has plagued almost all religious communities in the United States–especially mainline Protestantism–which includes the United Church of Christ denomination. We have long thought that the remedy is to find a mission that excites people so that they want to join in with us. While our numbers in worship each week are still not what they were in the late 1980’s and 1990’s, we are seeing a gradual increase in membership and a renewed passion for God’s kingdom to come and will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Regarding our well-building endeavor, we realized that the $16,000 we raised was not quite enough as it needed a power source. Fortunately, a wealthy donor sent in another $2000 so that the well could be powered by solar panels.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My name is Rev. Sandi Anthony, and I have served Congregational Church of the Valley UCC as pastor since 2015. Prior to that I was employed as a retirement campus chaplain. Rev. Dr. Richard Wing joined me as co-pastor in 2017 after retiring from a large UCC in Columbus, OH. We are both ordained ministers. Dr. Wing has been a pastor for his entire career, and I was an English teacher in my early years.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
In the words of Ram Dass, “We’re all just walking each other home.” Being a pastor is fundamentally about walking with people wherever we find them in life. As we follow the Way of Jesus, we are called to actualize the words of the prayer he taught us: Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. The lesson I’ve learned is that we all need a community of faith in which to support one another and to bring a bit of heaven to earth for people far and wide. This is what strengthens our souls and fits us for heaven.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.myccov.com
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/ccov.scottsdale