Seek First the Kingdom
My name is Sandi Iamurri. Married for 21 years, my husband and I live in Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA. I am studying at the Christian Leaders Institute to further my education in Biblical studies.
I love being in ministry with my husband. We’ve experienced many situations that strengthened and deepened our walk with the Lord. God has been so faithful to us! Our children are in their late teens now and live with us. Our son is currently working as an intern with us at InFaith. We’ve seen God move mountains in their lives. We know that God is not done with our children’s spiritual journeys.
Early Life
I grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs, in a Christian home with loving, hard-working parents. My childhood mainly centered around our family business, which was more highly emphasized than anything else. Unfortunately, this taught me to be more self-reliant than God-reliant. As I approached my late twenties, I had one foot in church and the other in the world, searching for fulfillment, but it left me feeling empty.
Shortly after our church obtained a new pastor, his wife, Ruth, was intentional about getting to know me. Ruth quickly noticed that I was seeking after all the wrong things. During a desperate season of my life, she invited me to be a part of a small Bible study. I gladly accepted. I knew that God wanted me. Through the course of that Bible study, Ruth became my mentor. It was an incredible season. The Holy Spirit moved in my heart. For the first time, I experienced God’s saving grace through His son Jesus Christ!
My whole perspective changed as I pursued the things of God. I grew in understanding God’s truths and experienced Matthew 6:33 – “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” All the lessons I learned from attending church during my childhood/teenage years finally became REAL! God restored me to himself and blessed me with godly friendships, a career, and a godly husband, an Evangelical Presbyterian pastor. Reflecting on all this, I see how God was preparing me for a ministry life alongside my husband.
Development of my Spiritual Dream
In the past two churches my husband, Jerry, and I served, I only assisted in the children’s programming. It wasn’t until we needed a lead Sunday School teacher that I felt the Holy Spirit prompt me to step up into this role. Furthermore, God led and inspired me to write a curriculum. I developed a passion for studying Scripture and a love of teaching. I used these gifts for His glory for many years by teaching children’s Sunday school, VBS, and women’s Bible studies.
My desire to further my education in Biblical studies began then. However, the timing wasn’t right. My only higher education is an associate degree in applied science from a community college, and I have training in skin care. I worked before we had children and was a stay-at-home mom for 18 years. My husband and I have talked about how we couldn’t even afford for me to take classes online, so we put it off.
Further Education in Biblical Studies
My spiritual dream is to have formal biblical training on correctly and effectively teaching the word of God and sharing Christ’s love with those who don’t know the Lord.
My husband and I work for InFaith-American Missionary Fellowship, a non-profit domestic missionary-sending organization. Our ministry includes traveling to see our missionaries in the field to encourage, pray, speak, and sometimes work alongside them. I pray to utilize my education in Biblical studies at CLI to further the Kingdom as the Lord provides opportunities within our ministry, in the church we attend, and in those whom the Lord places in my path.
Growing into Spiritual Maturity
In 2016, some godly leaders asked my husband to serve on the Evangelical Presbyterian Church’s executive level at their Orlando, Florida headquarters. When we moved in 2017, we had no idea what lay before us. Both our children got involved with the wrong people. Our son, in particular, was targeted by an organized gang that had a nationwide network. The kids were caught up in activities that were our worst nightmare. My husband and I felt helpless. It shook my faith and forced me to question my beliefs.
Thankfully, the Lord brought a group of godly women into my life. They helped me. One woman whom the Lord laid on her heart to reach out to women in the area was so instrumental in my spiritual growth. By the Holy Spirit’s leading, this woman, Tina, formed a group called “The Mat Bearers.” We met once a week for 2 1/2 years, and it was indeed a spiritual transformational season for me. I learned to fully surrender to the Lord amid absolute chaos.
More Growth
Completely humbled by all that transpired with the kids, these women encouraged me, prayed for me, and always pointed me to Christ and the power of His saving grace. I realized I was not putting God first in my life. I was complacent. Gradually, through prayer, reading Scripture, and journaling, the Lord showed me how to prioritize seeking the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. The situation with our children did not improve. However, it deepened my walk with the Lord. “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” 2 Corinthians 4:17 & 18.
New Direction
In 2020, we felt the Lord calling us back to our home in Pennsylvania. The lessons God showed me during our time in Orlando gave me a new desire to reach hurting women. About five months ago, I discovered the Christian Leaders Institute. CLI’s further biblical education is my spiritual dream come true! I am eager to learn and share what the Christian Leaders Institute teaches me. Further, I want to help other women make seeking the Lord their highest priority.
My husband and I feel that now is the time to pursue my biblical training with this program, which is graciously funded by others. It is beautiful to get a high-quality education. My goal is to get a diploma of Divinity.
In Christ alone, Sandi
Register a Study Account
Register for a free study account, which will automatically enroll you in the Getting Started Class at the Christian Leaders Learning Platform. The Getting Started class will take you less than an hour to complete.
When you log in to the Learning Platform, you will notice that the Getting Started Class automatically appears on your dashboard.
The Getting Started Class will orientate you to the Christian Leaders Learning Platform and the Programs offered, including:
- Ministry Awards, Certificates, Diplomas, and Degrees with the Christian Leaders Institute.
- Minister Credentialling (Ordination) with the Christian Leaders Alliance, including local Soul Center registration possibilities.
Note: You can enroll in tuition-free courses or mini-courses immediately without finishing the getting started class.
Find out more about women in ministry here.
Leadership in Ministry Class
I am Christopher Wooden from the United States of America, a Christian Leaders Institute student. The leadership in ministry class at CLI was timely for me. It provided information and skills that I need now and in the future. I plan to return to the CLI classes for information and motivation. The lectures and the chapters from the book on Paul and his missionary work were excellent. This will serve me in my calling as we advance.
My Journey
I recently moved from a rural area of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to a more populated area of the Lower Peninsula. My initial plans were to continue taking classes, support a local pastor, or possibly get ordained and help a church that could not afford a pastor. Then, as they often do, things changed. We moved downstate because my wife’s remote job wanted her closer to their Grand Rapids, Michigan, offices.
Therefore, we found ourselves looking for a church in a new area. We started attending a United Methodist Church close to us in our new community. However, we found they were in a bit of crisis and conflict as they left the denomination and joined the Global Methodist Church. My wife and I were unhappy with the UMC’s direction theologically. So, we realized we could help as we were also excited about the new direction of the GMC. When I saw the issues they faced and the fact they accepted us right away, I knew taking the leadership class would help move this dying, split church in a new direction.
New Direction
With the lessons of the classes and the help of the retired pastor, who still covers the church, I could talk about things like vision and mission statements. The classes gave me a framework for talking intelligently about how to renew the church and reach the community we serve. I now lead a committee on Natural Church Development and fold in the teachings from the leadership in ministry class to move us forward. People are starting to get a vision for the future and are smiling again.
We also have a new “Outreach and Hospitality” committee, which my wife and I head. We have changed the vestibule area to be more welcoming by adding a welcome center staffed by a greeter with information and treats for everyone. Some community outreach programs are already being put together. There is a sense of excitement as a few new people have already started to come. This, and much more I will not go into now, is an offshoot of the information from the leadership class and how it motivated me, taught me, and gave me a vision for the future.
Hospice Chaplain Ministry
I am still working on a more precise calling. However, serving the church and the community with the skills I am gaining and the confidence that brings for the glory of Jesus Christ is enough for me. I am leaning towards becoming a Hospice Chaplain since part of my volunteering with my local church has been the assisted living home. Furthermore, my wife has a heart for older people as well. Her current job is to provide online help for older people through the insurance company where she works. I will press forward, let God open the doors, and serve where he calls me.
The only challenge I am currently facing as I pursue ministry is time. Working 50+ hours a week and helping with the various ministries makes it harder to expand and do as much as I want. My heart feels for the bi-vocational ministers as life can pinch. Wanting to give the best to the Lord and the people looking to you for ministry and being a faithful employee can cause anxiety. Also, I fit the classes in as I practice what I am learning. It is all joy, though.
Vision and Mission and Dreams
This class’s most essential and serviceable insight is the importance of a vision and mission for ministry leadership. It sounds like a simple concept. However, knowing the steps behind having an effective one and the steps to make it happen are all the difference. I also liked the idea of “S.M.A.R.T.” goals. Many years ago, I had heard of this idea but had forgotten it. I now have the formula burned into my mind and will look to it often.
My ministry dreams for the future are to be in a leadership position where I can lead people to Jesus Christ, help them to grow deeper in their relationship with Him, and then reproduce that walk with others. I am not sure what shape that will take. However, I am open to anything that advances the kingdom of Christ, so I will keep working for Him and follow where He leads.
Register a Study Account
Register for a free study account, which will automatically enroll you in the Getting Started Class at the Christian Leaders Learning Platform. The Getting Started class will take you less than an hour to complete.
When you log in to the Learning Platform, you will notice that the Getting Started Class automatically appears on your dashboard.
The Getting Started Class will orientate you to the Christian Leaders Learning Platform and the Programs offered, including:
- Ministry Awards, Certificates, Diplomas, and Degrees with the Christian Leaders Institute.
- Minister Credentialling (Ordination) with the Christian Leaders Alliance, including local Soul Center registration possibilities.
Note: You can enroll in tuition-free courses or mini-courses immediately without finishing the getting started class.
Find out more about women in ministry here.