We were lucky to catch up with Dr. Eric Sandras recently and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. Eric, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.

Recently a “mega-church” pastor in my city pulled me aside and offered a thought provoking statement, “Some of us pastors were talking the other day and we decided you have a church with the smallest footprint and biggest impact in our city.” I think that was a compliment. Regardless, it helped realize how a few people with a clear call and passionate alignment can have a significant impact.

As I walk from my truck to the entry of my church each Sunday around 8am, I’m greeted by over a 200 ragamuffin misfits from around the Westside of Colorado Springs waiting in line for our weekly free “Showers to the People” shower and haircut ministry and a free breakfast of eggs, Panera Bread donations, sizzling bacon, and more coffee than most AA meetings consume in a month. Two ministries that help restore a sense of humanity run by 12 dedicated volunteers that have been there since 7am preparing what for some will be there only Sunday meal and shower for the week.

I greet people like Micky, who usually wears a large plastic leaf back as a rain jacket and he thanks me for what God’s generosity. I dodge a few bicycles, homeless pets, and a shopping carts as I work my way into get ready for another Sunday service that feels more like a three ring circus than a traditional sit-down and behave religious homily. I’m reminded again real church starts at 9am as we feed the under-resourced of our community and worship starts at 10am as we celebrate what God has done.

The rest of the week remains busy with a food pantry that distributes over 10,000 lbs. of food per month, a donation based counseling center, recovery programs almost seven days per week, a prison correspondence program that is now in eleven penitentiaries in six states, and the Redemption Project which serves individuals coming out of the justice system with housing, a job, and new life-giving community.

Such focused outreach and influence often leads to the question, “How many people attend your church anyway?”. I often respond, “If you are talking about butts in the pews about 250, if you are talking about God’s children who find this place to be a sanctuary then it’s about 500.”

Dr. Eric, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

“The bonds of addiction are to soft to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.” Those words from a friend who cared enough about me to see beyond my wanna-be perfect mask into my struggling soul hit me deep and fast– as it should all of us. Its’s time to stop pretending. We are all addicted to something, aren’t we? Chemicals, images, control of others, food, and experiences all have potential to become more than just coping mechanisms. That’s why there are three words that swirl around my life nowadays like a twister in a cornfield: Faith, Sex, and Addiction. Oddly, they are significant in making this professor & preacher into the unconventional speaker I am today, but perhaps not in the ways you are thinking.
After earning a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Relations, spending over a decade as a Human Sexuality instructor at various universities and colleges, and leading churches for 20+ years, I have seen and heard it all. I have met countless people who long for hope, healing, and freedom in their relationship with others and with God; people who need a second or third chance to experience God’s grace. Just like I have.
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I have had the privilege of working with the margins on both sides of the continuum and nearly everyone in-between. From profession athletes in the NFL, MLS, and pro-tennis to gang bangers, hookers and porn stars, what I’ve come to realize is each of us at our very core longs for belonging and belovedness. But being given the permission to take off a mask and actually doing so can be a significant act of courage regardless of our economic or social status. And whether as a pastor, counselor, or speaker my desire is to encourage that process.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

During the economic recession of 2009 my wife and I went through what we now call three years of suck. The economic downturn was just the start of an unraveling of our lives that seemed to have no end in sight. Ever had one of those seasons where if it was just one or two things happening you could manage, but when one or two things become compounded by a whole dump-truck worth it gets difficult not to just want to hit the eject button on life. I unpack much of this in my book, “When the Sky is Falling: find hope in the midst of life’s crisis”, but during that season of suck we lost our home in California to the bank, our retirement, savings, both my job as a associate pastor and professor, went through a bout of cancer, lost a parent, both grand-parents, and had our best friends toddler drown on the 4th of July. The list goes on, but you don’t need my crisis to understand your own.

What I learned in that season of suck is every crisis has a beginning, a middle and and end. They always do. Even my cancer was going to end– either it over-taking my body or my body over-taking it. My choice was not how it would finish, but would I choose to finish well. To finish well meant the choices I was making in the midst of my crisis was either going to create a new crisis later (for myself or those I love) or help me finish the current one well.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

My underpaid and over-stretched staff is amazing! In the 10-years of functioning as a church for the margins we have only had three key employees move on. Working with those experiencing homelessness, addiction, violence and mental illness creates the potential for consistent and sometimes serious compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma in such good hearted leaders. Often I wonder why they stick around when they could be getting paid far better and working in much more cush environments. In our discussions I consistently hear three things that keep them grounded and committed: 1) Our team is transparent and cares for each other beyond work lives but in our real lives.
2) We continually focus on why we are called to care for people not just what we are doing to care for people.
3) A “Paying it Forward” mentality. Those who have been given second chances offer second chances.

Contact Info:

• Website: TheDailySteps.com / TSCwest.org
• Instagram: thesanctuarychurchcos
• Facebook: The Sanctuary Church
• Youtube: TheSanctuaryChurchCOS