Sarah Pardue

Associate Youth Minister
Serving Since 2007

Tell us how you came to know Christ:
I was raised in/around/by the Church, but at age 13 I started asking serious questions about Jesus and His life. One night in February of 1995 (at a Dawson McAllister Student Conference), I realized that I had a significant need for Him to take away the burden of my sin. Since that day, I’ve been working out my salvation with much “fear and trembling,” making both great and not-so-great decisions, recognizing at all times that I belong to Jesus and “because [I] belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed [me] from the power of sin that leads to death.” I’m on a journey with Christ .. and it’s a wonderfully challenging one (to say the least!).

What’s your favorite thing about your job?
People. People. People.

What’s your favorite Bible verse currently?
“I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night -- but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.” Psalm 139:11-12

What do you feel like God is teaching you lately?
Beth Moore summed it up nicely when she said, “When our lives are immersed in Him, every ending .. everything we believe to be the death of us is instead a hand-engraved invitation to a new beginning.” I’m learning that obedience isn’t always pretty, discipline is (by nature) never easy, but our God is certainly always faithful.

What are your hobbies?
Singing. Sweating. Laughing. Not particularly in that order.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up and why?
I wanted to be Bette Midler. Not kidding. I loved her character in “Beaches!” I’ve always loved performing on a stage (singing, acting, whatever) and have wanted to star on Broadway since I was a little girl. Surprise.

Tell us a bit about your family?
Many preachers, many singers, closely knit, entertaining, extremely giving, sacrificial, and wonderful. I know what it truly feels like to be loved and supported because of them. We’re also weirdly normal (and vice versa).

What’s your favorite meal and who would be attending? 
I’d share Spinach & Artichoke Pizza from BJ’s with Sara Groves and Donald Miller! I feel like their writing (she’s a songwriter, he’s an author) is unbelievably authentic. I imagine the dinner conversation (and tears) would flow as we discussed people, heartbreak, Jesus, Patty Griffin, and social justice.

Tell us a little known fact about yourself:
I’m a control freak and that causes me to be terrified of things with wheels that I can’t control (i.e., Rollerblades, skateboards, scooters, etc.). Terrified.

Why should someone get involved at First Baptist Church Arlington:
Because it’s a multi-generational church full of loving folks who let you be .. “you.” Most importantly, it’s a church that champions Jesus Christ and the message of His Gospel.