Name: Bruce Sandy Title: Pastor Marital Status: Married to Bettylou for 2 years Education: Master of Divinity from Andover Newton Theological School. Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from University of Massachusetts. Hobbies: Bruce enjoys black and white photography and also collecting fossils. Experience: Bruce was blessed with parents who took their Christian faith seriously, attending worship and Sunday School regularly. Bruce was baptized at the age of ten, and has been an American Baptist ever since. He felt a call to ministry while attending a religious conference in 1975. As a result of that, he took steps to procure a well-rounded ecumenical theological education, and was ordained as an American Baptist Minister in 1980. Bruce has pastored three churches in Massachusetts in the twenty-one years between his internship in 1976 and his move to Community Baptist Church in Manchester in 1997. He is very involved in working with the Town of Manchester in various capacities, such as being the past president of the Manchester Interfaith Clergy Association, working on the Board of Education Task Force on Drop-Out Prevention and other town committees. Bruce is also active in the leadership of the local chapter of the American Baptists in Connecticut ("ABCCONN"), such as being the President of the Ministers' Council of ABC CT, and having spent over 15 years on the Board of Directors for various Christian camps in New England. Bruce is enjoying being a "newlywed", having married Bettylou in July 2001. He has been previously married, known the heartache of divorce and yet also knows the joy of God's grace that gives us second chances. Having been a pastor for 23 years, Bruce still considers it exciting and an honor to help people grow in their spiritual lives. He never tires of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ! Bruce believes in the basic goodness within people, and values the opportunity to encourage people to continue striving towards a closer relationship with our loving God.