Valerie Chillis Sanders

Minister of Congregational Care Turner Chapel AME Church has been truly blessed with the addition of Reverend Dr. Valerie Sanders to our ministerial staff as our Minister of Congregational Care. She is responsible for acting as a liaison between Rev. Kenneth Marcus, our Senior Pastor, and the congregation. Reverend Sanders is the personification of Turner Chapel's ongoing commitment to stay connected as our church family grows. She ensures that our spiritual needs are met even as we go through physical or emotional crisis. Her many duties include: -coordinating routine visits with sick -advising the sick and shut-in ministry -assisting with counseling (outside of pre-marital) -providing counseling references -assisting church members with bereavement and grief issues -building relationships with local health care professionals -training others about how to minister to those in crisis her favorite Bible verse, Luke 1:45, states, "Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!" Rev. Chillis Sanders is a woman of great faith and many accomplishments. A board-certified member of the Association of Professional Chaplains, Reverend Sanders is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in Pastoral Counseling at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA. Originally from Miami, FL, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Secondary Education from Florida A&M University. Previously, she spent five years teaching high school History and Government in Prince George’s County, Maryland. She earned her Master of Divinity degree in 1996 from Howard University, School of Divinity. After graduation, Rev. Chillis Sanders entered a pastoral care residency program at Georgetown University Medical Center where she received the necessary training required to be a professional pastoral care provider. Before moving to Marietta, GA, Rev. Chillis Sanders served as the Director of Pastoral Care at Washington Home and Hospice. There she facilitated the spiritual needs of 230 patients, focusing primarily on the terminally ill Her personal mission is to integrate her professional clinical training with the local Turner Chapel ministries.  While Rev. Chillis Sanders has been a blessing to us, she believes that Turner Chapel has been a blessing to her. The Turner Chapel experience provides her with an opportunity to bring her clinical expertise to a local church setting as well as an opportunity to pursue a doctoral degree. As far as her goals as the Minister of Congregational Care, Rev. Chillis Sanders wants to focus on the critical, but under-emphasized, subject of health in the African-American community. In addition to crucial need for more African-American organ, bone marrow, and blood donors, Rev. Chillis Sanders asserts that we need to develop programs for bereavement and become more accountable for our brothers and sisters. She explains that "we need to emphasize that we (Turner Chapel) are a family throughout the week, not just on Sunday."  Rev. Chillis Sanders knows that all too often, we try to handle too many things independently without seeking assistance. "We need to increase acceptance of the word therapist in the African-American community. Seeking counseling should not carry a stigma of insanity. We need to understand that it is OK to ask for help." Rev. Chillis Sanders explains that the scripture in Genesis 2:18 that states that it is not good for people to be alone refers to all relationships, not just marriages. She believes that we live and worship in communities to be supportive of one another.  In her leisure time, Rev. Chillis Sanders enjoys exercising, baking, and going to the movies. Her favorite movie is The Imitation of Life, but she generally likes movies that make her laugh or cry. Just like the framed art in her office depicts Harriet Tubman leading people through the Underground Railroad, Reverend Valerie Chillis Sanders feels called to lead people out of whatever keeps them bound into a place of spiritual, physical, and emotional wholeness. Reverend Chillis Sanders is married to Reverend Lavell Sanders, and they have a daughter, Nia.