RMCNews with Renae Hamstra – Castle Rock, Colorado … Castle Rock Adventist Church has been searching for a pastor for several months and suddenly realized they already had a pastor amongst them.

The church gathered on February 4 to welcome and pray over their new pastor, Edrey Santos.  Darin Gottfried, RMC vice-president of finance, led the dedication prayer.

Santos, who has been a member of Castle Rock since 2017, explains that the call to return to pastoral ministry has been one the Holy Spirit has impressed on him for several months.

He said, “I felt called to Castle Rock because of the church congregation, the community of Castle Rock itself, and of course, the tug from the Holy Spirit. The tugging has been around for several months. After much prayer, reflection, and getting the feedback of mentors, I felt it was the right time to return. And I’m so glad that I did!”

In an email to RMC staff, Lori Goebel, human resources assistant, said that “Edrey works at Porter Adventist Hospital where he serves as a staff chaplain. Previously, he served at Littleton and Parker Adventist hospitals in similar roles.”

Santos explains that his initial goal is to connect to the community. “I’m excited for the church and the community because I can tell the people of Castle Rock long for fellowship and God’s presence. Thus, the immediate goal for our church is to work internally in aligning every church leader’s personal mission to the overall mission of our church. Then, we have the hope of working externally in reaching out to the community.”

He adds that he wants the church to be known in the community by showing God’s love through outreach. “I want us to be a church that engages the community through various ministries. I believe that’s how we will grow. Lastly, I want everyone to know that Castle Rock Adventist Church will be a church that embodies Christ-like love to all that come through the doors. We welcome you to worship with us and to even consider making our church your church,” said Santos.

Santos has a Bachelor’s degree in Theology from Southwestern Adventist University and a Master of Divinity from Denver Seminary. He is married to partner-in-ministry Bobbi Whitlock-Santos.

The new Castle Rock pastor wants everyone to know that “Jesus loves you. We, at Castle Rock, love you, too.”

RMCNews with Renae Hamstra, a member of Castle Rock Adventist Church; photo supplied