Waukee Christian Church's Christmas Gift is New Pastor

Although she’s already led one worship service, the Rev. Sue Woods officially begins her duties as pastor at Waukee Christian Church today, according to the Dallas County News.

She was previously a pastor at College Avenue Christian Church in Beaverdale.

Woods earned a college degree in English and didn’t become a licensed minister until 1998; she became a full-time minister only five years ago.

“I guess you could say I came here in a round-about way,” Woods told the newspaper. “I worked at Principal Financial Group for several years before becoming a licensed minister.

Woods and her husband, Jerry, have four grown children; they moved to Ankeny and she entered the ministry full time.

Previously she served as executive director of the United Way and served a congregation in Kellogg.

The church's search process impressed Woods.

“The questionnaire was not typical — one question dealt with spirituality and another ecumenism. I had never seen a church put that down on the questionnaire and I was impressed with that,” she told the newspaper.

She also cited the size of the congregation as a reason for accepting her new position.

“It’s just the right size,” she said in the newspaper story. “You can get to know people in a personal way. Plus, it’s a beautiful facility.”

Uniting people of various beliefs is one of Woods main goals.

“Our culture now is so divided,” she said. “You are either conservative or liberal, even churches are that way, but we want to reach out to people who aren’t just like us in one way or another.

“Just because people don’t share the same views, that doesn’t mean they can’t communicate with one another.”

Her official installation ceremony at the church will be held in the spring.