“Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” Hebrews 13:7
Elders are the spiritual shepherds of the church. The Elder Board is responsible for making certain the Mission and Strategy of First Christian is being accomplished in the various ministries. An Elder must be a baptized disciple of Jesus, and meet the qualifications (both skills and character traits) outlined in the New Testament (e.g., see Acts 20:17; 28-31; 1 Timothy 3:2–7; 5:17; Titus 1:6–9; 1 Peter 5:1-2; James 5:14). We praise God for the service of our Elders! Below is the current slate of Elders at FCC. Please commit to praying for them.
Meet our Elders
David
I grew up in a family that regularly went to church. Shortly before high school I began taking more ownership of my faith. Throughout high school and university I was blessed with various friends that challenged me and encouraged me to live a life worthy of the calling we have in Jesus. Following Jesus has been a continual journey of learning to listen to His voice and follow. One of the things that excites me most about the goodness of Jesus is the practical benefit and transformation that Jesus offers in this life here and now for those looking for peace, healing, freedom, etc. It is exciting to see how God is powerfully extending His Kingdom around the world where Jesus is not yet well known. I am eager to continue being part of the Father’s work, seeing people experience flourishing through the power of God in their lives.
Our family has been intentionally pursuing how we can join God in being a blessing to all nations. I am eager to see when and where God takes us to next. For now we are seeking to be used by God in Lawrence, and have been at FCC for 4 years.
Bob Eisele
Hello, my name is Robert Eisele, but everyone calls me Bob. I have attended First Christian Church of Lawrence since I was born in 1997, and was baptized at FCC by pastor Randy Beeman. I was a student at the University of Kansas from 2015 to 2018, a student at Johnson County Community College from 2018 to 2019, and am currently working as an electrician in Lawrence. Some of my favorite times at FCC were spent in youth group, meeting many different people, and forming a relationship with them through Jesus. During my time in the youth group, I helped to lead small devotional groups, and was blessed with opportunities to develop my teaching skill. From 2012 to 2016, I played with the praise band on Sunday mornings, and enjoyed playing with many different worship leaders throughout the years. From 2016 onward, I have volunteered with the tech team on Sunday mornings, learning many different roles in order to make Sunday mornings more enjoyable for everyone.
Some of my favorite scriptures include Psalm 23 and Romans 5. I am always trying to learn more about the Bible and dive deeper into its beauty. If you ever learn something interesting about the Bible, I’d love to hear about it!
I look forward to serving the congregation of FCC and the community of Lawrence in many different ways during my future here.
Lisa Rundell
Hi! I am Lisa Rundell, Vice Chair of the Elder Board. My husband, Hugh, and I first came to FCC looking for a pastor to perform our wedding ceremony. Pastor Ron Goodman told us that if we would agree to give God a chance in our lives and come to church for 6 weeks, then he would perform our ceremony. That was over 20 years ago and I am so grateful for what both Pastor Ron and God have done in my life since then. I currently work as the Director of Therapy at Kansas Rehabilitation Hospital in Topeka and I serve on the board of directors for the Kansas Family Stroke Foundation where we yearly fund a stroke camp for stroke survivors and caregivers. I heard someone once describe themselves and their journey with God like “a very blessed snail”. This is an image that really stuck with me. I am sometimes a little hard headed and argue with God more than I should, but He continues to gently nudge and guide me in the direction that I should go. A few of my favorite scriptures that sustain me along the journey are Jeremiah 29:11, Micah 6:8, Philipians 4:6 and Hebrews 12:1.
Stan Sauer
Hi, I’m Stan Sauer. My wife Jean and I started attending First Christian Church right after the pandemic started. We had moved back to Lawrence after years in Kansas City and were looking for a church home. We had been watching online as we knew pastor Barry previously. Trying to learn everyone’s names and remember faces was really hard with all the masks! We were baptized together in our young adult life and have been serving Him together as a married couple since 1982.
At FCC I’m currently serving as the elder chair and Jean is serving on the mission’s advisory council. She is also involved in visiting home care members and participates in women’s events.
I’m working for Delta Air Lines and hope to retire in a few years. Blessed to be working from home and enjoying no commute. We have 4 grandchildren, soon to be 5 and that is a highlight for us when we can spend time with them. I’m a big KU fan and somewhat of a sports fanatic. I love to pray for peoples needs and am often upfront after the services if you need prayer.