Wade and Chelsea Weeldreyer
Wade and Chelsea Weeldreyer
Home church: Church of the Redeemer, Highwood, Illinois
Starting Year with SAMS: 2020
Calling to Ministry: Wade and Chelsea were each blessed to study the Bible in college and seminary. They originally met in the Middle East, and they continued to maintain an interest in international contexts. As they settled into a church home during seminary, both felt drawn toward ministry. They became active in their church, with Wade serving through a pastoral internship, Chelsea serving in community engagement, and both partnering together in youth ministry. The combination of Wade’s desire to teach others how to faithfully read Scripture and Chelsea’s long-standing passion for culture and language propelled them to search for a mission agency under whom they could serve. SAMS’ Gospel-driven and relationally-focused approach is a natural fit for the Weeldreyers, who are excited to serve as SAMS missionaries.
Mission and Vision for Ministry: Wade and Chelsea feel blessed to have studied the Scriptures, and they hope to bless others by teaching and living out these Words of Life. Wade enjoys all aspects of teaching and loves to help others understand the Scriptures more deeply; Chelsea especially enjoys being in other cultures and loves building bridges of understanding, edification, and encouragement between cultures. Wade and Chelsea aspire to join in the work of the Church of Rwanda by engaging in pastoral ministry and contributing to theological education in Kigali. They look forward to the challenge of learning Kinyarwanda and the privilege of getting to know a local community. They desire to serve as a family, including their young daughter Evelyn.
Personal Points of Interest: Wade and Chelsea share a deep love for the great outdoors, and enjoy hiking together and keeping their eyes open for wildlife. In their more sedentary moments they enjoy watching BBC Earth documentaries. They find great joy in watching their daughter Evelyn grow and develop.
Chelsea enjoys reading, photography, working in the kitchen, studying languages, and learning about culture, geography, and natural science. Among her favorite books are Gilead and The Lemon Tree.
Descended from German-Russian immigrants to the Dakotas, Wade grew up on a hog farm in South Dakota. Like Chelsea, he considers himself a lifelong learner, and he will lose himself in any source of interesting information, whether that be a book, a conversation with a friend, or Wikipedia. He has recently discovered the poems of George Herbert, to his delight. He is trying to learn his birds.
Favorite Bible Verse: John 6:68
