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A move to a new state leads to a new understanding of salvation.
When Chanti and Zach Sanchez moved from California to Texas in 2018, they were just looking for an affordable, safe place to raise their family. Since then, however, they found more than a nice home and community. They found a church family and the true gospel of Christ.
How it started
Chanti was raised Catholic. She says her family went in spurts and attendance trailed off as she got older. But she went to Sunday school, first Communion, and confirmation classes. She even attended Santa Clara University, a Jesuit Catholic college. Zach went to a Lutheran church as a child but said his family stopped going around his middle school years.
The couple met their senior year of high school. After a year at separate colleges three hours apart, Zach—through the urging and support of Chanti—transferred to where she was attending so they could be closer. After college, they married and settled in the San Jose area.
They decided to look for a church they could attend together. “Both of us really liked the idea of going to church, but we never truly saw eye to eye on the type of church we wanted to go to,” says Zach.
They ended up attending Chanti’s Catholic church in San Jose. “We went to church regularly, but to say that we had connections in that community . . . I don’t think we really formed any connections,” says Chanti. “I didn’t feel like I had a Christian community that was strong in that area that would’ve been good for our family.”
When their first son, Colton, was born, Chanti stayed home full time, while Zach worked in engineering. Zach had a decent job, but the traffic left him stuck on the road—sometimes for hours a day—to go just a few miles. They knew they wanted to expand their family, but, as Zach explained, the area was not set up for the traditional family—everything cost a lot. While they didn’t live in a bad area, Chanti didn’t always feel safe taking her young son out. Plus, the collective values of the community didn’t match their values. They wanted a change.
So they set their sights on Texas. Zach found a new job, and the family moved to the outskirts of the greater Dallas/Fort Worth area. The area had everything they were looking for—an easier commute for Zach, safe neighborhoods, and good schools.
An unsettling experience
After settling into their new home and community, Chanti and Zach began looking for a church. They started attending a Catholic church about 20 minutes from their home. This church was much larger than they were hoping, but it was nearby.
Shortly after, in 2019, their second son, Bennett, was born. Then COVID hit. With a new baby and a toddler at home plus a pandemic, Chanti forgot to fill out the form to become a registered member of the Catholic parish. This seems like a small detail, but it was the seed that started to change the way she thought about the church.
Chanti and Zach wanted to have Bennett baptized, but the church would not baptize him until they were registered members. Chanti was happy to turn in the form, but there was more. The Catholic Church puts a big emphasis on the role of godparents, and Chanti and Zach didn’t have any Catholic friends in Texas to serve in that role. Chanti thought her sister could do it, but this church required a letter of good standing for the godparents and for the godparents to take classes. In addition, Chanti’s sister lived in California.
“It just seemed like it was getting really difficult to have our child baptized, which to me should not have been the case,” says Chanti. “It made me feel really unsettled.” The family ended up traveling back to California to have Bennett baptized in her sister’s church . . . after a $300 donation. “It was not the exact experience I had hoped for his baptism,” Chanti recalls.
A simple invitation
However, God was unfolding his plan for the Sanchez family. It started with an invitation from a friend to attend a Mommy and Me group when Colton was younger. The Mommy and Me group met at Prince of Peace, a WELS church in nearby Flower Mound, Texas. Chanti said it was a great program for both her and Colton, so she started attending the Power Hour program there as well. When the program ended at Prince of Peace, one of the leaders of the program, Amanda Hall, invited Chanti to attend Mornings with Mommy at Christ Alone in Keller. Chanti and Bennett started attending once a month there. The sign-up sheet for the program had a box to mark if a participant was interested in learning more. Impressed with everything she had heard and experienced, Chanti checked the box.
It didn’t take long for Amanda to send a text to Chanti, inviting her out to coffee. The invitation to coffee quickly turned into an invitation to worship.
After attending worship for the first time in August 2022, Chanti and Zach were struck by how welcoming and kind everyone was. “It felt really right,” said Chanti, “I don’t have better words to say that.”
Zach laughs as he recalls being hesitant about the 35-minute drive to church, but he too felt the pull of the welcoming congregation. “Getting back into a Lutheran church for me . . . that made me feel at home,” he says.
Aspects of the Catholic service and doctrine had always made Zach uneasy. He explains, “One of the things I never really felt at home within Catholicism was that you have to work to gain access to heaven. I always believed Jesus died for our sins and we get to join him in heaven by believing in him. There’s nothing we can do to gain access into heaven through our deeds.”
By November 2022, they were both taking the Faith Builders class at Christ Alone; they became members in March 2023.
Salvation through Christ
“God was in my heart, and he made me ready to hear his gospel message and understand salvation through Christ,” reflects Chanti. “That to me was really amazing. I want my boys to understand that and grasp that really well and to have that love—knowing in their hearts what Christ did for them.”
As Chanti learned more about Lutheranism and God’s Word, she received not only encouragement to read the Bible but also confidence in doing so. Growing up, she was taught just to believe and do whatever the priest said, but now, she can boldly study God’s Word on her own and have the Holy Spirit guide her.
“What I really like about WELS is the understanding of what the Bible says Jesus did. To interpret it in any other way is incorrect,” says Zach. “The Bible says that Jesus died to save me. I don’t have to worry about being the perfect person, because no one is perfect. And I don’t have to earn my way to heaven; Jesus earned my way to heaven.”
The Sanchezes moved to build a better life for their family. But through God’s mighty hand and a few invitations from friends, they found the true, saving message of eternal life through Christ.
Author: Amanda Klemp
Volume 111, Number 11
Issue: November 2024
- Confessions of faith: Matt and Danielle Cosgrave
- Confessions of faith: Gary Lupe
- Confessions of faith: Zach and Chanti Sanchez
- Confessions of faith: Nick and Lacey Wagner
- Confessions of faith: Salvador Contreras