1. A publication of
Grace Baptist Church
January 2015
(Continued on page 2)
Volume 8 Issue 1
Lighthouse
Reflections
The lives and times of Don & Jessie Sandberg
Jessie’s early years
When Jessie Sandberg was 14 years old, her Youth director Alvera Johnson said to her,
“Jessie, I can tell you what you’re going to do with your life. You’re going to help people.”
They were leaving a Salvation Army children’s home, where their Youth group had
put on a Christmas program. Jessie had met a little girl, and the two of them bonded. “I
cried having to leave that little girl because for the first time I felt like somebody needed
me,” said Jessie.
The fourth of six girls, Jessie grew up feeling like “the runt of the family.” Every sister
seemed to have her own identity, but it wasn’t until she won an art contest at age eight that
Jessie felt she had a title that helped to define her.
“From then on, I felt like I was the artist,” she said.
She was also a fearful child. In the span of a few months, three of her girlfriends died.
One was in a car accident, one’s dress caught fire on a heater, and another came down
with double pneumonia. Jessie herself was once hit by an ice cream truck that ran a newly
installed stop light.
But through all these things—needing an identity, losing her friends, and facing
mortality herself—God was no doubt shaping her into the person she would become:
someone who would help people, just as Alvera had predicted.
Jessie’s parents also helped shape her into the woman who would be a loving friend
and advisor to the hundreds of women she would counsel later in life. Her father, John R.
Rice, was a pastor, an evangelist, a newspaper businessman, the author of more than 100
books, and one of the founders of Christian Fundamentalism.
“At the dinner table—we had to always eat together—we would discuss everything,”
said Jessie. “My dad would say, ‘Jessie, what do you think about that?’ Something would
happen in the news, and he expected us to have opinions, which we all did. We are all very
opinionated. He really felt like women had good minds and should be using them.”
Her father also encouraged his six daughters to pursue any interests they had, and was
always willing to pay for lessons so that they could do so. As he once told Jessie, “The Lord
uses the desires of your heart to show you what to do.”
By Sara Wexler
On February 8 from 4-6pm, we will have a reception to celebrate the lives and ministries of Don
and Jessie Sandberg, who retired at the end of last year. Please plan on joining us then. In the
meantime, we hope you enjoy this glimpse into the lives of these two faithful servants.
Inside this issue
Don & Jessie Sandberg
Scattered throughout this issue
are personal anecdotes about
the subjects of our lead story.
New Members
Get to know some of the
newest additions to the Grace
family. Pg. 5
Warden Burl Cain
Learn about the upcoming
event featuring the Warden of
Angola Prison. Pg. 7
The Sufficiency of Scripture
David Prairie looks at the
relationship between the
sufficiency of Scripture and
Biblical theology. Pg. 9
GBC Students
Read testimonies from the
Youth Retreat. Pg. 11
Pray for our Missionaries
A list of missionaries you can
pray for, plus email addresses
so you can send an
encouraging word. Pg. 12
Heads Up
Learn about exciting things God
has been doing in our Academy.
Pg. 12
Lighthouse Kids
Hear about what our kids are
learning and about upcoming
events. Pgs. 14-15

2. Page 2
Jessie describes her mother as one
of the most loving people in the world.
“If my mother ever loved you, she
would never let you go,” she said. “It
was a wonderful gift. I try to do that too.
If I love someone, I’m not going to let
little fights or fusses make me stop loving
them.”
When she was 11, her family
moved from Dallas, Texas, to
Wheaton, Illinois. “My father couldn’t
afford to send six girls away to college,
but he thought if he moved to
Wheaton he could manage,” said Jessie.
“It was a wonderful move because
we had a big old Victorian house and
people were coming in and out all the
time, college kids and other people.
It was a wonderful way to grow up.”
When she got to college, Jessie
didn’t know what she wanted to study.
“I wanted to do everything,”
she said. “I’ve always wanted to do
everything.”
Her father suggested that she
major in English, which he believed
would give her a good background for
whatever she chose to do.
“I loved it,” she said. “I do love
writing and reading and that kind of
thing. But I was watching those art
students go in and out of their art
building, wishing I could do that. One
day I said to my dad, ‘Why didn’t I
major in art?’ And he said, ‘Well, why
didn’t you?’”
Don & Jessie Sandberg, Cont’d
The Rice sisters: Mary Lloys Himes, Joy Martin, Jessie Sandberg, Joanna Rice, Libby
Hanford & Grace MacMullen
Joy Martin
Growing up, Jessie was my big sister who came to my rescue many times. She made a formal for my first
date when I was 16—it was made of nylon parachute material dyed bright coral! When I was in college and Roger
invited me to the the Washington Banquet (a really big deal then—Paul Harvey was the guest speaker), she made a
gorgeous pink formal that was the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. She was my model for many things—creativity,
spiritual growth, making friends, artistry, and so much more.
Sandy (Don) was wonderful to me when he and Jessie were dating. He encouraged my voice lessons and played
piano accompaniment for many of my vocal numbers. That meant a lot to a 15-year-old. He and Jessie also had a hand in
our courtship. When I think of both Jessie and Don, I think of the words “encouragement,” “dare to dream,” and “let’s have
fun.” They are always looking for ways to build others up and to guide them in making good decisions.
Even though she had nearly
completed her English major, her
father encouraged her to get her art
degree as well. She had already been
taking courses at the Chicago Art
Institute, so Wheaton gave her course
credits for those, and she was soon able
to complete both degrees.
It was also at Wheaton College that
Jessie met her future husband, Don.
Don’s early years
If Jessie’s childhood influenced her
legacy of helping others, Don’s early years
instilled in him the importance of family.
Don was the third of four sons
born to Swedish immigrants in Kewanee,
Ill. His parents belonged to the Mission
Covenant Church, a Scandinavian
denomination that was widespread over
the Midwest.
When he was four years old, his
mother—not quite out of her 20s—
died of tuberculosis. Over the next
few years, several women helped care
for Don and his brothers while his
father worked multiple jobs. The most
influential of these caretakers was Don’s
Aunt Myrt.
“She was 15-years-old when she
came to live at our place,” said Don. “She
was a good thing to happen to us. She
took care of four boys, my dad and my
uncle.”
Being so young, however, meant
that Myrt’s time with them was short-
lived before she had to go off to school.

3. Page 3
Soon after that, Don’s father died of complications
following a burst appendix.
“He lived long enough to know he was not going to
live, so he did make plans for the children the best he knew
how,” said Jessie. “Nobody had any money because it was the
Depression.”
Don lived for a short time with a couple different families
before he and his young brother, Cliff, ended up in the
Covenant Children’s Home in Princeton, Ill.
“It was not a bad place at all,” he said.
“There were probably 80, 85 children there
when Cliff and I went there. They had good
facilities and food and what have you. We
were not ill-treated in any way.”
Don and the other children in the
home attended public school and the lo-
cal Mission Covenant Church. When
he was in high school, he was given the
responsibility of taking care of the younger
boys from about 18 months to the sixth
grade. Jessie believes this experience helped
make him the wonderful father he would
later become.
“He was a great dad,” she said. “He
always loved children, and has always
been great with them. I think that early
experience was kind of neat.”
After graduating high school, Don and
Cliff lived with Aunt Myrt for a year while
Don worked at John Deere. He joined the
Army in 1944, and headed straight to the front lines.
“This was close to the end of the war, so they were bring-
ing people in for that drive across into Germany,” said Jessie.
After the war, Don stayed in Europe, where he worked at
Eisenhower’s headquarters at the IG Farben building. IG Farben
was a large German chemical company; 13 of its executives
were convicted during the Nuremburg trials for their parts in
providing the Nazi party with chemicals that were used to kill
people in concentration camps.
Although the war left him with memories that he didn’t
talk about until he was much older, it did enable him to go to
college on the GI Bill.
“The experience of being in college was like eating a
chocolate shake with whipped cream on it,” said Don. “It was
a wonderful, wonderful experience for me.”
Part of what made that such a wonderful experience
was Don’s growing interest in music. He joined the school
choir—where he met Jessie—and ended up playing piano for a
traveling quartet. Don and Jessie had a group of about 12
friends from the choir, who have been big influences in their
lives and with whom they remain close.
It was on a choir trip to Florida that
Don inadvertently turned the head of
young Jessie Rice.
“I probably fell in love with Don
sooner than he knew,” said Jessie. “Our
group was staying in a little hotel, talking late
about all kinds of serious things. We were
talking about rearing children, and he was
talking about how he felt about children and
how they should be taken care of and loved
and so on. And I thought, ‘That’s the kind of
person I want to marry.’”
The two dated their senior year,
but graduated without any real plans to
continue the relationship. In fact, Jessie
soon received a marriage proposal from a
man she had dated before Don. While she
took some time to pray over the decision,
Don asked if he could stop by for a visit.
“He told me he loved me and he
thought he had made a mistake not to
pursue it,” said Jessie. “We read scripture and prayed, and he
said, ‘Don’t do anything until you know exactly what the Lord
has in mind for you.’”
Jessie thought it over, and decided to end things with her
other admirer.
“But then I didn’t feel like I could write Don or call him
and say, ’Here I am, come and get me,’” she said. Fortunately,
a mutual friend tipped off Don, and the two of them began a
relationship in earnest.
Above:
The Covenant
Children’s Home,
where Don spent
most of his youth.
Right:
A year after
graduating high
school and leaving the children’s home,
Don joined the Army and was sent to
Germany to fight in WWII.
Paul & Alicia SnyderDon and Jessie Sandberg are two of the most faithful people we have ever known. They love
the Word of God and live it out each day. Jessie and Don have been a constant encouragement
to us ever since we met them.
For many years of the MOMS ministry at Grace, Don had everything clean and ready for
us every Thursday morning; always with a smile and a hug. Most days we had a bite of food to
offer him. Jessie shared wisdom, prayers, love and tears with us. She has the love of all the MOMs
forever!
Paul and I love you, Don and Jessie! You have always been our cheerleaders, and we really appreciate it!
(Continued on page 4)

4. Page 4
Their life together
Don and Jessie had graduated college in 1951, but it
wasn’t until 1954 that they could afford to get married. During
that time, Jessie worked at her father’s newspaper, Sword of the
Lord, and other publications doing graphic design. She wanted
to write also, but wasn’t sure she would be able to.
Her father suggested she write 10 sample columns for the
Sword of the Lord, and he would tell her if he thought she could
do it. Since the newspaper was mainly written for pastors, these
columns could be written for women in order to provide the
Sword with a more diverse audience.
“Well, as it turned out, I wrote those columns for 25
years,” said Jessie. “Then I started doing the books.”
Her column was called From My Kitchen Window, and was
mostly devotionals and words of encouragement for young
mothers. Her first book was a collection of some of her
columns. Another book was a collection of family recipes,
quotations, and other items of interest. And of her book
“Love and a Pinch of Salt,” one Amazon.com reviewer writes
that “it is the best help book I have ever read.”
In the meantime, Don attended seminary for a year and
worked in various churches in the music and Youth programs.
With a degree in Christian education, he thought he would
teach in Christian schools, but the Lord had other plans. After
talking to several churches about working in their schools—and
none of them working out—a friend told Don that he knew
of a job teaching fourth grade in public schools. In spite of his
reservations, he gave it a shot.
“I really did enjoy it,” he said. “I could hardly wait to go to
work in the morning.”
Don enjoyed engaging the children in creative ways. He
once even used the success of his wife and sisters-in-law to
motivate his students in their writing.
Don & Jessie Sandberg, Cont’d
Don & Jessie with their children. From left to right: Don Sandberg, Jim Sandberg, Carol Parks & Mark Sandberg; Jessie as a featured speaker
at Highland Park; Don and Jessie on the Agean Sea during a student tour they led.
“Jessie and her sisters had written books,” said Don. “So I
told the kids, ‘There are going to be professional people reading
your stories and your poems.’ That went over big.”
“In the meantime,” said Jessie, “I was having babies. I had
four babies in five years. That was the time I was writing the
column, so I had lots of material to write about.”
“I don’t know how we got through those years,” said Don.
“I was a full-time teacher, she had four children and a husband
to fix meals for.”
After six years of teaching in the Illinois public schools, a
pastor in Indiana asked him to come lead Christian Education
and music in his church. After four years, Don started semi-
nary at Trinity, and Jessie worked there in the school office.
They had been there a semester when the head of the English
Department, Dr. Ludwigson, called Jessie three days before
classes were to resume. One of the English professors had
been killed in a car accident, and Jessie was asked to take over
his classes.
“I had never taught a college class in my life,” she said. Dr.
Ludwigson became her mentor, promising to help her every
step of the way. “I can’t explain how great she was to teach me
how to learn and learn quickly,” said Jessie.
At the end of Jessie’s first year of teaching, she decided she
liked it, so she began grad school. Before the next school year
began, Dr. Ludwigson told her that one of the faculty members
was expecting twins and asked if Jessie would once again cover
those classes. The third year, a faculty member left to work for
the Nixon administration, so Jessie took over for him. After
that, the college hired her on a permanent basis.
After they both had earned their graduate degrees, the
couple moved to Chattanooga in 1971 so that Don could
teach at Tennessee Temple. In fact, he taught Fred Holcombe
in a song leading class. Jessie joined the faculty too, teaching
both art and English. Like they had at Trinity, Don and Jessie
led groups of young people from Temple on tours of Europe.
(Continued on page 6)

5. Page 6
In the early 1980s, the Sandbergs began attending Grace,
where Don led the music and Jessie began a ladies Sunday school
class, which is now led by Julia Penalver. After two years at Grace,
the couple moved to Augusta, Ga., where Don worked at a church
pastored by Joanna’s husband. Jessie taught English and art in the
school run by the church.
Over the years, Jessie had begun women’s ministries in several
churches and was often called on to be a speaker at ladies’ events.
During her travels, she met a lot of different people, and she
particularly had a heart for women who had problems. She reached
out to women in trouble—divorced women, ladies with a homosex-
ual background, those who were lonely or didn’t know where they
belonged.
“I thought, ‘I need to make sure these women meet each other,
and then they can make friends with and lean on each other,’” recalls
Jessie. This led to a ministry called SOLO—Singles Offering Love to
Others.
The first weekend, Jessie and Don rented an inn in Augusta
where the ladies slept, but hosted all the meetings and meals at their
own home. The group grew to more than 100, and is still active
today.
“They’re bosom buddies, those girls are,” said Jessie.
When they returned to Grace in 1991, Don served as the
interim choir director until Fred Holcombe was hired. He has
continued serving in the music ministry—including singing and
leading the hand bell choir—ever since, and until this month worked
as a custodian at Grace.
Jessie came on staff as the director of Women’s Ministries. She
organized banquets, conferences, mentoring programs, and other
outreaches. But mostly, she counseled people, both at the church
and from her home. She even served for more than 20 years as a
Chaplain for the Chattanooga Police Department.
She’s helped people.
Karen MyrickJessie was one of my mentors through my
20s and 30s. She was a dear friend to my mom,
which carried on to me.
Her love for God’s Word is contagious.
She encouraged me to dig in to It. She also
taught me the importance of dreaming and
encouraging my children to dream. She helped
me and so many young moms and wives realize
that God is our Ultimate Peace and Provider.
She taught us of His Faithfulness and Grace.
I will always be thankful for Jessie’s
influence in my life.
I love you so much, Jessie! Thank you for
how you changed my world!
Tom KilpatrickMy life has been made richer as a results of having worked
with the Sandbergs for more than 40 years. Jessie and I worked
together in the art department at Tennessee Temple for more
than 15 years, and since that time I have had the privilege of
knowing them here at Grace. It is my joy to know them as
friends, mentors and coworkers.
Through the years we have experienced many joys and
disappointments together, and through good times and bad they
have both exhibited a genuine Christ-like unconditional love. It
has been an honor to call them friends and to see their steadfast
testimony over these many years.
A 1980 clipping from the Chattanooga News-Free
Press about an upcoming production of Handel’s
Messiah under Don’s direction.
Hear from more friends of the
Sandbergs on page 8.