Pastor William “Billy” Sander was born and raised on the west coast, and moved to the Goldsboro area of NC with his parents and brothers in 2005. Billy and his wife Mary met while working together and they have been married for 15 years. They have one son, Jeremiah who is 8 years old.

Billy got his undergrad degree in History and a minor in Music from The University of Mount Olive. Throughout his college years, he was in the choir of St. Paul UMC in Goldsboro on scholarship, and he and Mary also volunteered with the youth group. Billy is an avid music lover and became the music and youth director at Bethel UMC just outside of Goldsboro when he started hearing God’s call into ministry. Billy then applied to Duke Divinity School and began working toward his graduate degree. He graduated from Duke in 2021 with a Masters in Divinity with a certificate in Wesleyan Studies and was assigned to Eureka UMC for his first year. While there, Billy helped the church thrive and grow during the pandemic months.

Pastor Billy is currently involved in the Safe Sanctuaries, Creation Care, and Eco Preachers Teams in the NCUMC Conference, where they focus on ways to increase awareness of taking care of God’s creation and the world around them.

Billy, Mary and Jeremiah are enjoying being in Alamance County and especially the Saxapahaw area where they can often be found at the General Store, Cup 22, or swinging in the hammocks on the Island Park.