Austin, TX
Will Sam
It’s pretty amazing to me that I’m even a Christian, let alone a full-time church planter! I grew up in beautiful Orange County, one of the most churched parts of California, but I never went to church. My life was all about me—doing well, becoming someone in this world, and having as much fun as I could. At UC Berkeley, I studied political science and got involved in student government. I knew what I wanted: law school, politics, and a chance to change the world!
But before my senior year, something unexpected happened. I became aware of an unexplainable sense of emptiness, purposelessness, and guilt over the life I was living. By God’s grace, instead of spiraling into depression, I reached out to a friend who took God seriously, and that kick-started my faith journey. As I investigated Christianity, I was amazed by the evidence for its truth, especially the resurrection. I couldn’t deny that I was a sinner, but when I saw that God loved me despite my sins and sent His Son to die for me, I knew His offer of forgiveness and reconciliation was too good to pass up. I became a Christian, and my life changed.
After the shell shock of no longer knowing what to do with my life, I took it one step at a time—reading the Bible, praying, getting discipled, and serving the church, first in children’s ministry and then in college ministry. I’ve had the privilege of serving at SF State, Berkeley, and San Diego (go Tritons!). Along the way, God blessed me with my marriage to Andrea and our two boys. It’s been an incredible journey marked by His grace. In 2021, God led us to Ann Arbor to plant a church at the University of Michigan, and in 2026 to Austin, TX (Hook ’em). I love sharing my story because I love giving God the glory, and I’m excited to see how He continues to work in me and through our church in Austin.
Andrea Sam
Growing up, my dream was to live a comfortable life where I could do whatever I wanted, sleep as much as I wanted and not be bothered by anyone. I went to church on Sundays but in high school became cynical about whether Christianity was true. However, during my first week of college at UC Berkeley, I was invited to attend our church’s welcome event for new students. I was so amazed by the program and message that I kept coming to the weekly Bible studies and Sundays. I became convinced of the validity of the gospel and also experienced genuine love and Christ-centered community here - people who were passionate about living out God’s Word and opened up their homes and lives to me as if I were part of their own family.
To make a long story short, after graduation I went to law school, became an attorney and together my husband Will and I served bi-vocationally in various college campus groups, eventually going into full-time ministry. But what hasn’t changed over the years is my hope that many students would come to personally know Jesus, and that their lives would be forever changed as mine was in college.