Paul Sausser had a quiet, gentle, patient, and thoughtful way about him. He was humble and didn’t need to be noticed. He modeled Christ with his compassionate servant's heart. “If you have seen Paul, you have seen Jesus,” eulogized a friend and colleague at his memorial service. Paul, 65, died Jan. 8 after five years of living with cancer, a journey he used to point others to Jesus.
From a young age, Paul knew he wanted to be a pastor. He graduated from Calvin University and Calvin Seminary before earning a D.Min. degree from Bethel Theological Seminary in St. Paul, Minn. Ordained in 1988, he served Three Rivers (Mich.) Christian Reformed Church; Bethel CRC, Princeton, Minn.; Calvary CRC, Wyoming, Mich.; and Discovery CRC, Grand Rapids, Mich., where he pastored for the past 20 years. The scriptural theme of Christ as the Good Shepherd was foundational for Paul in his life and in ministry. He enjoyed being a shepherd to his congregations and community.
In 2004 Paul was on the founding board of Family Network of Wyoming, Mich., an organization formed to address the issues of poverty and hunger. He also served on various committees of Classis Grand Rapids South.
Paul and his wife, Renae, enjoyed reading, cooking new dishes, biking, running, hiking God's beautiful world, traveling, and discovering new places.
Paul will be lovingly remembered by Renae, his wife of 41 years.
About the Author
A former nurse and chaplain, Janet Greidanus is a freelance news correspondent and long-time writer of the In Memoriam column for The Banner.