Our Pastor & Team

Rev. Arnaldo Sánchez-Orta, or Pastor Sánchez as he likes to be called, was born in Puerto Rico where he grew up in the mountain town of Lares.  The town is known for the coffee it produces (which Pastor Sanchez loves!).  Pastor Sanchez earned his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez Campus.  In 2002, while in university, Pastor Sanchez had a profound spiritual experience that brought him to the Lord. 

On July 1, 2018, Pastor Sanchez began serving in our New York Annual Conference. His first assignment was as Pastor for Co-Op City UMC, in the Bronx, NY.  He filled that position for five years, leading a multicultural, bilingual congregation to growth and engagement with the surrounding community.  

Pastor Sanchez loves to teach and take his churches deep into the Scriptures through his sermons and classes.  His idea of what a church is resembles a huge table to which God invites all of us to participate, no matter our background or our story.  At that table, we are all equal in the eyes of God, no one privileged over the other, since we all are sinners who have been justified by the Grace of God in Jesus.  The grace of God makes us more than mere participants of a banquet: we are children of God.  That same Grace enables us to be instruments of hope who can share love to mend broken hearts and heal a broken world.  A church, then, can be a vehicle for sharing hope, Grace, and healing love.  

Pastor Sanchez arrived in Lynbrook to become the Pastor of St. James UMC on July 1 2023.  The congregation and the community welcome Pastor Sanchez, along with his wife Minelis and daughter Emma.