Meet Our New Members: Sarah Beth & Tom Wagner
| Meet Our New Member | Mary Splawn
Have you met Sarah Beth and Tom Wagner and their daughter Elizabeth? Sarah Beth and Tom joined our church on Sunday, January 23. We hope you'll get to know them a little better through our latest "Meet Our New Member" blog, and that you'll have the chance to connect with them soon!
Tell us about your family.
I (Sarah Beth) am originally from Hoover but haven't lived in Birmingham since graduating high school. Tom grew up in East Grand Forks, Minnesota, in a small farming community. We met in Nashville when I was working as a nurse at Vanderbilt and Tom was in the process of moving to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, after helicopter flight school with the Army. We dated a year together and then a year apart during his first deployment to Afghanistan. When he returned, we were so ready to be together, so we got engaged and then married four short months after he returned from his first deployment! Our travels with the Army kept us moving around in the Southeast for the most part (other than Fairbanks, Alaska!) and then after he got out of the Army in 2015 we moved to Durham, North Carolina, where I worked as a Nurse Practitioner and Tom got his MBA at Duke. We were blessed with our daughter Elizabeth (age 3) in 2018 while in Atlanta and moved to Birmingham about a year ago. We're expecting daughter #2 in late May! We love playing with Elizabeth during family time and often frequent the lake in the summer! We are very thankful to be in Birmingham and love this community!
Where do you work or go to school?
I work at the VA as a Nurse Practitioner. Tom works at a real estate investment firm called Spartan Invest. Elizabeth is in the ELC.
What led you to Mountain Brook Baptist Church?
I (Sarah Beth) actually went to Riverchase Baptist Church in Hoover, where Buddy Nelson (Dr. Dotson Nelson's son) was my pastor growing up. I knew of MBBC even as a child and teenager. Elizabeth also got into the ELC at MBBC (which we love!). We moved to the Mountain Brook community and started visiting and never looked anywhere else!
What is your favorite Bible story and/or your favorite hymn or praise song?
Sarah Beth: "Jesus Turning Water to Wine" and "Great Is Thy Faithfulness"
Tom: "Amazing Grace"
Elizabeth: "Baby Jesus Story" or "Daniel With His Lions" and "Jesus Loves Me"
What are some of your hobbies and interests?
Sarah Beth: reading, running, having fun at the lake, playing with Elizabeth
Tom: anything lake-related, playing with Elizabeth
Elizabeth: playing outside, reading, drawing
What is a fun fact other people may not know about you?
As mentioned above, we spent three years in Fairbanks, Alaska, while Tom was stationed at Fort Wainwright. What a breathtaking place! While there, I (Sarah Beth) got to work in a Native Alaskan/Native American clinic (what a fascinating culture and group of people!). Tom got to fly in one of the most beautiful places in America. We frequently enjoyed nature by fishing and hiking. It was not uncommon to see a moose parading through our neighborhood eating up all the plants in our pots!