SUGAR RIDGE — Pennsylvania native Tim Shaal has found a sacred home in Northwest Ohio. He was chosen as
pastor of Sugar Ridge Community Church in early December and is very pleased with his first few months
of service.
As it is at many similar churches, the role of pastor at Sugar Ridge is a part-time post, but Shaal says
he is there to serve the congregation as needed.
Shaal had preached at the church three or four times before the congregation took the vote to fill the
vacant pulpit.
When not serving the church, Shaal works at the Office of Residence Life at Bowling Green State
University. He started at BGSU in 2005 as a hall director, later becoming a senior coordinator and more
recently the senior associate director.
“It’s a very good place to work,” he said of his BGSU career. “It’s really very nice to be able to work
in both higher education and in the community. I enjoy both perspectives.”
Becoming a pastor has a family history with the Shaals, with various pastors dotting the family tree,
including Shaal’s late father.
“I felt called to the ministry at the age of 15. It never left me,” he said.  
But at 18, he made the choice to not enter into that “family business.”
“I adored my father. He was a great role model and spiritual mentor, even until his passing,” Shaal said.
“But I also saw the challenges and rewards that being a pastor has for an individual and their family.
As an 18-year-old, you often want to make your own way. That led to a long period of running from my
call.”
The real “a-ha” moment came in December 2013 after his wife, Christine, gave birth to twins. He was
attending Dayspring Church in Bowling Green and had been meeting with the pastor.
When he saw the post for the role of pastor at Sugar Ridge last October, he knew the time was right.
“My wife and I love this little church. We truly have fallen in love with it,” Shaal said.
Shaal grew up in the rural areas of Pennsylvania near Altoona. He received his undergraduate degree in
liberal studies with a minor in music from Mansfield University in the Keystone State. He later earned
graduate degrees in counseling and higher education administration from Shippensburg University of
Pennsylvania. He is currently studying for his master’s of divinity degree from Winebrenner Theological
Seminary in Findlay, and hopes to complete the degree in the summer of 2018.
Shaal and his congregation have set goals of increasing the church’s community outreach. The history of
the building dates back to 1891, and Shaal said it has always been an integral part of the small
community.
“We believe we are the face of Christ as his body to reach out to the community and let people know we
love them,” Shaal said.
The public is invited to attend the church services, which are held Sundays at 10:30 a.m.