The Full Story

About

Hal and Pamela Santos are passionate about serving others. They want to use their time, talents and treasures to help both individuals and organizations who desire to transform and grow in Christ. In the summer of 1979, they married and began serving the Lord together in youth evangelism. Hal joined the Grace Church staff in Fairview Heights, Illinois as youth minister in the fall of 1984, and served as lead pastor since 1986 until passing the baton of senior leadership to Ben Godard in early 2023. Hal and Pam led Grace Church to be a vibrant, loving congregation who serves the community with kindness and generosity. Hal and Pam now continue to serve Grace Church as Pastor Emeritus.

Together and individually, Hal and Pamela have been blessed to serve pastors, pastor’s wives and missionaries in Japan, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Peru, Mexico, Egypt, and China. Hal is currently working with a team providing training for over 100 pastors in India via Zoom.

Hal and Pam are the proud parents and grandparents of Jaime, Finley and Remi.

Hal F. Santos

Hal was born in the hills of West Virginia and was raised in Cleveland, Ohio with two older brothers. He gave his heart to the Lord at the age of 15.

Hal has utilized his love for wrestling and football as an evangelistic outreach to the communities in which he has served over the years. He has coached high school football in Louisiana, Georgia, and Illinois. His continued love for God and football has opened doors for him to share in several college and pro football chapels (LSU, Texas, Illinois, Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Bucs, Seattle Seahawks, San Diego Chargers, Denver Broncos, New York Jets).

Hal has over 40 years of invaluable leadership experience in pastoring, consulting and coaching in a variety of environments including churches, non-profits, and businesses. Hal has provided leadership coaching for corporate, law enforcement, church, and sports organization leaders. His unique wisdom has been instrumental in helping many organizations navigate through staff changes and restructuring.

Hal holds an MA in Organizational Leadership from Lincoln Christian University, Lincoln, Illinois.
Hal has received numerous awards for his unwavering community support

One of Hal’s strongest desires is to influence men to be men of God! “By nature we are born to be men, by the supernatural we are born again to be men of God.” – Hal Santos

Pamela S. Santos

Pamela’s formal education includes a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a minor in Education and a Master of Education Administration. Her passion is worship, serving and sharing God’s word. Her desire is that all will know and experience the joy of worshipping and serving God! Pamela has a passion for outreach and missions. She has been blessed to speak at conferences and gatherings both nationally and internationally. She loves sharing the love of Christ with a desire to see individuals grow in the Lord.

Pamela has an extensive background in education and administration. She has served in both secondary and post-secondary educational levels. Her passion is to see every individual aligned with who they are and what they want to do. When this alignment takes place, each person will realize a sense of fulfillment, accomplishment and contentment.

Pamela holds an MSEd in Educational Administration from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, Illinois.

Pamela is an Independent Certified Ministry Insight Trainer of Leading From Your Strengths profile.

Pamela is also a Certified Practitioner of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Step I and Step II Instruments.