Chairman’s Desk
By Beverly LaHaye
Winter 2002 Family Voice

This is a very special column for me—and for you—because it is my privilege to introduce to you the new president of Concerned Women for America, Sandy Rios.

Sandy’s selection as president came after a search process of more than 2 1/2 years. A capable committee took on that responsibility. We prayed together often and considered 25 individuals. Finally, I believe God led us to Sandy, and our Board of Trustees unanimously agreed. She assumed her duties last October 15.

As I got to know Sandy, I recognized that her combination of character, experience and faith were right for the important task of leading CWA.

Sandy is outgoing, friendly and articulate. Most recently, she hosted for eight years a popular drive-time radio talk show on WYLL in Chicago. She knows well the issues confronting our families—and she knows most of the key players in them. Since moving to Washington, she has enjoyed getting to meet in person many of those she has interviewed over the years.

I have been encouraged, as well, by Sandy’s deep faith. The challenges of life have caused her to draw closely to God, and she is a woman of wisdom and vision. Now, through the following interview, I’d like you to have an opportunity to get to know her. Please keep Sandy and all of Concerned Women for America in your prayers. We are excited about what lies ahead!

Beverly LaHaye: I know your children are very important to you. Tell me about them.
Sandy Rios: I have two children. Sasha is severely disabled. I took care of her for 20 years, and she has lived in a wonderful special-care home for seven years. My son Jeremy attends Wheaton College, where he is majoring in ancient languages, Greek and Latin. He doesn’t know what he will do with that degree yet, but he tells me, “I’m studying just like C.S. Lewis did, Mom.“

That’s a heavy burden to bear, having a child who is so sick. How has God used that in your life? How are you different because of it?
On a human level, I could say patience. I’m not a very patient person. I want to do things fast. I drive fast, I’m impatient with slow people. I’m not proud of that, but it’s true. God has really taught me some deep lessons on patience and even deeper than that, patience as a believer. Understanding that God’s timing is not ours and understanding what real faith is—that it is trusting God in spite of circumstances and not because of them. That has really deepened my faith. Having a child like Sasha gives you a real sense of what matters and what doesn’t, it takes away illusions and a sense of personal aggrandizement, a constant awareness of your weakness and heartache.

One of the interests we share is a love of music—both of us were music majors in college.
Yes, we music majors get around!

You’ve had a varied career—musician, singer, talk-show host.
Isn’t it interesting how God works? I have had multiple tasks and jobs. It’s like a tapestry, as Edith Schaeffer used to say, the bottom side with all the tangled strings looks like a mess, but you turn it over, and it makes sense. As I was performing, I was also sharing what God was doing in my life and teaching in the process, developing the ability to communicate. And the radio show was eight years of graduate-level training on the issues.

You hosted a three-hour daily radio show on WYLL in Chicago. What stands out from those years?
I tried to do radio through the grid of lifestyle evangelism. So if you’re riding on a plane and you’ve got a man in a Sikh hat next to you, you have to find a common link in order to communicate with him about Jehovah and Jesus.

Paul talked about becoming all things to all people so that we might win them. He wasn’t talking about moral compromise of principles or behavior, but learning to intersect with the culture. On Mars Hill he said, “You men of Athens, you are very spiritual people. You have many gods. But let me tell you about this unknown god.“ That got their attention. It wouldn’t have worked in a Jewish temple. So we have to learn the ways to speak to our culture, and that’s what I tried to do. I didn’t use Christian music. I didn’t always talk about Christian topics, because Joe the truck driver was not interested. So we talked about current events, funny or serious. Then when it was natural, I would present the news in the light of who God is.

I made it a point to interview people who opposed my viewpoint. The head of the gay rights movement in Illinois was one of my last guests before I came to CWA. For three hours we talked about our different philosophies. I believe if we can’t talk directly with the people we oppose spiritually and morally, then we have nothing to say. That’s part of what I’d like to bring to CWA so we can have a powerful influence both personally and publicly.

You have also been involved in pro-life activism.
When my children were younger, I lent my voice to a number of events. Because of my daughter’s condition, I had a unique message about the sanctity of all human life, and it touched others. I’ve been the spokesperson for Speak Out Illinois for a number of years. This is a gathering of pro-life leaders and legislators in Illinois.

Another area of your ministry has been the persecuted church. You were actually in North Korea when the September 11 attacks occurred.
I have traveled with the Bible League to countries where Christians have been on the forefront of persecution for years. We’ve been to China several times, Vietnam, India, on the border of Thailand where the Karen people were being persecuted by the Mynamar government. I’ve heard some of the most dramatic stories you could imagine and had the privilege of becoming a conduit to help raise money for Bibles for them. Personally, I’ve been transformed by these Christians.

We were on the road on September 11 for that purpose. North Korea is the most repressive government on the globe. We were not meeting with Christians there—it just was not possible. We were official guests of the state; secret police were with us at all times. Before going in, we had just met with North Koreans who had fled as refugees across the dividing river into Northern Manchuria.

You may hear more from Beverly LaHaye and Sandy Rios on our daily radio program, Concerned Women Today. Locate a station in your area.

How are you involved in politics today?
North Korea is a vacuum informationally. It has only a few hours of state-operated television a day. Twenty-four hours after the attacks, completely unaware, we crossed the border into China and stopped at a restaurant, where the owner told us. One in our group had an international telephone. He immediately called his wife in New York City and turned white as a sheet. We went to a home on the top floor of an apartment complex, where we could get CNN in Korean, and we saw the images. We just wept. We were in China four extra days before we could get a flight out, longing to be with our families.

As CWA’s president, what would you like to accomplish?
I think I’ve inherited a wonderful organization. It runs well and enjoys tremendous respect here in Washington. My goal is to take everything a step further. I would like to double our current membership to 1 million. I would like to really make a strong appeal to minority, single and professional women to join—and like-minded men, I might add. The bottom line is, the more membership we have, the more influence we have on Capitol Hill. We promise to use that influence as God gives us strength, for advancing the cause of the kingdom.

More from Winter 2002 Family Voice