Rev. Daren Schaller
Pastor Daren and Sara came to Bedford Church on June 21st 2026, after having served for 18 years just up the road at Dundee Community Church of the Nazarene. Their relationship with the Nazarene Church started in 2001, when they began attending Honey Creek Church of the Nazarene (later Living Waters). Since then, Daren has served in various roles including preacher, tech guy, Sunday School teacher of multiple age groups, and board member. In 2019, Daren led a church plant in Milan for 3 years. Prior to becoming involved in ministry, he earned a B.S. degree in Chemistry. He has worked as a Chemist in Ann Arbor for last 24 years. Daren loved wrestling in High School, and after graduating, coached at the Jr. High and High School levels He continues to be involved in scholastic wrestling as a referee. Sara is a licensed master social worker (LMSW) at Huron Valley PACE, which works with nursing-home-eligible seniors, keeping them in their homes/communities as long as possible. She travels throughout much of Southeast Michigan assessing the in-home needs of HVPACE participants. She has always loved singing, particularly harmonizing while praising.
My Story
I have lived in Southeast Michigan all of my life. Sara and I graduated together at Lincoln High School in Ypsilanti. After High School, I attended Eastern Michigan University with a major in Chemistry and a minor in German. I now work as a chemist testing drinking water. Sara attended Calvin University for her undergraduate degree in Social Work (BSW with a minor in Spanish) and the University of Michigan for her MSW. Sports have always been a part of my life - participating in football, wrestling, and baseball during High School, as well as a very short stint wrestling at EMU. Sara and I started dating as Juniors in college, having been friends since elementary school. I was sanctified during a revival service in late summer 2001, just after Sara and I became engaged. We were married in May of 2003. We have two children, who are now adults studying at university. My call into ministry came shortly after serving as main speaker and teacher at Living Waters Nazarene. When Living Waters closed, we joined Dundee Community Church of the Nazarene. I attended Nazarene Bible College for my pastoral education, received my first District License in 2015, and was ordained in 2025. While leaving Dundee is hard and sad (our church family there was, and still is, LOVING and AMAZING), we are excited to join this wonderful Bedford family. We fully expect Jesus to do great things!