Dr. Sandra Mitchell Tunstill

Dr. Sandra Mitchell Tunstill

Trinity’s First Lady

A native of Chicago, IL., Dr. Sandra Mitchell Tunstill is the oldest child of Bernice and Melton Mitchell. While she grew up being very active in her small store-front church, it wasn’t until she was nineteen years old that she accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. She had experienced the miraculous power of God through the financial hardships that she faced as a young college student. Because of God’s blessings to her during those years, her favorite scripture became, “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you (Job 42:5).” She knows that her redeemer lives.

Before moving to Los Angeles, Sandra received advanced degrees from both Chicago State University in Chicago, Illinois and St. John’s University in Jamaica, New York. She discovered her life-long passion for helping individuals with special needs by attending both schools. Little did she know, at the time, that she would become a public-school teacher, of students with special needs, in Chicago, New York City and Los Angeles.

After arriving in Los Angeles, she made the decision to continue her education. She proceeded to attain her Doctorate Degree, from Pepperdine University. Afterwards, she became an academic/ vocational counselor for students with disabilities at a Los Angeles Unified School District Secondary School. She, concurrently, taught graduate students who were seeking their teaching credentials in special education. Both positions were extremely fulfilling. She retired from the Los Angeles Unified School District in June of this year.

Sandra has both a wonderful nuclear and extended family. She is the wife of Reverend Alvin Tunstill, Jr. who is the pastor of Trinity Baptist Church. She is blessed to have been married to him for thirty-one years. Then, she is the mother of three young adult sons (Alvin, III, Michael and Lloyd), a lovely daughter-in-love (Taylor) and two grandsons Elijah (age 4) and Noah (age 1). Finally, Sandra is an integral part of the Trinity Baptist Church family. She believes that the members of Trinity are some of the most loving and generous people that she has ever met. She loves the members of her church very passionately.

She is often asked what her ministry gifts are. She believes that her primary calling is to Love God’s people. Then, she wants her life to be a witness of the miraculous power of God to heal and deliver. She wants others to see her real-life struggles and shortcomings and how she overcomes them as a Christian woman. Her prayer is that they will see these challenges and feel empowered to serve the Lord despite any obstacles that they may have in their own life.