Our Staff

	The Rev. Dr. Kathlyn James, our Senior Pastor, began her ministry at EUMC in July 2007.   In twenty-one years she has served four congregations in the Pacific Northwest, most recently First United Methodist Church in downtown Seattle.   Her education includes a M.S. in Counseling, an M.Div. from Vancouver School of Theology, and a D.Min. from San Francisco Theological Seminary.   Her dissertation was entitled, "Preaching to Post-Moderns: a Conversational Art." Kathlyn has three grown children and three lively grandchildren.  Her passions include preaching, worship, inclusiveness, social justice, creation theology, spiritual formation, and pastoral leadership.  She is an avid birder, traveler, reader, journaler, beachcomber, and vegetarian cook.
	Pastor Paul Mitchell  is our Associate Pirate – err – Associate Pastor, as of July 2008. He previously served as Associate Pastor at Westwood United Methodist Church in Los Angeles. He was an architect for 17 years in New York City and Los Angeles before being called into pastoral ministry. He is a graduate of the University of Denver, Columbia University, and Claremont School of Theology. Upon graduation from CST he was awarded the Good Shepherd Preaching Award and the Award for Excellence in Biblical Scholarship. He is passionate about young people, social justice, and the Hebrew Bible. Paul and his partner Mary Eaves Mitchell have been married since 1988, and have three amazing children, Fay, Tegan, and Ian. They also have an adorable and badly trained dog named PJ.
	Rev. Serena Sullivan, our Pastor of Congregational Care, is an ordained Presbyterian minister. She was born and raised in Iowa, and moved to Southern California as a young adult. After graduating from San Francisco Theological Seminary, Serena served Presbyterian churches in Southern California, Michigan and Longview, Washington prior to moving to Edmonds in March of 2007. As Pastor of Congregational Care Serena provides oversight of the care-giving needs of the congregation. In addition to her involvement in pastoral ministry, Serena enjoys reading, and writing; and time spent with friends, dining out, walking along the waterfront,  attending concerts and theater.
	June Jackson, Director of Adult Spiritual Formation. June lives in Kingston with her husband, Mike, and dog, Jolie.
	Stephen Marshall-Ward is our Director of Music Ministries and Organist. Stephen’s love of church music and passion for “arts and faith together” began early in life. At the age of 15 he held his first professional position as a church organist at a Methodist church in Salem, Oregon. He has a bachelors degree in church music with a focus in piano (and a minor in church administration) and a masters degree in church music with a focus in choral conducting. He has completed post graduate and doctoral work at Westminster Choir College and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Stephen has taught music theory and directed the Men’s Chorus at Seattle Pacific University. Stephen’s love for buildings and architecture finds its outlet through his own design company, Stephen Marshall Design. He has two sons, Andrew and Alex. Stephen lives in Lynnwood with his partner, James Marshall-Ward.
	Director of Youth Ministries
	Cheryl Hay hails from Portland, Oregon and has been a member of EUMC since 1988. As Church Administrator, Cheryl directs and oversees: the administrative staff and functions; financial, business and legal matters; and in conjunction with the Board of Trustees, oversees and directs building maintenance and housekeeping. Her major goal is to free the pastors of business-related work, giving them more time for their ministry to the congregation. Cheryl enjoys singing, loves walking, and lives in the church neighborhood with her husband, Hal.
	Shirley Bomgaars, Senior Administrative Assistant,  started at EUMC as a temporary assistant to Pastor Marta for VBS in 1999 and was made a permanent employee the following February. She has a background in advertising layout and is specializing in “desktop publishing” here as well as updating the website and editing the Guidelights newsletter. She also coordinates the annual All-Church Variety Show on the Saturday before Lent begins. She has been married to Don since 1980 and they have two exceptional children, Andrea, who is married to Andrew Brauer, and Jonah. They live in Kingston, so Shirley commutes by ferry and feet 5-6 days a week, including Sunday worship. She has been a member of this church since 1988. For fun, she enjoys acting in community theatre, reading, writing, creating, drawing and training the family Airedale, Ella.
	Dr. Wanda Griffiths is our Associate Director of Music Ministries and Organist. Wanda’s primary responsibilities are to accompany the choir and other musical ministries and to assist Stephen Marshall-Ward at the pipe organ and in directing the choirs. Wanda’s credentials are numerous: from her masters in Organ Performance to her Ph.D. in Musicology. As a published editor and author and a guest recitalist across the country, Wanda brings a wonderful array of experiences to our staff.
	Peggy Kennedy is the Director of the Food Bank. After working for many years as a volunteer in this capacity, Peggy was made an official member of the church staff in 1996, as it was recognized the vital part the food bank plays in the mission of EUMC. The food bank serves 300-350 families per week, and is run by a group of 110 volunteers. Peggy, an Oklahoma native, has lived in the Edmonds area for over 40 years, and has 4 grown children and 2 grandchildren. She considers the food bank to be her primary passion, but she loves to have friends in for dinner, going to the theatre and travel.
	David Walters is our Building Manager. David’s primary responsibilities involve managing the facilities and grounds of the church and the other church properties as well as coordinating the volunteers who accomplish the tasks needed to keep our church and grounds in pristine condition. He divides his time between these duties and his cleaning company that he has owned since 1991. Dave and his wife, Haydee, live in Lynnwood, and have two children. They have been married since 1976. Like most people living in the Northwest, they too are immigrants from the Midwest (Michigan).
	Heather Peterson-Bruno is the Director of the Debbie Leraas Children’s Center at EUMC. Heather is thrilled to be the new director of the children’s center. “I feel blessed to have been a part of this wonderful preschool program for the past four years, so my face may be familiar to some of the congregation.” Prior to living in Washington, Heather lived in Oregon during which time she lived on a sailboat, gave birth to son, Noah, spent a great deal of time outdoors, attended the University of Oregon, and worked with children and adults with special needs (not necessarily all at once!). Heather feels very strongly that working with children is her calling and she is grateful to be here.
	Charles Alvord, Custodian, started in mid-February, 2008 after moving to the area from Michigan.

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