Reverend Dr. Todd E. Johnson, Senior Pastor
Todd Johnson was born and raised in northwestern Pennsylvania’s Allegheny Mountains. Todd was also born, baptized, and confirmed into the Covenant Church. Todd’s spiritual journey took surprising turn when, as an engineering student at the University of Pittsburgh, he felt called to ministry while working with young children in the housing projects of Pittsburgh’s “Hill District.” This led Todd to leave engineering and Pitt and go to North Park University (then still a college) in Chicago for his pre-seminary studies, and then Seminary at North Park Theological Seminary.
Throughout Todd’s years of ministry, he has participated in a variety of ministries, including campus ministry, urban youth work, pastoral ministry, chaplaincy, addictions and recovery ministries, and spiritual formation, to name some. Todd’s ministry career is a bit like an Oreo™ cookie, however, as he spent much of the last 30 years in the academic world, most recently holding the Brehm Chair in Worship, Theology, and the Arts at Fuller Theological Seminary.
Todd’s coming to First Covenant is the second cookie around the filling of his work in theological education. Todd is excited to be able to bring all of these experiences, gifts, and skills to bear on his ministry here at First Covenant Church. He is passionate about Christian formation, pastoral care and nurture, ministries of justice and mercy, integration of art into the life of faith, and reaching out to the world in Christ’s name with the promise of new life in Christ and the redemption of the world; then celebrating all of this in worship throughout the year.
A word of warning: don’t talk to Todd about the Buffalo Sabres, sports in general, music, running, biking, swimming, cross-country skiing, or theatre if you don’t have a lot of time!
Lauren St. Martin, Associate Pastor of Children, Youth, & Families
Lauren spent almost a decade working in theological higher education before receiving her call to pastoral ministry. She has worked at Fuller Theological Seminary, Seattle Pacific Seminary, and The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology. Lauren is also the managing editor of Christ & Cascadia, an online theology & culture journal. She has a Master of Arts in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary and an editing certificate from the University of Washington. She and her husband Manuel have two dogs, Artemis and Lucca, whom they love to take on walks throughout the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Lauren is also a vocalist and avid ultimate frisbee player.
Allan Waite, Property Superintendent
Allan joined the Seattle First Covenant staff in July of 2013 and functions as the facilities manager for our historic church building and our Summit building. Allan and his family have attended Seattle First Covenant Church for many years.
awaite@firstcovenantseattle.org
Sum Yee Lee, Music Director
Sum Yee earned a BM in piano performance and composition from Western Washington University, as well as a MM in composition from Bowling Green State University. Prior to pursuing music degrees, she earned a BS in biology. She spent two years serving as a music director and accompanist at Christ Lutheran Church in Ferndale. Sum Yee enjoys outdoor activities, particularly hiking and snowboarding. She recently moved back from Ohio and is excited to bring music to First Covenant Church.
Roze Raymond, Interim Office Administrator and Caretaker
Roze grew up in Fiji, where her mother hails from, while her dad was from the Pacific Northwest where he was an engineer and also a salmon fisherman in Alaska. She has lived in San Francisco as well as Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo in California. Roze most recently lived on Vashon Island before coming to our church. She studied mechanical engineering at California Polytechnic, San Luis Obispo. Roze enjoys reading, Latin dance, playing Chess, learning Spanish, and art.
Sandy Nelson, Design and Communications
Sandy Nelson is originally from Chicago but moved to Seattle following three years as artist-in-residence at Holden Village, a Lutheran retreat center uplake Chelan in the Cascade mountains of Washington state. She spent 14 years as a senior graphic designer for Starbucks Coffee Company before starting her freelance career as a designer for a variety of companies and organizations. She is also an artist: a painter, printmaker and creator of large-scale art installations. For First Covenant Church, Sandy designs all the communications, including the weekly e-newsletter. She has created more than 350 illustrations for bulletin covers over the years. She also plays the accordion in the string band. Sandy is married to Chris Brown (their wedding took place at First Covenant Church in November, 2000) and they have one teenage daughter, Elsie.