(425) 392-6570 | Worship every Sunday @ 9:30 a.m.
Get to know our church leaders and staff.
Pastor Jenn (she, her) was born in the Pacific Northwest and grew up among the evergreen trees and mountains of the Northern Cascades. Her early experiences of church were in the justice-seeking, progressive church community of Northshore United Church of Christ. While she felt the call to ministry early in life, Jenn took a more circuitous route. She received her bachelor’s degree in Human Services and Rehabilitation from Western Washington University and her master’s degree in public health from the University of Washington before attending Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Jenn has worked as a community organizer, chaplain in hospital and skilled nursing settings, and associate for stewardship and congregational life. She currently serves as the Chair of the Ministry Resources Committee of the Pacific Northwest Conference of the UCC, as a board member of the Church Council of Greater Seattle, and as an anti-racist organizer and trainer with the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond.
Pastor Jenn believes in the expansive and extravagant love of a God who calls to create communities where ALL are welcome. In her free time, Jenn loves hiking and backpacking, tending to her plants, reading, drinking coffee, and going for walks with her spouse, Mar and their dog, Geraldine.
Peace (he, him) is a Seattle native and started his musical journey on the piano at age six. Peace studied piano performance with Dr. John Pickett at Central Washington University and sacred church music with Father Kevin Waters, SJ at Gonzaga University. Peace received his undergraduate degrees in Music, Philosophy and Religious Studies/Theology at Gonzaga University (“Go Zags!”) and a Master in Education from Antioch University (Seattle). He continued on to accompany choirs at Nelsen Middle School and Charles A. Lindbergh High School of the Renton School District under the direction of Mr. Brian Hoskins. In addition to playing for school choirs, Peace was able to work alongside as accompanist and sing tenor for choral director Dr. James Savage (former Choir Director at St. James Catholic Cathedral) and Father Paul Magnano at Christ Our Hope Catholic Church in the heart of downtown Seattle, where he found his true passion for growing a music ministry in a church setting for five years. It was there that Peace learned how to build and develop a music ministry where “all are welcomed”. After his time at Christ Our Hope was done, Peace returned north and was the music minister for Light of the Cross Lutheran Church in Bothell, WA under the direction of Pastor Drew and Sara Yoos for a year and a half. After Light of the Cross Church closed, Peace was happy to cross paths with Spirit of Peace Church and considered it a blessed opportunity to call this new but very welcoming community home.
In addition to music ministry, Peace is also a piano teacher with Lessons in Your Homes and has a great interest and ability in teaching piano to students with unique learning abilities. Peace loves working with a spectrum of students and believes that his students have taught him as much as he has taught them. Other jobs Peace has held included being a Youth Minister, middle and high school Theology Teacher, Special Education Teacher for the Mukilteo School District and his “day-job” now is being a Program Supervisor for SL Start and Associates working with foster youths and youths with developmental disabilities with the support and funding from the State of Washington. When Peace does have a chance to “breathe”, his hobbies include traveling, cooking, camping, having friends over to play music in his backyard music studio/shed, going out to share a coffee or a meal (please don’t hesitate to plan something with him), the gym, Gonzaga Basketball and Seahawks Sundays!
CiCi Hagen (she,her) was born and raised in the greater Seattle area. She is the 3rd child and first daughter of Nigerian immigrant parents. She spent the first 10 years of her life living and going to school in the Central District/Capital Hill area of Seattle, before moving to Renton with her family. Upon graduating from high school, CiCi attended Bellevue college and eventually attended and graduated from the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business (now known as Paccar School of Business) with a B.A. in business administration. She has had a variety of office and administrative jobs over the years and feels that this line of work suits her ‘Type A’ personality. In the last year CiCi has branched out on her own, doing a variety of gigs and freelance work. She is always trying and learning new things and strongly believes that education doesn’t have to stop once you graduate.
As a lover of animals, CiCi has one miniature poodle mix named Remy and two cats named Luka and Ryu. CiCi also loves arts and crafts and enjoys spending her free time doodling, painting, crocheting and doing anything that scratches her creative itch. If she’s not drawing or reading, you can usually catch CiCi hanging out with her husband, Ben or her 3 other siblings that she is extremely close to.
We have a small and incredible group of young folks at Spirit of Peace. We’re hoping to grow our program and creatively collaborate around multigenerational learning and projects.
Spirit of Peace United Church of Christ is a progressive, open, and affirming Christian community in Issaquah, WA. We are an active, enthusiastic, and intergenerational congregation who share the belief that church must be a safe and welcoming refuge for believers, seekers, and doubters of all ages, and a place where everyone is welcome no matter who they are or where they are on life’s journey. We worship at Our Savior Lutheran Church on Sundays at 9:30am.
We are seeking a part-time Children and Youth Leader who delights in working with youth of all ages, and who will build and nurture an active and inclusive youth program for our students.This Leader is to oversee our Youth Education/Sunday School program. First and foremost, we are seeking someone who will create a safe place for our children and youth to
share their lives, their stories, and their questions of faith. We are looking for someone with a spirit of playfulness and adventure who will provide creative opportunities for fun, fellowship, music, creation, and community service. Additionally, the Children and Youth Leader will partner with the congregation to foster intergenerational relationships between the youth and adult members of the congregation.
Consistency is important for our young people, but we are open to co-creating a weekly and seasonal rhythm to meet your needs. We would want the Children and Youth Leader to regularly be present on Sunday mornings.
We want our youth to find a place where they are loved, supported, and valued for the unique and individual people they are; a place where they grow in their knowledge of the Christian faith and where we plant the seeds of spirituality that will carry them into adulthood. To this end, we have an enthusiastic group of volunteers in addition to our pastor and music leader — who will support the Children and Youth Leader in their role throughout the week.
The position allows for flexible 2 hours preparation per week + 2 hours per week (Sunday service) for a 12-month program year (higher commitment during school year, and lower during the summer.)
