[Guest Post by Carol Morrison]
SUMC congregants recently bid fond goodbyes to Pastor Lee Carney Hartman, who pastored Snoqualmie United Methodist Church for eight years, and are pleased to welcome Pastor Carrie Bland, who will serve half time at SUMC and half time at Fall City UMC.
Pastor Carrie, who spent two years as pastor at Willapa UMC and one year at Satsop UMC, is a provisional Elder in the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. She holds an M. Div. from Seattle Pacific Seminary, a BA in Sociology from Central Washington University, and an ATA in Business Administration from South Puget Sound Community College. She has over twenty years of experience working with children and teens in churches, camping ministries, and daycares.
Racial and social justice are of major importance to Pastor Carrie. She enjoys making prayer beads, crafts, and having deep conversations. Her husband, Paul, is a challenge course facilitator, trainer and inspector. They have four dogs, Dachshund mixes, three of whom are puppies.
When asked what she’d like to tell people, Pastor Carrie said, “Of all the things we can do in this world to make a difference is to extend grace and mercy to one another. Choosing to extend grace and mercy means choosing to see others as someone deserving of love and compassion. We all have a story to share full of joy and pain. Life is hard enough. We don’t have to do it all alone. If we all choose to help one another succeed, surprisingly, we’ll all succeed!”
We at SUMC look forward to, with Pastor Carrie’s help, making a difference with love.
