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8398 NE 12th St.
Medina, WA 98039
425-454-9541
www.stthomasmedina.org
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Our Staff
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The Rev. Lex Breckinridge
Rector
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I am just delighted to have been called as
the sixth Rector of St. Thomas, a community that intentionally
“practices the hospitality of God.” This place welcomes all
sorts and conditions of folks and understands that God is best
known not as an abstract concept, but relationally through
compassion given and received from one to another. This connects
to the heart of my own ministry, which values faithful worship
and beautiful music, honest and engaging preaching and teaching,
deeply relational pastoral care, outreach to those on the
margins, and growth that reflects the diversity of the Kingdom
of Heaven. Indeed, our aim at St. Thomas is to be the sort of
community where one might catch a glimpse of the Kingdom.
Before coming to St. Thomas, I served as Upper School
Chaplain at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, Austin, Texas; Rector
of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, Austin; and Associate Rector of
St. Michael’s, Austin. I came to ordained ministry in mid-life
following a 16-year career as a maritime and commercial trial
lawyer in New Orleans.
After growing up in Beckley, West Virginia, I attended St.
Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire, the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill where I was a double major in History
and Religion, the Tulane University School of Law, and the
Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest. The love of my
life turned out to be a law school classmate, and Zonnie and I
were married 32 years ago at the end of our first year at
Tulane. We have three wonderful kids: Alexander, who practices
law himself in Washington, D.C. and is married to Kirsten, a
grants administrator at a federal agency; Barbara, a graduate
student at the University of Texas; and Robert, a junior at
Haverford College in suburban Philadelphia.
Zonnie and I both love to hike and ski, so life here in the
Pacific Northwest sounds just right to us. I also enjoy cooking
and reading, opera and jazz. Mostly, I love being with people
and sharing all the joy and sadness, the laughter and tears, of
real life. It is there, after all, that we’ll meet the Risen
Christ.
You can reach me via email at
lex@stthomasmedina.org.
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The Rev. Kathryn Ballinger, RN
Deacon, Spiritual Director and Parish Visitor
Kathryn joined the staff in 2004. She serves as a deacon in the
liturgy and is a member of the pastoral care team. Kathryn is
the contact person for "Come to the Quiet," a spirituality and
meditation group. She is a member of the Ignatian Spirituality
Center in Seattle, and Spiritual Directors International, and
she has been a spiritual director for over 25
years.
Kathryn is also a retired nurse. She served in two parishes
in Spokane before coming to St. Thomas. She is married and has
three grown children in the area. Kathryn is available for
spiritual direction and pastoral visits; her email address is
kathryneballinger@msn.com. |
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The Rev. Stephen W. Best
Associate for Couples and Family Life
Steve joined our staff in May of 2002. In addition to general
pastoral responsibilities, his focus is to develop a ministry
program aimed at the needs of couples and young families. Steve
is available on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. He can be
contacted via email at
steveb@stthomasmedina.org. |
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Charles Rus
Associate for Music & Liturgical Arts
Charles was raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and moved to
Capitol Hill in November 2008 to join us at St. Thomas. For a
couple decades, he lived in San Francisco and played at St.
John's Episcopal Church. He was also the organist for the San
Francisco Symphony and taught organ at the San Francisco
Conservatory of Music. Charles loves kayaking on the bay (or,
in this case, Lake Washington and Puget Sound), swimming, and
most of all, playing with his buddy Pointer, who can often be
found in Charles's office. Charles can be reached via email at
ruscharles@gmail.com. |
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Josh Hosler
Associate for Christian Formation
Josh and his wife Christy live in West Seattle with their
daughter Sarah and their two cats, Epitome and Henry. Josh began
working at St. Thomas in 2004 as Associate for Teen Ministry and
expanded his duties in 2006. He has been volunteering for the
Diocese of Olympia in the area of youth ministry since 1996,
helping to staff and convene regular HYC and JYC events. In 2009
he began taking seminary classes at Seattle University, and in
2010
he became a postulant for Holy Orders on a track that may lead
to the priesthood. In addition to Christian formation, Josh
has a lifelong passion for choral music composition, pop music,
the Billboard pop charts, and other things musical. On
the side, he runs a successful website called
numberoneinhistory.com. Josh can be contacted via email at
josh@stthomasmedina.org. |
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Danielle Smoot
Childcare Coordinator
Danielle and her husband Dennis, son
Logan and two golden retriever dogs, Dodger and Paris,
relocated back to Bellevue, WA from Las Vegas, NV in
September 2008. Danielle began working at St. Thomas in
February 2009. During the week Danielle is the Activity
Supervisor for the afternoon program at Bellevue Montessori.
She has a bachelor's degree in Recreation with an emphasis
on kids' programming. Her first job out of college was
working for the Ritz Carlton Hotel developing their kids'
program. She brings with her excellent ideas and terrific
customer service.. Danielle can be contacted via email at
danibrz23@gmail.com.
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Laura Gregg
Executive Assistant to the Rector
Laura Gregg joined the St. Thomas staff in November 2009. She
manages the flow of information among parishioners and staff,
helps maintain the church website, produces the Sunday bulletin
"wrapper" and the weekly all-Parish email. She also keeps the
church calendar up to date, coordinates facility use, and
publishes many of the St. Thomas print publications. Laura is a
Seattle native, who with her husband, Robert, worships at Holy
Cross Episcopal in Redmond. Laura can be
reached via email at
laura@stthomasmedina.org
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Gerry Gallaher
Business Manager
Gerry has been at St. Thomas Church since February 1993. As
Business Manager, he prepares and monitors the Parish budget,
processes cash received, pays bills, and manages the Parish
database. Gerry is the Staff Advisor to the Finance and Property
Committees. He also maintains giving records, prepares all
financial statements and coordinates annual review. He's
affectionately known as "Mr. Money." Gerry can be reached via
email at
gerry@stthomasmedina.org. |
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Doug Anderson
Facilities Manager
You can reach Doug via email at
douganderson@hotmail.com. |
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Bob Simeone
Parish Life Center, Project Manager
Bob was hired in September 2009 to coordinate the efforts of
the Vestry, the Steering Committee, the Building Committee, and
the Capital Campaign Committee to revitalize the current Great
Hall and Parish Administrative Center into a Parish Life Center
that will serve as a toolbox for ministry for St. Thomas
parishioners, the Eastside community, and the world.
Bob has been a member of St. Thomas since 2000, and before that,
he attended St. Mark’s Cathedral. He is married to Linda Deright,
and they have a son named Tony. You can reach Bob at
simeone54@comcast.net
or 206-322-5027. |
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Phyllis Ross
Newcomer Coordinator [volunteer]
Phyllis very ably fills the volunteer position of Newcomer
Coordinator, welcoming seekers and newcomers at coffee hour,
making sure they receive name buttons and get onto our mailing
list, and helping them find their niche at St. Thomas. She
exemplifies our mission to "practice the hospitality of God."
If you'd like to become a member of St. Thomas, or have any
questions about what membership entails, you can reach Phyllis
at 425-392-8564 or
phross63@aol.com. |
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Kim Malcolm
Ministries Coordinator [volunteer]
You can reach Kim via email at
kamalcolm@me.com. |
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Heather Smith
Pastoral Care Coordinator [volunteer]
You can reach Heather via email at
hahooper@comcast.net.
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