Staff

The Rev. Lex Breckinridge

Rector

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.

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.

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 reached via email at steveb@stthomasmedina.org.

The Rev. Karen Haig
Priest Associate

Karen joined the St. Thomas staff on
September 1, 2010. Read more about Karen at our blog, St.Thomas Online Coffee Hour. You can reach her by email at  karen@stthomasmedina.org.

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.

Brian Gregory
Associate for Youth Ministries

Brian joined the St. Thomas staff in June of 2011. With six years of experience working with Young Life, he is excited to work with youth in the context of the local church. A Seattle native, Brian graduated from Seattle Pacific University in 2007 with degrees in Theology and Educational Ministry. He has returned to SPU to work on his Master of Divinity. Brian’s wife, Kelly, is a high school history teacher in the Issaquah School District. They currently live on Mercer Island. When he's not working with the youth at St. Thomas or studying, he enjoys spending time in the outdoors, playing the guitar, piano, and hammered dulcimer, and watching baseball. Brian wishes that he played more golf, knew how to fly an airplane, and could break dance. You can email Brian at brian@stthomasmedina.org.

Marion Anderson
Director, Children & Youth Choral Activities

Marion joined the St. Thomas staff in September 2010. He served as Professor of Music at Bates College for several decades before taking early retirement to move to Seattle in 2007. While on the faculty at Bates, he was director of music at several large Episcopal churches in Maine including St. Mark’s Church in Augusta and the Cathedral of St. Luke in Portland. Whenever possible, he organized and directed programs in music for young singers. Marion directed his first choir for children when he was in middle school! He is an avid gardener and cook. You can email Marion at anderson_marion@yahoo.com

Danielle Brzusek
Childcare Coordinator

Danielle and her son Logan relocated back to Bellevue, WA from Las Vegas, NV in September 2008. Danielle began working at St. Thomas in February 2009. 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.

Michelle Yang
Childcare Provider

Michelle moved to Seattle from Tucson, Arizona, to pursue her MBA in nonprofit management and marketing. In Arizona, Michelle worked in international adoption and has over 5 years of experience working with children. She is thrilled to work directly with kids again. You can reach Michelle via email at michelle.h.yang@gmail.com.

Laura Gregg
Executive Assistant to the Rector

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.

Torrey Musicant
Sexton

Doug Anderson
Day Porter

You can reach Doug via email at douganderson@hotmail.com.

Zonnie Breckinrdige
Program Coordinator [volunteer]

Zonnie is delighted to volunteer at St Thomas as Program Coordinator, having joined the staff in the Fall of 2011. She helps coordinate various adult education programs, such as Disciples of Christ in Community, as well as other program events during the church year. Zonnie also serves as communications liaison for the Capital Stewardship Campaign and schedules the lay ministers for all worship services at St Thomas. You can reach Zonnie at 512-809-1237 or zonnie@stthomasmedina.org.

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.

Kim Malcolm
Ministries Coordinator [volunteer]

You can reach Kim via email at kamalcolm@me.com.

Heather Smith
Pastoral Care Coordinator [volunteer]

You can reach Heather via email at hahooper@comcast.net.