Welcome to Queen Anne United Methodist Church, located on the top and at the heart of Queen Anne Hill in Seattle. I was appointed to QAUMC in July 2011. It has been my pleasure to serve churches that are both large and small, and I am excited to begin work as the new pastor of this congregation. God is “creating a new thing” here.
My background
I am originally from the South. My family comes from Louisiana and Arkansas, and I grew up near Memphis, Tenn., in Mississippi and in Arkansas. Every now and then you’ll hear a little Southern accent slip out!
How we worship
If you would like to attend Queen Anne UMC, let me assure you that you are welcome. As the pastor, it is my dream to fill the church with the noise of children and to offer worship experiences that will bring you into the presence of the Most Holy.
During worship, you will find that we sing songs deeply rooted in the tradition of the Church as well as songs written in the 21st Century. Every week we celebrate Holy Communion, and you are invited to come and feast at Christ’s holy table.
We follow the lectionary – a series of assigned Biblical texts shared by most mainline denominations. And, I think worship is enriched by bringing the mystery of the ancient church into contact with our postmodern world.
We sing the Psalms and stand for the Gospel, chime bells, and still ourselves in silence. But, every now and then, you will find that we are also doing a ritual dreamed up by our own community.
Pastoral care
Your questions of faith are always welcome should you want to share them with me. Nothing is more humbling and sacred than to walk with a person along his or her faith journey.
Some of us live in the presence of God with great ease, but most of us struggle our way forward.
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, once said, “Every one, though born of God in an instant, yet undoubtedly grows by slow degrees.”
Your struggle is a wonderful thing. Cherish it. It means that you take seriously your own experiences and the demands of the Gospel.
Beyond the church walls
While worship is central to the life of the community, it cannot supplant the important work of cultivating a faithful life that is lived every day.
Classes, retreats, prayer services, time spent sharing faith in homes — these are equally as important.
A community of faith is only as strong as the bonds formed within the community. This is what keeps us accountable to the Gospel and sustains us during times of spiritual crisis. Spiritual community takes both time and intentionality.
Worship sends us into the world empowered by the Holy Spirit to be agents of compassion and liberation in a hurting and broken world. There is no greater joy than to see the world as God does and to labor as God does to make it more perfect in love.
Therefore, it is my duty to help each person and the congregation as a whole enter into the passion of the world for the sake of all of our healing. A faithful life is one engaged in the pain of the world and alive in the joy of God.
Want more?
If you want to know more of who I am, check out my blog at www.peaceablekindom.blogspot.com. I write about faith, social and political issues, pop culture, church trends, the Bible and my own life. It is a glimpse into me.
You might also read Isaiah 58:6-12; it undergirds everything I hope to aspire to in ministry. And, I believe that it stood at the center of Christ’s own ministry.
I am also in the process of finalizing my first church curriculum; it is a video series on Sabbath-keeping. If you are interested in Sabbath, please get in touch with me. I would love to hear from you.
Peace and blessings on your spiritual journey, wherever it may take you. Should it bring you to the top of Queen Anne, drop by, grab some coffee and rest along the way.
-Pastor Katie
The Rev. Katie M. Ladd
Queen Anne United Methodist Church
1606 5th Avenue West
Seattle, WA 98119
206-282-4307
www.qaumc.org
www.peaceablekindom.blogspot.com
