About

Rev. Dr. Sanford “Sandy” Brown became pastor of First Church on July 1, 2008, bringing with him over 25 years of experience as a pastor and community leader.

From 1982 to 1992, Rev. Brown led United Methodist churches in Fall City and Kirkland, Washington. Beginning in 1992 he served as senior pastor of the First United Methodist Church of Wenatchee.

Rev. Brown returned to the Puget Sound region in 2001 to serve as executive director of Deaconess Children’s Services, a 25-person social service agency that helps vulnerable children and families in Snohomish County. In 2003, Rev. Brown became executive director of the Church Council of Greater Seattle, an ecumenical agency that brings together 400 churches in 17 denominations for cooperation, social service work, and social justice advocacy.

During his years ministry, Rev. Brown has been a tireless advocate for positive social change. In 1989 he was elected to the board of the Lake Washington School District. In Wenatchee, he won a high profile battle to overturn an illegal mayoral election. Over the years, he has served on many public bodies – including the Chelan/Douglas County United Way and the Snohomish County Human Services Council. He served as a founding member of the Committee to End Homelessness in King County and directed its advocacy efforts from 2006-2008.

He is married to Dr. Gail Van Norman, a clinical medical ethicist and University of Washington professor of anesthesiology. He has two grown sons, Luke and Matthew.

Rev. Brown graduated from the University of Washington in 1978 (B.A. History), and earned a master’s degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in 1982 and a doctorate from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1997. In 2005 he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Garrett-Evangelical. A member of First Church during his college years, Rev. Sandy is proud to serve as its pastor.

To read more about Dr. Sandy Brown, visit his wikipedia page.

Sophia joined the First Church staff in April 2011 after having worked at the University of Washington’s Graduate School. She has a background in secondary and higher education and most recently studied Communication and Digital Media. She is currently an M.Div student at Seattle Pacific Seminary.

She continues to explore the intersections of faith, media and technology while telling the stories of the Church. You can typically find her snapping pictures of food, coffee and urban landscapes in and around the Seattle area.

To stay connected, visit her on facebook or on her blog.

Chelsea, an Arizona native, recently moved to Seattle in search of green trees, good people and great adventure. Having spent a summer in Colorado as a whitewater raft guide, graduated with a degree in film production from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, and having worked for a television station in Tucson, she decided it was time to pack her bags and journey to the Northwest. She quickly fell in love with Seattle and sought to carve out a place for herself in the non-profit sector, working with an organization that shared her passion for love and social justice. Her grandfather having been a Methodist minister in Hawaii, Chelsea grew up in the Church and she feels blessed by the opportunity to be a part of First Church and to have been embraced by a faith community full of such open hearts. Chelsea finds life to be infinitely compelling, and is excited to channel her creativity and curiosity not only into the promotion of the Church’s mission, but into the exploration of this remarkable world and the telling of its endless stories.