information from Fauntleroy Church UCC

Fauntleroy Church UCC has called the Rev. Leah Atkinson Bilinski to be its new senior minister, starting Nov. 29.

The 335-member congregation chose Rev. Bilinski after a nationwide search for the right combination of talents and passions: preaching, youth programs, service, pastoral care, administration, and community engagement.

Rev. Bilinski earned a bachelor's degree in anthropology and elementary teaching certificate from Grinnell College in 1999, then a master's of divinity from Eden Theological Seminary in 2007. Her experience includes six years as co-pastor at St. Peter’s UCC in Washington, MO, and four months as acting pastor of Ebenezer “Stone Church” UCC in Gerald, MO. She has also had leadership and administrative roles in UCC youth programs and done chaplaincy work in hospital and elder settings.

She will be arriving in Fauntleroy with her husband, Jamie, and two-year-old daughter, Naomi, from Washington, MO, near St. Louis.

"We're excited to have Leah as our pastor and to welcome her family to West Seattle," said church moderator Sarah Finney. "And she's excited to partner with a church that values community and looks for ways not just to go to church but to be the Church beyond its walls. Once Leah has her feet on the ground, expect to see her cultivating relationships and cooperative enrichment projects throughout this community we all love."