Seattle Service Corps

VISION

Empowering servant leaders to be grounded by resilience, deepened by prayer, motivated by justice, and inspired by prophetic imagination.

A year with the Seattle Service Corps is a commitment to:

Living in intentional Christian community
Serving 32 hours per week at a partner non-profit or church
Engaging in regular spiritual practice, learning, discernment and formation
Participating in the life of Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral
Building relationships and having fun on retreats, group service projects and special events
Enjoying immediate access to Seattle’s dynamic cosmopolitan environment as well as nearby natural wonders!

WHAT MEMBERS SAY

"A year of service and intentional community gave me the freedom and support to find the ‘me’ I can be proud of and the ‘me’ God wants me to be. The bumps and reroutes along the way just make for good stories and amazing memories”
- Bailey K., 2017–18

"When I made decisions that supported my call to chaplaincy, I was wholeheartedly encouraged and cheered on by my [Seattle Service Corps] community.
- Karen S., 2017–18

Check out this article by Service Corps alum Paige Foreman (now studying at Yale Divinity School).

Seattle Service Corps Celebration

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on May 27, 2023 with No Comments

TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 7–8:30 P.M., in the cathedral nave

You’re invited! Please join Service Corps members past and present to celebrate the life of the Seattle Service Corps ministry at Saint Mark’s. It will be an evening of memories, photographs, stories and gratitude. There will also be a short liturgy to commemorate the closing of the program. We will have desserts and beverages to share. All are welcome!

Please RSVP to Luke Abdow using the form found here.

Questions? Reach out to Luke at: labdow@saintmarks.org

Meet the 22/23 Seattle Service Corps

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on September 29, 2022 with No Comments

Luke Abdow Called as Seattle Service Corps Program Director

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on August 31, 2022 with No Comments

Dear friends,

It is my great delight to announce that Luke Abdow has accepted the call to serve as Program Director for the Seattle Service Corps and as staff support for the vibrant 20s & 30s ministry group.

Luke is a native of Massachusetts and served as a fellow in an Episcopal Service Corps program in Boston for two years, 2016 to 2018. Prior to that he served in the Fulbright Scholars program as an English teacher in Senegal, and he has experience as a community organizer, a food service worker, and a chef and baker. He comes to Saint Mark’s from nearby North Bend, where he is the Food Services Director and Head Chef at Rainbow Lodge Retreat Center. He was a researcher and co-author of the Racial Justice Audit of the Episcopal Church, which is part of the broader church-wide initiative, Becoming Beloved Community: The Episcopal Church’s Long Term Strategic Commitment to Racial Healing, Reconciliation, and Justice. He is a 2014 graduate of Tufts University with a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies and Community Health. He will begin his role at Saint Mark’s Cathedral in early October.

Mr. Abdow’s call is the culmination of a robust search process in which an extraordinary committee of gifted leaders of Saint Mark’s diligently worked with an excellent pool of applicants, prayerfully discerning unanimous support for Luke’s call. I am very grateful to committee members Scott Hulet, Fraser Reach, Hannah Hochkeppel and Lynette Hatscher, and to Canon Barrie for guiding the process. I hope you will join me in thanking them for their good work, and please join me in welcoming Luke to the Saint Mark’s community. I am,

Gratefully

The Very Rev. Steven L. Thomason
Dean and Rector

Service Corps Welcome Wagon

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on July 28, 2022 with No Comments

Join the Service Corps Welcome Wagon!

The 2022–23 Seattle Service Corps cohort arrives Saturday, August 27, and help is needed to make them feel welcomed and at home. If you would like to help next month as we put the finishing touches on their living space at Leffler House, or if you would like to be part of providing some homey hospitality throughout the year, especially around the holidays, please email Canon Barrie: wbarrie@saintmarks.org

Pantry Pouding

The members of each year's cohort of SSC members are a great blessing to the community in Saint Mark's in so many way, so let's make them feel at home by filling their cupboards when they arrive. Check out the list of pantry staples here—including items from pasta to canned good to coffee and tea—and sign up for one or more on the form. Then drop your item(s) off in the baskets at the back of the nave this Sunday, August 21. (You can also bring them to the cathedral office during the week.) If you have any questions, please email Canon Barrie: wbarrie@saintmarks.org.

Adam Conley to Depart Staff to Enter Seminary

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on May 12, 2022 with No Comments

MAY 12, 2022

A MESAGE FROM DEAN THOMASON

I write to share the news that Adam Conley will be leaving his position in early July to enroll in seminary this fall, having been named a postulant for the priesthood by Bishop Rickel earlier this year. We are sad to see him depart from his role on the cathedral staff, but we bless him wholeheartedly in this turn to the next phase of his spiritual journey. He is and will be a blessing to the Church in so many ways.

Since 2018 Adam has served capably as Director of the Seattle Service Corps, and in the ensuing years, he has taken on additional responsibilities as editor of The Rubric, cathedral grant writer, and most recently as staff support for the 20s & 30s ministry. There have been many good things that have developed in these areas during Adam’s tenure, and we are grateful to him for his faithful work in our midst.

We will soon post a position description for his replacement as Program Director for Seattle Service Corps (Update: that job posting may now be seen here), and we have a good interim work plan to ensure the vitality of the SSC program continues as we anticipate welcoming the next cohort in late August. For now, please join me in thanking Adam for his service while also wishing him well as he moves to seminary in Sewanee, Tennessee. We will offer a rite of blessing and sending for him at the 11am service June 26.

Gratefully,

The Very Reverend Steven L. Thomason
Dean and Rector

A MESSAGE FROM ADAM CONLEY

Dear People of Saint Mark’s,

I developed a deep affection for this remarkable cathedral community when I joined the Cathedral Choir under Canon Mel Butler way back in 1998. While my journey as an Episcopalian subsequently took me to London and then back to another parish in this diocese, it was with tremendous excitement that I accepted a call to return to Saint Mark’s as the Seattle Service Corps Director in April 2018. It was my pastoral work with the service corps, and eventually 20s & 30s, that ultimately confirmed my sense of the Holy Spirit’s call to priestly vocation. As a postulant in the Diocese of Olympia, my path now leads to seminary.

While St. Paul’s, Seattle is my sponsoring parish, for four years I have felt the deep joy and gift of being rooted in relationship at two communities of faith. You have lifted me into ministry in so many ways, and I carry my rich formation in church leadership into this next chapter of my life and beyond. It has been a privilege to serve in leadership at Saint Mark’s. I am humbled by the successes, both large and small, we’ve achieved together, particularly with respect to the growth of Seattle Service Corps into a leading program of the Episcopal Service Corps network.

When I depart after the completion of the current SSC program year at the end of June, I know I go with your prayers and support. Please know you are also in my prayers.

With gratitude,

Adam Conley

Seattle Service Corps 21/22 Program Year Reflections

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on May 1, 2022 with No Comments

Blossom Abundantly—SSC Storytelling Fundraiser

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on December 1, 2021 with No Comments

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2021, 2 P.M., via Zoom, registration requested.

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing.

— Isaiah 35:1–2a

JOIN US December 12 at 2 p.m. for a one-hour storytelling fundraiser that showcases how Corps members continue to “Blossom Abundantly” in SSC.

Hear stories of growth and formation as our Corps members share their hopes and goals for this year. Hear how they are following the Way of Jesus and discerning their own ministry in the world. Plus, a special appearance by a recent Service Corps Alum!

Get to Know the Service Corps!

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on October 6, 2021 with No Comments

Meet Lindsay!! Lindsay will be spending her service year working for Earth Ministry/Washington Interfaith Power & Light 🌎🌍🌏:

Hi there! My name is Lindsay Bell and I’m so excited for my year in Seattle Service Corps! A little bit about me...

I was born in England, but spent pretty much my whole life in Northern Virginia, just outside DC. I am from a family of 5; I’m the middle child with one older sister and one younger brother.

I went to school in San Diego at UCSD and studied public health (after changing majors 4 times— I’d have 5 majors if I could!). I enjoy playing volleyball, reading, eating good food, hiking, and hanging out with my dog Goose.

Some random things I love: moss, mountains, English breakfast tea, goats, the smell of fall, and a good used bookstore. I’ve been on a bit of an adventure for the past five months, working on organic farms in Ireland and Maine, and visiting as many national parks as possible on a road trip across the country. It’s been a lot of fun, but I’m excited to get back to work and start learning and building fellowship here in Seattle!

Meet Talley! Talley will be spending her year working for both Edible Hope and Seeds of Peace:

Hi y’all, my name is Talley. I’ve lived all over the southeast and Midwest but consider myself an Appalachian woman and call western NC home.

I’m a cradle Episcopalian and a priest’s kid, having been an acolyte, choir member, helped in the nursery, been to happening, and many other youth events and camps.

In 2017, I graduated from Appalachian State University with a degree in Global Studies, concentration in Peace, Conflict, and Human Rights Studies, and minors in Chinese (Mandarin) and German.

Pre-COVID, I was participating in the Episcopal Church’s international young adult service corps program (YASC) stationed in the Northern Philippines. I was evacuated in March 2020 and have been working as a parish administrator along with 3 other jobs during COVID. I’m excited to get to Seattle and experience city life again- i.e. food options!

Meet Emily! Emily is spending her year working at Mercy Housing Northwest:

Hello, I'm Emily! I was born and raised in the southwest as a third generation Arizonan. I recently graduated from Northern Arizona University with a B.A. in English and Comparative Religion and with a minor in Museum Studies.

My time in college was spent developing a passion for cultural heritage work through jobs at my university’s library and archives, as well as an internship at its art museum. I was also an active member at LCM | Canterbury, NAU’s Episcopal and Lutheran Campus Ministry, where I was received into the church just this past May, and discovered the Episcopal Service Corps for the first time.

In my free time, I can always be found with a book in hand or perusing local thrift shops looking for yet another new jacket. I'm looking forward to developing community with my fellow corps members and adjusting to the Seattle weather!

Say hello to Julia! Julia is spending her year working with Mission to Seafarers:

Hello! My name is Julia, and I grew up mostly in Providence, Rhode Island, although I spent a couple years in Vancouver, BC as a kid.

I attended Tufts University and studied English and Computer Science, and for the last few years I have been working at a software company in the Boston area. After discerning a career change, I am excited to move back to the beautiful northwest and spend the year with the Seattle Service Corps!

In my free time, you can often find me outdoors, or in the kitchen; I am looking forward this year to exploring Seattle via bike and finding some good hiking spots, and also sharing the results of my various cooking and baking experiments with new housemates. I also love making music, and I hope to find an outlet to play music with other people in Seattle, whether a worship band or a bluegrass jam group.

I look forward to connecting with the Saint Mark's community soon and getting involved in the life of the church!

Meet Sophia! This year Sophia will be working with Northwest Immigrant Rights Project:

Hi all! My name is Sophia Greenberg and I use she/her pronouns. I’m coming to Seattle by way of unceded Munsee Lenape land in Rockland County, NY.

I just finished my bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Psychology from Wellesley College in Massachusetts and I hope to end up in law school after my year with SSC with the ultimate goal of a career in public interest law.

In my free time I enjoy playing lots and lots of board games, making playlists for my loved ones on Spotify, listening to all kinds of podcasts, and walking/hiking/meandering. I also love spending time with young people, which keeps me up to date with the latest news in important subjects like Cocomelon, Fortnite, and Tiktok trends.

One of the best things I’ve done recently is teaching a Lego-based Sunday School class! I’m most looking forward to being so close to the mountains and the coast at the same time, enjoying the PNW weather, drinking lots of coffee, becoming a Kraken and Sounders fan, and sharing in worship and fellowship with everyone at Saint Mark's.

Say hello to Laura! She is spending her year working at Real Change News:

I am excited to go from the shores of Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River to the Pacific Northwest.

I am joining Seattle Service Corps after graduating from Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana. I grew up in the land of Lincoln and lived in Rockford, Illinois and Edwardsville, Illinois (near St. Louis).

As a person who majored in history and minored in sociology and communication, I am looking forward to having my time in Seattle be a part of my personal context. When not being surrounded by cornfields, I enjoy hiking, photography, and coffee shops.

Seattle Service Corps “Pantry Pounding” and Porch Reception

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on September 15, 2021 with No Comments

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 12 P.M., Leffler porch

Join the Seattle Service Corps on the front porch of Leffler after the 11 a.m. service for conversation and refreshments hosted by the newly-arrived 2021–2022 cohort! All are invited to bring a "Pantry Pounding" gift to help provision the service corps for the coming year. The wish list items may be seen and signed up for here. Gifts that you can sign up for include kitchen staples like flour, sugar, and oil, but also a bicycle, sleeping bags, or a guitar! Questions? E-mail Adam Conley at aconley@saintmarks.org.

Seattle Service Corps Year-End Conversation

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on June 5, 2021 with No Comments

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 7 P.M., via Zoom

Join this year’s SSC cohort for an evening of conversation and Q&A to learn more about their service year experience, learnings, impressions of Seattle in a pandemic, and what they’re doing next. Please pre-register using this Zoom link.

Blessing and Sending

SUNDAY, JUNE 27, during the 11 A.M. service

The seven women of this year's SSC cohort—Caroline, Kylee, Taylor, Amanda, April, Grace, and Stephanie—will mark the conclusion of their service year with a blessing and sending during the 11 a.m. service on June 27. Whether watching via livestream or in person, your prayerful witness will help lift and send our service corps members as they move into the next chapter of God’s call for their lives.