Our Pastor - Gary Southerton

It is with great joy that I serve as pastor here at Broadview Community United Church of Christ.  I have had a rich and varied career as a Priest, in the non-profit community and as a UCC Pastor.  I am thrilled to serve here, where I can return to my first love of being a pastor and proclaiming the Christian faith. 

I am married to my husband David, a native of San Francisco, and we live in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood near Green Lake .  I am a native of Seattle and grew up in Greenwood, just south of the church.  Together, David and I enjoy travelling, the arts in many forms and spending time with friends and our large extended family.  

Growing up I attended St. John’s Elementary and Blanchet High School.  Following high school, I attended the University of Washington and attended graduate school at Columbia University in New York City and seminary at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC.   I hold master’s degrees from each of these universities respectively.  I was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1988 and served several church communities in Washington.  After fifteen years, I left ministry in the Catholic church because I found it too oppressive and restrictive.  It did not provide equal access to ministry for a whole host of people, including women and gay and lesbian people.  Most importantly, I wanted to be married and that wasn’t possible in the church of my birth.  My desire is to be a pastor that invites all people to share their gifts of ministry. 

For twelve years, I worked for two non-profit agencies; Multifaith Works, an agency that helps people living with AIDS and Plymouth Healing Communities (PHC), which serves people who are homeless and living with mental illness.  During my time at PHC I transferred my ordination to the United Church of Christ. 
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I am passionate about hearing about the lives and faith journeys of people and preaching and teaching so that churches can be vibrant, active an alive.  I feel incredibly blessed to be called to be the pastor here!  Come join us on Sunday morning and you will see what a special congregation we have here at Broadview!