Rev. Marta Schellberg

I am a retired Minister in the United Methodist Church who had the privilege of serving two years at Garden St. UMC in Bellingham, fourteen years at Edmonds UMC and retiring from Bremerton UMC after serving ten years. I have two children from my first marriage of twenty years: a daughter who you know as Jen Rupp, a UCC Pastor serving as a Hospice Chaplain, and a son, Mark, serving as the Assistant Deputy Administrator at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington D.C.  Mark is married to our son-in-law, Chuck, who is a lawyer for the IRS.  Our granddaughter, Morgan Arrington who is married to Kent Hamilton, just received her grant from the U of W to begin working on her PHD in the study of creating kelp farms.  I’m married to Ken, and we are celebrating our 35 years of marriage this month. We met in the church choir, where I was a Christian Educator, and he was my champion supporter as I pursued my studies and went through the seminary/ordination process. It has been a wonderful journey.   My passion in life has always been to empower others to become successful in creating a fulfilling life. While working with my Grandmother in her garden, we planted a variety of colorful pansies, and she taught me to respect and admire the beauty and diversity of God’s creatures and creation. This experience also taught me the many benefits of experiential learning both for adults and children, and inspired me to co-create many fun learning experiences through the years. I have been blessed and nurtured by many spiritual guides throughout my life that inspire me to give back to others, to help others feel safe and loved and to build brighter futures,  Deeply impacted by the work of theologian, Henry Nouwen, I am aspiring to become what he termed “a wounded healer.”