Westminster Congregational United Church of Christ
411 S. Washington St
Spokane, Washington  99204
(509) 624-1366

Pastor Andrea (Andy) CastroLang

Senior Pastor

509-624-1366 x 11

Andy has been pastor at Westminster Congregational United Church of Christ since September 1, 2002.  She came to Spokane after serving four years in small towns of Southeast Nebraska.  She holds a Master of Divinity degree from San Francisco Theological Seminary and remembers the years of seminary training as some of the most inspiring and challenging and fun in her entire life!  She has a deep love of the state of Washington: she was married here in 1985 and both of her children were born in this state.  Her life partner and soul mate is Jim, who is also an Ordained Minister in the United Church of Christ. 

Andy believes that Spokane is changing and evolving in some very healthy and exciting ways; it is becoming more open to new ideas, new business and markets, and truly seeks to be a city with a vision for the future.  Westminster wants and needs to be a part of that vision of a city with welcome and curiosity, openness and creativity!

  Though Andy loves her opportunities to plan and lead Sunday worship and preaching, her ministry includes much more than this!  Andy truly feels privileged to be able to support others in their journeys of discovery of the love of God.  With Pastor Marj and  the rest of the church family, she supports and encourages the spiritual growth and healing of members and friends of the church, whether long-term or brand new. As part of her ministry she supports the missions of boards and committees within the church as well as all the leaders and interest groups of the church.  Andy is responsible for all staff relations. 

She also participates in the community ecumenically, and serves our church and  community interest through the Spokane Alliance.  She is chair of the Eastside Committee on Ministry in the Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Church of Christ. She is happy to serve in this capacity because she firmly believes in the covenant commitments we promise to uphold between our United Church of Christ congregations.

Pastor Marj Johnston

Assistant Pastor

509-624-1366 x 12

The Rev. Ms. Marj Johnston has been serving at Westminster since 2005 and was ordained in November 2007.  As assistant pastor, Pastor Marj collaborates with Pastor Andy in planning and leading worship services.  Marj supports and participates in the work of Christian Nurture, the Board of Outreach, the Church Council, West CAT’s work with the Spokane Alliance, and the ongoing work of the Open & Affirming (ONA) Committee.  Marj serves on the Annual Meeting Planning Committee and as ONA Consultant for congregations east of the Cascade Mountains in the Pacific Northwest Conference of the UCC.  Marj actively collaborates with and supports the work of community-based agencies while meeting the needs of our neighbors.

 Born and raised in Raymond, Washington, Marj comes to Westminster and Spokane with a variety of human and social services experiences that grounded her for her work as a pastor. She earned her Master of Divinity at Chicago Theological Seminary and has a BA in Human Services from Western Washington University. In addition to Spokane, Bellingham, and Chicago, Marj also lived and worked in Washington, DC for several years. She currently lives in Spokane with her partner Cindi.

Robin McLain

Financial Secretary/Office Manager

509-624-1366 x 10

Robin was born and raised in Spokane and is an integral part of the working of the church, keeping track of building maintenance and repairs, and maintaining the financial accounts and the master calendar.  She is the face and voice of the office, handling daily requests from walk-in traffic and keeping in touch with church family far and near.  She oversees the Tree of Sharing finances as the church representative.

Robin has served this church since May 2000.  She and her husband Chris both sing in the choir.

John Koons III

Caretaker

509-624-1366 x 16

John cleans and cares for our church home, and provides security by monitoring the inside and outside of the building.  John works Sundays to open and prepare the church for both worship services, and also works afternoons and evenings during the week. John is one of the people behind LifeFeed, a program started here at Westminster to help feed the hungry in our community and neighborhood.

Scot Stout

Organist

509-624-1366

Our music is an integral part of our joyous worship!  Scot is our organist and leads the choir on Sunday mornings.  He selects music, practices with and accompanies soloists, and participates in worship planning with the pastors.  We offer varied opportunities to share music of many kinds: jazz and folk, classical and contemporary! 

Sarah Hopkins

Publications

509-624-1366 x 14

Sarah compiles and edits the weekly Order of Worship and the monthly newsletter, and creates other publications as needed for staff and committees.