Rev. Vonda McFadden
Rev. McFadden comes to Sequim Trinity after twelve years of dedicated service at Kelso United Methodist Presbyterian Church, where she served as pastor from 2013 to 2025. Her prior appointments include service at Castle Rock and Winlock United Methodist Churches. Throughout her career, she has distinguished herself as a hands-on leader, deeply involved in both the administrative and relational aspects of church life. Her leadership background extends beyond the local church, having served as the Board President for Family Promise of Cowlitz County and as a board member for The Health Care Foundation of Longview, WA.
When asked about her view of ministry, Rev. McFadden emphasizes inclusivity and action. "I believe that all people are God’s people and all people are worthy," she states. "My ministry is both inside and outside the walls of the church. I am committed to fostering an open, welcoming place for everyone to experience God’s love."
Known for her active, mission-oriented approach, Rev. McFadden looks forward to continuing the church's tradition of service. She values the development of laity, enjoys teaching classes, and places a high priority on pastoral care and building strong connections with families and community members.
Rev. McFadden is joined by her husband, Thomas McFadden. A retired Boeing employee and talented musician, Thomas has actively supported Rev. McFadden’s previous appointments by participating in worship music and providing technical support for audio and video systems.
"I believe we are a team, seeking to live out God's call in our lives," says Rev. McFadden. "I am eager to begin this new chapter with the people of Sequim Trinity and look forward to the work we will do together in service to this community."
Marian Needham
Office Manager/Bookkeeper
Marian brings to her position a diverse background including a degree in graphic arts, followed by years in that occupation, vocational teaching, and several years in various office management positions.
Marian also is the Administrative Assistant at the Sequim Free Clinic. She has lived in Sequim since 1994. A Washington native, Marian enjoys the outdoors, hiking, and gardening, and considers herself blessed to be living in such a beautiful part of the state. She has a son who served in the Air Force and is working in Software Development.
Marian enjoys the opportunity to greet visitors to TUMC weekdays, welcomes the challenges that go with being an office manager, and acknowledges that her job could not be done without the help of wonderful volunteers.
Donna Grubbs
Accompanist
In addition to her Music Director responsibilities, Donna is also one of our pianists. As Musical Director, she works with a very talented and caring staff planning the music for the worship services. In short, she helps to “pull things together and tie up loose ends.” As pianist, she plays the piano for worship services, accompanying Trinity Singers, soloists, and other instrumentalists.
Growing up in Missouri, Donna remembers always being surrounded by music. Her earliest memory of enjoying music began as she listened to her father, grandfather, and uncle play the piano, fiddle, and guitar in a one-room schoolhouse while neighbors square danced. Her first choir experience was being a member of a Junior Choir in the Methodist Church. There were many years of piano lessons throughout elementary and high school, and she studied the pipe organ in college. Donna graduated from the University of Alabama with a major in Home Economics and a minor in Music.
Although Sequim has been their retirement home for the past nine years, Donna and her husband, Randy, previously spent thirty years in Panama as DoDDS teachers and six years in Okinawa, Japan, where Donna taught Home Economics (now called Family & Consumer Science) and elementary school music. All these unique places provided musical experiences, where she served as organist and pianist for many churches; director of children’s choirs; and accompanist for high school choirs; community choirs, and community theater productions.
Rev. Dr. Jerome Wright
Choir Director
Jerry is a local boy. Born and raised in the Everett/Mukilteo area, he excelled in music at an early age. His first public performance was on his mother’s local radio program, where, at the age of five, he sang “White Christmas.” Jerry received most of his musical education at the University of Washington.
He thought he was going to be a high school band and orchestra director; however, his first job – at Mount Vernon High School – had one period of junior band and five periods of choir. He conducted his first adult church choir at the age of sixteen.
An Episcopalian, Jerry has served as a choral conductor in his own denomination as well as Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Disciples of Christ parishes. His last church choir position, prior to his position at Trinity, was as Minister of Music at the University Christian Church in Seattle. While at University Christian Church, he conducted all the Seattle performances of “Missa Gaia” (Earth Mass) with his church choir, the Seattle Oratorio Society (that he founded), and the Paul Winter Consort.
He has studied in master classes with some of the world’s finest choral conductors. For the last twenty-eight years of his official career, he was the Founder and Artistic Director of the renowned Seattle Girls’ Choir (SGC). He toured with the SGC to numerous foreign countries, and won first-prize awards in three international choral competitions.
But wait, there’s more! While at University Christian Church, he discovered a theological school just down the block, and started studying there. One thing led to another, and he was ordained in 1984 with a Doctor of Divinity degree. He is interested in the inner, spiritual aspects of making music, and this education has transformed his musical art in powerful ways. He is reorganizing the Olympic Girls’ Choir in Sequim that he founded in 1998.
Jerry was married to Suzann Worley (also a choral director) and has five children, eight grandchildren, and sixteen great-grandchildren.
Pauline Olsen
Organist
In addition to being the organist, Pauline is also our second pianist. She enjoys collaborating with the music team to plan music for Sunday worship services and special events.
During Lent 2014, she presented seven one-hour organ concerts of traditional and contemporary music, inviting guest musicians and soloists to participate.
Pauline grew up in a parsonage and was tutored by several church organists. She studied pipe organ at Capital University Conservatory of Music, Columbus, Ohio.
Sequim has been Pauline’s home for over twenty years. She and her husband, Walter, moved here after she retired as a Professor of Nursing at Peninsula College, Port Angeles. Walter was an Irish tenor who sang professionally, and Pauline accompanied him on piano and organ. After his death in 2011, Pauline accepted the position of organist at TUMC.
Lois’ Legacy, an exciting TUMC ministry (now in its 10th year!), is named for Pauline’s sister. Lois, who moved to Sequim so Pauline could provide in-home care for her, passed away in December 2012. The mission of Lois' Legacy is to promote self-directed choices for everyone in need of care. See the mission page for more information about Lois’ Legacy.
Lawrence Charters
Sight and Sound Coordinator.
Lawrence manages TUMC's Sight and Sound team, its website, and Internet services.
Lawrence is a retired Internet Projects Manager for NOAA’s National Ocean Service, where he built and managed websites that produced tides and current information, maintained the geospatial reference model that runs GPS systems, published nautical charts and information on the nation’s National Marine Sanctuaries, and dozens of other topics.
He has also been a newspaper editor, magazine editor, photojournalist, college instructor, bookseller, and library technician. He is fond of penguins and puffins 🐧.
With degrees in Far East Asian history, he has edited a newspaper and two journals, worked as a librarian, managed a bookstore, and taught college courses in History, Political Science, Philosophy, English Literature, and Computer Science. He is currently working on several writing and photography projects.