Our Staff
Rev. Melissa Ramming - Lead Pastor
Professional HIstory:
Graduated Western WA Univ - BA
Managed Retail Stores
Graduated City Univ. - Master in Public Administration
Graduated Iliff School of Theology—MDiv
Pastor Ocean Shores UMC (5 years)
Ordained & Full Membership PNW Annual Conference
Pastor Lacey: St. Andrews UMC (8 years)
Pastor Puyallup: Light of the Hill UMC (7 years)
Quick Bits:
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Born: Paul’s Valley, OK—I was an army brat until high school; living in Germany for a number of years as well as Washington and Colorado. Never lived in one place for more than 5 years until I went into ministry. I was baptized UM as an infant (same day as my dad was baptized) but never attended a UMC church until High School.
Celebrations: July 2023, I am celebrating 20 years of ministry in the PNW
Hobbies: Jigsaw puzzles, reading, games (board games, cards or online), church humor books or comedians, watching the Seahawks and traveling. I’ve been blessed to travel through Europe, to Ethiopia, the Philippines and across the U.S.
You can reach Rev. Melissa at melissa@wallingfordumc.org
Zachary Martin- Music Director
Zachary Martin has been hired and will soon join WUMC as our music director. Zach aced the audition with our choir, and brings ample experience as both a choir conductor and professional singer.
Having served Tibbetts UMC in West Seattle, and in Lutheran and Presbyterian churches, Zach has a wealth of knowledge about sacred music. Zach sings with the Seattle Opera Chorus and has performed solo work in San Francisco and elsewhere.
We will welcome Zach soon, and in the meantime, special thanks are owed to Jeremy Jennings and Michael Spencer, as well as Kellie McBee, who managed elements of the selection process.
Christopher Taylor -
Director Of Children, Youth & Community Engagement
Christopher was born and raised in an area south of St. Louis before moving from Missouri to the Tacoma area in 2021 with his husband, Shawn, and two cats, Duncan and Ella. He divides his time between work, reading, gardening, exploring Washington and eating pie! While he is still in the process of discerning his Call and what that means in the UMC, he looks forward to adding to his work in ministry, the most recent being as Children's Director of Christian Education with Bethany Presbyterian Church. Christopher has a BS in psychology from Central Methodist University and graduated in 2021 from Eden Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity. If you wish to contact Christopher, his church email is christopher@wallingfordumc.org.
Jessica McClure - Office Manager
Hello my name is Jessica McClure and I am 39 years old. I have been born and raised in the Seattle area my entire life, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I am the proud mother of my 13-year-old daughter Jordyn. She just started her 8th-grade year at Eckstein Middle School, and she makes me more proud every day. I enjoy spending time with my family in my spare time, and scrapbooking. We also really enjoy riding our bikes around Green Lake. My home church is Philadelphia Church in Ballard WA. We have been going there for over 10 years now. I am excited to meet all of you in person soon. I hope to be here at Wallingford for a long time! God bless all of you!