Pastor of Caring Ministries
Susan Kintner was born and raised in Port Angeles, Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula in a temperate rain forest. She was the youngest of four and only daughter. She grew up seeing the ocean every day, eating fresh salmon and crab often, skiing, sailing, hiking, rowing, watching birds, learning about the fascinating creatures in tide pools, stargazing and riding the ferry to Victoria, B.C. She was baptized, confirmed and ordained at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Port Angeles. She celebrated her 40th anniversary of ordination this past June.
She graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma in 1975 and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, California, in 1980, including one year of Clinical Pastoral Education. She interned in Pontiac, Michigan.
She was ordained June 22, 1980, the 63rd woman in the American Lutheran Church (a predecessor church body to the ELCA) which voted to ordain women in 1970. Her first call was Grace Lutheran in Palo Alto, California. After 18 months as a hospital chaplain in San Francisco, she then served St. Luke, Portland, and began at St. Andrew October 1999 in a half time position. From 2007-2019 she served as Assistant to the Bishop for the Oregon Synod, working with congregations in transition as they called new pastors, driving 1200 – 1500 miles a month.
Susan is the mother to two brilliant sons, Bif and Kris.
Susan loves good books, especially murder mysteries, bird watching, and collage. She serves on the Board for the Grunewald Guild near Leavenworth, Washington. It is a retreat center dedicated to the intersection of Art, Faith, and Community.
She is single-handedly saving the USPS by sending mail often.
She appreciates this invitation to assist St. Andrew in this time of staff changes and with the pandemic. After 14 years away, she looks forward to listening carefully again.