Nathan lives in Coupeville, Washington which is on Whidbey Island. He lives there with his wife Erin, three of his four children, five cats, and a dog. He has been in Washington since 2006. He grew up mainly in Pittsburgh, PA, attending the Pittsburgh New Church School for elementary school. He attended High School at the Academy of the New Church in Bryn Athyn, PA. He’s also lived in Tucson, AZ and the San Fransico Bay Area.

Nathan previously served in the Air Force as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technician and went on two tours to Afghanistan. He is currently a Transportation Specialist working primarily on planning for bicycle and pedestrian facilities in Snohomish County. He has previously served on the Light for Life (Seattle) New Church board.

Nathan is the Chair of the Board and one of the two representatives for the Puget Sound circle. His term ends July of 2028.

Mary and her husband have recently downsized from a large three generation home and acreage to temporary quarters in a small home in Birch Bay WA, now living with the Salish Sea just steps away and the Canadian border only 5 miles to the north.  Four of  her grown children live nearby in southern BC Canada and the other lives in Tokyo Japan.  Her spouse is pastor Glenn Alden who is practicing being retired.  They have lived and served the New Church in three corners of the US, in northern BC Canada, in Australia, and most recently in South Africa.  Mary has friends all over the world but is delighted to be living out the rest of this life near the Salish Sea and considers this area and the Cascadia New Church her home.  

Mary is a registered nurse retired from a varied career spanning 48 years.  She received her education at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia PA and at the University of Northern British Columbia.  The last 15 years or so of her employment were largely spent doing quality and process improvement in both acute care and home health.  She brings her skills of data collection and analysis, process facilitation, and change management to the board.

Mary is the Vice-Chair of the Board and the representative for the North Cascadia circle. Her term ends July of 2028.

Julie lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada with her husband Mark and their 3 children. Julie was born in Taipei, Taiwan and grew up in the Vancouver area before leaving to study at the University of Waterloo in Ontario. She alternated between living in Waterloo for school and Ottawa for work placements before returning to Vancouver in 2005 with a master’s in industrial and organizational psychology.

Julie has 10 years of leadership experience in human resources and is currently working part-time as a freelance HR professional while she and Mark raise their young family. They have attended Vancouver worship services put on by visiting General Church in Canada ministers since 2007.

Julie has volunteer experience helping local non-profits carry out cultural, community and youth activities. She enjoys traveling, tending her small urban garden and cheering her children on.

Julie is the Secretary of the Board and a representative-at-large. Her term ends July of 2028.

Terry is married to Rev. Philip Schnarr and together they raised their five children in the Toronto and Bryn Athyn Church congregations.  She has been passionate about worship music and church outreach.  Shortly after they moved to Bryn Athyn in 1993, Terry became directly involved in the music program and went on to serve as Principal Organist from 2000 – 2023.  In this capacity, she had many administrative duties and collaborated frequently with ministers and congregants. 

For 12 years Terry co-chaired the Bryn Athyn Church Outreach Committee which explored numerous aspects of church growth and implemented many improvements to worship and visitor services.  She retired in June of 2023 and moved to Whidbey Island, Washington with Phil and their son James.  She is enjoying living closer to her children and participating in Cascadia New Church activities.

Terry is one of the two representatives for the Puget Sound circle. Her term ends July of 2028.

Joy grew up in Hawaii, graduated from Pomona College, and taught fourth grade in Southern California for seven years before deciding to pursue psychology. She earned her PhD in counseling psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and later moved to Eugene, Oregon. There, she worked with college students at the University of Oregon, followed by working with teens at a school district's health center. Currently, Joy is happily semi-retired and running a private practice working with adults, where she finds deep meaning in listening to, accompanying, and inviting positive change with others through life’s harder places. Outside of her practice, Joy enjoys tending to her expanding garden, playing tennis, and spending time with her wonderful, smart and helpful dog, Gretta. 

Joy Lum is the representative for the Southwest Cascades Circle. Her term ends July of 2028.

Diane has lived on Whidbey Island for the past 10 years. She loves the Pacific Northwest. Before that she lived in so many places in America that it is hard to count. She is a mother of four awesome children and 13 amazing grandchildren.

Over the years, Diane has been a member of various General New Church congregations, including the Pittsburgh New Church (where she grew up), Sunrise Chapel in Tucson, AZ, and Light for Life New Church in Seattle, WA. Diane is currently a member of Cascadia New Church. She is delighted to serve on the board again. 

Diane has been a long time reader of the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. She is happy to be part of a group of people who desire to grow spiritually and share New Church teachings with others. 

Diane Howard is a representative-at-large. Her term ends July of 2028.

Aaron Rose lives in Mount Shasta, California, at the base of the second-highest peak in the entire Cascade Range. Son of a Swedish father and Norwegian mother, he was born and raised in Minnesota, graduated from a Lutheran high school, and received a BA in Religion from a Lutheran college. Working for Christian ministries in the areas of computers and publishing, he has lived near Washington, DC; Dallas, TX; Los Angeles, CA; Portland, OR; and Seattle, WA. 

Aaron served for a year as a youth minister and helped start a couple of churches, including a Messianic Jewish congregation. With a former wife (now deceased) who was an RN, he had a Wellness Practice utilizing Energy Medicine. In late 2025 he learned about the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg and immediately became an avid student. His days are filled with gratitude as he embraces the regeneration process, enjoys meeting more and more of his Church family, seeks to be of useful service, and looks forward to eternity with his beloved partner, Violet, who has gone on ahead but still remains very much connected with him.

Aaron Rose is a representative-at-large. His term ends July of 2028.