Mark Nilson, Senior Pastor

Mark began his ministry as Senior Pastor at First Covenant in August of 2005 following his tenure as Senior Pastor of the Evangelical Covenant Church of Batavia, Illinois. Previous posts include churches in Illinois and New Jersey. While doing graduate work in Chicago he served as a chaplain with St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, Illinois.

Mark has served the community and denomination in a variety of capacities having served as board member and officer of Kirkridge Retreat Center in Bangor, PA, chair of Covenant World Relief - the disaster and relief arm of the Evangelical Covenant Church, representative on the Management Advisory Committee for The Holmstad of Batavia, IL. Currently, Mark is a member of the Board of Directors for Covenant Retirement Communities serving also as Board Representative to the Diversity Task Force.

Mark and his wife Robin, an Interior Designer with Baker, Knapp and Tubbs live in Seattle with their son Chase. Their oldest son Aaron is a junior at North Park University in Chicago.

Carolyn L. Poterek, Associate Pastor

Carolyn is a native of Northbrook, Illinois, and a graduate of North Park University in Chicago where she received her BA in Secondary Education. Carolyn was a middle school Spanish and Social Studies teacher in Long Grove, IL before she began serving in full-time ministry. While completing her graduate studies, Carolyn worked as a chaplain at Evanston Northwestern Hospital and as the Youth and Children's Director at the Covenant Church of Hinsdale. After receiving her M.Div Carolyn moved to Salem, OR, where she served as a Youth Pastor at Trinity Covenant Church. She feels honored to be joining in the ministry at First Covenant. Carolyn is currently serving on the ECC Commission for Compassion, Mercy and Justice, the North Pacific Conference Youth Commission and assists as an advisory board member for the Center of Youth Ministry Studies at North Park University.

Joel Ulrich, Choral Director

Choral Director and Organist Joel Ulrich began playing organ at 1st Covenant in the fall of 2005. He received his BA in Music Education from Seattle Pacific University in 1969 and studied Choral Conducting at UW during his fifth year. He spent 39 years as Choral Director and Music Department Chair at Bellevue Christian High School and has served in a musical capacity at several different churches in the Pacific Northwest. He has been the State ACDA H.S. Repertoire & Standards Chair since 2005. He and his wife, Linda, have 5 grown children.

It was said of Olaf Christiansen, conductor of the St. Olaf Choir and son of its founder: "Throughout the years, Olaf's main objective with the St. Olaf Choir was to present sacred music sung beautifully, without distraction, so the listeners would be sensitized to the Holy Spirit's message. This he saw as Kingdom work and his calling on earth."(2) "Song" is the Lord's gift to His people. 1st Covenant is a local community of His people. Our work in music at 1st Covenant is to enable His song to be sung so that His people will respond to Him with heart, mind and soul, i.e. "sensitized to the Holy Spirit's message". — soli Deo gloria!  Ps. 40:3

(2)  Joseph M. Shaw, "The St. Olaf Choir", 1997  

Jeff Wilken, Accompanist/Pianist

Jeff got his first keyboard when he was two and he's been playing ever since. He started writing his own music and improvising when he was eight. He belongs to an alternative, post-rock band, Amnerata, for which he writes music and lyrics, plays the keyboard and guitar, and sings. Jeff's other interests include creative writing, learning languages, traveling, and coffee. He has served as accompanist/pianist at First Covenant since January 2009.

Leah Silvieus, Executive Assistant

Leah grew up in Montana and Colorado. In 2007, she graduated with a BA in English Literature from Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington. After graduation and before coming to First Covenant in January 2009, she taught English to middle school students under a Fulbright grant in South Korea and worked as a residential care advocate at a domestic violence shelter in Michigan.

Corbin Sheffels, Caretaker

Corbin Sheffels has been a regular attendee at First Covenant Church, Seattle since September of 2007. He has recently accepted the position of caretaker and will be holding it for the remainder of the summer of 2009. Born and raised in the small farming community of Wilbur, WA, Corbin moved to Seattle to be a student at Seattle Pacific University. He graduated from SPU in 2009 with a degree in English Literature and a secondary teaching certificate. His passion is for youth, particularly middle school students, to whom he plans to teach language arts in the up-coming school year.