Lorraine Watson

I was born into a Quaker family living in Newberg, Oregon and both of my parents came from several generations of Quakers. Growing up we attended Newberg Friends, Piedmont Friends, and Tigard Friends Churches. I attended George Fox College where I got a degree in Biology and a joint degree from Emanuel Hospital as a Medical Technologist. For the next 20 years I worked in hospitals, clinics, and medical laboratories doing a variety of lab tests.

There were a couple of stints when I left the lab for other adventures. The first was a year in Bolivia in South America. For 6 months, I worked in the lab at the Hospital Methodista in LaPaz, Bolivia. Following that, I spent another 6 months as a guest helper with Wycliffe Bible Translators, doing literacy work among the Aymara native peoples on the Altiplano of Bolivia. I loved the opportunity to live and work internationally, learning to know the people, the language, and their culture.

There were several other stints away from the lab, including 3 months working in a clinic in Kealakekua, Hawaii where I was one of only two “haole” people (a person who is not a native Hawaiian, especially a white person). I drove school bus for Salem Academy for a year. I spent a summer working as a volunteer camp counselor in Friends Camps throughout Northwest Yearly Meeting. Finally, I was the church secretary at South Salem Friends Church for a year.

It became clear that I yearned to do some kind of ministry. Not having a clear career path, I decided to go to seminary and see where God would lead. As I began attending classes at Western Evangelical Seminary (now Portland Seminary) I felt like I found my place. No longer did I feel like a square peg in a round hole as I had in the lab. I thrived in classes and found my voice. Realizing that I was not called to counseling ministry and that God had closed the door on missions, I decided to try out pastoral ministry. While a student I volunteered at Mountain View Friends Church in Vancouver, WA. This is where I really came alive. Suddenly I knew what I wanted to do!

Following seminary, I was in Seattle for a few months before going to Spokane, WA as youth pastor for 3 years and then became the interim pastor for 3 years. While in Spokane, I was recorded as a Friends Minister.

In 2000 I moved to Seattle, WA and began as pastor of North Seattle Friends Church. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to pastor at North Seattle. I find this congregation to be amazing in their ability to listen and follow God’s leadings. It is an amazing gift to be able to journey together as we discover what it means to be faithful to those leadings as they unfold before us.

After 20 years as pastor at North Seattle, I retired as of January 2021 and relocated to Olympia, WA where I am attending Olympia Friends Meeting near my home.