La Conner Methodists lose pastor, but the town will keep her

"I love La Conner; I love the church and I love the people." La Conner United Methodist Church Pastor Marcella Baker repeated that phrase often in an interview Saturday.

Her parishioners also repeatedly commented on her great love and her great faith.

"We are extremely happy for her getting ready for retirement; but very sad for our part because she is a fabulous woman and has incredible faith," said parishioner Anita Mesman.

Bill Taylor, a member for nine years said, "She is spot on – the epitome of being a sympathetic pastor ... . She is so supportive when she is dealing with people in the congregation ... . It's going to be a great loss at the end of June."

Baker's last sermon is June 30. Then she heads into retirement after 10 years of serving the community.

She is so warm and personable that I easily fell into calling her Marcella and that fits throughout this piece.

A lifelong Methodist, Marcella decided to devote her life to the ministry in 1980. She and her husband of 55 years, Ken, also a lifelong member of the UMC, shared a love for the ministry together, until his death in 2021. They raised three children, have three grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

After obtaining a B.A. in sociology and a B.A. in religious studies from Arizona State University in 2006, she received her Master of Divinity from Seattle University School of Theology and Ministry in 2011.

After first being appointed by the UMC as an associate pastor of Edmonds UMC in 2012 for two years; she was appointed to the La Conner church in 2014.

Dave Hedlund summed Marcella's tenure up simply: "She has done this community a lot of good – walks the walk and talks the talk – through some tough times."

Having ministered to large metropolitan churches in Phoenix and Mesa, Ariz., "When they told me there was a church available – would you like to drive up to La Conner ... . I said 'Where's that?' It was tulip time. Oh my gosh," she said, "This is the most beautiful place (I had seen) in my whole life. I drove around the church, the parsonage... this was heaven sent."

Marcella bought the church-owned home she had been renting three years later and intends to stay in this little slice of heaven.

So, all is not lost for the people who love her. She is known around town for her volunteer work at Soroptimist International, the Sunrise Food Bank and is a member of the La Conner Firefighters Association.

But before she does more volunteering, she's driving her SUV, purchased years ago from Cindy Vest, a past production manager of Weekly News, on a cross-country trip.

"I am going to drive to Yellowstone and then Mount Rushmore."

From there she will drive to the Washington, D.C., area where she grew up and visit with her husband's relatives and check out museums that have opened since she was last there. She will then head down the East Coast and back to Arizona to see more family and friends.

Marcella must get back to La Conner by October as she is hosting a poet at her parsonage-home during the biannual Skagit Valley Poetry Festival.

"She really loves all her parishioners, her church. Loves everybody like family," observed Alan Mesman.

Paraphrasing Marcella's personal statement, she welcomes and encourages the exploration of faith and spirituality in community, to discover new ways to make Jesus Christ real by helping others share God's love both inside and outside the walls of church.

Thank you, Marcella, for your many years of service to the La Conner community in so many ways. Your beloveds will embrace you on the streets of seemingly heaven-sent La Conner.