Pastor Susie Beil
email: susie@summitave.net
Rev Dr Susie Beil has been our lead pastor at Summit Avenue since August of 2012. She is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and holds a Master of Divinity from Princeton Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Seminary. In an earlier life, she also earned a Masters in Environmental Health from the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Science from Gonzaga University. Pastor Susie has served on the Kitsap County Council for Human Rights and currently serves as a Commissioner for the Bremerton Housing Authority. She also participates with the Kitsap ERACE Breaking Bread for Racial Justice faith leaders team.
In addition to leading the congregation in worship and discipleship, Pastor Susie is also available by appointment to meet with individuals and couples for pastoral care, prayer, and counseling. A certified facilitator for the SYMBIS pre-marriage assessment and counseling program, she loves to meet with couples preparing for marriage.
Susie and her husband have lived in Bremerton since 2008 with their three boys. Susie loves reading, cooking, gardening, and spending time with family and friends. As a family, they love the outdoors and enjoy camping and hiking in the glorious Pacific Northwest.
Office & Communications Coordinator & Organist Woody Bernas
email: office@summitave.net
Woody has served as Summit’s principal organist since 2009, practicing weekly with the adult choir and leading the congregation in joyful worship. Woody added to his list of duties at Summit Ave by becoming the Office Coordinator in January, 2020.
When not glued to his office chair or an organ bench, his favorite seat is the saddle of his Harley-Davidson motorcycle!
Rachel Lewis
Summit Kids Lead
email: rachel@summitave.net
Children are my favorite people to work with. They are creative and surprising, joyful and engaging, playful and innocent. And even when a child has endured hardship, there is something about connecting with a child, playing with them, helping them to label their feelings, and offering them a safe place to belong that is both humbling and gratifying.
As a parent, I know what it’s like getting frazzled each Sunday, rushing to make it to church on time, but someone can’t find their shoe, and another kid just had a poopy diaper, and there doesn’t seem to be any time for you other than grabbing a quick coffee on the way out.
When you bring your kids to Summit Ave, you want them to be loved and valued as you love and value them. And that is exactly my hope: to create an environment through caring volunteers who will treat your children with dignity and wonder; who will allow your children to be curious, ask questions, play, and have autonomy while being embraced in community; who will remind your children through action and tone that God loves them, unequivocally and without exception.