Bishop’s Cross Award
Linda Snider
Ascension, Seattle

“The Good News is…” will be part of every conversation one has with Linda Snider.

It’s how Linda perceives creation and our place in it. Despite the enormity of cruelty and suffering that we face – from the loss of loved ones to cancer to war and natural disasters – Linda looks for the good news and carries on, bearing her personal burdens quietly while joyfully offering her gifts to spread God’s tender mercies.

Linda’s major contributions to the church, specifically, have been in financial ministry – as Treasurer at both St Paul’s and Church of the Ascension in Seattle, and most recently as consultant for St Luke’s. Often, Linda has been called to apply her skills (and formidable patience!) during challenging times of transition – between rectors, new software programs, and audits. She’s spent countless hours over many years working to make accounting systems reliable and relatable – to shape transparent financial records systems for her congregations. These aren’t showy tasks. Most folks likely have no idea of the “behind the scenes” effort required to keep a church’s financial records in order – until they’re not! Fortunately, for the churches she’s served, Linda is not a showy kind of gal and doesn’t need public accolades to continue to do her very best in this essential work.

Having stepped aside from financial duties at Ascension, Linda now applies her talents to being a Licensed Eucharistic Minister and leading the Eucharistic Ministry Team. She is deeply committed to delivering the bread, wine, and Word to those unable to leave their homes. Again, a quiet yet vital ministry that often goes “unseen” by most of us.

Linda is a woman who has devoted her life to earnestly trying to be Jesus’s “hands and feet in this world” – with quiet and loving determination, in different church settings, stepping up to serve whenever called – and that indeed is “good news.”

It is my honor to award Linda Snider with the Bishop’s Cross.