by Mary Cropp

It all began with a broken down VW van.

Sara McMahon’s then-boyfriend (later, husband) Keith had car trouble one Sunday morning. Unable to make the drive to the Greenlake church they had been attending, the couple decided to trek up Queen Anne hill to check out a service at Bethany. A few short months later, she was shepherding Bethany’s youth group mission trip to Mexico.

Since that beginning, Sara has filled many roles at the church. She has been a Deacon and has been involved in College and Career Fellowship ministries. She has worked with Bethany’s youth groups for seven years, and has served for the past three and a half years as the Director of Nursery Ministries.

At first , Sara could not quite figure out why she applied for the position since she is also quite busy home schooling her children August (age 9) and Faith (age 6 ½). However, Sara finds it deeply fulfilling to have a role with such clearly defined responsibilities. Her job is to keep Bethany’s three nurseries staffed and smoothly operating – a position made easier by the volunteers who “love the kids so well.” (August notes however, that the job entails “a lot of phone calls and emails.”)

Originally from Coos Bay, Oregon, Sara has worked as a professional actress, is a triathlete, and has walked the Breast Cancer 3 Day numerous times. She also teaches drama classes in a West Seattle educational co-op, is learning to bake bread, hikes, makes jam, and (on those rare occasions when she has a spare moment to herself) also enjoys reading fiction.