our leadership

Rev. Anita Peebles

Pastor

Rev. Anita Peebles (she/her) has ministered with Seattle First Baptist since 2018, first as Associate Pastor for Next Generation Ministries and now as Pastor. Pastor Anita is originally from Michigan, and came to Seattle after receiving her Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt Divinity School in 2018. She was ordained by Glendale Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee in April 2018. Pastor Anita is passionate about faith formation with children and youth, intergenerational ministry, pastoral care, environmental justice and spiritual retreats. She loves fostering spaces for fellowship and belonging, especially if they are playful and engage the arts. Pastor Anita writes educational curriculum for a variety of denominational resources and she co-authored New Directions for Holy Questions: Progressive Christian Theology for Families (Morehouse 2022). Pastor Anita maintains close relationships with the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America~Bautistas por la Paz, where she served on the Board of Directors for 6 years; the Alliance of Baptists; the Association for Welcoming and Affirming Baptists; and Young Clergywomen International. When she’s not pastoring, Pastor Anita enjoys writing, kayaking, watching movies with her cat, playing the flute, gardening, and traveling with her husband.

Rev. Leigh Curl-Dove

Pastor

Rev. Leigh Curl-Dove (she/her) began her ministry at Seattle First Baptist in October 2023. She is a life-long Baptist, born and raised in Memphis, TN. Leigh attended Baylor University where she earned a B.A. in Religion with a concentration in church history. She then attended Duke University Divinity School where she received a Master of Divinity with a certificate in Baptist Studies and a concentration in preaching. Leigh was ordained by Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, TX in October 2020. Leigh has served in various pastoral roles in churches in Virginia, North Carolina, and Texas. She has also worked in the non-profit world for a refugee resettlement agency. When Leigh dreams of what the Church could and should be, she sees a place that mirrors the kingdom of God, with infinite seats at the table for all people. Her passion in ministry is to work with people to make this a reality, creating space and place for all people’s voices, stories, and experiences. Leigh is a 2024 Fellow with the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. Leigh loves Baylor Lady Bears and Seattle Storm basketball, North Carolina Courage and US Women’s National Team soccer, live music, and spending time outside—hiking, fly fishing, and camping—with her husband Keith and their dog Bells.

Darren Hochstedler

Church Administrator

Darren Hochstedler joined the staff of Seattle First Baptist as our Church Administrator in January 2016. Darren has extensive experience in church and public arts administration, most recently serving as administrator at Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church for 10 years. When not working at SFBC he is the Director of Music for University Lutheran Church and enjoys traveling with his husband of 22 years, John.

Christina Sunstone

Office Manager & Small Groups Coordinator

Christina Sunstone is a Pacific Northwest native with a professional background both in teaching and church administration. She is recently returned from Bratislava, Slovakia, where she lived and taught English at a bilingual high school and became very fond of sheep-milk cheese, Slovak wines, and the sweet, smart, goofy students she taught there. Christina manages the SFBC office and supports and coordinates small group ministries, which have been an important part of her own faith journey.

Ben Luedcke

Minister of Music

Ben Luedcke has served Seattle First Baptist as the Minister of Music since the fall of 2017. In addition to directing the choir, Ben coordinates special music, sings and plays guitar in service, and promotes congregational singing. Ben coordinates the musical outreach of the church with events that serve the community and raise money for non-profits fighting for justice. He is currently finishing his Doctorate of Musical Arts at University of Washington, studying with Dr. Geoffrey Boers and Dr. Giselle Wyers, and he has held teaching positions in the choral, musicology, and English departments. Ben also serves as the Artistic Director of the Bellevue Chamber Chorus and the Masterworks Choral Ensemble.

Before moving to Washington, Ben was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Monmouth College and also served as faculty at Grinnell College. Ben is known in Madison, Wisconsin for several of his startup organizations: he was the co-founder and director of Voces Aestatis, a Wisconsin-based professional choir that specialized in the a cappella repertoire of the sixteenth century. Likewise, Ben was the founder and artistic director of Madison Summer Choir, a community chorus that performed large orchestral works. Ben completed his Masters of Arts in choral conducting at the University of Iowa and he holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In his free time, Ben enjoys the rainy PNW weather, science fiction, and hiking with his dog.

Christian J. Broughton

Organist & Communications Manager

Born in Tacoma, WA, Christian J. Broughton was reluctant for many years to learn the art of organ playing. Though he grew up hearing a number of great pipe organs, he was content to keep his musical training focused on the piano. He began his studies in piano at age 5 in the Suzuki program at the University of Puget Sound, eventually studying in more traditional methods with Annette Klover and later JoAnn Geller in Rome, NY. It was not until he started his studies at Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester that he finally gave in to learning a second keyboard instrument. There, he studied organ with Dr. Dianne Maynard-Christensen, piano with Julie Runion, and graduated in 2012 with a B.S. in Graphic Design and Photography with a minor in music. He then went on to become Director of Music at Zion Episcopal Church in Rome, NY, and began what became 7 important years of organ study with Steve Best in Utica. In 2016, he additionally took on the role of organist and choir director at First Baptist, Rome. From 2017 to 2022, he served as Director of Music at Christ Church, Episcopal in Cooperstown, NY. Moving back home to the Pacific Northwest in 2022, he has now taken on the dual roles of Organist and Communications Manager at Seattle First Baptist Church. Christian also serves as a committee member of the Special Projects Advisory Commission (SPAC) for the Seattle chapter of the American Guild of Organists (AGO).

Dick Steele

Facilities Manager

Dick Steele settled in the Seattle area after serving in the Army and being stationed at Fort Lewis. He started working at SFBC in 2014 as part-time maintenance and event staff before becoming the Facilities Manager. Dick has a background as a vocalist having served in the position in the Army Band for 2 of his 4 years in South Korea and on rare occasions will sing during worship.

Chase McAdams

Caretaker

Stephenie Simmons

chef

Absinthe Zimmerman

sound & video technician

Council of Ministries

Autonomy of the local church is one of the cornerstones of a Baptist church. The congregation makes major decisions for the church by vote—approving each year’s budget, calling a new pastor, and approving members to serve on the Council of Ministries. The Council of Ministries works to lead the church in upholding our commitment to following the way of Jesus by loving and caring for each other and our neighbors. The Council works directly with the pastors and the church administrator to make smaller-scale decisions on behalf of the congregation. We are deeply grateful for their commitment to Seattle First Baptist and the ways they lead the congregation in following Christ’s way of love and justice in our neighborhood, city, country, and world.

Sue Ross, President
David Greenhow, Vice President
Bob Sittig, Secretary
Roger Garratt, Treasurer
David Young
Daryl de la Cruz
Erin McGlenn
Joanne Wright