Lee Carney Hartman, the new minister at Fall City Methodist Church, didn’t take the most direct route to her new position.

For her, though, it was the perfect one to take.

When Hartman first set out to make her way in the world, it was as a newspaper reporter. Somewhat shy, but eager to see the world and experience life, Hartman saw reporting as a way to break out of her shell.

“Journalism was a great way to get out there,” Hartman said.

She began writing in New York but found it to be a tough place to get ahead. So, setting out on what she calls her “adult quest,” Hartman headed west to wherever she could find work as a reporter, hitting Seattle in the early 1980s and eventually Alaska, where she worked for the Kodiak Daily Mirror and also met her husband.

While Hartman enjoyed journalism, telling people’s stories and informing her readers, she also yearned for something else, something more personally meaningful.

“My own voice wanted to speak as well,” Hartman said.

She decided to leave the reporting field and turn her attention toward teaching after earning a master’s degree in education from the University of Washington.

Hartman taught at both the middle school and high school levels, instructing in English, Spanish, reading, and language and social arts. For a time, she taught at Chief Kanim Middle School in Fall City.

During her various careers and academic pursuits, though, Hartman had long nourished a spiritual side. While lending support to friends and family members in 12-step programs, Hartman began to hunger for more of the spiritual community she felt at those meetings and decided to find an outlet for her faith.

“I didn’t grow up with an appreciation for organized religion,” Hartman said. She came to realize that a church setting could be the community she was looking for. She discovered the Sammamish Congregational United Church of Christ in Issaquah and began attending services, taking part in Bible study and filling leadership roles within the church. It was the beginning of the third act of her adult life.

From there, she went on to associations with the Snoqualmie United Methodist Church and the Mercer Island United Methodist Church. At Mercer Island, Hartman became involved in a joint youth ministry and was encouraged to go to seminary.

Hartman received a master’s degree in transformational spirituality from Seattle University and is currently working on a master’s of divinity at the same university.

This past July, Hartman was assigned to Fall City Methodist Church, a post she was more than happy to take.

“I adore the community at Fall City,” Hartman said. “It’s a really beautiful collection of people.”

Hartman has a deep appreciation for the Fall City church and the work it does, such as serving as the Fall City Community Food Bank, the offices of the local historical society, and its youth ministry at Echo Glen Children’s Center. She looks forward to whatever the posting has in store for her and the works she can accomplish while there.

“I adore the people and I enjoy the tasks,” Hartman said.