Spiritual Leader

Sat., Dec. 16, 2000

Rev. Richard Holmes, pastor of Salem Lutheran Church, 1428 E. Broadway, Spokane.

Background: Holmes, 51, has led Salem Lutheran for a little more than a year.

Previously, the Tacoma native spent more than 14 years at Zion Lutheran Church in Deer Park.

In his 26 years as a pastor, Holmes has served congregations in Marysville and Bainbridge Island, Wash. He also put in a three-year stint as a prison chaplain in Monroe, Wash.

Holmes was ordained in 1974 after graduating from Luther Seminary in Minneapolis. He is currently serving as the dean of the Mount Spokane Cluster of the Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.

Personal: Holmes and his wife, Jill, have been married for 21 years. They have four children. The youngest, Ben, is an 18 year-old senior at Deer Park High School. Jill works with the outreach team at Salem Lutheran.

Quote: “What’s most surprising about Christmas is that most people in the United States believe there is a God, but their experience of God is a lot like Santa Claus, a God that lords over them and judges whether they’re naughty or nice. … Christmas is the surprise of grace. He comes to us in human flesh.”

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.