Pepper Swanson

Pepper Swanson is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ. She holds a MDiv from the Pacific School of Religion and a Masters of Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government. Pepper was born in Portland, Oregon and was raised there with her three siblings by her parents. After graduating from David Douglas High School, she attended Willamettte University and earned a B.A. in Political Science. Following her degree, she explored a career in law and politics before deciding to attend the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. After completing her Master's Degree in Public Policy, she worked for about twenty years in local and regional government in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2007, she and her family joined Eden United Church of Christ (Eden UCC). After serving as a liturgist and lay preacher, Pepper decided she wanted to know more about the Bible and theology, particularly from a progressive perspective. She completed a Certificate of Ministry Studies in 2009 at the Pacific School of Religion (PSR) in Berkeley, CA. After a ministry internship at her home Church, Pepper enrolled in PSR's Masters of Divinity program. After completing her degree, including an internship at San Carlos Community UCC in San Carlos, CA, Pepper was called to be the Associate Minister of Education, Spiritual Life, and Outreach at Eden UCC. In 2023, after serving 16 years at Eden UCC as a volunteer, preacher, & Associate Minister, Pepper retired to write and travel with her husband Scott. Her first collection of sermons, Love Like That: Reflections on Scripture & Life, was published in Dec. 2023. Her second collection, This Awesome Place: Old Stories and New Dreams for Life's Journey was published in Nov 2024.