The 15th Sunday after Pentecost
September 6, 2026
The opportunity Seekers has given this Summer Season has special meaning for me. My decision to attend Seekers has been foggy from the start. This exercise has given me the opportunity to figure some things out.
First, I want to describe my life history because I found that helps me understand. I know I am a believer in God, Jesus, and the Holy One. Never have I questioned this strong belief. I was born into a Lutheran Church family my father was a pastor. My mother was a fulltime mother when I was young. She returned to teaching after the birth of my 2 younger brothers. Once I was older, it seemed curious that spiritual rituals like praying at mealtimes, and night time rituals, were all addressed in routine prayers. I knew from other families who had times of spiritual talks together that some families are different. We had no devotions, no discussions, nothing spiritually spontaneous.
Privately I wondered. But that sort of talk was not part of our family interactions. It was our way, so it never occurred to me. Yet at the same time, I had many thoughts and feelings of what I now call spirituality.
At the same time, I was very clear about service, about caring for others. At some point, I learned about social work. After that I would name social work as my goal in life.
My studies reflected that “call” and I earned a Masters’ Degree in Social Work. But I was determined not to be a therapist. No, I wanted to work broadly. Frankly, I was fearful of therapy. By the time I was in graduate school, I was married. My husband was studying at a Seminary to become a Pastor. But he liked the discussions we had about my social work studies.
Soon Neil was applying to graduate school for social work. That led to our first joint work for 2 years in Vietnam as social workers. Then we went to Nigeria after the Biafran War. Ours was a life of social justice with assistance to those whose lives were disrupted by war. Later, after our family was expanded by 2 children, I found work in the U.S. with the Refugee Program, largely refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Refugee work became my career for 32 years.
Before I move to report what I found at Seekers, my life was transformed in the 1990s. My husband asked for a divorce. He took a transfer to work in Thailand, our daughter was graduated from college and beginning to work, our son also a college graduate had decided to join the Peace Corps. After selling our family home, I moved from Chevy Chase to Silver Spring. My church life took a leave of absence.
Then my mother now in her 80s came to live with me in 1994. At first, I lived in an apartment so we found her another apartment in the same building. She had joined an Episcopal Church when she moved to Cooperstown NY. She asked to attend an Episcopal Church and she found Ascension, a nearby church. It was in transition between rectors. Since mother wanted to attend church, I decided to take her. That became a very good church for the two of us. Mother eventually died in 1998. While I had found assisted living for Mom, Bill joined Ascension. It was at Ascension that Bill and I met and married during a Sunday worship in 2000.
The new Priest at Ascension was very good for me. She was from Minneapolis, a Catholic. Her husband had been Lutheran, so they compromised by joining an Episcopal Church. She had been employed in managing Minnesota arts around the State, but then felt called to the priesthood. Her sermons and relationship with me brought me to a beginning awareness of my spiritual nature. Yet, I was recruited into several roles as Mary began organizing the Church. I could not say “No” and she rewarded me with affection and guidance. But I was already managing my mother with dementia and congestive heart failure. The amount of my responsibilities was more than I could handle.
After mother’s death, Mary was thrilled when asked to hold our marriage service during a Sunday worship. That was in 2000. Then talented as she was, she was called to the Diocese to be a resource to the Congregations. Mary, as priest, left Ascension in 2002. After a lot of interim trouble for 4 years, we called a new Priest. The church began to thrive. Yet I did not thrive. I simply didn’t fit the next clergy. I tried and tried, I’m certain I prayed about it. I developed a friendship with another member who was also suffering. But why did this affect us? The church was growing, but we were merely enduring. I thought I needed to adjust to them. And I felt I was wrong to have trouble.
Then I was fortunate to retire at the age of almost 70 in 2011. I knew I needed to replace my refugee work with something similar. I found that I was exhausted from the career I loved, I could not get myself to even volunteer. I looked for other options for my time. The Episcopal Diocese was gearing up to engage with civil rights and the church’s role in segregation. I worked with the Diocesan and Ascension’s antiracism efforts for a couple of years. I helped them begin a work that continues today. But I was missing something. I lost energy for antiracism. I didn’t feel I had the skills for the work.
Another effort I made was to help form the Silver Spring Senior Village. Then I sensed it was more church experience I was seeking. At Ascension, I tried every class available, but nothing satisfied what I was seeking.
A few years later, we joined the Silver Spring Village, now organized and growing. It was there I heard about Seekers’ church and visited.
What have I gained from membership in our Church?
Just one Sunday visit touched me deeply. Never before had I experienced so personal a worship! I told Bill “Every church should be the way Seekers is this morning. I know we should attend the same church, but if life were different, I would attend this church.” Bill looked at me in the eyes and said, “There is no reason we need to attend the same church. It could be important to bring in new church experiences.” It has been so.
At first, I didn’t think about anything but attending. Nor did I want to be active. There were questions that dominated my ponderings. “Why am I here? What am I seeking?” “How do I fit in?” “Why is this Sunday morning special?” “I’m of no use to this Church, I am in my 80s!”
At first, I enjoyed the School of Christian Growth, joined Living Water Mission Group, made friends I see regularly, and attended Sunday Worship. Finally, this last Spring I understood what I was seeking. It was a place to develop my spiritual life, my Inner Journey.
I have learned to respect that I am a spiritual person. Seekers is a place to talk about this and recognize the “Inner Journey” as a necessary companion to the “Outer Journey” of service.
It is necessary for me to recognize and value the spiritual part of who I am. It has been my journey long before I found and attended Seekers. And it is Seekers as a Congregation that has a community where I can develop my spiritual nature.
I also found I need to have some independence in my Inner Journey. For one thing, I have a stack of books on the nature of spirituality waiting to be read. Also I want to increase my understanding of our Hebrew heritage, so I’m registered in the SCG “Introduction to Hebrew Scriptures.”
Another step is to develop relationships outside Seekers. Kolya and I have met a young pastor of the Seventh Day Adventist Church Takoma Park up on Carroll Avenue. He is curious to attend Seekers’ church one day. I will arrange for that along with Kolya. Then I will ask for a meeting with our new Rector at Ascension. Now I am clear in my head enough to explain why I maintain membership in the two churches. I consider these my steps inspired from being a member of Group2 of our “Call To Evolve”.
Thank you, every one of you. I could name those of you I know in particular but I don’t. I don’t because Seekers is a body that helps each of us to become what we already are. We are all part of it. Indeed, I am grateful to have this community as my spiritual home.