The 18th Sunday after Pentecost
September 27, 2026
Good morning
I’m here to talk about my approach to recommitment, as we are in the season of recommitment here at Seekers Church. But before going there, I have been invited to respond to the earlier questions of what brought me to Seekers and how that has impacted my spiritual life. Those questions have been the subject of a series of recent sermons and do relate to recommitment.
Coming to Seekers
Brenda and I finished law school in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1983, and I clerked for a federal judge there for two years. But we were clear that we needed a more international location for our careers and young family, as we had both grown up in Japan as missionary kids. I went to the senior pastor of the progressive church we sometimes attended in downtown Kansas City and asked if he had a church recommendation for us in DC, where I had just landed a job at a big law firm. As I recall, the pastor had only one suggestion – the Church of the Saviour.
Brenda and I had not been in DC long before going to the main ecumenical service of the Church of the Saviour at 2025 Massachusetts Avenue with our daughter Marian, who was not yet a year old. After the CofS service people were friendly enough, but the main message we received from them was clear: “You have a baby; you should go to Seekers Church.” So we did!
Seekers really embraced children and has always been a place where children get lots of individual adult caring and attention, as opposed to being shunted off to children’s programs in many other churches where they are expected to be quiet and unobtrusive.
Our connection at Seekers developed slowly over the months, as Brenda was very busy with a small child and soon pregnant with another, with no local family to assist. Unfortunately, I was not much help, as I regularly had to work 12- or 14-hour days, often 7 days a week, with extensive travel on some cases. When possible, I did make time for church before Brenda and the girls would drop me off at the office on Sundays, in the days before computers at home.
Our older daughter Marian was so painfully shy when young that she would hide under a table when approached. But she was loved and encouraged by adults at Seekers to the point of later participating in front of the entire congregation at times, and became the whole, wonderful person she is today. I am full of gratitude to Seekers, and particularly Suzanna Crumrine, who as a teenager was so close to Marian, and then also to Lauren.
As for me, I distinctly remember an important conversation with Sonya Dyer, the co-founder of Seekers, over a meal at Childe Harold, a favorite restaurant of many and close to 2025. In addition to talking about Seekers, Sonya was very interested in my life and work. When our conversation came to an end, Sonya forthrightly summed up what I had said to her and concluded that she was sure glad that she did not have to do my job! That could have seemed offensive, but coming from Sonya it helpfully opened my mind and got me thinking about whether I was happy doing my job, although it was a long time before I found an escape.
Spiritual Growth at Seekers
Frankly, Brenda and I were both quite agnostic coming out of a Christian boarding school where conservative Christianity was pretty much shoved down our throats during high school. We had a better experience and much more freedom during our college years, although we attended a Baptist school. And during law school we liked the progressive church in Kansas City we sometimes attended. But with children, we felt the need to go back to church for their sakes, and became increasingly regular at Seekers.
What was really pivotal for me in our early years at Seekers was being asked if I would teach a children’s Sunday School class. By that time I was happy attending church, but it was a real test to be asked to teach Christian stories and doctrine to young, innocent, impressionable children! After a fair bit of reflection, I decided I could in good conscience become a Sunday School teacher and that had a significant impact on my own connection with and belief in the Bible and its principles.
Over time, as I became more engaged at Seekers, I began to take a few School for Christian Growth classes. They were meaningful, but a real commitment, as classes were generally 12-weeks long and required occasional cooking as part of the class. I even joined a mission group – Mission Support Group – although it was very difficult to make the meetings on time and my spirit reports often were a quick listing of high and low points in my life scrawled in the back of a taxi in the 10-minutes from my office to church at 2025. My reports were short, but helpful.
With my intense schedule and need to be with Brenda whenever possible, I had no time for men’s events, and didn’t really see the point. That has largely remained true to the present, although as I eventually had more time in my life, I began to appreciate a range of approaches to connect with people in varying ways, including men’s events.
I will confess that I was also rather slow in understanding the value of silent retreats at Dayspring. Initially, I was hesitant both because of having too little time to be with my family during the hard years of intense work, and also because I had the perception that a silent retreat would be tedious and burdensome. I imagined having to pray on my knees all weekend long. It was Doug Dodge who radically changed my understanding when he reported that he had been so tired going into a recent retreat at Dayspring that he’d slept almost the entire time – what a shift in perspective! I now love silent retreats – both when I pray and when I sleep or spend time in nature there. I was chagrined to find after I agreed to preach today that it was in fact Seekers’ autumn silent retreat at Dayspring.
Another element I attribute to Seekers that has been critical to my spiritual life is regular journaling. Over the years, I have noticed a high degree of correlation between not journaling and feeling like my life is a mess or out of control. I’m not sure that there is actual causation, but it very often seems so. Thus, I’ve long had a principle of journaling at least one line each day, which if I can do it, will generally lead on to more. The challenge is to begin.
Support from a spiritual companion has been another benefit of being at Seekers. I have much appreciated the various companions and guides I have had over the years. They have been generous and wise in responding to periodic spirit reports in which I try to describe the state of my life and spirit. It’s a practice that has been very meaningful over the years.
Related to this, my mission groups – Broken & Beloved and now Earth & Spirit – over the past 20 years or so have had retreats, generally at Still Point for weekends twice each year. A central element of the retreats has been for each member to share for an hour, with feedback or questions from the group if desired by the sharer. This process is very bonding for the group and has been very helpful when I have been at decision points or dealing with difficulties in my life.
Looking Forward
My declining health in recent years – and I’m now only 68 – has come somewhat as a shock. I have tried to be forthright with Seekers as things have unfolded, from loss of eyesight in one eye, to Parkinson’s and epilepsy, to my recent problems with Restless Leg Syndrome. As my newest malady, I’ll just mention that Restless Leg sounds rather benign in the scheme of things, but has been very intrusive in my life in recent months, keeping me from sleep many nights. I’m now on the first week of medication, but it is not the magic bullet I’d first hoped it would be.
I have tried to take what comes calmly, but relentless aches and pains can sometimes be crazy-making and have impacted my ability to engage in useful ways at Seekers and elsewhere. Just about a year ago, last September 30, I formally retired from my DC hearing officer position. I had intended to find new meaningful pursuits in retirement, preparing by reading Marjory’s book on Call in retirement, along with others.
But one year into retirement I have not been able to do much more than take care of my health it often seems, with increasing daily efforts required to address increasing maladies. I still hope things will improve and reach a steady state, so have not given up. I am currently in Marjory’s Call class at Seekers. But for now it seems that family is where I am most called. My 4-year-old grandson Vander is very important to me, who I look forward to connecting with as he grows up, along with supporting and loving my larger family.
All of which brings me back to the initial question of recommitment to Seekers Church in 2026.
Recommitment
We are in the season of recommitment at Seekers Church, during which we are each invited to examine our relationship with Seekers and decide whether to recommit for another year as Members or Stewards.
This is a very different approach from most churches, where once a person becomes a member they may linger on the rolls for years or decades, long after their connection to the church may have faded or ended altogether. At Seekers, following the CofS tradition, every year is a fresh start and we consider what that means for us individually as followers of Christ, as well as a church.
I do like this approach of signing on for one year at a time and the seriousness that Seekers brings to the decision each year. The significant focus by Celebration Circle helps us be conscious and intentional about the decision to recommit, with reflection questions and often some tangible memento at the end of the process to remind us of our commitment.
Importantly, among other things prior to recommitment, Seekers are invited to spend an hour in the Seekers sanctuary (or a similar place) praying about the decision. Although I’ve always been quite confident going into the process that I will recommit, I do regularly spend my hour in prayer, which is generally the only solid hour of prayer that I have each year. The hour is almost always quite meaningful to me as I pray for the people I am close to, for those I should be closer to, and for Seekers Church. At the end of my hour, which I regularly spend in the darkened sanctuary with a single candle on the altar, I wonder why I don’t spend full hours in prayer at other times.
Conclusion
As we approach recommitment Sunday on October 18, all current Stewards will be asked at the October Stewards meeting about their intention to recommit and continue on as Stewards. As I have every year since I first became a Steward some 30 years ago, I plan to recommit.
I will recommit because of the Christian love at Seekers for each other and the larger world.
I will recommit because of the values and principles that we share at Seekers.
I will recommit because of the support and encouragement of Seekers for me to be my authentic self.
I will recommit because of the opportunities for engagement and service at Seekers.
And I will recommit because you are my family and I love you.
AMEN.