My spiritual growth has been a slow journey along a bumpy road instead of one involving a spectacular epiphany.
I was baptized in the Episcopal Church and attended Episcopal Services most all my life. I was well immersed in the Episcopal Tradition. My Father went to Episcopal Seminary later in life after interrupting a successful business career. There was a period beginning with college when I was evaluating my beliefs that I didn’t attend except when I visited my Father’s Church.
When I moved to Long Beach California to work for McDonnell-Douglas, I knew I had faith in God and I started attending a small mission church in the middle of LA County. I was in the choir, was on the Bishop’s committee as a Junior Warden, was Treasurer for a year and was sponsored at Cursillo. Then after a change in Vicars and what I considered a spiritual deterioration, I moved to a bigger church in Long Beach, St, Gregory’s. I was on the Vestry, was a Junior Warden and occasionally ushered. I did enjoy briefly playing on the church softball team but towards the end of my stay there I felt somewhat forsaken.
When I first visited St. Dunstan’s after I had been hired by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in Everett, I was accepted with open arms and felt that I had found a new spiritual home. I devoted most of my time and effort to my work at Boeing, which I considered my calling in life, but was on the Vestry when Father David was called, and felt we had called a real winner.
Under Father David’s spiritual leadership, I have definitely grown in Faith. I volunteered to become a Eucharistic Visitor and, shortly thereafter, Father David asked me to be a Eucharistic Minister. Those two activities have caused me to grow in faith and service to the church the most. I have also benefitted by attending a discipleship meeting hosted by Fr. David where I was introduced to the Theology of N.T. Wright. As a result of the discipleship meetings, I now read the psalms, verses and prayers in the book Hour by Hour published by Forward Day by Day most every morning. The teachings of N.T. Wright I have been exposed to have matured my understanding of God’s gift of Jesus Christ to the world. And, I have established a Rule of Life which I mostly follow from the teachings of Father David, Mother Catharine and the Society of St. John the Evangelist. I have never been more devout as I am now but still have more learn.
Ed. Note: Chris currently serves in several ministries: Care Teams, Community Dinners, Eucharistic Minister and Visitor. He also is the Ushers Captain, serves on the Organ Committee, and helps maintain our campus.