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Now Voyager by Tom Rimer, New St. A's Parishioner Over the years, I have retained in my consciousness only the title of his film, one of those triumphant melodramas starring Betty Davis from so many years back. But that phrase now comes to mind because my wife Laurence and I feel that, indeed, we are and always have been on a voyage. So we can respond enthusiastically to the views of you at St. Augustine by-the-Sea, expressed in your newsletter, that we are among those who are welcome there "…wherever they are in the spiritual journey." I myself am convinced that the journey of every human being, whether he or she is able or willing to acknowledge it or not, has a central spiritual component. In addition, in our case, a geographical one as well, since we recently moved to Los Angeles from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, when I recently retired from my position as a professor of Japanese studies at the University of Pittsburgh. (I'm teaching this academic year at UCLA). Our church in Pittsburgh, St. Andrew's, in Highland Park, was a remarkable place, and in the some 15 years or more when we were members there, we came to realize, in so many surprising and pleasing ways, that a church family not only can be but is a family, and one that, since it is a chosen family, can lead to mature friendships and an opportunity to make one's personal journey on the basis of study, shared enthusiasms, and understanding friends. Toward the end of our time in Pittsburgh, unfortunately, rifts in that family began to occur as the current troubles in the church developed, many of them emanating from the Diocese of Pittsburgh itself. Before we left, we talked to our rector, who had finished his seminary studies in California, as to what recommendations he might have for a church where our journeys might continue. He mentioned St. Augustine to us, and said that, on the basis of what he heard, it was a parish where the enthusiasms and the commitments of clergy and parishioners alike might provide an encouraging match for us. And within a few months of our attending the recent Friday newcomer's evening, we knew that he was right. I know from my own experience as a teacher that it can be difficult to take a disparate group of people who are unknown to each other and make them feel at home. The best way to do this, I have always been convinced, is to be absolutely straightforward. In that regard, the Rector and Associate Rector, in their description of the church, its history, and the place it might have in our own lives, were so honest and encouraging that our group felt at their ease immediately. Perhaps the most welcoming aspect of the whole two hours was the opportunity to break up into small groups to talk about our own history, our own understandings, in order both to find common threads and to gain some sense of what kind of people our potential fellow parishioners might be. Our discussions were, as I say, straightforward and they were convincing, and our first impressions were confirmed when two present members of the parish told something of their own personal stories. On Sunday, the lunch, film, and discussion completed the process. We are happy indeed to join St. Augustine's: happy, not merely in a superficial way, but because we quickly reached a conviction that our own spiritual journeys, wherever they may take us, will be given sustenance, some measure of joy, and a genuine sense of communion with all the others who make up this remarkable group of people in the parish. "The pleasure," as the hackneyed old expression has it, "is all ours." Copyright © 2007 St. Augustine by-the-Sea
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