This I Believe

This I Believe: Lisa Hull (2023)

Good morning! My name is Lisa Hull, and my pronouns are she/her. I am very honored to share my story with all of you today. My first introduction to this church was virtual. I started watching services online in January 2021 and became a member in May 2022. It had been over 25 years since I had attended a church. I grew up in Michigan, in a conservative Christian, middle class family. Church on Sunday and Wednesday nights was a given. My experience with religion and church is complicated. Whenever people ask me what my religious background is, I say that I am a mutt. Growing up, my...

This I Believe: Sharon Gooch (2023)

Good Morning. My name is Sharon Gooch. My Pronouns are she/her. I first found my way to this church in the spring of 2015. I had been seeing a therapist for depression and anxiety for a couple of months. I talked to her about how, as I worked to understand and sort out my feelings, my behavior and actions were hurting people that I loved. I talked to her about how alone I felt. She suggested that I “find a community” and recommended that I check out this church. So I dutifully attended every Sunday for several months that spring. I sat in the back pew, trying to blend in the pillar, and...

This I Believe: Jeff Ranta (2023)

I like to start with my own spiritual journey. My father is agnostic and my mother was Lutheran. I didn’t attend church beyond 6th grade. My mother posted spiritual, uplifting statements around the house. My father is a recovering alcoholic of 45 years whose main spiritual practice is the Serenity Prayer that he still lives today at age 94. In college I was a YMCA camp counselor, and guided canoe trips in the BWCA and Canada, often carrying a bible, seeking a spiritual life. I grew spiritually in nature leading teens through the wilderness. My spirituality was very open, free of church...

This I Believe: Ginny Johansen (2023)

Hello, my name is Ginny Johansen. My pronouns are she/her. Here’s my situation: I have Glioblastoma with a few months left. This is not a death sentence. It’s a gift! This gives me enough time to: Tell people how much they mean to me, Get my affairs in order, Do a few bucket list things (Native American Museum in Washington DC, Say goodbye. There are only 2 things I believe, everything else is just theories and questions: God is love Love never dies I consider myself a happy agnostic. I don’t believe God can be fully known or defined by our finite, limited minds, labeled, or put in a box...

This I Believe: Teal Bassett (2023)

Good morning! What an honor it is to be in front of my congregation – I have so much respect for this space and all of you, so thank you for this opportunity to tell you a little about who I am and my spirituality. My childhood was very normal. My mom’s main role was caretaker of the household while my fathers was working outside the home. I have two siblings – I’m in the middle – we grew up in Stillwater, where I still reside today. My parents didn’t take us to church and were not interested in raising their children in a religious environment. However, my maternal and paternal...

This I Believe: Dick Grant (2022)

Good morning. My name is Dick Grant and I was a member here for 23 years until we moved to Oregon. In 1995 I presented my “This I Believe,” and was asked if I would be willing to do it again. I grew in many ways while here, and feel it was a most enlightening time in my life. Since then we’ve loved being out here in Oregon near lots of grandkids, and until Covid, things were going great. But during the Covid years I was diagnosed with ALS in December 2020 and I wanted to share my story with you. As you might know, ALS is a fatal disease – progressive. I grew up in Mitchell, South Dakota with...

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