Good stories, great sermons

Published 7:00 am Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Don and Lynnea Mayer are honored by Seattle University

Gail Crouch always forgave Don Mayer for his digressions.

While the two co-taught at Seattle University’s School of Theology and Ministry for five years, Crouch often marveled at Mayer’s wealth of knowledge and his passion for the United Church of Christ.

Indeed, as a former pastor, teacher and – along with his wife Lynnea – an experienced globetrotter, Mayer’s past was a welcome source of classroom material.

“I always chuckled when Don would hear something and say ‘that reminds me of this time in…,’” Crouch said. “He was so eager to engage the students in a dialogue which is so important to bringing up the next generation of ministers.”

Both Crouch and Mayer retired from teaching this year, but Mayer’s influence will live on at the school for years to come following the creation of a new scholarship.

The Don and Lynnea Mayer United Church of Christ Endowed Scholarship will support graduate students at Seattle University’s School of Theology and Ministry, with a preference given to members of the United Church of Christ.

The school was founded in 1997 as one of the country’s few ecumenical colleges, combining 10 Protestant denominations with Roman Catholicism as part of a curriculum that aims to bridge the various religious sects.

A team of donors have raised $50,000 and are seeking matching funds to create a scholarship in the Mayers’ name.

Don, who taught at the school until March, also chaired the advisory board there for six years.

“It was a total surprise and such a high honor,” he said. “If you’d have told me 15 years ago that this was going to happen I’d have said ‘you’re out of your gourd.’”

But according to Academic Development Officer Sarah Perry, the honor is well deserved.

“Don was instrumental during the school’s formative years,” Perry said. “He really helped galvanize our efforts and has been a long-term, passionate supporter of the work we do here.”

For the Mayers, the honor coincides with another milestone, their 50th wedding anniversary, which the couple will celebrate next month.

Their life together is a melding of family and faith that began at Elmhurst College in Illinois, where the two met more than half a century ago.

Don, a senior at the time, joined a welcoming committee for the incoming freshman class, of which Lynnea was a member.

His cordiality with Lynnea turned into a lifetime commitment, but not before Don’s post-graduation trip to India and China as a member of the World Consul of Churches put oceans between the couple shortly after their engagement.

“We wouldn’t recommend it,” they said with a chuckle, of enduring 11 months apart so early in their relationship.

Still, they persevered, were married and eventually had three children, Tim, Sarah and Peter.

The Mayers lived in St. Louis for 14 years while Lynnea taught pre-school and Don was a pastor. Then, after returning to Illinois, the couple decided to follow their grown children to the Northwest.

Don was pastor at a church in Wenatchee for one year before they made the move to Eagle Harbor Congregational Church in 1986. They’ve been rooted on the island ever since, despite Don’s retirement from the church 10 years ago.

As is typical of retiring pastors, the Mayers moved to a new congregation in Seattle, but still live here and enjoy being a part of the island community.

“We loved Bainbridge Island immediately,” Lynnea said. “This is where we owned our first home.”

Though the Mayers’ continued volunteerism and involvement with their new congregation has remained a source of enrichment through Don’s retirement years, the couple faced their biggest hurdle eight years ago when their son, Peter, was killed in a car accident.

“I can’t imagine getting through Peter’s death without our faith,” Lynnea said.

To help himself heal in the wake of the tragedy, Don wrote a letter to Peter and read it aloud at the memorial service.

The practice was helpful for Don, and he continued writing letters to his son as the months went on. Now, he plans to compile those letters into a book about grief, loss and faith.

“I can’t remember not believing,” Don said. “God isn’t coercive, he calls people and they can choose to ignore. I choose to believe.”

Faith and tolerance, along with their continuing religious work, have endeared the Mayers to members of the UCC and those at SU.

Suellen Cunningham and her husband first met the Mayers when they joined the Eagle Harbor congregation twelve years ago.

“Don just spoke to us,” she said. “We really agree with him philosophically and a lot of others do as well. He and Lynnea are a great team.”

Which is why Perry felt a tinge of guilt for the way the scholarship was revealed.

The ceremony was disguised as a fundraising event, with friend and keynote speaker Anthony B. Robinson talking about the “the spirit life of dogs, cats and other sentient beings.”

The event was a spoof, with Robinson ad-libbing for a few minutes before announcing the scholarship and bringing in a huge group of friends hiding in another room.

“It’s really not fair to do that to someone,” Perry said jokingly of the announcement. “But this was done to honor the life and spirit of Don and Lynnea.”