Ray & Phoebe Meyers: Welcome For All

Ray and Phoebe Meyers began attending Holy Trinity over 40 years ago. The memories and connections they’ve made have endured to this day.

In 1982, the Meyers moved to Northern Virginia after a 7-year residency in Lima, Peru. The family was drawn to the southern country after Ray accepted a position with the Peace Corps. When the Peace Corps’ mission was removed from this location, Ray transitioned to a position with the International Potato Research Center there.

“I did a lot of international work before moving here,” said Ray. “I worked in 46 different countries, mainly short-term, and have been in about 100 countries total. I did some work with USAID in agriculture in addition to international work with FEMA regarding disaster response and then finally retired.“

What brought the family back stateside was an approaching milestone. “Once our eldest reached college-age we decided that we better get back to the states,” explained Ray.

The summer they arrived in Northern Virginia, the internationally-minded family attended First Trinity in the District because they had been good friends with the Pastor’s brother. They quickly decided that they wanted a church closer to home and it didn’t take long to find Holy Trinity. With Ray’s background and Phoebe’s friendly nature, they fit right into the Holy Trinity community.

“I suppose we visited Holy Trinity just once and Larry Cantu showed up at our door one Saturday. He persuaded us to become members,” says Phoebe of their early introductions.

It wasn’t just Pastor Cantu who convinced the couple to stay at Holy Trinity. “A major thing for me was the people who were there. We made friends at Holy Trinity and still have many connections to this day,” notes Ray.

“Saturday night we are having dinner with two former Forum friends,” adds Phoebe.

Phoebe is quick to point out the importance of Forum. “In this group we discussed topics related to living out what we learned from Sunday’s sermones. Members themselves brought such a wealth of information. That was a major attraction.”

The members of Holy Trinity engaged in several activities together that the couple happily recall. Along with one of his church friends, Ray started Theology on Tap and Phoebe mentions that the hypothermia program, book club, and museum group were all fun to participate in. Out of everything, Phoebe says that the Women’s Retreats were her favorite activity at Holy Trinity.

As for a favorite memory, the 11 o’clock Christmas Eve service brings vibrant memories for Phoebe. She and Ray discuss the wonderful music made by the organ, choirs and trumpet quartet. The festive decorations included poinsettias and nativity scenes.

Most delicious of all, “I still remember there were German and Scandinavian ladies who brought traditional cookies to the Advent cookie concert during the early years of our attendance.” Phoebe recalls these cookies with such exuberance that it brings a bout of nostalgia even for those who never had the opportunity to try the festive treats. But one can imagine a crisp bite and a buttery crumble of delight.

“Holy Trinity has been a source of stability. When people drive down the road, Holy Trinity is always there and that’s pretty important,” says Ray of the impact Holy Trinity has had on its local community over the past 75 years.

“Holy Trinity has always tried to reach out to neighbors in the community through events like Breakfast with Santa, Christmas in April, tutoring at Graham Road School, and the hypothermia prevention program,” adds Phoebe. “This church is always seeking ways to serve the community, even as it changes.“

When asked what makes Holy Trinity stand out amongst other area churches, Phoebe is quick to mention the music and the programs. After another moment of pondering, Phoebe strikes on a deeper connection.

She says that because of their age and location at college, their children were never really part of Holy Trinity. Yet, every time Kevin came home from college, Pastor would say “Welcome, Kevin.” Every time he went up for communion it was “Kevin.” Even though Pastor Cantu hardly knew their children, he remembered their names, always.

As Ray and Phoebe think about what Holy Trinity should do more of, or begin doing in the future, they both land on social notes.

“I think connecting with people despite the current political situation is going to be extremely important,” says Ray. “There are many misconceptions of what being a Christian is and what it is not….Religion and Christianity has now become part of the political side of life and it’s very important in my opinion for the church to figure out how to manage that.”

“I think that the church can help people understand that in God’s view, we’re all equal,” says Phoebe. “We’re all entitled to a vote. We accept all people no matter the color of their skin, where they came from, or their sexual orientation.”