Dwell on the Good

Dwell on the Good

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true,
whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable,
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy,
think about such things.”
Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

            I was the fourth daughter born to a father who told my mother “no more girls.” After I was born, he left.

            At seven with a broken back, I moved in with my grandparents, Reverend and Mrs. Robert G. Leetch. My grandfather was a Presbyterian minister. He and my grandmother read me Bible stories and loved me.

            At eleven, with my grandfather and the Episcopal Bishop agreeing, I became an Episcopalian. I loved watching grownups kneel at the altar, rather than being served in the pews. 

            At a meeting of the Episcopal Young People’s Association, I met Tony Leigh and fell madly in love.  We have been married sixty-six years and rarely missed a church service.

            In 1977, we went to Cursillo (a three-day spiritual retreat).  Since that time, we have served on twelve teams and begun a new relationship with our Lord.  We meet weekly with fellow Cursillistas (Christ followers) and answer three questions: 

  • How did the Lord speak to you this week?
    • What are you studying to know Him better? 
    • What are you doing to spread His Gospel?

            Our travels have been to The Holy Land, The Passion Play in Oberammergau and the British Isles to study C.S. Lewis. In Oberammergau, Tony led a morning prayer group. In gratitude, one of our fellow travelers gifted us an all-expenses-paid week to in Andros, the deepest port in the Caribbean. While we were there, Tony led both worship and Bible study.

            We joined St. John’s in 1989 and rarely miss a church activity. Together we learned to be Stephen Ministers, office volunteers, and Sunday school teachers. In addition, I served as lay reader, lay reader, Eucharistic minister, three years as Junior Warden, twenty-five years on altar duty, card ministry and now I’m a member of the Order of St. Luke. 

            When my mother died in 2000, Tony and I donated the Carillons in her name, and now she sings for St. John’s and neighbors. Intergenerational companionship and worship enrich our lives!  Ellie Leigh