Our Woman of the Week is violist and fiber artist Lisa Whitfield:
"I have been a musician (performing and teaching) for over 30 years, and now I’m pursuing my dream of owning my own business in the fiber arts. I am also a convert to the Church. I should probably explain a bit about my journey to become Orthodox. I was raised in a family of Baptists in the black church and I was never baptized as a baby. I didn’t like going to church with my grandfather because services would last ALL DAY, including going home to eat and then going back to church afterward. I liked going to the Catholic Church with my aunt on Easter because the services were less rowdy and the priest didn’t yell…
"I chose to be baptized and confirmed as a Catholic when I was 19. I was a sophomore in college and dating a young man who had become Orthodox about 18 months earlier. To say he was zealous would be an understatement. His zeal almost came between us — I told him we could break up if he didn’t “approve” of my spiritual journey, but that I needed to come to God in my own way just as he had. We’ve been married almost 28 years.
"I was chrismated about six weeks before I got married. I wanted to marry the man I loved and I wanted to have a family that would all go to church together. While I had some reservations when I took my first steps in the faith, I came to love the beauty of the liturgy and the rhythm of the church calendar.
"I try to live my life with Christ at its center. I want to follow His example of charity, service, and acceptance. I believe we are all created to love one another in an effort to bring us to Christ’s perfect love. I pray often, though maybe not as often as I should. Most of all, I live my faith everyday as a wife, mother, musician, fiber artist, teacher, and friend. I have no doubt that Jesus welcomes me with open arms."
Axia!
We asked Lisa Whitfield, our Woman of the Week, about her experience being a convert who is also a woman of color:
"My Orthodox life is just my life. I am an Orthodox Christian woman of color in the Midwestern United States. There aren’t a lot of us. Some folks see being black and being Orthodox as contradictory, but I think that’s because a lot of the Orthodox folks (mostly white, Eastern European or Greek) around here don’t have any meaningful contact with black folks. They have no clue what it means to be black in America or how hard it is to be black, so I try to help folks understand. If I’m the only black person some folks ever meet, I want to be open and honest about who we are and what we experience. For me, that’s being lighter skinned, married to a white man, and having a masters degree from Juilliard.
"There’s always something that challenges me to be better: my relationship with my husband and kids, my interactions with colleagues, my experiences in my community, etc. While a lot of my values as a Christian are “fixed”, the practice of those values is more fluid. Christ calls us to accept others with love in our hearts. I find a lot of social situations to be less about acceptance and more about “tolerance.” In my time as choir director, I never turned anyone away, regardless of ability. I welcomed everyone, always."
We asked our Woman of the Week, Lisa Whitfield, about her morning routine:
"I am NOT a morning person. I have never been.
"I have been transitioning between careers and, as I find my way, it leaves me with more time than I'm sometimes comfortable with, so I have fallen out of a regular routine. I do make lists of things to do, and I recently started working with a planner that is helping me set goals and complete tasks. Aside from the obvious chores of dishes and laundry (my hubby does most of the cooking these days), I knit A LOT! Currently, I spend a lot of time cultivating a social media presence on Facebook and Instagram to promote my fledgling idea of opening an inclusive fiber community and maker space in the college town where I live. I want to create a space where everyone is welcome regardless of race, gender identity, sexual preference, socio-economic position, political affiliation, etc. As a teacher by nature, I want to help folks learn how to do the craft they’ve always wanted to do. I want to be around folks who love to craft as much as I do. Also, I just want to control my own professional destiny. Being a freelance musician for over 30 years has left me wanting to be my own boss.
"When I remember, I try to take a moment before I reach for the snooze button or my iPhone to be mindful of my breath and thoughts. I breathe slowly and intentionally. I say a few quiet words of gratitude for another day and I pray I can be my best self. In nicer weather, I go for a long walk around the reservoir in the nature preserve around the corner from my house. Other than church, my most profound encounters with the Divine are in nature, particularly near water. If I’m quiet, I can hear Him speak to me — “Be still and know that I am God.” Indeed, He leads me beside still waters and restores my soul. God is always with me, and I strive in everything I do to be with Him.
"If you’d like to follow me as I embark on my next chapter as an entrepreneur, come find me on Instagram @for_ewe or request membership in the private Facebook group For Ewe: an inclusive fiber community."
Thank you, Lisa!