Michael Anderson
EDITOR’S NOTE: A church community is created when people gather together for the love of God. At the same time, Saint Philip’s is comprised of many people who represent different ages, life experiences, and world views.
The “In conversation…” series is one attempt to create possibilities for connection between the different people in our community. As varied as we all are, there are also similarities and mutual interests waiting to be discovered. And there is one thing we all share: a desire to know God and be in relationship with him.
This week’s conversation is with parishioner and volunteer Michael Anderson.
How long have you worshiped at Saint Philip’s?
Kay and I attended our first service on Christmas Eve of 2016.
What brought you to Saint Philip’s?
We had just moved from Chicago. At that Christmas Eve service, we fell in love with the parish. We never went anywhere else.
What about the experience did that?
Fr Robert’s homily was personal, hearty, spiritual and the music was divine. A very good friend of ours, a fundamentalist Christian, who attended that service with us, said she sensed a genuine spiritual vitality here. She was right.
Which service do you typically attend?
For many years I was a regular at the 11:15am service but for the past several months I’ve attended the 9:00 o’clock. I just love the youthful energy.
How would you describe Saint Philip’s to someone unfamiliar with the parish?
I’d say it’s a beautiful blend of ancient and modern; Anglo-Catholic worship with a contemporary heart. The people are warm and caring; the clergy are the very best; and, the music is—as we all know—sublime. And so many young families! At the 9 o’clock service we often hear the squeaks of little children. To my ears, such squeaking is sacred music and an integral part of the liturgy.
Were you raised in a faith tradition?
I was raised a Baptist, steeped in fundamentalism. Evangelicals revere the Bible but Fundamentalists go a step further: they regard it as inerrant, i.e., every single word is the literal word of God.
How did you find your way to the Episcopal Church?
While at Wheaton College in Illinois preparing to be a Baptist minister, I took a theology course taught by Dr Robert Webber, an Episcopalian. He invited Kay and me to worship with him at St. Barnabas, an Anglo-Catholic parish near the college. The “conversion” was instantaneous.
What happened to your ordination plans?
I took a few years off to adapt to our new life in Anglicanism. Then in 1981 I enrolled in Nashotah House, an Episcopal seminary in Wisconsin. I was ordained in 1984 and went on to serve two parishes in the Chicago suburbs.
What did you do professionally after retiring as a priest?
Kay and I founded The Evanston Group which we owned for over two decades. It was a consulting company in the Life Sciences space; our clients were large pharmaceutical firms. Kay had been selling consulting services and knew the industry well; the firm was her brainchild. Our goal was to make The Evanston Group a company people really wanted to work for. We hoped to create a culture of openness, respect and excellence. And I’m happy to say that, with God’s help, we largely succeeded.
How are you involved in the parish?
I just started ushering at the 9:00am service. I’m also leading a Lenten small group where we reflect on scripture and the poetry of Mary Oliver.
Last year, Erika Johnson, Kristin Tovar, and I formed a group for those who’ve migrated from Evangelicalism into the Episcopal church. The group is called “Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail.”
In January, I concluded a three-year term on the Vestry. And last year I was privileged to lead the College of Clergy, a large group of deacons and priests, active and retired, all associated with Saint Philip’s. Deacon Leah Sandwell-Weiss leads the College now.
What’s one of your core values?
Unity. When I was a parish priest, my highest priority was the unity of the church.
What do you do just for fun?
Friday is “Date Day.” Kay and I often go hiking and then spend the day together. In the evenings we’ll do a concert (we love the Tuscon Symphony Orchestra), host a game night or watch a TV series. I am so grateful for Kay—so glad to have this amazing person in my life!
What’s something you’re proud of?
I have six siblings, two brothers and four sisters, and I love them all. We’re scattered all across the country but we stay connected. We text every day. We share photos and talk about what we’re doing. And when one of us has a birthday, we celebrate via Zoom. Every year we have an in-person family reunion that includes all the sibs and their families.
What’s one of your guiding principles?
I’d say it’s my recent decision to choose joy. Negativity is pervasive. It’s everywhere. And, in the past, my instincts tended toward the gloomy—like music in a minor key.
But I’ve discovered, just in the past three or four years, that I can choose my mood. Part of my morning prayer time includes affirmations. They are based on the principle we find in the New Testament—that I am not a victim of my moods, that I can choose the focus of my soul:
Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:8 NRSV)
What’s something you’re grateful for?
That’s easy! I’m grateful for Kay (we’ve been married 51 years) and so, so grateful for our three children, Lorna, Kasper, and Meg, and for our beautiful granddaughter, Annika.
What’s one of your super powers?
I love to bring people together, and work with them to pursue a shared purpose.
What might people be surprised to learn about you?
I’m a recovering food addict. At one point I weighed 400 pounds (which is a lot, even for a guy 6’4” tall). In 1999, I joined a 12-step program called Overeaters Anonymous. It’s like AA but for those with eating disorders. I lost 200 pounds and, 25 years later by God’s grace, I am still maintaining that loss. OA saved my life. I go to three meetings a week, including one here at Saint Philip’s, at 5:30pm on Tuesdays.
What’s a fun fact about you?
Years ago, at my parish in Illinois, I met Dick Park, the man who would become my best friend. (He was there when I arrived and he and his wife, Carol, are still active members of the church).
Right from the start, Dick and I discovered a shared love of poetry. And since 1994, we’ve been meeting twice a month to study Robert Frost. Nothing but Frost. It’s been a 30-year intensive focus, line-by-line, word-by-word, on the poetry of Robert Frost! Since I’ve moved to Tucson, Dick and I continue to meet by phone.
Missed an interview? All previous interviews can be found on Saint Philip’s website under the “About Us” tab. Click here to visit that page.