faith! - Dan Neal

When Dan Neal and his wife Terri were first married, they knew Dan’s career in the U.S. Navy would take them many places, so they wanted to be sure they had a faith experience that would ground them. Both had grown up in Columbia, and both were part of regular church-going families – Dan as a member of Main Street United Methodist and Terri as a member of Peterson Presbyterian.

They are part of a generation that grew up knowing exactly where they would be on Sunday mornings.

“I was one of four boys and going to church and Sunday school was not an option,” Dan recalled. “It wasn’t something you even considered. You just went.”

Once stationed in California as newlyweds, the Neals began visiting churches, and soon found that church in California was a good bit different from church in South Carolina. Looking for a consistent liturgy, they even briefly considered joining the Roman Catholic Church, but found it just didn’t fit with the beliefs that had been part of their upbringing. They continued their search.

“We wanted a place that no matter where we moved, there would be a consistent liturgy and church experience.” The Episcopal Church turned out to be the fit they were looking for.

“We found it was an absolutely perfect blend of what we had experienced and where we wanted to be.” It also was a tradition that provided that consistency they had been yearning for.

The liturgy has never failed to move Dan.

He recalls in particular when he and Terri were confirmed in San Diego. “Because we made this transition later in life and it was not an accident of birth, I remember the strong emotional feeling and peace that came over me when the bishop laid hands on us.”

A similar experience occurred years ago when the Neals took their two grandsons – they have one daughter and two grandsons, who are both now grown – to Washington, D.C., and visited the National Cathedral.

“We really enjoyed seeing this extraordinary place of God,” Dan said. “There was a noon mass and it was a profound experience to take communion in this holy place. I thought about the fact that presidents had knelt where I was kneeling and that presiding bishops had officiated here. I also remember looking up at the rose window and feeling such a strong sense of peace and well being.”

Last count, Dan and Terri have lived in 17 different places from Australia to Columbia. They found their way to St. Martin’s last year.

“After a lot of thought and prayer last fall, we made the decision to move here,” Dan said. “It was the best decision, spiritually, we’ve ever made. The power of the Holy Spirit moves me every time I enter this extraordinary place.”

Dan, an engineer by trade, gravitates toward strong leadership, which he believes is in place at St. Martin’s – with its clergy, vestry and staff.

He never would have expected to serve on the vestry so soon after joining a parish – he has been a senior and junior warden in previous parishes – but filling an unexpired term was something he was willing to do. It is a one-year assignment and will give him a chance to help out while getting to know people. He also believes his work as an engineer might be useful as the parish navigates capital needs and a season when building and grounds are receiving attention.

But ultimately buildings – even those as beautiful as the National Cathedral, or St. Martin’s – are just buildings, and not what Dan believes the church most offers the world. Instead, Dan finds that the church offers a sense of “refreshment” each week, strengthening him for the week ahead.

“Going to church has always been refreshing for us,” he said. “Goodness, just hit your knees and have that communication as a couple and with God … I always feel better when I leave than I felt when I first got there.”

Dan knows he is of a generation that grew up always attending church so the habit is firmly engrained in his way of life at 73, but he hopes younger members will see and experience the benefit of consistent church attendance.

“Deciding not to go to church on a particular Sunday is an easy thing to do these days, but it’s also all part of what you as an individual make a priority,” he said. “The sad part is that when you get older, you may wonder ‘Why didn’t I?’ ”

Dan said attending services is a comforting way to face his mortality and his human failings.

“We need it because we’re mortal,” he said “It’s a reaffirmation for our lives, of our belovedness, and all of that.”

Dan Neal and his wife Terri joined St. Martin's in 2021.