Episode #63: Clara - Letter three - acceptance

Jan,16 2026

<-#62: Clara - Letter two - meeting#64: Clara - Letter four - Teenagers ->

August 3, 1987

To the Council of the Southern Christian Naturism Church,

Your gracious reply has eased my heart. I accept with gratitude your decision to appoint my husband as my assistant, so that he may travel when my convictions prevent me from doing so. I am comforted that you understand how closely our lives are joined.

I must say plainly that many decisions I take will not be taken by me alone. I have chosen to live in communion with the father of my children, and I do not intend to separate my service to the Church from the service I owe my household. Counsel shared between husband and wife has guided me faithfully thus far, and I see no reason to abandon it now.

Rather than journeying to distant cities, I would prefer to welcome you here. Our home within the resort stands open to any who seek conversation. We have a long table, simple bread, and time to listen. Confused believers and troubled pastors alike will find no locked doors at our gate.

My telephone rests beside my bed for those nights when doubts grow louder than sleep. I do not promise answers, only presence.

I believe the fellowship will prosper not through speeches but through such ordinary acts. We are heirs to words left by those who came before us, my grandfather, whom I knew, my great-grandfather, whom I did not, and the women of our family, whose quiet strength held the pages together. These voices have shaped me more than any office could.

If we keep faith with them, the Church will not wander far.

Let us meet soon beneath our own sky, break bread as our parents did, and speak face to face without the distraction of schedules and hotel clocks. I am certain that, working together, we can carry this inheritance gently into the years ahead.

In hopeful service,

Clara Mercer

<-#62: Clara - Letter two - meeting#64: Clara - Letter four - Teenagers ->