The True Story of an Interfaith Pioneer Parts 1 & 2

I've got no real date on this one, but I'm suspecting it is from 1998 or 9. I'll warn you up front that the sound quality is not at all up to snuff. It's been interesting uploading these ancient cassettes. Some sound like they were recorded digitally yesterday. Others, not so much. This would be that.

But the conversation is a good one. Marchiene Reinstra is one of the co-founders of Interfaith Dialogue Association, & a great friend. She & her husband live on Lake Michigan, & allow me to use their private beach & deck anytime I'm in the 'hood.

So, this is her story. She was raised in the Reformed/Calvinist tradition. You'll hear more about that, along with her historic ordination in the episodes. But as she grew spiritually she took a definite turn in a direction few would have predicted.

These episodes require more of a postscript than most. 1st of all, yes, there is a town in West Michigan called Ganges, & it is home to 2 Hindu ashrams. The town was there before the ashrams. They are both part of the Ramakrishna tradition.

Mother's Place, which was dedicated in 1998, still exists, but they offer no programming whatsoever. A few monastics live there & perform social service for the community. But there is no longer a Westshore Interfaith Institute, no Sunday services, etc. Please ignore all phone numbers, e-mail addresses (Especially Marchiene's Compuserve e-dress!) & virtually everything else about Mother's Place. What's important here is the story of Marchiene's journey from Calvinism to a more expansive multi-faith approach. After Marchiene left Mother's Place she became a minister for Unity Church. I think that is the perfect place for her. She no longer works full time, but does share her wisdom with congregations from time to time.

If this piques your interest, perhaps this article about Rev. Reinstra will answer some questions:

https://www.cbeinternational.org/resource/article/priscilla-papers-academic-journal/ministry-and-meditation