SUMC Hero

After living in Belgium for four years, it was wonderful to return to the States and we settled in Sudbury. We looked for churches and found SUMC. Because we also had a house in New Hampshire, we didn’t attend regularly. We were CEOs (Christmas, Easter Only!). Our weekends were spent in NH waterskiing in the summer and snow skiing in the winter.

When I went through my divorce seven years later, we had to sell the house in New Hampshire so that I could buy my ex out of his share of the Sudbury house. I wanted to make everything go smoothly for my three children. The girls were in college, but my son was a high school senior at Lincoln-Sudbury. I had been a stay-at-home mom and was worried about what I would do to take care of my family. It was a stressful time, and I remember crying in the shower so that the kids wouldn’t hear me. I didn’t know where to turn. I often prayed in the shower for God to give me strength during this stressful time.

One day the doorbell rang and Rev. Alan Moore, from SUMC, was there. I invited him into our living room – which was never used except when I wanted to read while the kids had friends over in the family room. I really didn’t know Rev. Moore or anyone at SUMC at the time. But he was so nice, and we chatted for a while, and I finally told him that I was going through a divorce and felt very insecure about it. He was wonderful, and at the time I didn’t realize that he was my hero coming to save the day.

He talked about the church and all the single women who attended. He said that in fact, Pat Williams was starting up a group of single women for mutual support, and he would be happy to introduce me to her if I would come back to the church. I met Pat, and she introduced me to Lyn MacLean, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Lyn and the women of the church became my support group. All the other activities that I was involved in featured mostly couples. I am not sure I would have made it through the divorce without my church group. The more involved I became in the church, the more confident I became.

God had truly guided Alan to my home just when I needed him the most. God gave me the strength I needed. I remember telling Alan’s wife, Ruth, this story after Alan passed away. She was so pleased to hear this and probably many other stories about how Rev. Alan Moore changed lives. He truly was my superhero.

-Judy Aufderhaar