By Lisa Bortner
“So you must go and make disciples of all nations.” Matthew 28:19. We, in the Episcopal Church, often feel that we lack the skills to evangelize, but clearly this is what the Lord commands us to do. How can we respond to this marching order gracefully and with a servant’s heart? Clearly, we can identify in the first-century church, as recorded in the New Testament, that the early church was a multigenerational one. Paul instructs young and older women, young and older men. He takes young Timothy under his wing and sends him out to make new disciples. It is our call to continue making disciples, and the first place we can start is in our own homes. Consider what Dee Ann Thomasson has done in her household: She has fostered the love of God, not only to her daughters, but to her much-loved grandchildren. Here’s her story.
Helen Dee Ann Lundgren was born weighing four pounds in 1942 in Brady, Texas. For two months she lived in a wooden apple box in the sterilization room at the local hospital. The Lord must have blessed her from birth because she has surely prospered since. She grew up in the Methodist Church and met her husband, Mike, at a small Methodist college in Abilene, Texas. They joined the Episcopal Church in 1966 in Temple, Texas, where they were both teaching at Temple Junior College. They moved to Austin when Mike decided to attend seminary. This helped change and clarify their focus with work in the church. Although Mike chose to leave seminary, they remained in Austin and soon joined St. Mark’s, where they raised their two daughters, Sarah and Anne, in the church. Dee Ann was drawn to the liturgy of the church and the people who joined together to do God’s work. Both daughters now have children of their own who also attend St. Mark’s. Dee Ann relates that she wanted her daughters to grow up in a home where the church was the center of family life, where they could learn to treat others as they would like to be treated. She also wanted them to know and believe God was always present and they need not be afraid or anxious of anything. This is also her hope for her five grandchildren that range in age from 5 to 13. It is very important for Dee Ann that her grandchildren remain active in the church. On any given Sunday you can easily see which child spent the night with Grandma because they are at her side in the pew.
In addition to bringing her grandchildren to church, Dee Ann modeled service at St. Mark’s to her daughters. She served as parish administrator for many years before deciding to provide childcare in her home, first with the local school principal’s baby girl, followed by two of her grandchildren and then the school principal’s baby boy. She loved and cared for all of these little ones until they became school-age. When asked what she is passionate about, she includes cooking, gardening, required walking for health reasons and spending time with her grandchildren.
Dee Ann first took on the role as the ECW President of St. Mark’s in 1983. Since that time the organization has grown and changed, but Dee Ann always remained a faithful member. Eventually the name of the organization changed to the Women of St. Mark’s. Dee Ann has continued to play significant roles in the ministry, serving as president seven times as well as serving at various times as secretary and treasurer. She states that with the organization representing every woman in every pew, it just seemed like the activity she should be involved in at the church. Many years ago, she started the tradition of handing down her ECW butterfly pin from one ECW president to the next. In 2012 Dee Ann was chosen as St. Mark’s Honored Woman for her dedication and service to the church.
Father Zac Koons characterizes Dee Ann as a vigilant servant leader in the St. Mark’s community. Father Zac comments, “Anywhere she is, she quietly identifies what needs doing, and she gets on doing it without drawing attention to herself. Before you know it, the hedge has been pruned, the flowers are in full bloom, the kettle is boiling, and beautiful fellowship is bubbling at St. Mark’s, and not many people know it, but it was Dee Ann who made that all possible. She is like a priest in that way–she facilitates the interaction between God and God’s people through humble service.”
If you look up the word “service,” you may find Dee Ann’s name there. She has filled her life with ways to serve. She has served on the vestry of St. Mark’s once and served on two search committees. She also served on the clown ministry, was a member of the Back Door Players (a church theater group), has been a member of the altar guild for many years, was chair of the St. Mark’s community-wide chicken barbeque for several years and also assisted with organizing fall bazaars and Maggie’s Café, which raised funds for the ECW. In addition, she is a member of St. Mark’s shower ministry, which provides hot showers to homeless women once a week at the Trinity Center in Austin. She has also taught Vacation Bible School and included art projects and kitchen activities in the curriculum. Of course, both of her girls attended Vacation Bible School and later, her grandchildren attended. She also volunteers in the church office, is a member of the garden guild, and is one of the “Marthas” who set up and provide refreshments for events.
We give thanks to the Lord for all the other mothers who nurture multigenerational God-loving children and grandchildren. During this time of sheltering at home, how can we continue to instill hope and love of Jesus Christ into our sons and daughters and grandchildren? It is our duty to continue to make disciples. Let us start with our own households. Invite your children and grandchildren to online worship. Buy the little ones their first Bible and then read it to them. Zoom or FaceTime with your family weekly as you spread the love of our Savior. Set an example in being a good neighbor. Your small acts will not go unnoticed. You, too, can make disciples!
