April 10, 2024
My California Lutheran College Story
Submitted by Rich Doerrer-Peacock '72
I had a very stable childhood. I lived in the same house since I was a one year old. I went to the same schools that my older brothers went to, so some of my teachers already knew my family. My elementary school had a practice of keeping the same kids together year after year. So I really got to know my classmates over the years. And just like my brothers and sister, my first two years were spent at Phoenix College. But unlike my siblings who all went to the UofA for the rest of their college, I spent my junior and senior year at a private Christian school in California. My parents had saved so that we could all go to public colleges but not private schools. But I was able to go thanks to an inheritance I received from my Dad’s cousin. So I was blessed. I had options. I wanted to pursue a double major in mathematics and religion. So it made sense to go to a Christian school. But it would be scary. It was my first time living away from my parents; first time living with roommates; and first time navigating life in a dorm and food in a cafeteria. It was 400 miles from home. It was not like I could go home on weekends. I was afraid I’d feel very lonely. But off I went.
My first year… Was a learning experience in all those arenas. And although I was scared and sometimes lonely, the campus staff did a great job in helping us who were new to the school get acquainted with each other and with the campus itself. Since most of the new students were Freshmen, I got to know them the best. As the year progressed I gravitated towards the Campus Pastor, Rev. Gerald Swanson, and the groups that he offered. We had sing-a-longs, Bible studies, and weekly chapel services. There was a little house on campus for his groups to meet and for us to hang out during the week. These were all nourishing spiritually. These groups gave me a chance to learn and grow, pray and experience God while going through tumultuous changes in my life. And they helped me find a strong sense of community. Strong friendships developed. So much so that at the end of that first year, there was a group of 10 guys, me being one of them, who decided to “room together” the next year. So we put in our request. Friendships also developed with those in the school choir who also attended the sing-a-longs. So much so that 4 of us formed a quartet and sang together for a worship service on Mother’s Day. I went back to Phoenix for the summer. I had a job at a city park, and lived with my parents.
My second year… The request to room together was granted and so the 10 of us moved into rooms on the 2nd floor of the dorm at the end of the hall. Five of us shared 2 rooms and a bath on one side of the hall. And the other five shared 2 rooms and a bath on the other side of the hall. On my side of the hall, we put all 5 beds in one room and all 5 desks in the other so some people could sleep without being disturbed while others could study without having to be super quiet. We’d go back and forth across the hall to visit or to ask who wanted to go to dinner or the library or whatever. And as we had hoped the 10 of us formed a strong community. There was nothing significant that I remember happening during the year. Nothing stands out. We just enjoyed living together. We accepted each other for who we were. We just felt comfortable. The four of us who sang the quartet the end of the previous year, invited others to join us and before we knew we had a little choir. I think we started by singing in chapel. We gained a pianist in addition to guitarists. We started singing in churches. We not only sang, but we gave little testimonials about our faith, or about the song we were about to sing. We grew very close, especially since we would often see each other on campus and were involved in other school activities together. I graduated at the end of the year. But many others were just starting their junior year. The group continued, expanded, made a record, and continued offering their music and message to others.
Significance in my life… For one, I learned a communal way of organizing and making decisions, listening to one another and coming to consensus. I learned the value of finding people whom you can trust and being vulnerable, and respected. My leadership was affirmed. I was being honored as the founder of the singing group. I felt it was very much a collaborative effort, but others claimed that I started it. This affirmation gave me the courage to pursue a very ambiguous, nebulous call to be a pastor. Secondly, I had never experienced such community. It was profoundly impactful. I learned so much about love: God’s love and friends’ love. It was so holistic. We knew each other as whole human beings. We knew each other’s limitations and vulnerabilities. I realize in writing this story , the power of sharing those personal stories that our little choir told before we sang each song enabled us not only to share our stories with the audience, but we shared them with each other. We knew each other’s touchstone stories. We prayed together and shared God together. It was exhilarating, especially during that time in our lives when we were wandering in the wilderness in many ways. Wandering and wondering about our future vocations, our children of God identities, our faith that we were not alone. I’m sure that my experience at this small Christian college had a profound effect on my decision a year after to college to go the next step of going to seminary. Just as I had experienced the power of being in a holistic community, I saw the ministry as an opportunity to bless others and be blessed by them. I cherished those friendships. The summer after I graduated I went to California several times. It was a long trip just for the weekend, but it was worth it.