It’s the Whole Package
Charlotte Weston became a member of Simsbury United Methodist (SUM) this past June 2024 after attending church services and participating in adult education programs for the previous three years. It took some time to schedule our coffee date, but it came with a bonus as Charlotte’s cousin, Tom Nething, was visiting from Colorado and joined us.
Charlotte grew up in the Denver, Colorado metropolitan area. She also lived in Colorado Springs. Her career was in telecommunications, working 15 years for Mountain Bell. Her roles included support staff for residential customers and sales support staff for business customers. She has two daughters: Elizabeth, who lives in Simsbury with her husband and three children, Emily (9th grade), Ryne (junior high), and Cassadee (3rd grade), and Melissa, who lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and a flock of chickens.
Charlotte lives in Granby with Boxer and Bradley, her two rescued feral cats. She moved to Simsbury three years ago after she and her husband legally separated. Her husband passed away in December 2022. She and her husband married in 1976. Late in their marriage, after their children no longer lived with them, he developed a drinking problem and became an alcoholic. He went to rehabilitation programs many times with unsuccessful outcomes. It was tough for Charlotte to see him suffer, and many times she was angry with him, yet she dearly loved him. Ultimately, she left him. Charlotte wants to share this information and to be supportive of other women experiencing life with an alcoholic.
It was during her husband’s funeral that Charlotte and her cousin Tom reconnected. Tom was a pastor for an evangelical church in the state of Washington for many years. Later he worked for IBM. In retirement, he serves as an outreach pastor. He, too, recently lost his wife and is adjusting to living alone. Since the funeral, Charlotte and Tom have stayed in touch, talking via phone several times a week and offering each other mutual support. Despite the challenges life has presented her, Charlotte feels exceptionally blessed and knows God is watching over her.
Charlotte has been attending Methodist churches her whole life, but didn’t officially become a member at any of them until this year when she became a member of SUM. She felt compelled to join the church to find support for herself and to support the church in any way she could. For Charlotte, it is also a need to belong. Charlotte loves many things about our church: the beautiful building, the Carillon, and the way she felt invited and included by Lucille Burke, Donna Motyl, Jan Baker, and all the ladies of Bible Study and Susanna’s Circle. She benefits from both Pastor Gene’s and Deacon Deb’s sermon messages, which truly speak to her. After describing what she loves about SUM, she exuberantly stated, “It’s the whole package!”
Leslie Lahue
Welcoming Team Chairperson