Episode 827: Sara Sumsion, Painful Church Experiences, Why She Stays, Mother’s Day Lesson Insights

Listen, Learn & Love Hosted by Richard Ostler

Richard Ostler

Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 839 Ratings

🗓️ 2 May 2025

⏱️ 70 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

My friend Sara Sumsion (RM, Age 30, YSA ward leader, getting a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy) joins us to share her unique story. Sara starts with her good father’s decision to leave the Church and her initial judgements about his decision. She then shares her difficult mission experience including spiritual abuse that nearly broke her and led to her considering leaving the Church. Sara talks about finding the grey and her intentional decision to stay in the Church, her reconstructed testimony, and her desire to help others find hope and healing. Sara talks about her road to become a vocal LGBTQ Ally including her Instagram post of her non-binary friend. Sara talks about helping everyone feel welcome in their YSA ward and also practicing boundaries/good communication when interacting with less active members. Sara concludes with her Mother’s Day lesson including a focus on Heavenly Mother and helping all women feel good and welcome (regardless of their current status or feelings regarding motherhood). If you are working to stay in the Church, Sara’s journey may help you. And if you are looking for more insights about how to teach/organize a positive meeting on Mother’s Day, Sara suggestions may help you. And if you are looking to create a safer place in your Ward, Sara’s story may help you. Thank you, Sara, for your work to create Zion. I learned so much from you. You give me hope for the future of our Church and world. I see the example of Jesus reflected in your ministry. Honored to have you on the podcast! Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sara.sumsion IG: @sar_assumption/

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome listeners to another episode of Listen, Learn, and Love, hosted by Richard Osler.
0:08.7	My guest on today's podcast, joining me via Zoom is my friend Sarah Sumption.
0:14.0	Welcome to the podcast, Sarah.
0:16.0	Hi, Richard. Thank you.
0:18.2	Last July, when YSA awards were split between age groups or potentially Peggy Fletcher Stack,
0:25.7	a friend of mine and had me come to record a podcast about single adults since I've served in that space.
0:34.3	And one of the other guests in the podcast who totally blew my socks off and impressed me
0:40.7	is Sarah Sumpion. And I made a note to get Sarah back on the podcast, to share her journey in the
0:47.9	church, to share her Mother's Day lesson. We're recording this before Mother's Day. I think a lot of
0:54.1	people try to navigate how to teach Mother's Day. I think a lot of people try to navigate
0:55.3	how to teach Mother's Day either sacrament meeting or priesthood or release society. And if you're
1:01.2	trying to figure out that, maybe Sarah in the second part of her podcast will have some thoughts for
1:06.3	you. I thought it was really insightful. But Sarah is just an ally to everybody in her ward and leadership
1:13.1	position. She's done amazing work to help everybody feel welcome, love, supported. I have a gay
1:19.7	friend that's been in her ward who has just felt so loved and accepted in that ward and has had
1:25.6	choppy experiences in his journey being gay
1:28.7	and a Latter-day Saint and just recognize the work that's being done in that ward and put
1:34.2	this good man to work and Sarah's friendship of this fellow.
1:38.4	So she's going to talk a little bit about, you know, her personal story that includes family
1:43.3	leaving the church, kind of a choppy
1:45.7	mission experience, becoming an ally, kind of thinking about what if I left the church,
1:52.7	and then sort of her story to stay. And then the second part will be her thoughts about
	...

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