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Mike Shea

Elizabeth 'Libby' Lindsay and her late husband, Bob, have always been known to parishioners at the Chapel of the Cross for their generous gifts of "time, treasure, and talent."

So while the parish and the Episcopal Church owes them gratitude, more surprisingly, so does The Presbyterian Church in North Carolina. It owes them for the gift of family members.

Most of us would consider ourselves lucky if one family member became ordained. How about three?

How did it come about? Libby Lindsay says she's pondered that, "I have no idea but I feel very blessed that it's the case."

Her son Scott, is Chaplain at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte. A grandson, David, is also a Presbyterian minister. He and his wife, Emily, live in Arden, North Carolina, where he is Chaplain at the Episcopal Church-affiliated Christ School. And a niece, Elizabeth, is an Episcopal priest at a parish in Fernandina Beach, Florida.

Libby Lindsay is well known to Chapel of the Cross parishioners. She and Bob transferred their membership here almost 55 years ago. Both have been leaders in the church.

Libby has been one of the most active and significant women in the recent history of the parish. She was senior warden, serving several terms on the vestry and on many committees involving everything from selecting new staff to welcoming new members.

So how did such an active Episcopalian develop such a strong Presbyterian connection? Libby puts it this way, "My husband's grandfather was a Presbyterian minister and grew up in Montreat. Nowadays, I'm a closet Presbyterian during the summer when I spend time at Montreat." But the ties run much stronger than that.

Libby explains that Bob, "had been brought up a Presbyterian. But while he was stationed at Parris Island as a Navy doctor attached to the Marine Corps, we lived at Beaufort. I had a lot to do with St. Helena Episcopal Church, that beautiful, wonderful old parish church there. One Sunday Bob just said he decided to join the church. He did and then became a very loyal, important member of our parish."

Libby laughs as she recalls Bob's mother's reaction to her son becoming an Episcopalian, "Oh. It's just a phase he's going through."

Bob, whose name became synonymous with the UNC Student Health Service, also became in time an important member of the Chapel of the Cross. He served on the vestry, was a close friend of former rector and now bishop, Peter Lee, and served several terms as senior warden. Bob died in 1987.

Their son Scott attended Hampden-Sydney College, a Presbyterian school where he met his future wife, Scottie, who was attending college nearby. While a student there, he became interested in a profession of counseling. Libby explains, " in those days you could only get graduate work in counseling if you went to a seminary, pretty much." So, Scott headed to Union Theological Seminary in Richmond where he became interested in the Ministry, stayed, and got his doctorate. Scott then served as an associate pastor and pastor at two churches in North Carolina before becoming hospital chaplain in Charlotte 20 years ago.

One of Libby and Bob's great passions has been Scotland and the clan Lindsay. They traveled there many times researching family roots. And now at Libby's home in Carol Woods, the Lindsay clan tartan is prominently on display.

For Libby, the highlight of her more than five decades as a member of the Chapel of the Cross came with the memorial service for husband Bob. Bob's friend, Bishop Peter Lee, gave the homily and arranged for a trumpeter to play as a tribute to Bob's retirement hobby of playing the horn. "Peter's homily meant a great deal, it was a celebration of Bob's life, it helped you; and Bob's niece, who is a minister, read the lesson and his first cousin, who is a Presbyterian minister, read the other lesson. So we had a real combination and it was a wonderful service."

Though much of her family is in western North Carolina, Libby has the joy of two granddaughters nearby. Sarah is in Chapel Hill while her husband Bill Balsely works on a graduate degree at UNC, and granddaughter Lee is a freshman at NCSU in Raleigh.

Its been a bit of a tough year physically for Libby. A car accident in early summer, when she was on her way to her summer retreat at Montreat, necessitated a hospital stay and recuperation. But it has not daunted her spirit or sparkling eyes.

She misses her regular spot in the church and when her recovery is complete she says, "I'll be back."

© 2001: Chapel of the Cross