Interview #2: Margee Iddings
I met with Margee Iddings on March 31st at her house in Alexandria, Virginia. I met Margee a couple of years ago as I was preparing for Jeff's three month sabbatical period. As Jeff was taking on global adventures, Pilgrims wanted to have a sabbatical period that involved growth and exploration. I directed myself to Margee who is known throughout the world for creative and imaginative liturigcal ideas. Margee walked with me through the three month sabbatical, helping me expand Pilgrim's experience with ritual, liturgy, and living into our thematic structure of "Connections and Clarity." Since the sabbatical time, Margee has become a Parish Associate at Pilgrims plus remains my spiritual director.
This is how I would sum up my relationship with Margee: Margee + Ashley=energy+creativity+support+encouragement+trust=depth. Depth is defined as, " a part that is far from the outside or surface; profound or intense state; the quality of being deep; the degree of intensity; the quality of being profound (as in insight) or full (as of knowledge); the quality or state of being complete or thorough." My relationship with Margee is one that takes me to my depths--another characteristic of the other women I will eventually interview. As Margee has challenged and pushed me to explore the boundaries of worship and liturgical ritual, I am taken to a part of me that is far from the outside or surface of myself. As I drove away from my interview with Barbara Gerlach, I had this intense awareness of my surroundings. As I drove away from Margee's house, my face literally was tingly hot; to me, signifying the flood of memories coming back to me from other experiences of being taken to my own depth while offered love and support.
Like Barbara Gerlach, Margee graduated from Union Theological Seminary in NYC. As Margee described her experience at Union, I heard my own story. Margee went to Union not really having a clear sense of why or how she would use her Masters of Religious Education and Sacred Music degree. While Margee was at Union, she was challenged by the liberation theology presented to her yet soaking it all up like a sponge. I, too, went to Union without a clear vision or call but I knew I had to go. I, too, was challenged by the liberating theology oozing out of Union but embraced it as normative and vital.
Like Barbara Gerlach, Margee has been part of a women's consciousness raising group (nicknamed the Burp Group) that has been a place of support, advocacy and polticizing choices and decisions made within the church. So with Margee I have this powerful force for creative, liturgical expression in my life along with a fierce advocate for a Church that embraces and lives by a radical nature. By radical nature, I mean those who identify as followers of the Way need to get up, move along, and take political risks for the sake of Jesus.
Near the end of our interview, I asked Margee about a symbol that would represent her life right now. She said, "a crone's crown." Margee has a croning ceremony when she was 50 and sees her call right now as a wise woman sprinkling encouragement to those along the way. A crone's crown usually has a potpourri of herbs on top so I'd like to picture Margee sprinkling lavendar on me--that's my favorite herb like flower. It's so smelly good. While we were talking, we both used some Model Magic to make images, kind of like doddling with clay. Margee made an image of her crown. I made a bowl with a music note to represent Margee's love of music, a circle for her crown and a "u" for Union.
I have about 40 minutes of my interview with Margee below. The interview goes something like this:
Margee shares her first steppingstone--experience of playing the organ in churches, starting in the fourth grade. (the clanking in the beginning of the recording is me putting butter on my muffin. That goes away. I'm also working on sound quality).
7:00--Margee shares about going to Wilson College
9:45--Union Theological Seminary and experiences in NYC
18:00--Margee's steppingstone on getting a D.Min at San Francisco Theological Seminary
23:00--Margee fires her D.Min advisor! Gets connected to Elisabeth Fiorenza.
25:00--Margee's relationship with Nelle Morton
26:00--Margee's' relationship with Beverly Harrison
28:00--cost of Margee's radical nature in her life
30:00--the joy of Margee's radical nature
32:00--radical nature of the church & the image of God
35:00--Christian community, sacraments, and being named
Listen here:
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2 comments:
what an incredible joy to be able to hear Margee's voice again, reflecting on the deep things of life. It was an honor to be with her wisdom at Rising Phoenix and those few years remain a source of light for my continuing journey. Thank you for this work - tim van meter
I only recently learned about Rev. Dr. Margee Iddings and the work she created through Faith Resourcing Connections and Rising Phoenix Retreat Center.
I found her story because the retreat property she helped create is being sold at auction at the end of October 2026. I initially came across the property while searching for a possible future home for a vision I have been carrying called Harmony Gardens.
Harmony Gardens is a vision for a modern Christian monastic farm stay—a place where people could step away from ordinary life, spend time in creation, work with their hands, rest, pray, share meals, and seek God in community. I envision gardens, a working farm, secluded guest cabins, trails, gathering spaces, and a place where people from different Christian backgrounds can come together around Jesus.
As I began researching the history of the property, I discovered Margee—and I was struck by how much of what she created through Rising Phoenix resembles parts of the vision I have been carrying.
What especially moves me is that Rising Phoenix did not appear fully formed. Her ministry seems to have grown from something small and personal into a real retreat community and physical place where people could gather, heal, reflect, worship, and encounter God.
There is something especially poignant about discovering her story now, as the property she helped bring to life is preparing to pass into another chapter.
I wish I could have met her and asked her how she did it—what she learned, what was difficult, what she would do differently, and what she believed mattered most.
Since I cannot do that, I simply wanted to leave this note of gratitude.
Thank you, Margee, for planting something that continued beyond you. Years later, as the place you helped create prepares for a new chapter, someone you never met has discovered your story and found encouragement in it.
I do not know where Harmony Gardens will ultimately be, or what form it will take. But learning about Rising Phoenix has reminded me that meaningful places often begin with a vision, a few people willing to believe in it, and the courage to start small.
May the good you planted continue bearing fruit.
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