Meet Ruth Parrish Sauder

Ruth Parrish Sauder is 24 years old and a newlywed.  She married Eric Sauder on June 21, 2009 and is enjoying the simple pleasures of their common life, like mixed-up laundry and a complete spice collection. "I'm a fan of marriage," Ruth says with a smile.

When Ruth arrived in State College, she was a first-year student in the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State. She soon met an upperclassman named Janelle Zook, who shared Ruth's love of music and her roots in Lancaster County, PA. The two students also shared a familiarity with and affinity for Mennonites, and so it happened that Janelle brought Ruth to visit UMC.

Ruth studied piano at Penn State until she developed wrist problems and was forced to change her plans. She took up a French major, studied abroad in France, and discovered that she loved teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). After Ruth graduated with her bachelor's degree in the fall of 2007, she decided to do a master's degree in ESL, which she completed this spring.

Ruth met Eric while serving on the leadership team of a campus ministry, and they both thrived in a growing group of students and young adults at UMC. The UMC congregation has been a safe place for Ruth and Eric's faith to be challenged and deepened, both together and as individuals. "It's a good community to ask questions in," Ruth says.

Ruth appreciates the way that UMC fosters an awareness of the world and the growth of genuine community. "We are challenged to think bigger than our local community and church," she says, "while the retreats, fellowship meals, and singing nurture our church community." One of the highlights of the year for Ruth is the annual all-church retreat at Camp Hebron in Halifax, PA.  Retreat attendees are treated to a nighttime horse-drawn wagon ride, and Ruth happily describes how all the young adults pile into one wagon, look up at the stars, and sing in harmony as they ride along.

Mennonites have been a part of Ruth's journey for some time, and she loves the denominational emphasis on peace and social justice. But she sees herself first and foremost as a Christian - as a person who belongs to Christ and to the Church around the world. "UMC is the church I fit in," Ruth explains, "but there are other churches where I could belong."

The future is full of possibility for Ruth. This fall she will put her graduate degree to good use teaching ESL classes at Penn State, and eventually she and Eric would like to serve for a term with Mennonite Central Committee, learning about a different culture either at home or abroad. For the moment, Ruth is simply grateful for the joy of a new season of life and for the community rejoicing with her.

by Naomi Smith