With reporting by Chris La Pelusa
In today’s society, much emphasis is placed on the body’s physical health. But what about another kind of health—spiritual health? Reverend Matthew (Matt) Meyer, of N. 2, founder of the Spiritual Health Club, knows the paramount importance of this “other” kind of health.
“[In the Spiritual Health Club] We talk a lot about our physical health, but our spiritual health, because we’re spiritual beings, is very important too. And I think we can be spiritually sick or spiritually off course or dysfunctional, but we would like to have a happy, joyful, loving spiritual life.”
Spiritual Health Club member Rich Bell (foreground) leads a lively discussion on the after-effects of near-death experiences at the meeting on Thursday, February 3. (Photo by Chris LaPelusa/Sun Day)
When Meyer and his wife Virginia came to Sun City in 1999, he founded a Christian religious group. A fourth generation pastor in the Church of the Brethren in Elgin, Meyer has always led small groups, even when he was a pastor in California, and he currently runs a Grief Group, as well. “I’ve had small groups forever,” he says. “I believe in small groups where people sit together, and they have time to think and share and search and seek and just do a lot of wonderful, good things.”
But after a few years, Meyer was dissatisfied with his Christian group. “I … wanted to broaden out to include all religions—all faith or no faith—and talk about spirituality instead of religion,” he explains. So in September of 2002, he created the Spiritual Health Club, which focuses on spirituality, rather than religion. “I fell in love with the concept that all humans are one,” Meyer explains. “There’s a oneness in humanity—we’re brothers and sisters under God. And religions try to make a separation…. I want a oneness across everything, so that takes me beyond the Church of the Brethren.”
Since 2002, the scope of the Spiritual Health Club has gotten bigger “primarily because my scope got bigger,” Meyer says with a laugh. “I was never taught … a lot of things I believe now. The idea that spiritual beings never die, I never got that up through high school and college and seminary and even the doctors’ program, they weren’t talking about that. But now we’re talking about that. And there’s a lot of people talking about that around the world, talking about spirituality of a broad scope.”
With anywhere between 15 and 20 members, the Spiritual Health Club’s intimate setting is a perfect environment for people to expand their spiritual beliefs and horizons, exploring new topics and gaining fresh understanding. “…it’s a good way to expose ideas and thoughts and maybe form new opinions, new convictions,” says Meyer. Each meeting focuses on a select topic, from “After Effects of NDE” [Near Death Experience] to “DNA” to “Science and Religion,” and oftentimes includes guest speakers.
Though called a Club, the Spiritual Health Club is actually a Special Interest Group. “We’re not a Charter Club,” says Meyer. “Back in 2002, we tried hard to become a Charter Club… And … even though we’re open to everybody, faith or no faith—and that’s every human!—they said ‘You’re too religious, so you can’t be that [a Charter Club].’ But now, I like it this way…it gives us more freedom.” One of the advantages is that the group is open to everybody, whether they are a resident of Sun City or not, and Meyer encourages anybody who is interested to come. “It’s fun to talk about that [spiritual matters] with anybody at any stage of faith or conviction,” he says.
The group meets “off property” in the community room at the PNC Bank (across Rt. 47) every Thursday from 3:45 – 5:30 p.m., except on holidays. Anybody who is interested in attending a meeting is welcome to drop by the meeting or call Matt if they have any questions or would like to know more about the group and what might be of interest them.
