A Path to Joy: Terry Charlton on Meditation, Faith, and Finding God's Presence

When Terry Charlton first walked through the doors of Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church six and a half years ago, she almost turned around.

Raised Catholic, she had left the church at 17 and spent decades describing herself as “a spiritual seeker, but not church.” After moving to Bryn Mawr from Bucks County, a longtime friend encouraged her to give BMPC a try. Terry was skeptical.

“I went with tremendous trepidation,” she recalls. “I kept asking myself, ‘What am I doing? Why am I doing this?’”

Then she heard something that changed everything.

“The thing that got me — and what still keeps me here — is the Assurance of Pardon,” she says. “The view here is God’s love. I didn’t get that in my religious training. I didn’t get mercy. More and more, I experience the message of how deeply we are loved by God.”

That first Sunday, Terry found herself moved not only by the preaching and music, but also by the children’s moment.

“I remember thinking, ‘If I had had that, things would have been different.’”

Today, Terry is deeply woven into the life of the congregation. She serves as a trustee, sits on the Foundation Board and Music & Fine Arts Council, works closely with Middleton Counseling Center, and is an active member of the Senior Adult Council. Along the way, she has discovered something else that keeps her connected: community.

“I’ve made so many friends,” she says. “Really good people. The values here — service, love, caring — are true Christian values. And the consistency with those values really gets me.”

A Lifelong Spiritual Journey

Terry’s interest in meditation began in an unexpected place: with The Beatles.

A self-described “Beatles kid” who was 13 when the band appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, Terry became fascinated by the group’s interest in Indian music and spirituality. At 16, she accompanied a friend to a yoga class taught by a Cuban instructor who approached yoga not as exercise, but as a spiritual practice.

“It was transformative,” she says.

That experience launched a decades-long exploration of meditation traditions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, contemplative Christianity, and a practice known as The Infinite Way, which focuses on God’s omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence.

For Terry, meditation has never been about escaping life. Instead, it has deepened her relationship with God.

“It has expanded my connection to God’s presence,” she says. “It builds trust and faith. It expands peacefulness and appreciation for creation. Most of all, it has increased my awareness of God’s love.”

She also appreciates simple practices that anyone can do.

“You don’t have to get fancy,” she says. “Simple breath practices can be done anywhere.”

Teaching Practices for Everyday Life

Over the past few years, Terry has shared her experience through classes at BMPC. Her first offering, a four-week “Meditation Sampler,” introduced participants to a variety of approaches. Later, she taught a class on managing anxiety through mind, body, and spirit practices.

Now, she is preparing a new three-part class centered on joy.

Drawing inspiration from The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World, featuring conversations between the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the class will explore gratitude, compassion, acceptance, and the ways we can choose joy even amid life’s challenges.

“Joy is a choice,” Terry says. “We often don’t think we have choices, but we have choices all the time.”

The class will also explore the obstacles that keep us from experiencing joy and the importance of shifting our focus away from ourselves and toward others.

“A key to joy is serving others and feeling part of something bigger,” she says. “Purpose matters. Community matters.”

 

Though the themes are profound, Terry emphasizes that participants do not need prior experience with meditation.

“No yoga mat is required,” she says with a smile. “Bring an open mind and a willingness to engage.”

Sessions will include conversation, reflection, and practical exercises that participants can carry into everyday life. For those who find it difficult to sit still, Terry offers reassurance.

“It won’t be sixty minutes of silence,” she says. “We’ll be engaging with one another and with the topic.”

In many ways, the upcoming class continues the work begun in her anxiety class, offering practices for navigating a world that often feels overwhelming.

“This is mindset work,” Terry says. “It’s about strengthening our mental and spiritual resilience.”

And perhaps that work begins with remembering the truth that first drew her to BMPC years ago.

“We are loved by God,” she says. “That’s where it all starts.”

 

Choosing Joy - No Matter What will meet for three Wednesday evenings – September 23, 30, and Oct. 7, at 7:00 p.m. in Witherspoon Parlor, following Wednesday Night Dinner this fall. The class is open to everyone, and participants may attend in person or via Zoom. No previous meditation experience is required.

For more info. contact KikiMcKendrick@bmpc.org