Narrative Summary
Interview with Susan Phillips by Holly Higgins
Susan Phillips had a long journey to get to where she is now. Susan was born into a
Catholic family. For her parents to marry, they had to agree to raise their children as Catholics;
however, religion did not play a big role in her family’s life when she was growing up.
When Susan moved away from home, she was involved in a few different religions and
churches. At first she was involved with Catholic churches and then with the American Baptist
denomination. Neither of these seemed to be right for her, and so Susan joined the Metropolitan
Community Churches. This church was on the front line of human rights, and allowed everyone
to join with no restrictions. This caused the Metropolitan Community Churches to receive bomb
threats and to be oppressed; however, this did not stop them and now they have churches all over
the world. Susan was with them until she moved to the Ozarks in the 1990s.
The move allowed Susan to find something that finally made complete sense to her, the
Native American tradition. She was always interested in the Native American way of life and
was finally allowed to experience it. According to Susan, the Native American tradition is not a
religion, but a way of life.
Just because Susan has finally found something that she believes in doesn’t mean that she
cuts people with other views out of her life, in fact it is just the opposite. Susan has friends with
many different backgrounds and beliefs. She helped start the Daughters of Abraham in the
Ozarks, which has brought the local Muslim and Jewish women together.
Susan Phillips has lived an amazing life. She has helped many different women in the
community, and she will be remembered for a long time.
Missouri State University
Spring 2009
Religious Lives of Ozarks Women