On the back cover of Peg Robarchek’s recently published faith memoir titled Welcome to the Church of I Don’t Have a Clue: My Irreverent, Post-Evangelical, Sacred Life there is a short blurb by my friend Frye Gaillard, the author of Southernization of America (with Cynthia Tucker) and many other books about the American South. Frye’s blurb reads, “In this page-turning memoir, Peg Robarchek writes of growing up in the segregated, Christ-haunted South, searching for God in all the wrong places.”
I think it is fitting that Frye is listed as one of the endorsers of this book, for he is an expert on the role that religion has played in the history of the South. As Frye has discussed in many of his books, Southern culture is steeped in conflicting religious traditions. In her memoir, Peg also writes about Southern religious traditions, but she focuses on her own personal responses to these traditions. The result is an irreverent yet deeply spiritual memoir.
For much of her adult life, Peg has lived in Charlotte, and Charlotte figures in the second half of her memoir. I recently contacted Peg and asked her about how her experiences in Charlotte relate to the themes that she explores in her memoir. Here is what she sent to me:
When I moved to Charlotte in 1980, I had no idea that the next couple of decades would change my life completely. Charlotte seemed friendly and progressive and like the perfect place to put down roots. It also came across as completely different from Birmingham, Alabama, the city where I’d grown up and escaped as soon as I was able.
I found like-minded people, including other journalists and writers. I also found, however, that Charlotte did have one thing in common with my hometown—a church on nearly every corner. And plenty of those like-minded people started inviting me to their churches. This wasn’t an invitation I welcomed or expected.
In my memoir, Welcome to the Church of I Don’t Have a Clue, I share a spiritual journey that started in childhood when I walked out on church and God—a journey that ultimately brought me to a different understanding of both the Divine and a life of faith. One of the experiences that set me on a different path took place when I attended a lecture and meditation event at Charlotte’s Spirit Square. The concert and event venue on North Tryon had been a prominent church in this city of churches. It sat empty for a while after its original congregation moved to a new location. Spirit Square turned out to be a favorite spot in my new city, a place where I was able to see some of my favorite performers over the years, from Allison Kraus to Lyle Lovett to jazz great Cleo Laine, and many more. Also, as it turned out, the evening when I sat in that former church sanctuary with hundreds of others and experienced a guided meditation became a turning point in my spiritual journey.
And ultimately, I found a community of seekers and clergy and others who became my companions on the journey to connect with the Divine, an outcome I never expected. Charlotte not only became my home in a way that my hometown never was, but it also became my spiritual home.
For readers who would like to meet Peg, Park Road Books will have a reading and book signing at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 21. For readers who are interested in purchasing Peg’s book on Amazon, here’s the link: https://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Church-Dont-Have-Clue/dp/B0CNZRG4B9/ref
As Peg makes clear in her memoir, Charlotte’s faith community extends beyond the buildings and belief systems associated with traditional organized religion. Charlotte is sometimes known as a city of churches, bit it is also a city of stories. Peg’s memoir is one of Storied Charlotte’s most riveting and revealing accounts of a deeply personal faith journey.