Standing at the pulpit, Sudi Layraman is a small, small lady with a big message. Originally from Thailand, she's come a long way to be the new leader of Ogden Presbyterian Church (OPC). Layraman said she worried how the congregation would react to her accent and the fact that she wasn't tall, with blonde hair and blue eyes. So far, it seems that Rev. Layraman has everybody's attention - and she probably won't run out of stories anytime soon. "I had someone tell me that they were going to have to add parking spots," Layraman laughed, talking about the warm reception she has received. Layraman's last assignment was in Franklin, Wisconsin, a small city just outside of Milwaukee. Her husband, Tawee, is still leading a congregation in Ohio. Layraman said the distance between the couple of nearly 33 years is already proving to be a challenge, but neither pastor has ever shied way from a difficult assignment. Becoming a Christian in Thailand is tough. Nearly 99 percent of the country's population is Buddhist. For Sudi, the desire to be Christian was almost innate. "Growing up, I always believed in something bigger than my ability to understand it," Layraman said. That belief led her to "accidentally" join a Christian group in college. A friend (who eventually became her husband) approached her and asked her to help out with a play some students were putting on. The play, titled "The Fourth Wiseman," chronicles the life of a wise man trying to bring jewels to Jesus. Along his travel, he ends up giving his jewels away to those in need and stopping so many times to help others that he doesn't meet Jesus while He was still on the Earth. In his despair, he cries out to Jesus apologizing that he never got to see Him or give Him the gifts. Jesus corrects the wise man, reassuring him that every good deed he did for others, he also did for Jesus. For Layraman, the play introduced her to that something beyond all understanding and began her life as a Christian. "I don't think anyone can love us as much as Jesus," Layraman said. Her decision to become a Christian has been hard for her parents to accept, but they remain a close family. In Thailand, Sudi taught biology and Tawee taught geography. In 1981, they were sent to the United States to further their education. Tawee decided that he was being called to enter a seminary. When they reported back their change of plans, they were told they would lose all funding. Unshakable, Sudi went to work to support their family (they have two boys now grown) and Tawee entered McCormick Theological Seminary. Later on, Sudi attended San Francisco Theological Seminary. After she graduated, the couple served together at a church in Ohio. So the road to Ogden Presbyterian Church has been a scenic one. Pastor Layraman said she hopes her new congregation will benefit from her varied experiences. For one, she has a different perspective as someone who chose to become a Christian later in life as opposed to someone who has spent all of her life as a Christian in a Christian family. "I come as an experience of my life," said Pastor Layraman. She looks forward to sharing that experience with as many of the about 260 congregation members as possible over the next year. Layraman said her top priority is getting to better know the members of OPC. As she gets to know members and their talents, she hopes to be able to engage each member in the important work that has to be done at OPC. For this small pastor, the vision is really big. "We're going to build this one brick at a time," Layraman said. "I want OPC to be visible from the moon just like the Great Wall." February 25, 2007 |
