Tom and Sue Bay
Tom and Sue Bay are longtime members of Colonial Park United Church of Christ, and it all started with an invitation.
In the early 1980’s, friends asked them to attend a service. The Bays enjoyed the sermons and the warm, welcoming atmosphere, so they kept coming back. They officially became members in 1983.
Both Tom and Sue said they enjoy the church services, the music, the fellowship and friendships they have made over the years. They also have deep appreciation of CPUCC’s mission of social justice and the many outreach opportunities it provides.
Not long after they became members, they dove in to share their talents and passions and help however they could.
Sue has been a Bible School teacher and a Youth Fellowship Advisor. She presently helps with the Blessing Box, sells grocery cards, works in the Thrift Shop, attends Women’s Spirituality Group, is a Foose Reader and a Meals on Wheels volunteer, and she is a Sunday School helper for the Crosswalker class.
Tom served on the church council two different times. He has also been a Youth Fellowship Advisor, worked in the attic treasures at the Devonshire Fair for years, and helped with Christmas decorating and painting of the church. Presently, he helps keep the Blessing Box full, volunteers for Meals on Wheels, and helps at the Harrisburg Area Food Pantry. He also helps at the Thrift Shop when he can.
The couple also participates in the Spiritual Springboards.
The Bays are both retired teachers. Sue taught second grade for 34 years in Susquehanna Township School District. Tom spent his career in the Central Dauphin School District where he taught elementary physical education, coached track and cross country at Central Dauphin East HS along with being a certified athletic trainer.
They are the parents of two daughters. Katie, an elementary music teacher, lives and teaches in a Hispanic community in Fort Worth, Texas. Sarah is an environmentalist and a water and soil researcher for the Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture. She lives in Newville with her husband, Jan, and their three cats.
In 2017, Tom was in a life-threatening hit and run bicycle accident. He was riding his bicycle with friends in the Mt. Gretna area when a vehicle intentionally plowed into the group with Tom experiencing the worst of it. He had serious multiple orthopedic injuries and a 10-hour successful orthopedic surgery. As a result of his orthopedic injuries, he suffered a saddle pulmonary embolism and had to have emergency open heart surgery to save his life. After 10 days in critical care ICU, he was transferred to a nursing home for rehab where he stayed for three months.
“During this time, our church family supported us and prayed for us in more ways than I can count,” Sue said. “I will always be so grateful for the love and endless kindness that were bestowed upon us. Their support helped to give Tom the courage and determination to do the hard work required for his long recovery and it was an extreme comfort and strength-gathering for me and our family.”
When asked where they found their inspiration, both Tom and Sue immediately mentioned their families.
“Our daughters inspire me, both trying to make a positive difference in their corners of the world,” Sue said. “My parents are an inspiration, and any act of kindness inspires me.”
Tom added, “Sue and our two daughters strive to make the world a better place each in their own way using compassion, caring, and thoughtfulness.”
He also mentioned the people he saw in physical therapy after his accident.
“Several of the people I saw were worse off than me. However, day in and day out they were there faithfully doing their exercises, knowing they were not going to improve very much,” he said. “These people literally gave me the inspiration and confidence to work as hard as I could to improve my physical and emotional well-being.”
When they aren’t busy volunteering at CPUCC, Sue likes to shop, send cards, meet with friends and family, work in her yard, read, and watch Masterpiece Theater on PBS.
Despite his accident, Tom says his favorite hobby is riding his bicycle. He has ridden in California, Colorado, Maryland, Texas, and Vermont. Plus, he rode across the country in 2009!
The Bays highly recommend CPUCC to anyone who is looking for authenticity in their church. They feel that not only does CPUCC do good work, but it is also a warm, welcoming, and accepting church. It feels like home to them.
They both expressed their admiration for Pastor Cindy, saying that she is wonderful minister “who guides us on faith-filled and faith-broadening experiences. Pastor Cindy is truly a servant of God.”
“I think our church, CPUCC, strives to walk the talk of doing God’s work,” Sue said.
“I always keep these four words in mind – peace, love, joy, and hope,” Tom added. “CPUCC epitomizes all of these to the utmost.”
And it all started with just an invitation.
July 2025
Meet other members of Colonial Park United Church of Christ by clicking HERE.
