STEVENS, Margaret M. 1920-

PERSONAL:

Born August 23, 1920, in Arlington, NE; daughter of Ernest (a farmer and professional musician) and Lottie (a homemaker and professional musician; maiden name, Murdock) Elsner; married Roger S. Stevens, May 28, 1944 (divorced); children: Rodger, David, Ann Stevens Smith. Politics: "Former Republican; presently undecided." Religion: "Metaphysical—New Thought."

ADDRESSES:

Home—790 Reiten Dr., Ashland, OR 97520. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Santa Anita Church, Arcadia, CA, senior minister, 1966-91. Barnhart School, director, 1966-90; Santa Anita Ministerial School, founder and director, 1973-91. International New Thought Alliance, member of board of directors; Association for Global New Thought, member of advisory board.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Swan Awards for outstanding weekly talk show host, Rogue Valley Community Television, 1993, 1995; Joseph Murphy Award for world service in the New Thought movement.

WRITINGS:

Prosperity Is God's Idea, DeVorss Publishing (California), 1978.

Stepping Stones for Little Feet, DeVorss Publishing (California), 1981.

Stepping Stones for Boys and Girls, DeVorss Publishing (California), 1982.

Jubilation on the Journey, privately printed, 1996.

(With son, Rodger Stevens) Families of the Jailed: A Book of Hope, Hampton Roads (Charlottesville, VA), 2001.

Also author of More Stepping Stones for Children and Patterns for Happy Living. Author of a booklet, "You Cannot Die," DeVorss Publishing (California).

WORK IN PROGRESS:

An autobiography.

SIDELIGHTS:

Margaret M. Stevens told CA: "I am at present working on a work which might never be completed. I am finding it more involved than I had expected. At the insistence of my grandchildren, all grown, I am writing down the experiences of my long life, including serious injury, amazing healing, bouts with cancer and surgery, divorce after fifty-three years of marriage, and then the painful experiences with my son, an ordained minister unjustly accused of child molestation, who has spent several years in Texas prisons.

"The autobiography will contain a section called 'The Men in My Life,' a series of vignettes concerning the many outstanding spiritual leaders I have known, traveled with, ministered with, and from whom I have learned so many important life lessons. That portion may be extracted and published separately from the autobiography. It will be no great immortal work, but I am having fun and much pleasure putting it together. "Perhaps I should explain why I started writing. The children's books were first, because I was repeatedly asked to write down and make available the hundreds of stories I told in daily chapel. The Prosperity book was also done at the request of people who attended my prosperity workshops over the years. The booklet 'You Cannot Die' was written for the same reason, and it is still selling very well, being included in condolence cards. At my age, I have the opportunity to share my experiences with many friends. Jubilation on the Journey is a compilation of essays published in a monthly magazine here in Ashland, Oregon, where I have made my home for the past twelve years. Finally, Families of the Jailed: A Book of Hope was written at the strong insistence of author Neale Donald Walsch, a personal friend and author of the popular 'Conversation with God' series. He knows my son, believes in his innocence, and felt that this book would be very helpful to other families caught in this painful and challenging experience."