George L. McLaird

Education and early life

McLaird’s parents, George and Florence, were both ordained Fundamentalist, Pentecostal preachers. Following the death of his father in Los Angeles when he was five, his mother moved his sister, Gloria and George Jr. to her mother's farm West of St. Peter. MN. When in the 6th grade, his family moved back to California.

McLaird graduated from Belmont High School, Los Angeles, CA in 1957 and earned his BA in 1965 from Los Angeles Pacific College. He married Sandra Joyce (Dixie) Dickenson in August 9, 1962, and divorced in 1976. Their son, Sean Noel McLaird was born March 17, 1969. In 1968 George graduated, M.Div. San Francisco Theological Seminary. Married Linda Carol Johnson (June 9, 1983). For three years she taught Jr. High School French before joining United Airlines as a Flight Attendant for 37 years. They completed their bucket list in 2012 having traveled to 33 countries and 48 U.S. states.

Career

In 1960, George was hired by Youth for Christ as a Club Director in South West Los Angeles. As part of his work with YFC/LA for several summers he served as a counselor at Teen Ranch in Hesperian, CA.Utah State Club Director 1962. Chicago Club Director 1963, World Opportunities, Hollywood, CA. 1964–‘65, Youth Director at Congregation Church in Redondo Beach & Director of Stub’s Pub a coffee house ministry in Hermosa Beach, CA. He served 4 Presbyterian churches from 1968–2001: St. Andrew’s in Redondo Beach, San Leandro and Newark. He concluded his Parish Ministry in 2001 having served the Sausalito Presbyterian Church for nearly 27 years. With the guidance of his seminary class mate, Rev. Jane Adams Spahr, McLaird advocated on behalf of Gay and Lesbian parishioners throughout the Presbyterian Denomination (USA) he advocated for their ordination as Elders and Deacons starting in 1975. In 2011 his denomination approved Gay and Lesbian’s to be ordained as Clergy. He has also been an advocate for Gay and Lesbian marriage.

While an Assistant Pastor, St. Andrew’s, Redondo Beach from 1968–71, he served as the secretary of the South Bay Ministerial Association, Member of the South Bay Clergy and Mental Health Association. Developed Narcotic Round Table and organized committee for HOME (a half-way home for kids involved with drugs). Member of Presbytery of the Pacific.

As a board member, he helped Dr. Bromley in San Leandro, CA start a program for young people struggling with drugs and alcohol. In 1975–2001, served as Pastor of Sausalito Presbyterian and The Presbytery of the Redwoods on Candidates and Peace Making committees till 2001.

During his ministry in Sausalito, at the urging of a parishioner, Bob Hunter the church began supporting Leon Mission Partners in Leon, Mexico. The program supports over 100 abused and/or abandoned children in 3 houses in and around Leon. The program also provides transitional housing for indigenous families who move to the city for work.

Again under the leadership of Bob Hunter and co-founder Denni Brusseau the church launched a tutoring program for under served youth in the neighboring town of Marin City. The program became Bridge the Gap College Prep and has an annual budget of more than one million dollars.

From 2001 to present, he has been serving as Pastor Emeritus, Sausalito Presbyterian Church.

He created and lead a seminar Mastering The Marital Arts for all couples he married. This educational seminar guides couples, be they partners who may remain unmarried as well as those who are engaged or married, create and maintain a relationship, which is healthy enough to last a lifetime. The foundation of this approach is found in the WE/ME logo (see above) He also taught marriage skills at the request of Army Chaplains, under the guidance of Rev. General, Wayne Hoffman to Chaplains, troops and families.George taught Mastering The Art of Spiritual Living at 4 residential drug and alcohol recover centers: Bayside Marin, 2004-2006, ^[5] Mayflower, 2007-2010. Alta Mira, 2011-2012, and North Bay Recovery, 2012-2014. His book, A Guide for Spiritual Living was the curriculum. In 2015 he became active in the Death Café movement as well as advocating with Compassion and Choices for The End of Life Option Act in California, which was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown in September 2015.

In December 2008 he served as the Protestant Pastor on Crystal Cruises sailing from Long Beach, CA to the Mexican Riviera.

His Post Seminary Spiritual Influences include Meditation, Paramahansa Yogananda where he began lessons with The Self-Realization Fellowship. He has practiced and taught meditation since 1973. That year he had a spontaneous Mystical Experience after which he and others began referring to him theologically as "a Mystic."

His most influential teachers have been: Dr. James Muilenburg, Dr. David Noel Freedman, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, Dr. Brugh Joy and Dr. Carolyn Conger. In 1975, he began using night dreams as life directors. He has claimed to have had several ‘big dreams’ as defined by C.G. Jung which were life changing. He led a dream workshop at the Sausalito Presbyterian Church for several years. 1976 he was introduced to A Course In Miracles by Gerald Wyker, M.D. He taught The Course at the Sausalito Presbyterian Church for 13 years and continues to use it as one of his guides and teachers. In 2012, he was the co-presenter of the Sexual Development Of Recovering People with Sonnee Weedn, Ph.D, at (SASH) The Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health conference which received notable coverage.

In 2015 he received EIPPY awards for his books, I Hear You're Afraid of Dying or Afraid Someone You Love Will Die Before You and for Cancer, From Tears to Triumph which he co-wrote.

Books

McLaird’s form of journaling is writing poems. He has written more than a thousand; most are unpublished.