A year later, Subud is growing slowly in city

People drawn to spiritual group after international convention

By Kelly McBride - Staff writer

One year ago the force of an obscure spiritual movement swept through Spokane.

In the wake of the Subud World congress, almost 60 people say they've joined -- finding a sacred home in worship exercises created by the organization's Indonesian founder.

There were just five local members before 2,700 Subud (Soo' bood) followers from across the globe invaded downtown Spokane last year. More than half of the participants spoke a foreign language as they strolled through Riverfront Park, downtown shops and restaurants during their two-week stay.

Informational meetings in the park were packed.

Rico and Myrna Reed found themselves captivated by the spirit of the gathering.

"We really felt drawn in by the whole thing," Myrna Reed said. "The people were all so nice and interesting."

Today, the Reeds join up to 50 people twice a week in a rented North Side office for a free spirited worship service called latihan (la-tee-han).

Each month, on average, three more people join, members say. Buoyed, the local group is hoping to buy a building for its worship and social functions.

Rianna Fales, chairwoman of the Spokane group, was among the first wave of newcomers. She joined in 1996 during Subud's North American convention in Spokane, a precursor to the international gathering.

Fales' husband, Michael, had been a member for more than a dozen years, but hadn't participated in latihan for several years. He went to a session with out-of-town relatives and was hooked again.

Fales started asking questions and joined the group a short time later.

The 39-year old homemaker is already considered a veteran, though, because she remembers the days when only a few people showed up for latihan.

The twice-weekly spiritual exercise is done in two rooms: one set aside for men, the other for women.

During the 30-minute evening sessions, followers "get quiet before God" until they are moved to express their worship. Most members report dancing, singing, or chanting.

"To me, it is better with more people," Fales said. "Just like with prayer, when you get a congregation of people praying, it's really strong."

Since the influx of new members, the latihans are every Sunday and Wednesday.

Chris Dorn, 44, read about the Subud phenomenon in the newspaper last year. He stopped in at several of the public events and began attending informational meetings.

He said it's changed his life.

"I know have proof that there is a God. When you do the latihan, you receive movement and sound from a source that is outside yourself. You allow yourself to submit to that. To me, that's proof there's a God."

Dorn, a stay-at-home dad, said the international flavor of the congress was a big attraction.

"That tells me it's valid. It's really not just my white, male, American point of view," he said. "That all these other cultures see something good in Subud tells me a lot."

Stepanie Higgins also was impressed with the multi cultural aspect of the organization. The 28-year-old insurance agent heard about Subud last year from a co-worker who was practicing to sing in a choral, cantata, one of the public performances.

"I was amazed that all these people from different religious backgrounds get together and don't fight," she said. "And they don't try to make everybody see things their way."

Members are encouraged to seek guidance from within and follow no one. Of course, that makes organizing things a little rough.

"It's like herding cats," said Rosa Van der Walde, the former Spokane chairwoman. "But I guess that's the nice thing about it, too. There are no expectations of anyone."

Subud is not a religion, but it claims to be a spiritual organization comparable with all religions. The founder, R.M. Muhammed Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo, or Bapak for short, was Muslim. Members include Christians, Buddhists, Jews, and Hindus.

That was a hook for many of the new members who were soured on organized religion.

"There's no guru, no dogma," said Myrna Reed, who grew up in a strict Catholic home. "I had given up that I would ever find a spiritual path in my life. Until now."

Because Subud does not believe in evangelizing, members are instructed not to offer information to other people unless they ask.

As a result, many of the new members say few of their friends and co-workers know they've joined.

Reed, 39, assistant nursing director at a Valley nursing home, said co-workers have noticed she is calmer and more peaceful since she began participating in the latihans.

"Some people have said, 'I don't know what it is you're doing, but I want some of it,'" she said. "But nobody asks me directly. If they did, I would tell them all about it."

Higgins said her Southern Baptist family knows she's a member, but they never ask her about it.

"My sister thinks it's a cult," she said.

While not embarrassed about their affiliation, many of the new Subud members are keenly aware of the suspicion alternative religious movements generate in this predominantly Christian community.

Evangelists descended on Riverfront Park during the last days of the congress to try to "save" some of the lost souls.

With few people asking for information, Subud members have plenty of time to go quietly about their business of following the will of God, or the higher spirit.

"Subud is the No. 1 thing for me now," Fales said. "My family is very important, but I know as long as I am active in latihan, I can take better care of them."

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