Electronic Ballot Status: Sent 11/30/2025
Update 11/30: Electronic ballots were emailed to all active (current) members on Sunday morning, November 30th. Please check your spam and other inboxes if you haven’t seen it. It came from the same account as our newsletters (info@mchapeloflife.org). Email us there or chapeloflife@gmail.com if you haven’t received your ballot.
About our Board
Our Administrative Board of Directors oversees the business and logistical aspects of the Chapel. Like our ministers and everyone who has kept the Chapel open and running for the last 40 years—they are all volunteers.
Each of the seven (7) positions on the Board (four officers — President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer, and three Directors at Large) are elected to one-year terms. In order to run for a position on our board, an individual simply needs to be a current member of the Metaphysical Chapel of Life.
Each of the positions on the board have different duties and job descriptions.
- Our goal is to find people who are passionate about the Chapel and have the skills and abilities suited to whichever role they’re interested in. We want the right people in the right position at the right time, to help our full Chapel community function in all the brilliance it’s here to illuminate.
- You can find descriptions of each of the board positions by clicking here.
Elections
Elections for our Board of Directors are held every December.
Nominations typically happen in October and November.
A digital ballot is emailed to current members at the end of November to provide an virtual voting option for those active members who cannot be in-person at the Chapel on the first Sunday in December, when in-person voting takes place and the results are finalized.
Volunteering to Serve on the Board
Run for an Elected Board Position
If you are an active member who would like to volunteer to run for a position, or would like to nominate another active member to a board position, you can do so through the form linked here.
If you see someone else’s name already listed as running for position you might be interested in, that’s great! We love it when many people are interested in serving! Still use the form below and/or reach out in conversation, so we can work to have the right people in the right places at the right time.
(Note: Let’s be honest—sometimes people run or agree to run because no one else has volunteered, and they feel compelled to. Have you ever agreed to do something out of love, even though you wish someone else would step up to do it? If we know who else might be interested, we can have a better conversation together, and help each other find the right roles for the right seasons, each fulfilling our unique purposes in this brilliant community.)
This is never about competition (like we experience in other elections we may witness), but about collaboration. And if you or another individual have unique strengths you’d like to generously share with the Chapel community, there are always ways we can get people plugged in, whether on or off the board.
Remember: the board can’t do everything; it takes all of us! And—ensuring all our diverse voices have equitable space at the table is vital.
Nominees for 2026 Board of Directors
President (2026 Candidates)
Elizabeth Rodriguez
Elizabeth Rodriguez has been a member of the chapel for about 17 years (since July of 2007). She has served as a presider, as part of the hospitality committee, became a Laying on of Hands (LOH) healer at the Chapel in 2022, and supports the pre-Sunday Services healing ministry.
Elizabeth came to the United States from England when she was 20 yrs old. Her husband at the time was Air Force. They lived in Brooklyn, New York, North Carolina, and Georgia, before going overseas to Germany, and traveled extensively. She then moved to Virginia in 1992 after divorce. She has three amazing girls, many grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She is a petsitter & currently has 12 cats. Elizabeth’s life partner takes care of them when she is doing one of the things she loves to do: travel.
Elizabeth enjoys being around like minded people, and has studied under Loretta Klecz & Rev. Jenny Seeley for Psychic Development & Healing, and Nan Keenan & Laurie Seeley for Shamanic Practitioner training. She looks forward to continuing to learn different spiritual modalities.
Vice President (2026 Candidates)
Branden Sablan
Branden Sablan grew up in Norfolk, Virginia, and has worked on Navy ships since 2001. His lifelong curiosity about both science and spirituality led him to explore many different religions before discovering metaphysics. Branden found the Chapel in October 2024, became an active member two weeks later, and was baptized by Rev. Bill Whitley that November. Since then, he has felt a strong calling to serve. You can often find him supporting Sunday Services and the Psychic Fair in person, as well as opening the Chapel on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays for our Spiritual & Psychic Development class, helping others join both in person and online. Branden also recently joined the Chapel’s Board of Directors as a Director at Large.
Treasurer (2026 Candidates)
Barbara Moen
Barbara Moen first came to the chapel in April of 2008 when she attended the Psychic Fair. It had such a profound effect on her that she spent the rest of the afternoon driving the backroads of Smithfield in deep contemplation of what was taking place inside of her. She didn’t know what it was but she knew that her life had changed.
She began attending services and classes and officially joined the chapel on August 3rd, 2008. It wasn’t long before she was “encouraged” to run for the treasurer’s position in the upcoming election. She began her commitment to the board in January, 2009. Little did she know that this would be a lifetime commitment.
Barbara had previous experience as the untitled treasurer with the Tidewater United Church of Christ in Virginia Beach. TUCC was a new church start at that time and met in schools and various other places until they were able to purchase land and build their own church building. Barbara assisted the pastor in counting the offering and keeping track of donators for tax purposes. Her duties were not as extensive as her current ones but it did provide a solid foundation to build from.
Barbara is a proud veteran of both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army and retired from the U.S. Army Reserve with credit for 26 years of service. She also retired from the Department of Defense as an Army Civilian after 27 years of service. She was responsible for the maintenance of both aircrew and aircraft survival equipment and first aid kits as well as the property book NCO (noncommissioned officer) for thousands of dollars of equipment.
Secretary (2026 Candidates)
Susan Bauer
Susan Bauer joined the Chapel of Life in 1987 after attending chapel services and classes starting in 1985. She transferred her membership to the Metaphysical Chapel of Life in 2019 after returning to the Peninsula and is currently serving on the Chapel’s Board of Directors. Susan retired from the Department of Defense as an Army civilian after 35 years of service. In her roles as a manager or supervisor she combined her skills and knowledge as an analyst, problem solver, mentor, and coach along with her spiritual focus to bring positive vision and energy into every project or situation.
Susan holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics, a Master’s in Public Administration, is a graduate of the Army Management Staff College and completed Dept of Defense Executive Training. Her most treasured recognition is from The Church of Enlightenment as “Healing Practitioner.”
Susan has been a practitioner of Jin Shin Jyutsu®, an energy harmonizing modality since 2001. She is a Cayce Certified Life Coach, a National Association of Transpersonal Hypnotherapists Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, practices BodyTalk® “Brain Balancing”, Accunect® Emotion Releasing Techniques, and is a dowser. She most enjoys receiving and sharing self-help information. Susan wishes everyone a personal connection with The Source.
Directors at Large (2026 Candidates) (3 positions)
Lorraine (Lori) Walter
Lori Walter has been a member of the Metaphysical Chapel of Life since January 2023. She heard about the Chapel through Rev. Jenny Seeley in the Winter of 2022, and was excited to learn more. Once the In-Person Services resumed, she decided to join!
Lori started her membership by taking a class taught by Rev. Jenny to become an approved Laying on of Hands Healer at the Chapel, and now regularly serves in that capacity during the pre-service healing time on Sunday mornings.
Joining the Chapel also helped her get back in touch with being a Healing Touch for Animals Practitioner® (HTA), which she put on hold for a few years due to recent full-time job demands. She now regularly volunteers her HTA® skills during the Chapel’s monthly Psychic Fairs.
Lori’s healing journey began while she was a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) for more than 40 years. In addition to HTA, she is also an Attuned Sekhmet Reiki Practitioner (taught by Geehan Rakha) and an Animal Reiki Practitioner (taught by Lisa Powers). She has received training in The Pendulum Dowsing Basics Master Class (from The Shaman SOULution Group), studied with and has been trained under the guidance of Raymon Grace, Founder of Raymon Grace Foundation and International Master Dowser, Bill Northern. She has taught several classes at Dowsing Group meetings and at the Memorial Spiritualist Church. Lori is also a Certified Crystal & Chakra Healer (as taught by Vickie Gould from Life Changing Energy), and says she enjoys participating in classes at the Chapel, seeing them as a way to learn new skills to grow both mentally and spiritually.
What Lori likes most of the Metaphysical Chapel of Life is that no one is told “this is how you need to be,” but instead, people are permitted to be who they are while at the same time being allowed to freely pursue their unique journey!
Angela Almond
Rooted in a spirit of compassion and guided by a heart for service, Angela Almond brings both professional leadership and spiritual care to her ministry. A certified Reiki II practitioner with many years of hospice volunteer experience, she approaches care with reverence and deep empathy. She is currently a senior Religious Studies student at Saint Leo University, further nurturing her call to spiritual growth and service.
Professionally, Angela serves as Manager of Health Information Management for the Bon Secours Hampton Roads Hospitals. She also President-Elect of the Virginia Health Information Management Association. She enters board service with humility, integrity, and a sincere commitment to fostering healing, unity, and spiritual well-being. Angela became a member of the Metaphysical Chapel of Life in April 2025.
Beth Yates
Beth Yates began her journey as a student and teacher of Metaphysics in her early teens, and her journey continues to this day. She attended the Chapel as a teenager and grew up in the Memorial Spiritualist Church in Norfolk. Her initial studies in Spiritualism paved the way for a deeper exploration of Metaphysics and the Natural and Universal Laws.
Beth is an ordained minister through the Church of Wisdom, and a certified medium. She has served the Spiritualist community as a speaker locally and nationally through the NSAC organization. Her ongoing studies at Delphi University have further enriched her understanding and expanded her repertoire of metaphysical methods.
Beth became a member of the Chapel in March of 2025, regularly serves as lecturer and presider for our Chapel’s Sunday services, serves as a reader for our psychic fair fundraisers, and serves as the board liaison for our relocation committee.
