Watch the Video and Read a synopsis of the Platform below.
November 23, 2025
Lee Marvin and Roland Reisley Share their Stories: Read about it below.
Origins Sunday is an annual platform at which two members share their journey to Ethical Culture. This year, founding member Roland Reisley, and recent member Lee Marvin, spoke about their families, their youth, their early encounters with religion and religious thought, and how they found their way to ESNW. In Roland’s case, participation in a youth group at the New York Society for Ethical Culture introduced him to a religion that made sense to him, and after getting married and moving up to Westchester, he found other like-minded couples and together they formed the Northern Westchester Society. In Lee’s case, music was a strong early influence that shaped both his career path and his spiritual life. In more recent years he was searching for a community of people beyond the music world, and that brought him to our society. Roland grew up in New York City, and Lee in a tiny town in upstate New York, but one commonality was that they had parents who didn’t indoctrinate them in any particular religion, and instead gave them the freedom to explore and find what worked for them on their own.
Our Sunday School curriculum includes teaching 12 core values, among which are, “Every person is important and unique,” “I can learn from everyone,” and “I am free to choose what I believe.” Young and old, we continue to learn and grow from each other, and are grateful to Roland and Lee for enhancing our community and our lives.