Church Of Bert

Aug. 10, 2007 — -- It's an unsuspecting magical place — a home overlooking Puget Sound, outside of Seattle. But Bert and Robin Brumett's home has come to be known as the Church of Bert, a place where strangers are welcome and there's always someone willing to listen.

It is a remarkable story of devotion, generosity and innovation. A loving wife, refusing to allow the quality of her husband's life to decline despite a crippling illness, reached out on the Internet for help.

The view of Puget Sound from the Brumetts' home is stunning, but some say what's even more beautiful is what is happening inside.

"I call it the Church of Bert because there's this thing that happened in there and it was like how you might feel after you leave a good Sunday service or something," volunteer Nadine Joy said. "I felt that there was something larger than all of us that was there."

After Bert was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease in 2004, Robin posted an ad on Craigslist.com, making an online plea for people to come share their world with him. Because Bert loved the world so much, she decided to bring the world to him. Hundreds responded, to come talk about any topic — their lives, their families, almost anything.

And then they came, one by one, most of them strangers. One man came and read from his newly finished novel set during the Civil War. A noted scientist came to talk to Bert about earthquakes and volcanoes. One young woman came to tell him of her experiences in the Peace Corps and her travels on all seven continents. David Johns brought his daughter Mia and he even read her a storybook as Bert listened.

Bert and Robin have been married for 40 years and used to run a television station in Seattle. Bert loved playing tennis and playing with his kids. He retired early and started traveling with his wife. Robin loved trying new things, and Bert loved doing anything with Robin.

But as the golden years arrived in 2004, Robin and Bert noticed something was terribly wrong.