Welcome to Spiritual Direction
at First UMC!


People come to spiritual direction for discernment, to be heard, to heal and to grow spiritually. Spiritual directors are trained professionals who listen deeply with compassion and love, inviting Spirit into the conversation. They help people voice what is difficult to say and help them discern the movements of the Divine in their lives. Spiritual direction is not therapy, although the two are complementary. 


We provide services to everyone in the community regardless of age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical and mental capacity, education, economic means, marital status, and life journey.

Are you looking to be companioned while:

  • Reflecting on your personal experiences and what you have been taught, and how this matches your current faith journey?
  • Attending to personal or spiritual growth - where and how is God inviting you to take the next step?
  • Exploring spiritual or emotional blockages or hindrances, including traumatic experiences with religious institutions or people?
  • Examining your beliefs and understanding of the Sacred, listening to your inspiration and your doubts in a safe space? 
  • Learning how to connect through prayer, meditation, and contemplative practices?
  • Remembering life in times of joy, healing or suffering?


THE PROCESS:

  • SLOWING DOWN - Centering, grounding, and quieting of the spirit
  • LISTENING - Speaking one’s experience, listening to the words/energy/body movements; reflecting and becoming aware of where God is or where you are being invited
  • PRESENCE -  Staying with and moving through the body’s reactions and emotions that arise
  • RESOLUTION & HONORING - Offering prayers of comfort, thanks, and/or lament


HOW TO SIGN UP:

Individual sessions:

for a 20-minute introductory conversation
for 60-minute session (in office or Zoom)
for a 90-minute session (in nature). 


Group Spiritual Direction is offered as part of grief groups, labyrinth worship and retreats.


Additional Questions or Referrals: If you have questions or would like to be referred to another Spiritual Director, please email spiritualdirection@fumcscr.org.

Love First Adds Another Spiritual Director

Greetings Love First United Methodist Congregation and community! I am so excited to have the opportunity to be available, beginning in November, as a spiritual director. I celebrate and understand this to be an expression of this congregation’s commitment to support people in their spiritual journey and equip people to answer God’s invitation to live lives of meaning, purpose and love. In this brief writing I would like to share a little about myself, reflect a bit on how I approach spiritual direction, and to issue an invitation.

My own spiritual journey has been sometimes wonderful, sometimes dry, sometimes bumpy, rich and varied. This journey has benefited from having had good spiritual directors, guides and mentors.  I grew up in a home that was nourishing in some important ways, but also included experiences of trauma. I have been a life-long participant in church while also being drawn to a spirituality that includes strong connection with nature/creation and seeing God’s presence manifested in many ways, in many circumstances and expressions. I bring many skills and experiences as well as training in doing spiritual direction. I have experience as an ELCA Lutheran pastor serving in a wide variety of settings (including outdoor ministry) and I am a long-time explorer and intentional practitioner of spiritual life and leadership. I am drawn to the movements of the Spirit in my life and in the lives of others, and am a curious person. I also love the outdoors, music, reading, sports, biking, hiking, family and friends. I think I can relate well to a pretty wide variety of folks. I am drawn to earthy, honest and compassionate engagement with real life, as well as to humor, to joy, and to hope.

 

Spiritual direction is a safe, non-judgmental, open and curious three-way conversation between you, the spiritual director and God, with the primary relationship being between you and God. One description I like from another congregation speaks of spiritual direction as an opportunity to look and listen for God’s presence and action in your daily life. You listen for who God has created you to be and how God invites you to live at this time in your life and spiritual journey. As a spiritual director, I have been trained to listen for God’s presence and possible movements in people’s lives and to help you develop ways of listening for this presence, sometime offering invitations to explore particular spiritual practices.

 

Finally, I want to invite you into a spiritual direction conversation, with me or with someone else. It is a conversation that is really about your ongoing, deepening and broadening conversation with God, wherever you may be in your sense of the divine. This would begin with an initial informational and getting acquainted conversation to see if you think this would indeed be something you would like to explore further, with a chance to be curious.

 

I look forward to taking on this new leadership role here at church, and look forward to getting to know all of you!

 

- Steve Peterson          Sign up with Steve


About Alison Hendley

Alison is a trained spiritual director who has been working with clients for over 15 years, and an ordained deacon in the UMC.  She has a deep sense of listening, knows how to live through and with trauma, and the healing/grief process.  She thrives in nature, and is a monk with the St. Brigid of Kildare Monastery (a Methodist, Benedictine community).


Testimonials

"Spiritual Direction with Alison is richly healing, beautiful and one of the holiest experiences I have ever had. Through her guidance, I have connected with the Holy Spirit in deeper ways, widened my view of God, felt safe and supported as I have dug into childhood wounds, started to see myself as a worthy child of God, found my voice, and am starting to walk more confidently, peacefully and creatively through life."


“Having a caring, attentive adult listen deeply to me and help me listen to what the Holy Spirit was/is telling me was invaluable.”


"Your prayers and culturally appropriate practices meant a great deal to me. My loved one's death from cancer and COVID-19 complications was devastating. Feeling disconnected from our traditions because of how US Christians tend to view them, made things all the more painful and disruptive to my ability to mourn. Thanks to Spiritual Direction, I was able to feel like it was okay to be a Christian and engage in the traditions that meant so much to my family." 


“It cleared my heart and mind, and genuinely brought me closer to God. Without Spiritual Direction, I think I’d still be struggling to understand what happened to me.”


“It helped me process an event and develop a more self-affirming and Christ-affirming perspective on my response.”


“I finally am feeling deeply accepted and not judged. Alison is not the only human source of God's unconditional love, but she is a very important resource right now for me and for others who have experienced her gifts.”

Donations

Donate for your Session (Non-Deductible)

We are so excited to continue the ministry of Spiritual Direction into the future! Change is always a part of growth; we pray this ministry keeps growing. We hope this ministry will thrive as a tool for healing and wholeness in your life and the lives of the wider community. Because of this, beginning July 1st, 2023, a new system is in place for Spiritual Direction. 


You will be invited to pay for your session upfront when you book a session. A session costs $55, with a minimum requested payment of $20 per session. 

 

No one will be turned away due to the ability to pay. If you need a scholarship, please email Pastor Leah at lrosso@fumcscr.org. We also recognize that there are times when people won’t be able to make their appointments and that, in those cases, our Spiritual Director has still spent time planning for your session. Because of this, cancellations without a 24-hour notice are non-refundable. 

 

Session fees can be paid through Realm or via a check to First UMC (memo: Spiritual Direction session). Payments made for services received are not tax deductible. Thank you! This change enables us to continue providing affordable and accessible services to the whole community. If you have questions, please email Pastor Leah at: lrosso@fumcscr.org.


As we move forward with the ministry of Spiritual Direction, we will continue to evolve and grow so that the ministry can also evolve and grow. We hope this ministry will thrive as a tool for healing and wholeness in your life and the lives of the community. 


Donate to the Program (Tax Deductible)

If you are interested in being a founding donor to the program, or would like to set up an ongoing monthly donation to support spiritual direction, this is also accessible via the spiritual direction web page.  Program donations made above and beyond the cost of the session, or by individuals who do not receive services, are tax deductible.

LEARNING KINTSUGI


Because in every romance there will always
be a crack of trouble. Because
we contain many foxes who will fracture
us until we tame them by name.
Then they teach us to fill the chinks
desire makes with gold. Because
the fox named Shame is inseparable
from her mate and he remains
nameless until we recognize his name

is Rage. Both are creatures of moon,
shadows exquisite and easily broken.
Because pain refracts light only when
we look. Because poems are the ghosts
of stories too fragile to be spoken.
Because we can be broken and at
the same time whole because the art
of golden repair is the art of refusing
to hide the beautiful strength of our damage.


Tracy Rittmueller
2021
https://tracyrittmueller.com

Kintsugi:  The Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold mortar;
                  a philosophy of embracing our imperfections.

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