Recently, our board of directors sat down to review what has proven most life-giving for folks who engage with Eden Spiritual Care. We also asked how we can continue meeting these needs while stewarding donor funds and team energy as best as we can.
Eden Spiritual Care’s founding happened to take place at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and while many start-ups found this a tremendously challenging time to get off the ground and gain momentum, our online classes and retreats soared. Our very first classes quickly filled to capacity, with people joining in from across the globe, creating diverse and enriching community. In more recent years, we’ve seen hunger for online community tapering off, while the stresses, grief, opportunities, and questions from life in our world today create a desire for deeper processing and space for discernment. It’s no surprise, then, that we’re seeing steadily increasing engagement with the spiritual direction sessions Eden Spiritual Care offers.
So as a team, we have decided to focus intently on spiritual direction in this new year, and conserve resources we’ve typically poured into classes, book groups, and retreats.
Our two online “Retreats in Place” will remain available for you to access whenever you’d like, as will our “Prayer in Real Life” podcast-based class. Our social media posts will continue to offer thoughtful reflection questions, quotes, and pieces of beauty. But new classes, book groups, and retreats will be on pause this year.
In the coming months, please watch our newsletter and social media pages for new content related to spiritual direction. Maybe you’ve heard of spiritual direction but aren’t quite sure what it is. Maybe you’ve met with a spiritual director before, but still have questions about this practice of processing your life through the lens of faith or spirituality with a trained listener. We hope we can shed some light, and perhaps you’ll decide to book a no-obligations get-to-know-you session with one of our three certified spiritual directors.
Here’s to another year of seeking to follow God’s guidance. May Eden Spiritual Care’s response to this nudge to concentrate our resources on spiritual direction serve you well and serve Christ well.
Continue the conversation in the comments, below!
Sierra Neiman WestbrookSierra Neiman Westbrook, MDiv, spent seven years working in the Christian publishing field before beginning eight years of teaching at George Fox University (writing, theology, and spiritual formation) and Portland Seminary (spiritual formation). A graduate of Portland Seminary, Sierra holds a Master of Divinity degree and a certificate in Spiritual Formation & Discipleship. She is also certified through Portland Seminary as a spiritual director. Sierra brings to her work a curiosity about how theology of lament, narrative pastoral care, and explorations of one's God image can enrich a person’s relationship with God. She also enjoys hiking, watching ballet performances, baking, writing, drinking lots of tea, and spending lots of time with her husband, Justin, and their young son. Sierra is the Eden Spiritual Care founding director, and also serves as an Eden Spiritual Care board member, spiritual director, and class instructor. |  |
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