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PASTORAL CARE

Spiritual Direction - sacred opportunity to draw into a deeper relationship with God.

"The whole purpose of spiritual direction is to penetrate beneath the surface of our lives…
and draw out our inner spiritual freedom.” 

- Thomas Merton

In Spiritual direction you reflect deeply on God, on yourself and on your experiences in daily life. Noticing God’s presence and grace in your life in new ways, you are encouraged to listen to your deeper longings and open yourself to God’s love and healing.

Benefits of Spiritual Direction

• Incorporate more spirituality into your daily routine.
• Talk with someone about spiritual experiences or thoughts.
• Discern God’s will when facing a difficult decision.
• Listen more carefully and see more clearly God’s presence in your life.
• Face challenges grounded in God’s love and grace.
• Voice your hopes, struggles and questions of faith in confidentiality.

View Spiritual Direction Brochure

Spiritual Enrichment Groups

Focus of the Year:  “Being Peace”
Considering the conflict and lack of civility in our world and communities, our churches and families, and within ourselves, the focus for the year is: “Being Peace.” Following Jesus’ practice of going into a quiet place to spend time alone with Abba, we will seek to find our center and listen for what God is calling us to, so that we may emerge as agents of transformation in the world.

Locations:
Ashland—2nd Wednesdays, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Canton—3rd Thursdays, 1:30 - 3:00 p.m.
Solon—2nd Thursday, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Vermilion—3rd Friday, 11:00 a.m. -12:30 p.m.

To Register:
Please indicate your interest, including location preference, by E-mail or call the Office of Pastoral Care at (330) 456-0486.

Finding a Spiritual Director

There are a number of UM spiritual directors in the East Ohio Conference who have been meeting monthly for the past year under the Pastoral Care and Counseling Program of the East Ohio Conference.  

Spiritual Directors:

Debbie Baker E-mail
Bruce Batchler-Glader E-mail
Harry Finkbone E_mail
Joy Gordon E-mail
Karen Hollingsworth E-mail
Liz Nau E-mail
Hazel Partington E-mail
Jennifer Olin-Hitt E-mail
Judy Ringler E-mail
Sharon Seyfarth Garner E-mail
Carol Topping E-mail
Laura Tradowsky E-mail
Laurie Tucker E-mail

Hearts on Fire: Fellowship of United Methodist Spiritual Directors and Retreat Leaders has a national directory of UM spiritual directors.

Spiritual Directors International offers Seek and Find: A Worldwide Resource Guide of Available Spiritual Directors.

Meeting with a Spiritual Director

A spiritual director serves as your spiritual companion - walking with you as you journey into a deeper relationship with God. This can take place in confidential one-on-one meetings, or small group settings. The image of three chairs reminds us of the presence of the Holy Spirit along with the directee and director during spiritual direction.

Most spiritual directors have rigorous training in spiritual direction and spiritual disciplines. They continue to grow in their own spiritual life through prayer, continuing education, supervision and meeting with their own spiritual director.

During your initial contact, you will set a time and place to meet that is convenient for both of you. Usually meetings take place monthly and last an hour. Sometimes people meet for a specific purpose or to complete a set of spiritual exercises. Note that spiritual direction is not the same as clinical and pastoral counseling. There is usually a fee for spiritual direction, which varies with each director.