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The Spiritual Direction Program God’s presence is always with us. The Lord gives us direction for our lives when we are open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, the inspiration of the Creator, and the mind of God as revealed in Jesus Christ. When we become humble in spirit and calm of mind, we can become aware of the direction God provides in our lives. The intent of spiritual direction is to help us discern the will of God and then strive to follow that call. God’s call can be about something major like a career decision or personal relationship. It can also be about any of the many issues in our daily lives. A spiritual director is a fellow Christian trained to help us understand the spiritual aspects of the questions, the dilemmas , and the hopes and dreams of our lives. Spiritual Direction as a Journey Being open to and responding to God is the basis of our spiritual journey. As with any journey, it is best to travel with a companion, a spiritual friend. A companion that will be nonjudgemental, prayerful, and will hold what you say in confidence. Spiritual direction is not a quick fix, it is a discerning relationship. Spiritual direction is not pastoral counseling or psychotherapy. How It Works Generally, one meets with a spiritual director once a month. The meetings are held in the chapel and are one-to-one or can be in a small group. There is no charge to parishioners for spiritual direction received at St. Michael’s. If you are interested in spiritual direction or learning more about it, please contact Larry Rider at HYPERLINK "mailto:riderlarry@sbcgolbal.net" riderlarry@sbcglobal.net or 317-776-5099. You may decide to work with Larry or to pursue a referral. People that want to work with a lady or someone outside of St. Michael’s will be given the names and contact information of other trained spiritual directors in the area. Spiritual Direction at St. Michael’s is a ministry of the Pastoral Care Commission SPIRITUAL DIRECTION RESOURCE Dear Pastor and Parish Life Coordinator: The Spirit of God’s Love is the guiding force in any relationship a person has with God. It is the dream and prayer of a pastor to be able to support and guide each member of the congregation in building this relationship. Of course, it is almost impossible in today’s busy parish for one person to be available one on one to each parishioner so each pastor must use every resource available in order to leverage one’s efforts. We would like to introduce you to a resource that could be especially helpful in this area. Spiritual Directors of Central Indiana (SDCI) is a network of individuals who offer spiritual guidance and companionship to persons seeking to grow in their relationship with God. Spiritual Directors are persons who are consciously aware of God present and acting in their own journey. They are continually working to develop that relationship. Each has the support of his or her own spiritual director. The standard of practice for Directors calls for them to have completed a program of study and supervised practicum in the offering of spiritual companionship. Prior to being accepted into such training each person must show evidence of his or her own relationship with God. While they are actively working with their directees each Director also participates in ongoing supervision to ensure they are providing the best possible guidance. The members of SDCI are located throughout central Indiana and easily accessible to most parishes. We would like to invite you to become better acquainted with SDCI and its members. If you would like more information or like to have one of our members contact you, please contact the Benedict Inn at 317-788-7581. They will forward your request to one of our leadership team who will then contact you. We are more than willing to meet with you to tell you more. For more information on spiritual direction, you may look on the Episcopal diocesan website. Click on ministries, then spirituality. You may scroll down to a list of Episcopal spiritual directors in this diocese. Scroll to the end of the list and you may click on a short article on spiritual direction. If you, or any Episcopal Spiritual Directors in your congregation wish to be listed, please contact The Rev. Dr. Lorraine Coufal for information and the form we use, by September 1, 2010. Her email is mcoufal@clarian.org. Home phone 317-255-8136, You may also contact any of the spiritual directors listed for spiritual direction. We pray that the Spirit of God’s Love is being felt strongly in your life and the life of your congregation. We look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, The Rev. Gordon Chastain The Rev. Dr. M. Lorraine Coufal
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Copyright © 2010 St Michaels Episcopal Church. All Rights Reserved.
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