Spiritual reclaimingdirection: an ancient spiritual practice

There are times in life when what we most need is neither a friend nor a counselor but one who has cultivated the gift of spiritual companioning or what is variously known in the Christian tradition as the ministry of spiritual direction or guidance. God always is present and working within us and so it should come as no surprise when, for internal or external causes, an awareness arises within, howsoever attenuated or overt, that either invites or compels us to attend to our spiritual life in a new way. How? Too few Christians are aware that there are people whose ministry is spiritual guidance.

Lydia Mercado, one of many spiritual directors affiliated with Richmond Hill, a local ecumenical Christian community in Church Hill, offers this introduction about spiritual direction.

St. Stephen’s clergy are a valuable resource who can help you learn more about spiritual direction and discern whether direction may be life-giving at this time in your journey.

The Rev. John W.A. Jenkins

Spiritual direction is an ancient discipline that helps us hear, see, and respond to God in our life journey.1 The focus is religious or spiritual experience, rather than ideas. Such experience is viewed, not as an isolated event, but as an expression of the ongoing personal relationship we each have with the Indwelling Presence of our life. The basic concern addressed by spiritual direction is not with external actions as such, but with the inner life, the “heart,” the personal core out of which come the good and evil that we think and do. It includes “head,” but points to more than reason and more than knowledge. It also reminds us that another Spirit, the spirit of the Lord of Life, is involved. “Direction” implies that those who seek it are going somewhere and want to talk to someone on the way. It implies, too, that the talk will not be casual and aimless, but apt to help us find the way.2

By Lydia Mercado

Spiritual direction is rooted in two basic convictions. First, that our relationship with God is of primary and fundamental importance. Without a sense of connection with God, all other relationships are impoverished. And second, that our relationship with God is bound up with our relationship with one another and with the whole created order. Sometimes our energies will be focused almost exclusively on one or the other of these points of reference. At certain periods of our lives the sense of connection with God (what is sometimes called the vertical dimension) is all we have to pull us through a difficult time. At other periods we are called upon to concentrate on our relationships with others (what is sometimes called the horizontal dimension). Both are necessary. Each is related to the other and it is no accident that the horizontal and the vertical, when placed together, form a cross. It is that saving symbol that illuminates all attempts at spiritual guidance. Spiritual direction is a relationship entered into with another under mutual obedience to the revelation of God in Christ to perceive the Indwelling Presence in our very human, frail existence.3

We may come to spiritual direction for a variety of reasons, such as to deepen our spiritual practices, bring coherence between the inner life and the external life, discern, and make choices about our journey, share our hopes, struggles and losses, as well as live the essence of the Gospel with integrity.

Spiritual directors typically meet monthly for one hour with a directee. The meeting takes place at a church, retreat center, or other agreed-upon location. After three or four meetings, the directee determines whether to continue the relationship and for how long; it may continue for years or for only a short period of time. It is very important to be comfortable with one’s spiritual director. What is shared is held in strict confidence. Many retreat centers, convents and monasteries offer a ministry of spiritual direction. Locally, Richmond Hill, an ecumenical Christian community, offers a vibrant ministry of spiritual guidance where seekers are matched with trained spiritual directors.

By JoAnne Palmore

Caring for the earth has increasingly become a matter of grave concern throughout the world. St. Stephen’s Church has responded to this challenge by deepening its commitment to environmental stewardship. Our creation care group has been very active in providing educational offerings to raise awareness, participating in outreach activities to address environmental concerns in the community, and suggesting to the vestry changes to our buildings and grounds to reduce the strain on natural resources.

Last spring the group proposed that the funds raised from their electronics recycling effort be used to plant a pollinator garden in the strip of land just off the parking lot, running about 100 feet down the alley. This seemed like an outstanding way to help address the urgent environmental issue of a declining pollinator population and at the same time enhance St. Stephen’s lovely grounds. The vestry agreed.

A pollinator can be a bee, beetle, wasp, butterfly, moth, hummingbird, bat, or even a small mammal. We often forget how vital these small creatures are to the health of our planet. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about 75 percent of the world’s flowering plants and about 35 percent of the world’s food crops need pollination to reproduce. Scientists estimate that one out of every three bites of food we eat is dependent on pollination. In addition, pollinators support healthy ecosystems that clean the air, stabilize soils, and support other wildlife. Clearly, we need pollinators to maintain a healthy world.

Yet pollinator populations are dwindling at a rapid rate due to urban sprawl, pesticides, disease, and climate change. Some studies indicate that as much as 40 percent of the insect world faces extinction. Fortunately, this alarming trend can be reversed if we all do our part…and St. Stephen’s is eager to do just that!

Thus, a band of enthusiastic gardeners—both amateur and professional—formed a pollinator garden committee and began meeting last summer. Throughout the fall, the committee addressed the major challenges to creating this garden, especially the steep slope to the land, access to a spigot for watering, quality of the soil, ongoing maintenance, and fundraising.

After much discussion, committee member Diana Crook, a professional landscape designer, created an outstanding conceptual garden plan which captures all the features the committee discussed as being essential, including emphasis on native plants, incorporation of a variety of plants that bloom from early spring into late fall, shade and drought tolerance, low maintenance, and most importantly, good sources of food and shelter for pollinators. Plus, it will be naturally beautiful!

We hope that implementation will begin this spring and proceed in stages. First the smaller shrubs and trees will be planted to anchor the site, followed by native perennials to provide food and habitat for pollinators, and finally, annual plants to add color and attract pollinators to the site. We need many hands to achieve this important goal, especially with fundraising, planting and maintenance. If you are interested in becoming involved, please contact me at joannepalmore@gmail.com

A new church year began on the First Sunday in Advent with the annual all-ages Advent Fair (1). Advent came to a close with the Live Nativity outdoors (4), and the youth Christmas pageant in the church, giving way to a beautiful Christmas. For the first time in many years, St. Stephen’s held a service of Choral Evensong on the Feast of the Epiphany, concluding outdoors with the burning of Christmas greens (2, 3), and followed by a well-attended parish supper and chili cook-off. The transition from Epiphany to Lent, Shrove Tuesday, brought folks to church for a pancake supper (5) and burning of palms from Palm Sunday 2022. Lent began on February 22, with Holy Eucharist and the Imposition of Ashes using the ashes from the Shrove Tuesday fire (6). Photos by Dillon Gwaltney, Sarah Bartenstein, and Scott Finn.