Opportunities for Study and Retreat

"A spiritual guide need only be one who has traveled some distance along the path of the Christian life. A guide should be knowledgeable about the markers that lead forward on this path, as well as familiar with the pitfalls, detours, trials, and temptations along its course. Such a person will reflect something of the character of Christ as a result of following in his way."

Books, Web sites and other resources can teach us so much. But there is no substitute for being with others, as companions on the way or experienced guides on the spiritual walk. There are training opportunities, camps and conference centers and places for retreat and respite.

Training Opportunities

Journey Partners: Training in spiritual direction
Journey Partners is a partnership between the Center For Ministry and the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi. It is a two-year training program in spiritual direction, the classic practice of Christian spiritual guidance. Nineteen persons are currently immersed in the 2008-2009 series of retreats, reading and supervision, with Wendy Miller from Eastern Mennonite Seminary as instructor. A new class will begin in 2010.

Contact Journey Partners
c/o Center for Ministry
1701 North State Street
Jackson, MS 39210
Phone: (601) 974-1488
Fax: (601)974-1484

San Francisco Theological Seminary — The SFTS Program in Christian Spirituality emphasizes an integrated, holistic spirituality where personal and corporate prayer, study, worship and service are maintained in dynamic relationship.

Columbia Theological Seminary/Certificate Program — Columbia Theological Seminary is excited and honored to offer study and growth opportunities in the area of spirituality. Christian spirituality explores the relationship with God — how it is initiated, affirmed and nurtured. Spiritual development demands that hard, ethical questions be asked about the living of faith in a changing world.

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary — Today's theological climate has fostered a growing interest in the nature, practice and significance of a life in the Spirit of Christ. In response, the Certificate in Spiritual Formation, sponsored cooperatively by Pittsburgh, Columbia and Austin Seminaries, provides a non-degree program specifically for committed laypersons and church professionals. Participants help each other on their spiritual journeys as they learn more about Christianity's rich spiritual heritage and how to impart it more effectively in their own work and lives.

Austin Theological Seminary —  Austin Seminary can help you discern the work of the Holy Spirit in your life through its Certificate in Spiritual Formation program. Open to lay people and clergy alike, the Certificate program integrates the personal, the communal, the academic and the practical dimensions of spirituality. Sound teaching and deep reflection inform and inspire the participant; dialogue and hands-on experience light the way for lasting connections and contributions.

Spiritual Directors International — Spiritual Directors International [SDI] is an ecumenical association of colleagues, grounded in the Christian faith, whose sole purpose is to serve the growing network of spiritual directors world-wide and the people who train them.

Camps and Conference Centers

Ghost Ranch — One education and retreat center in two New Mexico locations.

Montreat — The Montreat conference center offers a year-round schedule with over 35 conferences and retreats for all ages and interests and attracts over 30,000 participants annually. For over 100 years, groups and individuals have come to Montreat to be inspired by its programs and to be physically and spiritually renewed in its beautiful western North Carolina mountain setting.

Stony Point — The Center is nestled in the Lower Hudson River Valley, between New York City and West Point. It began as a summer get-away cottage for a New York family and has grown into a 32-acre place of renewal that welcomes ALL who seek its hospitality. Thousands of people from all over the world, representing all walks of life, have come and been touched by the experience, the presence and challenge of God.

Presbyterian Church Camp and Conference Center Links

Retreat and Respite

Blessing Center
Memorial United Presbyterian Church of Xenia, Ohio.

Companions on the Inner Way Retreat
Companions on the Inner Way is a five-day guided retreat in the Christian tradition sponsored by the Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church in San Francisco, California. For more information on upcoming retreats visit their Web site.

Veriditas
The vision of Veriditas is to activate and facilitate the transformation of the human spirit. The work of Veriditas centers around the Labyrinth Experience as a personal practice for healing and growth, a tool for community building, an agent for global peace and a metaphor for life.

Items marked with are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. For best results, right-click the link (or click and hold for Macintosh), select "save target as" and save the document to your desktop for viewing and printing.