Group Spiritual Direction Workshops
Several Dates and Options Offered
Would you like to expand your capacity to listen to God on behalf of others?
GROUP SPIRITUAL DIRECTION LEVEL 1 WORKSHOP: February 21-23, 2025
GROUP SPIRITUAL DIRECTION LEVEL 2 WORKSHOP: Check Back for Upcoming Dates
“I attended the in-person GSD workshop in 2017, and it felt like coming home. This process has been such a gentle and grace-filled container for growth in my prayer life, and in my relationships. All of the foundational elements of Group Spiritual Direction can be applied to other contexts, so that we are not simply learning a format, we are receiving a new way of being.”
-Sarah Forti
Group Spiritual Direction Level 1 Workshop
For Those Who Want to Learn or Deepen the Practice of Group Spiritual Direction
February 21-23, 2025 (via Zoom)
Would you like to expand your capacity to listen to God on behalf of others?
Schedule
Friday, February 21, 2025, 12:00 – 6:00 pm EST
Saturday, February 22, 2025, 12:00 – 6:00 pm EST
Sunday, February 23, 2025, 12:30 – 6:00 pm EST
Free Info Session
Join us on Zoom to discern about the rightness of this workshop for you. Dates to be determined.
Whether you are new to Group Spiritual Direction, wish to explore it further, or are seeking support and guidance for forming a group, please consider joining us for this virtual workshop on Zoom. Participants will experience Group Spiritual Direction (GSD) each day with an experienced facilitator and deepen their contemplative grounding for this prayer practice through authentic sharing and faithful listening.
Participants will immerse themselves in our virtual spiritual community as they experience Group Spiritual Direction and explore their own call to this ministry. Through live experiential learning, presentations, small GSD groups, and prayerful silence, participants will steep themselves in the contemplative grounding which is the heart of this ministry. Presentations will include an introduction to the practice of Group Spiritual Direction, as well as introductions to the themes of prayerful listening, spiritual community, discernment, and intercessory prayer. Each person will have the opportunity to experience and practice this listening/ sharing process which aids depth, trust, and healing. Together, participants will discover how this process can transform the world.
This workshop will be offered live on Zoom with experienced staff present. The first part of our time each day will be in the full group with presentations from the staff and some experiential exercises. The second part will be in small listening groups facilitated by experienced staff members. The groups will follow the Group Spiritual Direction process that Shalem teaches, which is based on the book Group Spiritual Direction, by Rose Mary Dougherty. All of this will be woven in prayer!
Because both the teaching and small groups are foundational to the group spiritual direction practice, it is essential that participants commit to participating fully in the entire workshop.
In preparation for this workshop, please consider preparing a quiet, private, sacred space in your home that will support your prayerful participation in this workshop. It is important that participants are available for each of the workshop’s teaching and small group sessions.
CORE LEADERS
The core leaders of this workshop have each practiced and facilitated Group Spiritual Direction for many years and enjoy sharing it with others! They will be supported by additional experienced small group facilitators.
MORE CORE LEADERS will be announced soon.
Margaret Benefiel
Margaret, Executive Director of Shalem, holds a PhD in Spirituality from Catholic University and an MA. in Theology from Earlham School of Religion. She is a graduate of Nurturing the Call: Spiritual Guidance Program…
and serves on the staff of that program as well as on the staff of our Going Deeper: Clergy Spiritual Life and Leadership Program and Crossing the Threshold: Contemplative Foundations for Emerging Leaders. She created and directs the Soul of Leadership Program and is a co-director for the Heart Longings: An Invitation to the Contemplative Path program. She has authored or co-edited 7 books, including Soul Food, Crisis Leadership, The Soul of Higher Education, The Soul of Supervision, The Soul of a Leader, Soul at Work, and Hidden in Plain Sight, and has published over 50 articles and book chapters.
Amy Duncan
Amy is a spiritual companion and group facilitator, committed to creating spaces of community where all can be held in radical welcome as God’s Beloved. She is committed to ongoing spiritual enrichment with other spiritual seekers and wisdom teachers…
She obtained her certificate in Spiritual Direction through Stillpoint: The Center for Christian Spirituality and received additional training there in Group Spiritual Direction and Peer Supervision. She is a 2024 graduate of Shalem’s Transforming Community: Leading Contemplative Groups and Retreats program and is delighted to be active in Shalem’s Group Spiritual Development program. Amy is the author of The Light Between Us: Praying In Times Such As These.
Liz Forney
Rev. Liz Forney has served pastorates large and small since 1994 in Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia. Liz served as the Associate Director of the Spiritual Formation Program at Columbia Theological Seminary, and is a graduate Shalem’s Spiritual Guidance Program…
Liz has served as a Chaplain with Hospice of the Piedmont, and is the co- author with Norvene Vest of What is Your Practice, Life Long Growth in the Spirit. She currently serves as a spiritual director, and is the founder and director of Contemplative Creativity which provides retreats to explore and integrate the Sacred through creative expression.
Angela Hooks
Reverend Dr. Angela Hooks is the creator and spiritual director of Heartbeat Formation, LLC, and a group facilitator with Shalem and The Center for Contemplative Leadership at Princeton Theological Seminary. She earned her PhD in English Literature from St. John’s University…
an MFA in Creative Writing from Manhattanville College, an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, and is a graduate of Oasis Ministries for Spiritual Development. Her autobiographical narrative “What’s That in Your Hand: A Diary?” was published in Spiritus: Journal of Christian Spirituality, Fall 2024, and her article about mystic and nun Thea Bowman is forthcoming in Christian Century March 2024. Angela has authored Make it Happen- A Journal to Identify and Actualize Your Goals (2021) and Diary as Literature: Through the Lens of Multiculturalism in America (2020). She also publishes a monthly newsletter, Heart Matters. Angela, former co-coordinator of (Re)Emerging Scholars and Practitioners of the Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality, now serves on the board of directors at large for the Society (SSCS). Whether leading a small group, a retreat, learning, or a preaching event, Angela curates a space and a place to explore and practice spiritual freedom through intersections of Christian spirituality, creativity, movement, personal growth, and storytelling.
Nan Weir
Nan is an architect and small group / retreat leader who is dedicated to creating sacred space and deepening spiritual community. She is a graduate of our Transforming Community Program, Facilitating Group Spiritual Direction, and Soul of Leadership long-term programs…
Nan has been practicing and teaching Group Spiritual Direction (GSD) for more than twenty years and leads Shalem’s GSD program.
COST & REGISTRATION FOR GROUP SPIRITUAL DIRECTION LEVEL 1 WORKSHOP
Cost: $265
Registration Deadline: February 12, 2025 at 5:00 pm ET.
Some tuition assistance is available based on need. Please contact ArDonna (ArDonna@shalem.org) for more details.
HAVE QUESTIONS?
ArDonna Hamilton is the Registrar for the Group Spiritual Direction Level I Workshop and can be contacted at ArDonna@shalem.org.
Listening in Community: A Group Spiritual Direction, Soul Collage® & Labyrinth Workshop
For Those Who Are Leading Groups and Want to Deepen the Practice of Group Spiritual Direction
August 18-20, 2024
Bon Secours Retreat and Conference Center, Marriottsville, Maryland
Schedule
Sunday, August 18, 4:00 pm – Tuesday, August 20, 1:00 pm, EDST
During this in-person experiential workshop, participants will have the opportunity to learn about and engage with the deep listening practices of Group Spiritual Direction (GSD), SoulCollage® and walking the Labyrinth. Experienced leaders will introduce and facilitate sessions on each practice. (Artistic experience and/or prior experience with GSD is not necessary to participate in this workshop!)
For Information about cost, workshop leaders, and more, Learn More Here.
Registration is now closed.
HAVE QUESTIONS?
For more information about Listening in Community: A Group Spiritual Direction, Soul Collage® & Labyrinth Workshop, contact: Liz Forney: Liz.Forney@gmail.com
To be placed on the waiting list, contact: Caz Tod-Pearson: caz.tod.pearson@gmail.com
Group Spiritual Direction Level 2 Workshop
For Those Who Are Leading Groups and Want to Deepen the Practice of Group Spiritual Direction
Check Back for Upcoming Dates
The Bellfry, Lexington, Virginia
Schedule
Sunday, May 5, 2024 (with 6:00 pm EDST dinner) through Wednesday, May 8, 2024 (after 12:30 pm lunch).
Participants may arrive and check in starting Sunday at 4:00 pm.
Departure is Wednesday at 1:30 pm.
This workshop is designed for those who have completed Shalem’s Level 1 Group Spiritual Direction Workshop and desire to deepen their GSD practice and leadership skills. It is for those who are preparing to start a new group, leading ongoing groups, and/or mentoring others who are leading groups.
This is an opportunity to:
• Engage in group spiritual direction each day within a prayerful community of experienced practitioners.
• Deepen contemplative grounding for this prayer practice through authentic sharing and faithful listening,
• Fine tune the foundations of this practice by reviewing key components and addressing leadership questions.
• Nurture and find support for your call to offer this practice in your local setting.
• Share, learn and imagine the variety of ways that people are using Group Spiritual Direction.
• Discover how this process can transform the world.
Participants will be steeped in the contemplative grounding which is at the heart of this ministry as they gather in spiritual community to explore and/or deepen their own call to group spiritual direction. The rhythm of our time together will include silence, daily group spiritual direction, presentations, experiential learning, reflective discussions, and a session addressing leadership issues and questions. There will also be plenty of spaciousness for walking, resting, star gazing, and soaking in the beauty of the Shenandoah Valley.
RETREAT LOCATION
This residential retreat will be held at The Bellfry, 140 Bell’s Ridge Trail, Lexington, VA 24450. The Bellfry is a beautiful, private home. All rooms are shared. Participants who desire private accommodations may make their own arrangements to stay in a hotel in Lexington and register at the commuter rate.
CORE LEADERS
The core leaders of this workshop have each practiced and facilitated Group Spiritual Direction for many years and enjoy sharing it with others!
COST & REGISTRATION FOR GROUP SPIRITUAL DIRECTION LEVEL 2 WORKSHOP
Application Deadline: April 26, 2024
REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED. CHECK BACK FOR UPCOMING DATES.
Cost:
- $550 standard shared room (2 people/room). Includes tuition, 3 nights lodging, & meals.
- $425 reduced tuition / kitchen helper shared room (2-3 people/room). Includes tuition, 3 nights lodging & meals. A limited number of reduced tuition positions are available for those willing to share bunkroom accommodation and help with meal service.
- $250 commuter. Cost includes tuition and meals. (Lodging arranged at your own expense.)
Please email registrar ArDonna Hamilton at ArDonna@shalem.org if you wish to register as a reduced tuition/ kitchen helper or as a commuter.
HAVE QUESTIONS?
ArDonna Hamilton is the Registrar for the Group Spiritual Direction Level II Workshop and can be contacted at ArDonna@shalem.org.