Soul Companions is a group of individuals in the Synod, trained in spiritual direction and spiritual formation. As brothers and sisters in Christ we seek to explore ways to offer spiritual companionship and growth to rostered leaders, staff and congregants across the Synod. These can be experienced through the formats listed below: Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Direction, and Spiritual Retreats.
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SPIRITUAL FORMATION
Spiritual Formation…
The Path of discovery…
“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; everything
old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”
2 Corinthians 5:17
Wonder, JOY…
BEING,
BECOMING…
WITH GOD
AND COMMUNITY.
As those made in the image of God, we are all spiritual beings. As
Jesus has said in John 10:10, “I came that they may have life and
have it abundantly.” This life grows and flourishes when we seek to
be nourished with various opportunities through connections in God’s Word,
prayer, spiritual practices, spiritual direction, retreats, study, worship and the
fellowship of Christian faith.
Spiritual Formation is the process and practice of
growing our faith and spiritual nature.
SPIRITUAL FORMATION GROUPS
Tips for creating a group:
- The leader needs to have experience in his/her own spiritual formation, including participation in a previous group or course work, and ongoing spiritual practices.
- This is different from a Bible study. The focus is more on experience than content, although the practices and discussions are faithful to the Scriptures, and some of the practices involve Bible reading. Therefore the people who may wish to participate will want to have some sense that this is the direction God is leading them. You may wish to use an announcement something like this:
“A spiritual formation group is being formed for the purpose of deepening one’s prayer life and listening for the Spirit. The group will meet weekly to support one another and share about what God is revealing through the practices and readings. The text for the group will be (Name of book or video series) and will be led by ________________. (Contact information, etc.)” - Further guidance can be obtained through Soul Companions of the Western Iowa Synod. For more assistance, contact Rev. Jean Morse at pastorjmmorse@gmail.com or Vicky Brodale at sppath@gmail.com.
BOOKS OR DVD SERIES FOR PERSONAL OR GROUP STUDY
Companions in Christ
A 28-week group experience in five parts: Christian journey, Scripture, prayer, call, and spiritual guidance. The Participant’s Book includes readings about recognized authors in spiritual formation, as well as daily Scripture readings and exercises to guide personal reflection.
The Companions in Christ series provides a powerfully transforming experience for small groups. Participants try classic spiritual practices and develop daily patterns to deepen their relationship with God and with one another. Developed by the United Methodist Church, it has been used widely in the ecumenical community. For more information, go to www.companionsinchrist.org.
Recommended by Rev.Deb Mechler, dsmechler@gmail.com.
"Hearing God" (developing a conversational relationship with God)
by Dallas Willard, featuring Dallas Willard, Richard Foster and John Ortberg, book and DVD (also available from Christian Book Distributors)
Recommended by Rev. Jean Morse, pastorjmmorse@gmail.com
Soul Keeping: Caring for the Most Important Part of You
by John Ortberg, book and DVD(also available from Christian Book Distributors and Ebay)
Recommended by Rev. Jean Morse, pastorjmmorse@gmail.com
God Is Closer Than You Think
by John Ortberg (Six sessions on experiencing the presence of God, book and DVD) , with Stephen and Amanda Sorenson (also available from Christian Book Distributors and Zondervan)
Recommended by Rev. Jean Morse, pastorjmmorse@gmail.com
The Good and Beautiful God: Falling in Love with the God Jesus Knows (Book 1 of 3 in the Apprentice Series)
by James Bryan Smith.
Follow the link below for an overview of the philosophy behind this series and the guides for each of the three books:
https://apprenticeinstitute.org/resources/
This is a 31 chapter; 3 book; 35+ week series in Christian formation. Each week the book offers a False Narrative as contrasted with Jesus’ Narrative developed through the eyes of the author. The goal is for participants to reflect and grow in faith by viewing God, Life and Community through the eyes of Jesus. There are also retreat opportunities outlined in the Guide material.
Recommended by Mark and Kathy Stelzer, markestelzer@hotmail.com and Carol DeSchepper, cjdeschepper@gmail.com
SPIRITUAL FORMATION COURSE WORK
Grace Institute is a 2-year College Ministry program of Luther College, founded in 1999. It is recognized by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as a Life-Long Learning Partner.
Find out more at: https://www.luther.edu/grace-institute/
Renovare Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation:“A two-year immersion program into life in the kingdom of God.”Renovare was founded by Celebration of Discipline author Richard Foster to help people pursuerenewal in Christ through relationships, retreats, and print and online resources.
Find out more at: https://renovare.org/
SPIRITUAL DIRECTION
Spiritual direction is creating sacred space to listen to God’s Spirit. It is responding to your yearning for a deeper relationship with God. A spiritual companion helps us name the presence of God in our lives and helps us discover our true self, even in the midst of darkness and pain.
While this effort is supported by the Bishop and the Synod, the relationship between the directee and the spiritual director is personal and confidential. Communication will occur directly between the person seeking direction and the Soul Companion. Together they will decide on frequency of gathering; whether to meet virtually or in person; if in person, where to meet; fees for spiritual direction, etc. All Soul Companions use a sliding scale for fees with a maximum stipend of $50 per session.
These are the current spiritual directors offering their services to the people of the Western Iowa Synod
- Rev. Trish Underberg currently serves Country Roads Ministries (two congregations) in Craig and rural Akron, Iowa. She will be certified in fall 2020 by the Spiritual Direction program with the Benedictine Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery in Yankton, SD. She is available for Spiritual Direction and can be reached at 712-660-8583 or email at underbergtrish@gmail.com
- Rev. Jay Denne is the pastor of St. Luke Lutheran Church, Sioux City, IA. He was trained in Spiritual Direction at the Benedictine Peace Center in Yankton, SD. Pastor Denne is available either in person or virtually, although he prefers that the initial session be done in person if possible. His cell phone is 712-898-1678 and email revjaydenne@gmail.com
- Judy Riemersma is retired and lives on an acreage between Sheldon and Ashton, IA. She attends American Lutheran Church in Melvin, IA. She graduated from the Benedictine Monastery’s two-year program for Spiritual Directors. She currently is meeting outside to provide social distancing. Her phone numbers are 712-724-6265 and (cell) 712-348-0406. Email is hjriemer58@gmail.com
- Vicky Brodale graduated with a Certificate in Spiritual Direction in April, 2018 from the Spiritual Direction Ministry Formation Program at the Benedictine Peace Center in Yankton, SD. She is available in person, by phone or by Skype. She lives in Cherokee, IA. Her phone is 712-229.0064 and email is sppath@gmail.com
- Mark Stelzer has been a Certified Spiritual Director since June, 2020. He received his training through Seeking the Spirit Within, sponsored by the Nebraska Synod of the ELCA. Mark is a retired general surgeon. He now lives in Spirit Lake, IA and attends First Lutheran Church in Milford, IA. He is available in person or virtually depending on the circumstances. His cell phone is 712-540-2750 and email is markestelzer@hotmail.com
- Kathy Stelzer has been a Certified Spiritual Director since June 2020. She is a Lutheran Deacon Candidate, and a member of First Lutheran Church, Milford, IA. She lives in Spirit Lake, IA. She is available to meet with directees in person or virtually. Her cell phone is 712-540-0656 and email is kathyschurchonly@gmail.com
- Carol DeSchepper received her Spiritual Direction training at the Benedictine Monastery in Yankton, SD in 2008. She lives near Lake Park, IA and attends First Lutheran Church in Milford, IA where she is a leader for Stephen Ministry and helps facilitate small groups focused on spiritual training. She is a retired nurse. Carol is happy to meet with directees in person or virtually. Her cell phone is 605-261-0581 and email is cjdeschepper@gmail.com
- Rev. Deb Mechler serves the Western Iowa Synod as an interim pastor. She was certified as a Spiritual Director by the Nebraska Synod of the ELCA through their Seeking the Spirit Within program in 2018. She lives in Spencer, IA. She meets with directees both in person and online. Her cell phone is 712-260-3286. Her email is dsmechler@gmail.com
- Kris Dill has been a Certified Spiritual Director since June 8, 2020. She received her training through Seeking the Spirit Within, sponsored by the Nebraska Synod of the ELCA. Kris has been trained as a Stephen Ministry leader, and is a member of First Lutheran Church in South Sioux City, NE. Kris can meet on line or in person. Because she works fulltime, evenings appointments are best, weekends are possible. Kris also resides in South Sioux City, NE. Her cell phone is 715-680-9062 and email address Kdill@flcssc.org
Spiritual Retreats
A retreat is about taking time to be apart with God, a time of welcoming each other into a sacred space and to journey with others. A time of quiet, reflection, and conversation about life and our relationship with God. Each retreat is different because themes and the make up of the group may be different, and where individuals are in their life at that particular time also plays a part.
Our goal is to create a space for people to encounter God in new ways. The best way to experience a retreat is to go on one. We are hoping to offer various types of retreats when it is safe to do so and to be able to offer various lengths of retreats. Listen and see if God is calling you to step away and be renewed.
For more information on retreats, contact Rev. Trish Underberg, underbergtrish@gmail.com