It could be said of our history that it is
a story of the “blind leading the blind.” It was Grace that has brought
us where we are today, not because of anyone’s special talents or
grasp of God’s vision. Whatever has taken place was birthed in God’s
heart long before I had any cognitive awareness of beginning such
an endeavor. Certainly the beginnings were interwoven with my own
spiritual journey, but over the years more and more people have been
woven into the dream without which there would be no Christos Center
for Spiritual Formation. I am eternally grateful for the privilege
of being part of this dream and for the special women and men who
have walked alongside over these many years.
In 1978, after participating in
solitude, silence, reflection and spiritual direction through a Roman
Catholic retreat center for about ten years, I suggested to the women’s
group at the Lutheran church I attended, that we offer a similar retreat
for our women. These retreats and the spiritual guidance I received
were life transforming for me. There were so many non-Roman Catholics
at these retreats, it became apparent to me that we, in the Protestant
world as well as our culture and society, were searching for this
type of spirituality. We planned a retreat, and failing to find another
leader, our women’s Board suggested that I lead the retreat. We had
so many who wanted to attend that we gave the retreat three times.
Using this as part of a discernment process,
another woman and I decided to begin offering retreats as a ministry.
This woman, and three other women, began to meet weekly as a group
to pray and plan for the retreats and to provide encouragement for
our continued spiritual growth. The great Carmelite contemplatives,
Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, had become my mentors through
their writings. Along with many other contemplative classics, these
became the basis for our teaching and spirituality. As with many
new beginnings, these were wonderfully rich and deepening times.
It wasn’t long before people began to join
our weekly gathering for worship and prayer and to help with the retreats.
We rented a place to offer our retreats once a month. One year we
had retreats twice a month, there were so many people wanting to come.
There were also many who began to come for personal spiritual guidance.
After taking a two-year course in spiritual direction at Shalem Institute,
I formed a study group to prepare some of the more mature women in
spiritual direction. We began to shape a Spiritual Direction Program
modeled after the course I had taken, and after two years, we had
a course in place.
In 1985, after another year
of discernment, four of the original group incorporated as a non-profit
ministry, and we called ourselves Praise of His Glory from Ephesians
1:12. We had a formal consecration service for the members of this
little Community. There were about thirty-five women and men who
took a simple vow to live Christian lives centered in prayer for the
sake of the Church and the world in which we live. Although the Community
originated out of Lutheran roots, it soon became ecumenical. We felt
our charism was to live our lives of prayer and contemplative awareness
in daily life, in our own homes and work, sharing the struggles of
everyday life. We believed our attempts to live this life was our
intercession for both Church and culture.
It was this Community of
people that God used to raise the money and purchase the land where
Christos Center for Spiritual Formation was built in 1990. Our goal
was to provide a place for people to “come away” to solitude and silence
and to assist people to deepen their love relationship with God through
prayer and a centered life. Our ministry grew to include prayer and
retreat days, overnight retreats, teaching on prayer, and meditation
drawing from our rich Christian contemplative tradition. We began
to offer our two-year Spiritual Direction Program in 1991.
This program continues today. We also offer a one-year course in
Spiritual Formation for Congregational Leadership, and a nine-month
program of personal spiritual deepening based on the Ignatian Spiritual
Exercises.
All
of these programs have been birthed out of the need in the society
in which we live. As people’s lives have become busier and more
stressful, more and more people are turning to God to find answers
to life’s serious questions. People in all walks of life, whether
in corporate America or at home parenting children, are seeking ways
to slow down and find meaning and purpose in what they do. Christos
Center for Spiritual Formation seeks to help meet this need through
the programs it offers.
In 1992 Praise of His Glory
changed its name to Christos Community. As we grew some members
became staff and others continued to volunteer time to assist the
growing ministry. As with all things, the Community began to change
as lives changed. Some retired; some felt called to ministry in their
particular congregations. Some moved away and others, who had been
young and single, now were involved in growing families. Today we
continue to have a group of people who are consecrated members of
Christos Community. However, the shape of it is changing. We feel
God will show us the shape of this Community for the future. As with
all aspects of Christos Center for Spiritual Formation, we are listening
for the whisperings of the Holy Spirit to guide our next step.
In continued gratitude for
the grace and mystery of God,
Joann Nesser
Founder
