DISCIPLES SEMINARY FOUNDATION - Supporting the formation of emerging theological leaders
SPIRITUAL DIRECTORS
DSF is excited to offer Spiritual Direction sessions to our students in partnership with certified spiritual directors, who are specially trained in accompanying people on their spiritual journeys. Each session is a one-on-one meeting with one of the spiritual directors listed below (other spiritual directors may be added along the way). Each DSF student may meet for spiritual direction once per month; the duration of the meetings depends on the individual spiritual director. The subsidized cost for students is $40 per session.
Rev. Dale Suggs
Dale holds a Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Direction from the University of San Diego and previously served as a Spiritual Director to DSF students and staff from 2007-2009. He is an ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), serving 28 years as a pastor and 4 years as a hospice chaplain. Dale is well-known as a student and teacher of compassion.
Currently, Dale is Pastor of BELOVED Way (a new church based in San Diego; https://belovedway.org/) and Director of BELOVED Compassion Network (a nonprofit teaching the “how to” of cultivating compassion and discerning compassionate action; https://belovedcompassionnetwork.org/). With roots in Ignatian spirituality, Spiritual Direction pairs you with a trained and experienced guide to help navigate the invitations and challenges inherent to spiritual life such as –
· Learning to sit in the sweet spot of God’s presence,
· Listening to God’s invitation in scripture, prayer and daily life,
· Discerning direction in seasons of decision making,
· Savoring moments of consolation,
· Weathering moments of desolation such as internal and external conflict, loss of connection with God, questioning one’s faith, and “The Dark Night of the Soul.”
If you are interested in learning more and/or inviting Dale to be your Spiritual Director, contact him at dale@belovedway.org or (858) 692-5418.
Rev. Jeanne Loveless (she/they)
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Jeanne’s Spiritual Navigation clients come from diverse backgrounds and wrestle with diverse issues, including religious trauma, wounding, and ancestral healing. She is queer and intersex, and she has navigated their own evangelical trauma and wounding through years of therapy, spiritual direction, and inner work. She knows firsthand how transformational, joy-filled, and maddening the church can be.
In Spiritual Navigation work with Jeanne, she’ll be interested in what calls you to ministry and what God is calling you to heal in yourself. Are you aware of what it looks like when your childhood wounding shows up in the middle of church conflict? Are you aware of how your social location, emotional and spiritual wounding, generational trauma, and privilege affect your ministry? How will you dance with these things so you can love and transform yourself and the folks in the communities you serve as you follow your calling to be a spiritual community leader and change maker?
You can learn more about Jeanne on her Spiritual Direction website (www.spiritualnavigatrix.com), church website (www.uchucc.org/leadership), or through her podcast: Rebuild: A United Church of Hayward Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify).
If you are interested in exploring work with Jeanne, email jeanne@spiritualnavigatrix.com to schedule a free 30-minute consultation.
Rev. Larry J. Morris III (he/they)
Larry is a spiritual director/companion based in Chicago, IL. He earned his M.Div. and MTS at Claremont School of Theology and Spiritual Direction Certification through the Still Harbor Spiritual Direction Program. Currently, he is a Ph.D. student in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric at Christian Theological Seminary.
In his role as a spiritual companion, Larry listens and reflects with individuals and groups as they sit with, wrestle with, and dance with the Divine Mystery – however, they name the Divine. Spiritual direction is the process of contemplative listening carried out in the context of a one-to-one trusting and confidential relationship. A trained spiritual director journeys with another person, listening to that person’s life story with attention to the movement of the spirit or sacred, offering supportive responses as appropriate, and encouraging reflection about new paths of growth.
Sessions are typically monthly and last 45-60 mins. You can learn more about Larry’s work at https://larryjmorris3.com/spiritual-director/, or contact them at: larry@larryjmorris3.com.
If you are interested in discerning whether Larry would be a good fit as your Spiritual Director, contact them directly for a 30-minute discernment conversation.