Building Bridges
By Rev. Christine Ng, Executive Director (Interim)
“Transform yourself to transform the world.”
Whenever I hear news about all that is going on in our world, I am reminded of the importance of spiritual direction and of what we do at Stillpoint. “Stillpoint exists to nurture pathways to wholeness by encouraging contemplative living, faithful practice, and spiritual activism.” That is the vision statement recently adopted by our Board of Directors. In other words, we transform the world by accompanying people as they transform themselves.
Ours is a world in need of transformation. We are bombarded by stories of horrific violence, inequality, and a worsening ecological crisis. Over and over I hear, “What can I do?” I believe that what our world is facing is fundamentally a spiritual crisis. Humans need new understandings of what it means to be human, and of the human relationship to the Divine and the more-than-human world. To meet the myriad challenges facing us, what is needed is a spiritual transformation.
As we at Stillpoint form and train deeply-grounded spiritual directors and introduce people to the contemplative life, we are helping to build what U.N. climate diplomat Christina Figueres calls the “spiritual infrastructure” needed for such transformation. By deepening relationships with the Divine, with each other, with our planet and the other beings who share it, and even with the parts within ourselves, we are building the roads and bridges of connection needed not just to survive, but to thrive.
The work of transformation begins at a personal level, of course, building relationships as we go. “Caminante, no hay puentes, se hace puentes al andar,” writes Gloria Anzaldúa, “Voyager, there are no bridges, one builds them as one walks.”
Ultimately, however, this is not a solo endeavor; it takes the collective effort, collective wisdom, and collective leadership of a diverse community of such voyagers. The broader our reach, the greater our collective impact. Which is why Stillpoint needs your help.
Many see the need for the kinds of programs we offer; they want to be engaged in our collective work, but simply cannot afford it. This year we have had more requests for scholarships than ever before, and our scholarship fund needs to be replenished. Your donation is vital to our continued ability to build bridges to diverse communities.
Twice a year we reach out to ask for your support in our collective work. If you are reading this, you are already part of the Stillpoint community; you know the value of what we offer. You may be a graduate of one of our programs such as The Spiritual Journey or The Art of Spiritual Direction. Perhaps you enjoy our Still Points offerings like Centering Prayer or Bio-Spiritual Focusing. Maybe you and your spiritual direction practice have been enriched by one of our graduate seminars like Internal Family Systems or Group Spiritual Direction. Or perhaps you are simply a fellow voyager, building as many bridges as you can. Whichever pathway to wholeness you are walking with us, we are grateful for your presence and your support.
Blessings for the journey,
Chris
Rev. Chris Ng is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ, church pastor, chaplain, spiritual director, a retired appellate lawyer, and serving as the current Interim Executive Director of Stillpoint. She serves on the Ghost Ranch faculty of Stillpoint and is the Stillpoint at Ghost Ranch program administrator. She holds a Master of Divinity, Juris Doctor, and Bachelor of Arts degrees and did her spiritual direction training through Stillpoint. She also studied the Taoist arts for more than 30 years. Having previously served churches in Southern Florida and Texas, Chris is currently called to pastor First United Church of Christ and Conference Center, Second Life, the only fully authorized church of a recognized Christian denomination that exists only in virtual reality. She lives in Northern New Mexico and also serves as chaplain and EMT with the Abiquiu Volunteer Fire Department.