A circle, not a meeting

Their voices were passionate and sometimes poignant: we want a safe space where we can speak openly, listen as non-judgmentally as possible, and hold each other accountable. We want to make room for questions without feeling the need to give answers. We want to share our gifts—from baking to yoga. And we don’t want what we’re doing to be called a meeting! Such were the comments of several young women professionals who gathered for a group I hosted and facilitated. 

I’m a spiritual director on the staff of the Claret Center, an organization in Chicago that approaches health holistically—as mental, spiritual, and physical wholeness. Over the past year, Claret has received more and more inquiries from people in their twenties and thirties and has explored how it might provide hospitality to them. I have experience in college chaplaincy and seminary leadership, so it seemed like I might be able to move this idea forward. 

I began exploratory conversations with young adults. Some had gone to seminary but were not certain about ordained ministry in the church; others had gone to graduate school for social service professions. Similar questions began to surface: where can I share the challenges I experience with the church as it is today? Where can I get perspective on what I’m thinking and feeling? Who will listen as I reflect on my life and work?