Spiritual Direction at the Journey Center

Currently, our team of Spiritual Directors includes:

Ruah Bull: Ruah completed her 3 year training in spiritual direction at Mercy Center in 2001, and has been working with people on both traditional and non-traditional religious paths. She has a particular calling to tend to the "spiritual but not religious" community, and those who are suffering from the effects of spiritual abuse. Ruah understands spiritual direction as a gentle practice of directing attention to Spirit-to the ways in which the Holy reveals itself in both the special and mundane times and experiences of life. She acts as an ANAM CARA-a soul companion who supports and witnesses the steps on each individual's unique and precious spiritual journey. As a "recovering Doer", Ruah is personally committed to living a more and more contemplative life, and she integrates practices such as centering prayer and meditation into her work for those who are experiencing a desire to focus more on the Kingdom within. Ruah also serves as a facilitator and supervisor in the Journey Center’s training program for spiritual directors.

Joanna Quintrell: It was in the year 2000 that Joanna found herself in a spiritual crisis and first learned about spiritual direction. Her own experience seeing a spiritual director was life-changing and heart-transforming, as no one had ever taught her how to nurture her own inner life with God. After a few years, she felt a calling to serve others as a spiritual director and was initially trained at the Mercy Center in Burlingame, CA in 2003 (one-month intensive). Joanna has been working as a spiritual director since then. She received additional training and experience through the two year training program at the Center for Spiritual Direction in Chicago, IL., and serves a the co-director of the Journey Center’s training program for spiritual directors.

Helen Cepero: Helen currently lives in Anchorage, Alaska and joins us here in Santa Rosa throughout the year for for training intensives, special events and retreats. She is available for spiritual direction appointments while she is in town, and also leads workshops and retreats. Helen received her training at the Spiritual Director's Institute (Mercy Center, Burlingame, CA). Helen has worked in spiritual direction in a number of settings for over 20 years, including involvement with the Pastoral Care Commission of the Pacific Southwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church, the Center for AIDS Services in Oakland, CA and Kairos Prison Ministry at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, CA. She currently trains spiritual directors at the Mercy Center, Multnomah Biblical Seminary, the Center for Spiritual Direction, Chicago, IL. and the Journey Center (where she is the Program Director).