Keith Newman is a journalist, poet and author of five New Zealand history books including Ratana the Prophet (Reed 2009 reprint Oratia Books May 2024), Bible & Treaty and Beyond Betrayal (Penguin 2009, 2013). For the past 12-years he has hosted the Bible & Treaty Facebook group.. He lives in Haumoana, Hawke’s Bay with his wife Paula.

This June/July, we invite you to invest in our shared future by giving to SGM’s Innovation and Development Fund. Workgroup is committed to discerning and developing SGM’s growing edge. We feel called to three strategic initiatives at this time.

“Pay attention to what you notice” was advice given to me in my first session with a spiritual director many years ago. This simple invitation to notice is wonderfully extended and deepened by author Lucy Tierney in her book “Inner Invitations” (co-authored with Kathryn Overall-Cass) in which she describes ‘a spirituality system…. which draws on universal dynamics of spiritual growth’.

Anna Barker is a Porirua-based contemplative, accountant, reader, maker and traveller. In this blogpost, Kathryn Overall Cass has a conversation with Anna about her experience of completing the Spiritual Directors Formation Programme in 2022/2023 and why she is so glad she did so, even though she is not currently practising as a spiritual director.

Andrew Killick lives in Tahawai, just north of Katikati, in the Bay of Plenty. Creatively, he works in the areas of photography, poetry and prose, as well as various multimedia forms. In this blogpost, Kathryn Overall-Cass has a conversation with Andrew about his most recent book, ‘Rain Walk’, sacramental encounter with the elements and contemplative art-making.

Jules Badger is a spiritual director and maturing extrovert who discovered the gifts of the contemplative tradition in mid-life following a period of clinical depression. In this blogpost, Kathryn Overall-Cass has a conversation with Jules about the book she co-wrote with her husband, Mat, ‘When the Lights Go Out’ and what wisdom she can offer the spiritual direction community in Aotearoa about companioning those with mental health challenges.

Alex Carter is a 42 year old father of three, and with his wife Lisa, are members of Rewa South, an intentional community in Manurewa. In this blogpost, Kathryn Cass has a conversation with Alex about his first experience of a silent retreat and what that has meant for his life and relationship with God.

Irene Maxwell-Curnock is a retired spiritual director, counsellor and marriage celebrant, based in Tauranga, New Zealand. She discovered Interactive Drawing Therapy in the 1980’s and trained with it’s creator, Russell WIthers. In this blog post, Katrina Tulip has a conversation with Irene about IDT and how it has shaped her practice as a contemplative, counsellor and spiritual director over many decades.

Jenna Edgar is a freshly-minted spiritual director and the new Spiritual Growth Ministries Administrator. We are blessed by Jenna’s grace, bubbly personality and her extraordinary administrative skills. In this blog-post, Kathryn Overall-Cass has a conversation with Jenna about her new role and why she and her husband, Zach are seeding the first donation into the newly formed SDFP Alumni Partnership Fund.

Jonathan Chan is a writer and editor. Born in New York to a Malaysian father and South Korean mother, he was raised in Singapore and educated at Cambridge and Yale Universities. He is the author of the poetry collection going home (Landmark, 2022) and Managing Editor of poetry.sg. His poetry and essays have appeared in Ekstasis, Fathom, Inheritance, The Yale Logos, Poems for Ephesians, and the Ethos Institute for Public Christianity. More of his writing can be found at jonbcy.wordpress.com.

Are you feeling drawn to becoming a spiritual director? The following insights into this unique ministry may be a helpful part of your research and discernment process.

Darryl Tempero is a follower of Jesus, a husband, father, minister and lecturer who loves finding God in all things, including the outdoors, sport and movies. In this blogpost he reflects on the contemplative community that the folks at Kiwichurch in Christchurch are creating together.

Adrienne Thompson lives with her husband and flatmates by the Waipāhīhī stream in Karori, so spiritual direction and supervision sessions are punctuated by music from kākā, riroriro, and tūī. In this blogpost she shares her experience of learning to weave as a contemplative practice.

Sam Harvey is the lead pastor at Bay Vineyard Church in Napier. In this blogpost, David Crawley has a conversation with Sam about his passion for spiritual formation being at the centre of church life, attending the Practising the Way conference in Portland and his message of encouragement and challenge to Spiritual Growth Ministries.