Yost, Rev. Connie

 503-385-2135  | cyost@uuma.org  | www.connieyost.com

Institute in Retreat and Spiritual Direction, Archdiocesan Spirituality Center, Los Angeles (2005) 

I am trained in the small group Circle of Trust method based on Parker Palmer's methodology and developed by the Center for Courage and Renewal. 

Individual, monthly                                             Payment Notes:   Sliding scale, $50-$100
which I donate to  my nonprofit, Friends Stay Warm

UU Wellspring: Approved (2020)

As a spiritual director I do not really “direct,” but listen and encourage you to draw closer to Spirit in the way it manifests for you. In my ministry work I have found that most of us do not have an opportunity to be truly heard – without judgment or fear of consequences. I value the sacred in each person’s journey and seek to help you discover more of what brings you joy and peace while being present with you in painful moments. I have experienced firsthand the healing and growth that can occur when your spirit is supported, nurtured and loved. I consider myself  “interspiritual” and supportive of all spiritual paths including humanist, atheist and “I don’t know.” I know how important it is to have a spiritual practice in which you can feel held when the going gets very tough in your own life and/or in the world. My own spiritual practices include journal writing, music, drawing and painting, silence, gardening, travel and time in nature.

I have been blessed by having a rich ministry in which I have been present for the sick and dying as a hospital and hospice chaplain, with those on the margins (young, old, disabled, poor, immigrant) through my nonprofit and activist work. I understand how important it is to feed all aspects of ourselves through a balance of action and contemplation. As a minister, spiritual director, entrepreneur and advocate for the poor, I have been deeply influenced by the words and works of Dorothy Day who asks: “The greatest challenge of the day is: how to bring about a revolution of the heart, a revolution which has to start with each one of us?”