Laree Winer earned her Bachelor’s degree in religion at Pacific Lutheran University where she currently serves as the Associate Director for the Wild Hope Center for Vocation. Laree manages the day-to-day operations of the Center, plans and facilitates faculty and staff development workshops, advises still deciding students, and co-facilitates the Wild Hope Fellows program. She has been involved in the work of vocational exploration and discernment for over 10 years. In 2021 Laree completed a two year graduate certificate in spiritual direction at the St. Placid Priory in Olympia, WA and has accompanied PLU students, faculty members, staff, and members of her church – Christ Lutheran – as they listen for the Spirit and seek to heal, renew, or deepen their relationship with God. As a Spiritual Director, Laree utilizes deep listening, reflective questions, and employs a variety of sacred tools with those she accompanies, including centering prayer, Visio and Lectio Divina, and the Enneagram. She has a particular appreciation for the nuance, complexity, and in-between spaces of the spiritual journey and her approach is holistic and client centered. Weekends you will find her cooking and entertaining with the Mister, walking Penny Puggle along the neighborhood wooded trails, or reading books to her grandchildren: Aiden, Silas, Claire, and Jack.

Lynne Prechel has been a Deacon in the ELCA since 2007. She’s currently not serving in a call, but when needed, provides pulpit supply to ELCA churches in Pacifica Synod. Lynne holds certificates as a spiritual director, and as a supervisor for spiritual directors, and has been companioning others for 20 years. For the past 30 years, Lynne has been teaching spiritual formation practices in Southern California, where she leads weekend and day retreats, workshops, and is a guest speaker for women’s groups. Lynne has had a traveling labyrinth and prayer station ministry since 2000, helping church communities to walk the winding path to God. A practitioner of center prayer (Fr.Thomas Keating) since 1993, she has taught meditation and led Christian meditation groups for over 22 years. In her practice as a spiritual director, Lynne has particular experience in mindfulness, meditation, addiction, grief and loss, dreamwork, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, depression, and the Enneagram. She has worked with people from a variety of denominations: Lutheran, Episcopal, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, Judiasm, Disciples of Christ, and Catholic, as well as interspiritual persons. Lynne has companioned ELCA pastors, deacons, interns, and those discerning a call to ministry. Her daily walk with God includes seeking the Divine in all of creation, practicing contemplation, mindfulness and unselfish love, and learning about humility. She also enjoys working with soil and plants, long walks in nature, and reading.

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Natalie graduated from Wittenberg, CLU and completed the Stillpoint program in 2003 and has found joy being a spiritual director ever since. She has been on staff of Stillpoint as a mentor/facilitator for 16 years, and is currently completing seminary at PLTS to become a Deacon in the ELCA, with a calling in spiritual formation. Recently retired from teaching special education/at-risk high school students, she enjoys space for reading, writing, and being creative. She has been involved in sacred dance/movement and finds bodywork to be important. She is active in retreat and small group ministries, and loves going on pilgrimages such as Israel and Germany. Natalie is deeply connected with nature and finds it to be a part of her spiritual journey, especially the ocean where she lived for many years. Currently she is living near mountains and gets to commune with deer and other creatures daily.