There is no doubt that the impact and aftereffects of the last two years have brought fatigue, distraction, and exhaustion. Perhaps in trying to keep up with the demands of the external changes and forces around us, we have neglected to pay attention to our internal health. What does it look like to be fully awake and follow with close attention to what is going on inside you? What is your situation? What's pressing? What are you drawn toward? What is causing restlessness? Tending to our souls is an invitation to listen, notice and reflect on the dark and light cast in our inner world. Tending to our souls is an invitation to recapture our inner breath, discover our way back to freedom and dwell in God, wherever we go and whatever we do.
Guest Presenter: Rev. Miriam Méndez
The Rev. Miriam Méndez serves as the Executive Minister and Senior Regional Pastor of the American Baptist Churches of New Jersey. Prior to coming to New Jersey, she served as the Associate Executive Minister of the American Baptist Churches of the Central Pacific.
Throughout her ministerial career, Rev. Méndez has served as an interim pastor, co-pastor, lead pastor, associate pastor, and church planter. For fifteen years, she served as adjunct faculty at George Fox Evangelical Seminary in Portland, Oregon — where she taught in the areas of spiritual leadership, reconciliation, and prayer.
Rev. Méndez has served on various boards, associations, and committees, including the American Baptist Home Mission Societies Board of Directors, the American Baptist Women in Ministry advisory team, the Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice Committee, the Board of Directors of Word Made Flesh, and the Pastoral Care and Consultation Committee at Legacy Emanuel Hospital. Additionally, she was a founder and member of the Board of Directors of the Oregon Latino Action Agenda, an organization that empowers Latinos with tools that equip them to step into civic leadership roles.
Her educational training includes a Bachelor's in Business Administration from National Louis University, Evanston, IL, Masters of Divinity and Spiritual Director and Spiritual Formation certification from Portland Seminary, Portland, Oregon, and a one-year residency of Clinical Pastoral Education at Emmanuel Hospital in Portland, Oregon. She holds a certificate from the Unid@s for Oregon Leadership Program, a program unifying established and emerging Latino leaders for systems of change in Oregon. She is currently completing her doctoral work at Portland Seminary in Leadership and Global Perspectives, with an emphasis on the nurturing and leadership development of Latina women.