Story From the Founder
The Beginning
For several years, I held a vision of a spiritual formation center that would be based in the life of the church seeing our local communities of faith as the foundation for spiritual formation. The Center would serve its church family as well as its surrounding communities. I had fondly referred to it as the community college for spiritual formation with offerings that would appeal to all seasons of the spiritual journey of faith.
The offerings would be held in the local church & would be such that a person could use them as a vehicle to help create an intentional rhythm of spending time with God while learning different forms of Christian prayer & spiritual practices.
Rather than just a one-time experience that tapped into a spiritual yearning & hunger, the Center would seek to be a place of ongoing spiritual nourishment within the context of a supportive Christian community.
The Idea
The idea for the spiritual formation center was born out of observing the desire for spiritual growth & intimacy in the lives of the people I have had the privilege to minister & journey with within our church. Through our church’s spiritual formation ministry, I noticed how people that may otherwise not go seeking what feels outside of their comfort zone, have nonetheless waded in within the context of what feels safe & familiar in their own church setting; or, after a rich retreat experience, where & how to continue to be supported in contemplative practices.
I have witnessed the fruit of the ministry of spiritual formation in the life of our church as members live & serve God from a deeper place. I am committed to the need & value of contemplative practices within the life of our churches. My heart resonates with the vision of “contemplatives in action” believing that as we go deeper into the love of God, we go more broadly into the world with mercy & justice while walking humbly with our God (Micah 6:8).
The Name
The naming of PAX happened in a setting of peace for me. One early morning, I was walking near our beloved summer cottage in the mountains of New Hampshire pondering this vision of a spiritual formation center. In the moment, I asked God for a name & almost immediately the word “peace” surfaced. This word felt like a gift to me.
PAX
Origin ∙ Latin
Meaning ∙ Peace
Often, I have been struck by the many times Jesus so ardently offered & gave His Peace to His disciples. We hear His words of peace in John 14:27 & 16:33. Then in John 20:19, His first word to them in the upper room, as they hid in fear behind locked doors, “Peace be with you!” Peace, the gift of our Lord Jesus Christ, a mystery that settles deep within me when I am living in the majestic stillness of the mountains.
And so this naming of peace I gladly received as I envision the ministry of spiritual formation as a place of God’s peace.
How did “peace” turn into the latin name “PAX”?
It was a long forgotten nickname name given to me in my high school days, although I have no memory as to why or how it came about. Imagine that, God giving me the name PAX that has now become my call & work with Jesus.
In Peace,
Rama Ziegenhals
PAX Founder & Director