Mentors

Christy Claxton-Brink (Currently not available as mentor)

Christy is a spiritual director who received her training in spiritual direction and retreats under the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ Spirituality Center. She is also a trained facilitator for Companions for the Journey, a spiritual companioning ministry that originated at La Cañada Presbyterian Church in California. Christy has participated in and directed a small group of Catholic deacons going through the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. An avid student of the Enneagram as well as dream work and analysis, Christy is particularly interested in the relationship between art and contemplative spirituality. She and her husband Gene enjoy spending time with their first grandchild, Henry, born during the pandemic.

Linda Hamady

Linda holds a B.A. in art education and continues to teach full-time. She comes from a Reformed church background, is married to a pastor, and has spent many years supporting and co-pastoring within the walls of the church. She attended and received her training in spiritual formation and direction through Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, California. For the past 10 years, Linda has been attending and facilitating groups at La Cañada Presbyterian Church with its Companions for the Journey ministry. She is ever grateful to have learned that growth in intimacy with God is understood as growth in a person’s capacity to be authentically, freely, and fully themselves with God. She always asks the questions: Who is God for me? Who am I for God in the practical and ordinary side of everyday living?

Catherine Hart Weber, Ph.D. (Currently not available as mentor)

Catherine received her M.A. in Theology and Christian Formation from Fuller Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Fuller School of Psychology. For the last thirty plus years, she has continued to deepen her training and practice of integrating Mental Health, Human Flourishing and Christian Spiritual Formation, through many streams of faith. She teaches at universities, leads retreats, as well as offers individual and group spiritual direction, being trained in the Shalem model. She has journeyed through the Ignatian Exercises several times with a spiritual director. As a novice in training for Benedictine oblation, Catherine is delighted to join alongside others who are also seeking God, desiring to be transformed by His love in all aspects of life and formed in the likeness of Christ.

Luisa Johnson, Ph.D.

After thirty years working as a clinical psychologist, Luisa discerned a call to be a spiritual director and deepened her training through the School of Spiritual Direction (SSD) program of Center Quest. Prior to this, she trained for two years (2002-2004) at the Academy for Spiritual Formation XIX hosted by the Upper Room Ministries. Luisa is also an artist expressing a relationship with God through the contemplative study of nature and the human form. In the practice of mentoring and spiritual direction, she seeks to listen for God together with the person, and to create ways beyond words for growing in God’s transformative love.

Nina Lau-Branson, M.B.A. (Director of the Mentoring Community)

Nina received her training in spiritual direction with CenterQuest’s School of Spiritual Direction (SSD) as part of its inaugural cohort. Aside from regularly co-facilitating Soul Companioning introductory eCourses for CenterQuest’s spiritual direction online offering, she also leads spiritual practices in small groups, as well as mentors and resources Asian spiritual formation groups at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena. Additionally, Nina teaches spiritual formation for groups of Free Methodist clergy and lay leaders. A Centering Prayer practitioner, she is particularly interested in contextualizing spiritual practices and direction for cultural communities outside of the European heritage.

Craig Lockwood, M.S.

Craig is a retired, ordained pastor of more than 32 years through Vineyard Church of Anaheim where his primary ministry focus was Pastoral Care, including oversight of lay counseling, 12-step and other recovery groups, inner healing, pastoral counseling and deliverance. For many years he oversaw the Vineyard Spiritual Formation Community, led spiritual retreats, oversaw the emerging spiritual directors, and the corresponding peer supervision. Craig is a Certified Clinical Pastoral Counselor and a trained spiritual director and supervisor. He has been married to Deborah for 41 years and have two grown children.  For the last 4 cohorts it has been my privileged and joy to serve as a mentor for the CenterQuest SSD program and invest in the lives of future spiritual directors.

Lisa Myers, M.A. (Co-Director of the SSD Program)

Lisa received her M.A. in Christian spirituality from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, and her spiritual direction training from Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation in Washington, D.C. She helped design Companions for the Journey, a contemplative guidance ministry for La Cañada Presbyterian Church that has become a model for doing spiritual guidance in community. Lisa has led retreats for churches, seminaries, and other Christian organizations. Lisa is an original founding member of CenterQuest and curriculum consultant for the School of Spiritual Direction program. Currently, she is serving as co-director of the SSD Mentoring Program together with Claudia Zentmyer.

Anne Peck (Currently not available as mentor)

Anne received her spiritual direction training from Christian Formation and Direction Ministries (CFDM) in Los Angeles. She has been a lay counselor for over twenty years through the Lay Counseling Program at La Canada Presbyterian Church. Anne has been involved with Companions for the Journey (also at LCPC) for many years as a participant as well as a Companions Facilitator. For the past 25 years, she has facilitated a variety of small groups including study groups, divorce recovery groups, and spiritual direction Groups. Anne is especially touched by the ways that God uses community to bring about healing and regularly humbled by the great privilege of companioning others on their journey.

Madeline Rose

Madeline discovered the art of spiritual direction after many years facilitating small groups, coaching small group facilitators, and developing and leading mentoring ministries. For more than 10 years now, she has been offering spiritual direction. Her training in spiritual direction and retreats was completed under the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ Spirituality Center at Mount St. Mary’s College. Madeline also trained as a facilitator of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius for two years after completing a 10-month retreat program called “The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius: A Retreat in Daily Life.” She is an active participant in a peer supervision group of spiritual directors that meets in Pasadena on a monthly basis.

Joyce Wybenga (Currently not available as mentor)

Joyce is a retired schoolteacher and has been a bible study leader in her church for many years. During the last ten years she has focused her energy in doing spiritual direction and leading a contemplative prayer group at her church modeled after Companions for the Journey at La Canada Presbyterian Church. Her training in spiritual formation and direction has introduced her to many new resources and has ultimately brought a deepening walk to her own spiritual journey. She now also teaches spiritual formation for her church and leads retreats in various areas. Her growing intimacy with Christ through the practice of contemplative spirituality has, most importantly, enabled her to find fulfillment and purpose in her ordinary days.

Claudia Zentmyer, B.B.C., C.L.P. (Currently not available as mentor)

Claudia completed her training in spiritual direction at the Spirituality Center of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, located at Mount St. Mary’s College, in May 2005. Since that time, she has offered both individual and group spiritual direction to many. She also participated in the leadership of the Companions for the Journey community at La Cañada Presbyterian Church from 1996 through 2009. Over the years, she has mentored various groups, including facilitators in the Companions community, student chaplains at Fuller Theological Seminary, and chaplains at Olive View UCLA Medical Center. Claudia is co-director of the SSD Mentoring Program.