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Soul Space Spiritual Direction - About the Spiritual Directors

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Les Acklam

I was born in Hull and very much involved in Church life as a child and a teenager. I experienced a first powerful call to ordained ministry into the Church of England whilst on a Parish retreat. Life went 'pear-shaped' for some while and I drifted away from the church so I trained for teaching in secondary schools in Hertfordshire and Essex. I experienced a second call to ordination and this time fully responded. I served in a parish on the edge of East London, then lured to Lincolnshire and I am now a University Chaplain in a very secular post-modern institution. I have been involved in spiritual direction and promoting retreats for many years. I work with Enneagram, The Labyrinth and Ignation Spirituality.

Paul Booth

Converted to Christ as a teenager in Cambridge, I worked in a variety of jobs before being ordained as an Anglican priest in Bradford in 1980. After 18 years of parish ministry in Yorkshire, I retired on health grounds, having contracted a serious illness. I felt bereft and abandoned by God, but I marvel at the way new life has emerged from what felt like the scrap heap. What is blossoming is a new awareness and appreciation of God, and opportunities to offer ministry in one-to-one spiritual direction, work consultancy with clergy, exploring spirituality with groups, creative writing workshops and training in spirituality and discipleship. My wife, Linda, and I also draw on our experiences of bereavement, divorce and step-parenting to work with people who face similar situations. To relax I enjoy kite-flying, writing poetry, cooking and walking.

Roy Gregory

I was born in London in the middle of an air raid! I had no experience of church until converted in a Billy Graham crusade in my early twenties and I have spent ever since trying to work out what happened! My journey has meant I have learnt to appreciate the insights of many different faith traditions. I lectured in engineering and have been a part-time pastor of a free evangelical church for most of my adult life. I have an interest in how faith works out in everyday life, particularly for those outside of the church. I have a special interest in psychology and a few years ago took an MA in Psychology of Religion at Heythrop College, London. I am still involved in pastoral work in my local church in addition to running workshops in the fields of education, spirituality and personal development. I also work as a spiritual director locally. I like walking, swimming, reading and am fortunate enough to support Chelsea FC. I am always interested to talk to anyone about their faith journey and the way they have found God.

Regula Hug

I was born in a village in the central part of Switzerland. After quite a bit of searching, I joined, at 25, the Religious Order of the Sisters of St Andrew. Together with my community I then worked for many years along side the Taizé Community in France, a ministry which included spiritual accompaniment and retreat work. During that time I studied theology in Lyon and helped prepare an international Meeting in Madras, India, both of them very enriching experiences. Since arriving in England about 8 or 9 years ago, I have worked as a Prison Chaplain for several years. I am now working part time as a Mental Health Chaplain in a Hospital in South London and I continue at the same time my ministry in Spiritual Accompaniment. I have a special interest in simple and meditative liturgy as well as in the interface between Mental Health and Religion. I enjoy walking in beautiful countryside.

Liz Lang

I was born into a Christian family but met Christ in Jerusalem when I was 38 so you could say I took a lot of convincing! I have explored many "flavours" of the faith and keep coming back to the Church of England but with a strong Celtic thread. I am a chaplain in a hospice in the south of England and a practising spiritual director.

Joanna Percival

I have been offering spiritual direction since 1991 after people began asking to talk to me and then I did some training. I was living in California at that time. My ministry is one of listening with an ear to discerning God's voice and helping people to grow in their intimate understanding of God and God's love for them. I know what it is like to be in the centre and on the edge of church. God is always surprising and currently I am on a Foundation Art course and loving it! I am also serving as a part-time hospital chaplain and helping the Spirited Exchanges UK network to grow. In the recent past I was vicar of a parish taking them through a challenging time and before that spiritual direction co-ordinator and spirituality advisor for my Diocese. I enjoy laughing, walking in nature, the sea, theatre and all things artistic.

Jane Russell

I am an Anglican lay woman of liberal churchmanship and have been a church member all my life. When I became a pastoral assistant about 27 years ago I first had the wonderful opportunity to discover what spiritual direction was about. I then felt called to train as a spiritual director in the 1990s and did the three year London Ignatian Spiritual Direction course and am currently part of the teaching team of the Worth Abbey spiritual direction course. Apart from being a practising spiritual director I have brought up a family and had various careers including being the Spiritual Direction Facilitator for the Chichester Diocese ... and working as a sales assistant in Marks & Spencer! I have two energetic dogs who take me walking every day and currently am enjoying building a business making jewellery from semi precious stones and silver. My churchmanship is broad and so is my life experience.

Anne Strach

I am a lay Anglican living in Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire, although originally from Yorkshire (and a Methodist). I was called to the ministry of spiritual direction some years ago and have completed a three year course at the London Centre of Spirituality in the art of spiritual direction and the Ignatian exercises. I work full time in London in Human Resources and am particularly interested in spirituality in the workplace and personal vocation. For me spiritual direction is about companionship on our spiritual journey, the opportunity of being listened to and of exploring our relationship with God which enables us to pay attention to God's personal communication with each of us and to what brings us to life in the reality of our daily lives and therefore of being able to find God in all things - not least in our inner selves.

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