NAUMAI, HAERE MAI!

 

Kia Ora.
You are welcome here.

 
 

Spiritual Growth Ministries (SGM) invites you to discover and experience the refreshing stream of contemplative Christian spirituality in Aotearoa, New Zealand. We are a network of people from diverse denominations who value contemplative prayer and practices as a precious taonga; a treasure at the heart of our faith.

 

Invitations to go deeper on your spiritual journey.

  • Find a Spiritual Director

    Ready to explore the nourishing practice of spiritual direction?

    LEARN MORE

  • Retreat Calendar 2024

    Discover contemplative retreats and events in your area.

    EXPLORE

  • Read Refresh

    Read Refresh Journal of Contemplative Spirituality, created here in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

    READ NOW

  • Become a Spiritual Director

    Become a spiritual director by participating in our two-year, part-time Spiritual Directors Formation Programme.

    LEARN MORE

Discover our treasure trove of research papers on spiritual direction.

Enrich your practice.

Song to the Holy Spirit


Lord, Holy Spirit,
You blow like the wind in a thousand paddocks,
Inside and outside the fences,
You blow where you wish to blow.

Lord, Holy Spirit,
You are the sun who shines on the little plant,
You warm him gently, you give him life,
You raise him up to become a tree with many leaves.

Lord, Holy Spirit
You are the kind fire who does not cease to burn,
Consuming us with flames of love and peace,
Driving us out like sparks to set the world on fire.

Excerpts from ‘Song to the Holy Spirit’ by James K Baxter
In Collected Poems (ed. John Edward Weir; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1979), 572.

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FROM THE SGM BLOG

Featured
‘A Passerby’ a poem by Sue Pickering
‘A Passerby’ a poem by Sue Pickering

A poem on humility featured in the Dec 2024 issue of Refresh. Sue Pickering is a spiritual director, author and retired Anglican priest. She lives in Kirikiriroa Hamilton with her husband and dog. Settling into retirement village life is in itself a lesson in humility!

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Matariki Dreams | Poem by Keith Newman
Matariki Dreams | Poem by Keith Newman

 Keith Newman is a journalist, poet and author of five New Zealand history books including Ratana the Prophet (Reed 2009 reprint Oratia Books May 2024), Bible & Treaty and Beyond Betrayal (Penguin 2009, 2013). For the past 12-years he has hosted the Bible & Treaty Facebook group.. He lives in Haumoana, Hawke’s Bay with his wife Paula.

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SGM Annual Appeal | Invest in our Shared Future
SGM Annual Appeal | Invest in our Shared Future

This June/July, we invite you to invest in our shared future by giving to SGM’s Innovation and Development Fund. Workgroup is committed to discerning and developing SGM’s growing edge. We feel called to three strategic initiatives at this time.

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Agnes Hermans | Book Review of Inner Invitations by Lucy Tierney
Agnes Hermans | Book Review of Inner Invitations by Lucy Tierney

“Pay attention to what you notice” was advice given to me in my first session with a spiritual director many years ago. This simple invitation to notice is wonderfully extended and deepened by author Lucy Tierney in her book “Inner Invitations” (co-authored with Kathryn Overall-Cass) in which she describes ‘a spirituality system…. which draws on universal dynamics of spiritual growth’.

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