Starfish ministry seeks to change world, one person at a time
9/13/2000 News media contact: Linda Green · (615) 742-5470 · Nashville, Tenn
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (UMNS) - A new United Methodist ministry is seeking to change the world, one soul at a time, by helping people reinvigorate and nurture their own spirituality.
The Starfish Co., based in Edgewood, N.M., is a nonprofit ministry that uses workshops and retreats to guide individuals and groups in spiritual formation, hospitality and growth.
The year-old organization is governed by a 12-member board of directors and staffed by the four members of the Sorenson family - Christy and Clarissa, and parents Ken and Annette - in addition to independent contractors with expertise in justice ministries and counseling.
The ministry was founded when "each member of the family felt God moving them to be a part of a dynamic, life-changing ministry," said Christy Sorensen, executive director.
The name was inspired by the story of a little girl who was walking along a beach and throwing starfish back into the ocean. A man saw her and asked, "What are you doing?" She replied, "I'm trying to save these starfish. Without water they will die." The man suggested her efforts were futile because so many starfish had been washed ashore and stranded by the low tide. "You can't possibly make a difference," he said. The little girl bent down, picked up another starfish, threw it into the ocean and said, "I made a difference to that one."
"That is our goal as well," Sorenson said. "We know that there are billions of people in this world, (and) many of them are searching for a deeper spirituality and stronger faith. Some of them need a place to find sacred rest and sabbath. We are trying to help each person find what they are looking for, one person ... one soul at a time," she said.
Starfish offers workshops and retreats on spiritual formation, to help people nurture their relationships with God. It works with large groups in churches or businesses and provides customized sessions to meet specific needs. The company develops programs, training events, seminars and retreats on a variety of topics including "Sabbath and Recreation: Discovering Sabbath as a Way of Life"; "Faith and the Flicks"; leadership training; financial stewardship and learning to live in the present.
The company operates on the idea that God loves each person individually. "We are just trying to be instruments of that love," Sorenson said.
By placing God at the center of every step, whether an activity or conversation, people move closer to God and begin to fill their spiritual craving, she said. "Through all aspects of our ministry, we believe that with God's help, we can make a difference."
Christians are called to continuous growth in their spiritual life, Sorenson said. "Life is not just intellectual, emotional and spiritual. It is spiritual as well. Starfish focuses on spiritual life and how it thrives for believers."
The ministry is seeking a location to establish the Sabbath House Spiritual Formation Center for personal renewal and for opportunities to enliven the spiritual journey. The proposed house will be a safe, sacred place where a person may find hospitality, spiritual companionship and rest.
"One of Starfish Co.'s greatest assets is that it is a network of gifted people reaching out to people, churches and business to encourage, enhance and revitalize the spiritual core of life," said Annette Sorenson, who is an active elder in the New Mexico Annual Conference appointed to full-time ministry at the Starfish Co.
For more information about the Starfish Company, go to www.starfishco.net online, send an e-mail to Christy Sorensen at amigoman@rt66.com or contact her at 20 Salida del Sol Trail, Edgewood, N.M. 87015.
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