wfn.org | Starfish ministry seeks to change world, one person at a time

[NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG]

Sept. 13, 2000  News media contact: Linda Green·(615)742-5470·Nashville,
Tenn.     10-71B{406}

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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United Methodist News Service
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