Threshold Center
Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church is excited to announce the opening of the Threshold Center – a place of belonging that nurtures wellbeing through practices that engage the heart, body, and imagination. In an age when many feel isolated — whether due to cultural divisiveness, loneliness, or spiritual desolation; this community embraces diverse perspectives and encourages genuine connection.
Innovative Programs
The Threshold Center offers fresh programming with a talented team of local and nationally-recognized facilitators. The spring calendar includes “Practices for Wellbeing” which encompasses Listening as an Act of Love, Mindfulness Yoga for Cancer, Forest Bathing, Sound Bathing, and Hope: A Spiritual Journey Toward Wholeness and Community, among other courses; a collaborative “Pop Up Writing Workshop” with the esteemed Collegeville Institute featuring Alabama’s Poet Laureate, Ashley M. Jones, “The Power of Story” with artist and storyteller Sam Carter Gilliam, and ongoing Women and Men’s groups.
The Threshold Center is open to everyone and is a space where people can find refuge from the pressures of modern life, and where collective resiliency can be built one conversation, one moment, and one connection at a time. As we seek to cross thresholds together—whether emotional, spiritual, or physical—we do so with the intention of honoring one another and our shared humanity. The Threshold Center is not about providing all the answers, but about living into the question of how we can grow, heal, and connect in a world that increasingly feels divided and disconnected.
Leadership
The shared vision of Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church and the Threshold Center’s founding director, the Rev. Mary Bea Sullivan is to create a safe, inclusive space for those seeking deeper encounters with the sacred and one another. Sullivan is a retreat leader, spiritual director, nonprofit founder, author, and parish priest. “Mary Bea’s exposure to various spiritual traditions and practices, and her training as a facilitator are well-suited to the center’s mission to welcome those from various faith traditions or none at all, and make her the perfect person to lead our community in this efforts,” offers the Rev. John Burruss, Rector of Saint Stephen’s. A dynamic board of business, healing arts, and spiritual leaders has gathered around this initiative to provide visioning for programming and sustainability.
A Place of Restorative Encounter
The Threshold Center is housed at the former Chapel of Saint John’s, an intimate, peaceful setting for fostering restorative encounters. The Saint Stephen’s/Threshold Center campus includes expansive gardens, a newly installed memorial labyrinth and fountain that offer spaces for reflection, meditation, and walking prayers.
For more information about the Threshold Center and its upcoming events and programs, please visit www.thethresholdcenter.org or contact The Rev. Mary Bea Sullivan at marybea@thethresholdcenter.org. For more information about Saint Stephen’s please visit www.ssechurch.org.