Laura Funk

Laura FunkI grew up in a small Mennonite church near our home in  Winnipeg. I remember it feeling like one big family. When I went to Bible College, the church leaders invited me to preach and lead worship. I was seventeen. We all took turns leading the adult  Sunday School class. I was welcome to be as involved as I wanted to be and encouraged to develop my gifts within the church. When I was nineteen, I lived in Zimbabwe for a year among people who had a much more charismatic expression of faith. It was a year of much growth for me as I explored this very different way of spirituality. 

When I came home from Zimbabwe, my little Mennonite church felt a bit too small. I  started attending an ecumenical church that seemed comfortable borrowing from the Mennonite, Catholic, Charismatic, Anglican, Baptist, and other traditions. Eventually, this group called me to serve on their leadership team, which I did for a term of five years. 

Over the years I have had wonderful opportunities to explore the depth and richness of the Christian tradition from many different angles. I was introduced to the Celtic Christian tradition and fell in love with their passion for stories (all of which are true—and some of them even happened!), their care for all of Creation, their hospitality, and of course, their Anam Charaid—soul friend tradition. It is this tradition that inspires me most in my Spiritual Direction practice. 

I trained at St. Benedict’s in the Shekinah program of formation for Spiritual Directors.  I also have a Bachelor’s degree in Theology and a Master’s in Christian Ministry. I am also a certified Supervisor for other Spiritual Directors. I have trained with Dr. Karl Lehman and Rev. Charlotte Lehman in the Immanuel Prayer approach. Immanuel  Prayer is about leading people towards an interactive connection with the Holy One. Through this work, I have had the amazing privilege of seeing people healed of traumatic memories, damaged images of the Divine, harmful habits, and deepen their faith journeys. 

In addition to having a private practice in Spiritual Direction, I also lead retreats and give seminars and workshops on a variety of topics including spiritual practices for life, Celtic  Christianity, developing your own Rule of Life, seasonal themes for Advent & Lent, emotional and spiritual healing, to name a few.