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Spirituality in Nature Groups
Celebrating Over 50 Spirituality in Nature Groups in 27 States
Come SING with us!
Forming a Spirituality in Nature Group (SING) is a great way to deepen your spirituality in nature and engage with others in active, loving relationship with your local, sacred ground.
Whether it complements your other spiritual communities or is your primary spiritual community, a SING offers the opportunity to explore together, share reflections and delight in the natural systems of which we are a part.
Start SINGing!
SINGs are spiritual communities, supported by the Center for Spirituality in Nature, that meet weekly or occasionally in nature to engage the wisdom nature offers and to reawaken wonder, connection, and renewed commitment to active, loving and reciprocal relationships with the Earth. They provide opportunities to broaden our understanding and knowledge of our local ecosystems, delight in their many wonders, and deepen our relationship with the Mystery that infuses all.
Each SING is unique. They go by many names. They are shaped by their community members -- including their more-than-human members -- in relationship to the local ecosystem. SINGs can be small or large, connected to a faith tradition or to none at all, meeting weekly or occasionally. They can hike on rocky wilderness trails or simply walk mindfully in a local park.
SINGs are open to all and are strengthened by the diversity of their membership.
Feeling the movement of Spirit and being attuned to the Divine in nature are ancient and enduring traditions. Across religions, beliefs and understandings, the natural world has, and continues to, hold a significant resonance for spiritual engagement, growth and learning. Nature is our spiritual home.
Spirituality in Nature Groups provide an opportunity to nurture that spiritual spark, cultivate community with our human and non-human neighbors, deepen our understanding of the Divine and reinvigorate our commitment to caring for one another and for the Earth.
The Center for Spirituality in Nature invites SINGs into a robust and interconnected network with regular sharing of both resources and experiences, storytelling, and opportunities for training and further spiritual deepening alongside spiritual seekers both near and far.
As an organization rooted in relationship, The Center for Spirituality in Nature engages its work in partnership and collaboration with like-hearted organizations and communities. We have worked extensively with partners from a variety of spiritual traditions and mission-aligned non-profits to create rich resources for deepened engagement with Earth, Spirit, and each other. Our efforts focus on cultivating a network of care and support for nature-attuned community building and mindful practice and attending to the spiritual foundation of environmental advocacy and healing.
Whether through cohorts of Spirituality in Nature Groups, presentations on nature's wisdom and gifts for physical, mental, and spiritual health, or as collaborators in projects connected to community building, climate consciousness, and ecological care, we are excited to partner with communities who are moved and inspired by the natural world!
In the News
Read about how we partnered with TryTank—an experimental lab for church innovation within the Episcopal Church—to bring the SING program to the Episcopal Church network here.
Contact us to see how we might bring the SING program to your organization.
SINGs call individuals and communities into active, intimate and loving relationship with Earth. They provide opportunities to engage nature, and the Divine Mystery through nature, with openness, intention and intimacy and thus play a significant role in grounding and inspiring the work of advocacy.
As one SING leader explains:
There is an abundance of people in our community working on and invested in the climate crisis intellectually. SINGs allow them to connect to that work emotionally.
For all those trying to respond faithfully to the climate crisis, SINGs offer a vital space to hold the fears and hopes of this important work together. These communities also provide a place to rest and re-energize for the significant challenges we face.
Starting a local Spirituality in Nature Group (“SING”) can be easy and rewarding. Here are a few ideas for how to get started:
Attend one of our upcoming training workshops which offer a detailed, structured, and accessible look at the process of launching your own Spirituality in Nature Group. Check our calendar for the next offering.
Purchase our workbook, Start SINGing: Forming Your Own Spirituality in Nature Group, and its companion, Inside Out: Practices for Going Deeper in Nature, which offer easy-to-follow step-by-step guidance.
Contact Payton Hoegh, CSN’s Spiritual Communities Director. He is available to answer any questions at payton.hoegh@spiritualityinnature.org
Start SINGing: Forming Your Own Spirituality in Nature Group is a complete, step-by-step guide to starting and maintaining a regular Spirituality in Nature Group (SING). This comprehensive manual includes logistical guidance, suggested itineraries, a year's worth of curriculum, suggested readings and activities, and planning resources that can be adapted to many different ecosystems, organizations and faith traditions.
Check out this inside peek!
Our SING community is growing! Please let us know if you set up a SING so we can add it to our site and let others know about it.
See our calendar for upcoming events with local SING organizations.
CALIFORNIA
St. Martin's Episcopal SING
Davis, CA
Contact: Pam Dolan
Los Angeles, CA
Contact: Payton Hoegh
St. Paul's Spirituality in Nature Group
Ventura, CA
Contact: Dan Wakelee
South Lake Tahoe, CA
Contact: Marni Perschnick
COLORADO
The Love Glow SING
Greenwood Village, CO
Contact: Hayley Young
CONNECTICUT
Middletown Gaian Guild Middletown, Connecticut
Contact: Erik Assadourian
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Crestwood Community SING
Washington, D.C.
Contact: Doug Barker
GEORGIA
Candler Seminary SING
Atlanta, GA
Contact: Rodell Jefferson
ILLINOIS
Plainfield, IL
Contact: Dan Morley
INDIANA
Metamora, IN
Contact: Kristi Asher
KANSAS
Bethany House & Garden SING
Topeka, KS
Contact: Rev. Caroline Howard
LOUISIANA
New Orleans, Louisiana Contact: Bart Everson
MARYLAND
River Road UU SING!
River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Bethesda, MD
Contact: Charlotte Moser
Southern Maryland Regional Walks
Southern Maryland
Contact: Charity Humm
Washington & Frederick Counties
Contact: Charissa Hipp
MASSACHUSETTS
Worcester, MA
Contact: Nancy Willbanks
Ipswich River Watershed, North MA
Contact: Kent Harrop
Amherst, MA
Contact: Dave Eyerman
MICHIGAN
Leader: Marie Rymiszewski
Tri-County Area & Gladwin County, Michigan
Marquette, MI
Contact: Lanni Lantto
MISSISSIPPI
Creation Walk, a Starkville SING
Starkville, MS
Contact: Tracy Stebbins
MISSOURI
Oneness in Nature Circles - KC
Kansas City, MO
Contact: Rev. Annika Klesch-Sawyer
NEW JERSEY
Meditation Gardens of Collingswood
Collingswood, NJ
Contact: Wendy Clouser
Wild Earth Spiritual Community-Northern New Jersey
Northern NJ
Contact: Rev. Dr. Robin Hawley Gorsline
NEW YORK
Windsor, NY
Contact: Cory TurnPenny
Patterson, NY
Contact: Diana Lee
NORTH CAROLINA
Caminamos Con Dios
Brevard, NC
Contact: Rev. Bill Livingston
PENNSYLVANIA
St. Christopher's Church SING
Gladwyne, PA
Contact: Kristen Ostendorf
Whispers at the Waterfall SING
North Huntingdon, PA
Contact: Brenda Barnes
SOUTH CAROLINA
Greenville SING
Greenville, SC
Contact: Group Discussion Board
TENNESEE
Shakti SING
Johnson City, TN
Contact: Laurie Levknecht
TEXAS
The Wild Ministry
Houston, TX
Contact: Amber & Mary Kathryn
UTAH
First Presbyterian Church Logan SING
Logan, UT
Contact: Sara Hunt
VIRGINIA
Alexandria, VA
Mt. Olivet United Methodist Church SING
Arlington, VA
Contact: Jaydee Hanson
St. Peter's in the Woods SING
Fairfax Station, VA
Contact: Stacey Remick
Clifton Presbyterian Church SING
Clifton, VA
Meets at locations in Northern VA, DC, & Maryland | Available for Virtual and Remotely Guided experiences
Contact: Ilana Rubin
Arlington, VA
Contact: Pete Nunnally
WEST VIRGINIA
Church of the Wild ~ Two Rivers
Meets in locations around Shepherdstown, WV
Contact: Leah Rampy
International SINGs
Victoria, Australia
Happy When I'm Hiking
Contact: Susan Joachim
Private SINGs
Some Spirituality in Nature Groups are active and gather regularly but are not presently looking to promote outside their personal communications. SINGs like this are active in:
Kankakee, IL
Silver Springs, MD
Buffalo, MN
Bradley, OH
Cleveland Heights, OH
Eugene, OR
Lake Geneva, WI
Washington D.C
Fort Bend, TX
Testimonials
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This wonderful organization brings communities together to walk with a power greater than ourselves. The SING Leaders’ training program showed us a way to bring like-minded people together in the natural world. By using our senses, we can open our spirit with the non-human world, and with each other, in a whole new way. They have all the reference you need, to start SINGing!”
DANIEL
THE CENTER FOR MINDFULNESS SING. IL
Get Involved
Subscribe
Sign up for our mailing list which includes Spirituality in Nature Group updates and resources.
Connect
Follow us on facebook to stay up to date on our Spirituality in Nature Group programs and connect with other SINGs.
Join Us
Check out our calendar for upcoming Spirituality in Nature Group programs and training.