TRANSFORMATIONAL LISTENING: SOUL CARE COMPANIONS (TL1)

How do we grow in awareness of God’s voice & presence in our lives & in the lives of one another?

A Place for Your Story With God to Unfold

In his book Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer says: “Just as love to God begins with listening to His Word, so the beginning of love for the brethren is learning to listen to them…he who can no longer listen to his brother [or sister] will soon be no longer listening to God either…”

TL1 Soul Care Companions is a 9-month program where you will experience the gift of listening, grow in the art of contemplative listening & develop the skills to facilitate soul care groups. Each session will include both a teaching & an experiential learning component with your cohort, as together we experience transformational listening. 

Listening to yourself, one another, & God is the basis of this program. If you’ve often found yourself in a position where someone is sharing with you, if you feel God inviting you to go deeper with learning to hear God’s voice, or if you’ve found yourself wondering how we can foster a spirit of listening & grace in our churches, then you’ve come to the right place!

Come experience the God who is deeply in love with you & then walk in your call rooted in God’s love.

While TL1 is a stand alone program, it is also designed as the first year in our certificate programs in spiritual direction & spiritual formation!

Ready to Hear More?

  • Folks of all backgrounds & ages enter TL1! This course may be for you if you are:

    • Considering a call to become trained as a spiritual director

    • Wanting to learn more about Christian spiritual formation

    • Desiring a closer & relational connection to Jesus & one another

    • Longing for a safe space to explore your faith

    • Looking for rejuvenation in your ministry & call

    • Introduction to the ministry of spiritual formation & spiritual direction

    • Experience of & growth in the art of contemplative listening

    • Exposure to different streams of Christianity

    • Completion of the prerequisite for our certificate programs in Spiritual Direction & Spiritual Formation

    • Skills to bring the gift of listening into your churches

    • Confidence in hosting small groups

    • Refreshment in your call & ministry as you walk in the love of God

    • New ways of listening to your families, colleagues, & friends

  • Some of the topics we teach on include:

    • The Art of Discernment

    • Sacred Hospitality

    • Asking Life-Giving Questions

    • The Role of Desire

    • Monthly attendance

    • Monthly reading requirements (6 books spread over the 9-months)

    • Monthly spiritual practices

    • Reflective blog posts based on the reading shared within your cohort community (5 posts in total)

    • Active participation in monthly sessions

  • The cost for this 9 month program is $925. A fee of $250 is due upon acceptance with nine monthly payments of $75 required thereafter. PAX hopes that the monthly payment schedule will help to ease the cost of the program.

    If you need to withdraw your registration from the course for any reason, your registration fee is refundable up until 4 weeks before your program begins, after that it will be counted as a tax-deductible donation towards PAX programs.

    Fees are to be made payable to PAX & sent to the attention of Rama Ziegenhals at 671 John Smith Hill Rd, Bridgewater, NH 03222.

  • One of our organizational values is that spiritual formation should be available to everyone, no matter your financial situation. We are therefore mindful of the cost of our programs as well as the value of committing financially to something transformational that you want to invest your time & energy into.

    If financial costs are a barrier for you, please apply for one of our soul care grants, in addition to your registration form, so we can do our best to meet you where you are!

  • "It is not an exaggeration to say that participating in TL1 has been a life changing experience. Through TL1, I felt the gentle invitation to go deeper with God. For the first time, practicing spiritual disciplines did not feel like work. I was motivated by knowing God’s great love for me. TL1 also gave me a deeper sense of community as our cohort now knows each other deeply & honestly."

    KEVIN RYAN, CENTRAL SQUARE CHURCH

  • "If you want to deepen your journey with Jesus this course is transformative. The listening skills, prayer practices, teaching on spiritual formation, hearing others’ journeys, & readings that broaden ways of approaching life with Jesus, allowed me to deepen my faith & to practice habits that create personal growth & care for others as a beloved child of God. Gratefully recommend this experience."

    JANET FRENCH

  • "TL1 is a wonderful introduction to spiritual direction & the practice of holy listening. The instructor was wise & gifted & able to answer all questions. Walking together in a cohort made the experience particularly powerful. It was a rich experience used powerfully by God in my life."

    KEITH ATKINSON

  • "This program was far more than I anticipated: a healing balm for my own sorrows & an inspiration to listen more deeply to others & to encourage faith in others. I have a renewed orientation to witness to God’s presence in my life & the world."

    KAREN

  • "TL1 exceeded my expectations. Sharing my faith autobiography helped me see how God has been present in my life in ways I hadn’t recognized before. The spiritual practices, readings, & lessons deepened my awareness, strengthened my connection with God, & invited me into a more intentional, reflective journey of faith. I am so grateful God led me here."

    Holly Fish

  • "The experience of being part of the TL1 journey has been an inspiring gift, leading me to open doors within myself that I never knew were waiting to be opened. This year helped me to look within & see where my gifts are & also where improvement & growth are necessary. I look forward to continuing to walk this journey with PAX & the wonderful team of professionals who lead us."

    Frances A.

  • "The PAX TL1 program lead by Rama & Andrea was excellent! The thought provoking readings, along with the monthly teachings, & break out rooms allowed me to grapple with how to listen in new ways. The readings both exposed me to ideas I hadn't necessarily considered before & helped to reinforce things that were already important to me. The break out rooms within the monthly meetings were an excellent place to practice these new listening skills. TL1 helped me to see myself in a new light & gave me tools that allow me to love the Lord, myself & others better. I definitely recommend the PAX TL1 program!"

    Beth Govoni

  • "I was deeply impacted by my time in TL1. I experienced a safe place to learn, discern, process, & grow in my listening skills. What a gift to be a part of a contemplative community of kindred hearts eager to move into deeper waters!"

    Amy T.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Please note, both cohorts are now full, but we are still actively accepting registrations for our waitlists!

Tuesday Cohort Dates:

The 4th Tuesday of each month beginning September 23rd, 2025 running through May 26th, 2026 from 6:30p.m to 9:00p.m EST with the exception of December which will meet on the 3rd Tuesday, December 16th.

Saturday Cohort Dates:

The 1st Saturday of each month beginning October 4th, 2025 through June 6th, 2026 from 10:00 a.m EST to 12:30 p.m EST.

After registering, be sure to keep an eye on your inbox for a confirmation email from our Program Coordinator, Andrea Marshall, & an invitation to schedule a time to connect with our Director & Lead Teacher of this Program, Rama Ziegenhals! (If this is your first time connecting with us, you may also want to keep an eye on your spam or promotions folder!)

Meet Your Teacher, Rama!

Rama received her Masters in Spiritual Formation & Leadership from Spring Arbor University, & her certificate in spiritual direction in 2006 through the Listen Course. She offers spiritual direction in NH & virtually. She values spiritual direction as a place of discovery & awareness of God’s abiding & transforming love. Her ministry experience includes leading retreats, workshops, pilgrimages, & spiritual formation small groups. In her younger days, she spent 13 years as a corporate banker with a passion for integrating faith & work. 

Rama is married with two adult daughters & two granddaughters. She enjoys her friends, hiking, & spending time with her family in the mountains of New Hampshire.

Still on the Fence?

Feel free to reach out to us to talk over email or schedule a time to connect! We’d be happy to chat & answer any questions you may have.

contactpaxcenter@gmail.com

We also bring TL1 to churches! Please reach out if you would like more information on what this looks like.