Staff & Ministry Team
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Rama is the Founder & Director of PAX. She 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 both Essex & Cambridge. 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. She enjoys her friends, hiking, & spending time with her family in the mountains of New Hampshire.
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ADJUNCT FACULTY
Doug brings over 40 years of ministry experience working with people & seeking their transformation. Doug’s ministry began with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship & then moved into the church arena, serving in a wide range of roles. During that time he ministered cross-culturally on 6 continents resourcing national churches & missionaries in spiritual formation. He is a trained spiritual director & a certified Enneagram trainer/test administrator for the Wagner Enneagram Personality Profiles Spectrum.
He enjoys cooking, movies, golf, nature, scuba diving & wine tasting. Doug & Adele have 2 children. Doug is a graduate of Miami University (B.S) & Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div. & D.Min. in Christian Spirituality).
Doug & his wife Adele have just released a new book entitled Spiritual Rhythms for the Enneagram: A Handbook for Harmony & Transformation.
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ASSISTANT FACILITATOR
Andrea has a B.A. in Family Studies from Ohio University & received her Spiritual Direction certificate from PAX. Andrea has spent countless hours walking alongside women as they share their stories of faith. Her focus in Spiritual Direction is to offer the directee a space to be intentional & expectant with God. Knowing that God is with us, Andrea offers a reflective atmosphere to share, connect, & hear from God. She thoroughly enjoys listening & reminding others of God’s goodness for them.
Andrea lives in Natick, MA with her husband & three children. She volunteers for the Soul Care & Children’s ministries at her church & works part time at the local middle school. As a lover of books, you will always find a novel in her midst.
She moves towards the sun, finds life from the ocean, & will often offer you a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie.
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Adele has worked as a missionary, InterVarsity staff member, wife, mother, artist, spiritual director, college professor, author, icon writer, healing prayer minister, pilgrimage leader, & pastor. She is a graduate of the University of Colorado & Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, & is adjunct faculty for Selah (a Spiritual Direction Training program). She has authored numerous books & regularly speaks at retreats & conferences. Adele’s passion is for people to move beyond religion to a connection with Jesus that unites both their head & their heart in service & love of others.
Adele & her husband Doug are certified Enneagram trainers & have presented workshops & retreats together in the US, Europe, & the Caribbean. They serve as adjunct faculty for The Transforming Center (IL) & the Soul Care Institute (CO). Adele & Doug now serve Highrock as co-pastors of Spiritual Formation. They have been married over 40 years & have two children.
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PROGRAM COORDINATOR
Iela has a B.A. in Business Administration & Outdoor Education from Gordon College & her certificate in spiritual direction from PAX. Iela is passionate about creating spaces where we can feel fully seen & known by God. She offers spiritual direction to folks of all ages & loves introducing it to the next generation. Her ministry experience includes, camp ministry, universities, & church settings.
Iela is currently pursuing a masters degree in marriage & family therapy & is interested in the intersection of spiritual formation & psychology.
You can usually find Iela, exploring the coast, lost in a good book, or getting outside with her husband.
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ADJUNCY FACULTY
Adele has worked as a missionary, InterVarsity staff member, wife, mother, artist, spiritual director, college professor, author, icon writer, healing prayer minister, pilgrimage leader, & pastor.
She is a graduate of the University of Colorado & Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, & is adjunct faculty for Selah (a Spiritual Direction Training program). She has authored numerous books (The Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, True You, Women & Identity, & others) & regularly speaks at retreats & conferences. Adele’s passion is for people to move beyond religion to a connection with Jesus that unites both their head & their heart in service & love of others.
Adele is acertified Enneagram trainer & has presented workshops & in the US, Europe, & the Caribbean. She serves as adjunct faculty for The Transforming Center (IL) & the Soul Care Institute (CO).
Adele & Doug now serve Highrock as co-pastors of Spiritual Formation.
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ASSISTANT FACILITATOR
Rema has worked in various ministries & the nonprofit sector, & now spends most of her time as a spiritual director, wife & mom of two children. She offers spiritual direction online & through her church. Rema loves creating spaces for people that are safe, warm, & welcoming. She desires to see others walk more fully in their identity as His Beloved.
Rema has a BA in Ethnic Studies from UC Berkeley, Masters in Social Work from Boston College, & certificate in spiritual direction from PAX.
Living in Southern California, Rema enjoys being with her family at the beach, riding bikes, & traveling to new places. She also loves quiet moments at home with a book & cup of tea.
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ADJUNCT FACULTY
Bobbie holds a Masters in Spiritual Formation & Leadership from Spring Arbor University & her certificate in spiritual direction from PAX. A seasoned spiritual director with many years of varied experience in church ministry, she seeks to guide fellow Christians in noticing & connecting with God in their lives. Further trained in the Enneagram, Ignatian direction, inner healing prayer & trauma recovery ministry, Bobbie is passionate about helping fellow believers become increasingly whole & aware of their belovedness. She offers online & in-person spiritual direction, leads pilgrimages, & designs & conducts retreats to empower others in living lives centered on & in tune with God.
Alongside her spiritual pursuits, Bobbie enjoys spending time with her husband & three adult children, taking part in outdoor activities, exploring mountains, traveling, & participating in music-making.
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ADJUNCT FACULTY
As a Taiwan native who came to the U.S. at the age of 7, Tina has always been fascinated by stories of change. Having moved a lot while growing up & having lost a brother at a young age, Tina carries within her body stories of trauma & loss, as well as stories of healing & redemption. This dynamic process of looking to & for God in the midst of the messiness of our lives is what draws her to the art of transformational listening. To listen intently to what God is weaving into & out of us is one of the most beautiful gifts that we can offer one another.
Tina received her Certificate in Spiritual Direction from PAX in 2017 & is currently working on her MA in Theology & Ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary.
When not serving as a Resident Spiritual Director at Central Square Church in Cambridge, MA, she enjoys trying out new recipes in her kitchen, salivating over a hot pot meal, or playing a board game with her husband & two children.
Board of Directors
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Tim began serving the First Congregational Church of Essex as their senior pastor in 1994. He desires to help others see & treasure Jesus in all of his beauty, & so be moved to worship, serve, & live increasingly like him, for their own sake, the sake of others, & the sake of God’s kingdom & glory.
Tim holds his M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, Massachusetts, a D.Min. in discipleship from Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA, & a Certificate in Spiritual Direction from the Mercy Center, Colorado Springs, CO. Before entering the ministry, he worked for a number of years in the area of corporate lending in Chicago & Boston.
He enjoys cycling, hiking, listening to music, & just hanging out in the mountains of N.H. He is married to Rama & they have two daughters, Thais & Iela.
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Shirley Paz serves as Director of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care at West Church in Haverhill, MA, where she has been on staff since 2007. A trained spiritual director, speaker & teacher, she has also written Biblical commentary for the Baptist Sunday School Board (now Lifeway), worked on staff for Vision New England, & is a member of the Evangelical Spiritual Director’s Network.
In addition to her roles within the faith community, Shirley values time with her her daughter & seven grandchildren.
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Even though Richard’s primary vocation is software engineering, he found a calling to serve his community through spiritual direction after experiencing spiritual growth through the Soul Care ministry at his church. In this ministry, Richard was profoundly impacted by the contemplative practices that helped him develop a deeper relationship with Jesus, & by the opportunity to listen to and pray with others. After going through PAX’s Transformative Listening 1 course, Richard decided to pursue being a spiritual director through PAX. He received his Spiritual Direction Certificate in 2019 & his Spiritual Formation certificate in 2023. Richard’s desire as a spiritual director is to be a companion to others in their faith journey by helping them notice & encounter Jesus in their everyday lives.
In addition to being a spiritual director, Richard also serves in the children’s ministry at his church. During his free time, Richard loves to cook, play board games, & go on adventures, big & small, with his wife & daughter.
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Doug brings over 40 years of ministry experience working with people & seeking their transformation. Doug’s ministry began working with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship & then moved into the church arena, serving in a wide range of roles. During that time he ministered cross-culturally on 6 continents resourcing national churches & missionaries in spiritual formation. He is a trained spiritual director & a certified Enneagram trainer/test administrator for the Wagner Enneagram Personality Profiles Spectrum.
He enjoys cooking, movies, golf, nature, scuba diving & wine tasting. Doug & Adele have two children. Doug is a graduate of Miami University (B.S) & Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div. & D.Min. in Christian Spirituality).
Doug & his wife Adele have just released a new book entitled Spiritual Rhythms for the Enneagram: A Handbook for Harmony & Transformation.
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Susan has worked for The Open Door in Gloucester, MA for more than 20 years. She currently serves as Director of Thrift Operations, the retail arm of the not for profit hunger relief organization. The listening skills learned through PAX Programs have helped in her work with staff, volunteers, clients & customers.
Susan has also served The First Congregational Church of Essex in various capacities over the past 26 years, always endeavoring to share the love & light of Jesus to those she serves. She has served on the Board of Family Promise North Shore Boston, & currently sits on the Tourism Council of the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce.
She & her husband have 4 adult children. They've filled their empty-nest time with travel, home renovations, & live music concerts. Susan also enjoys cooking for friends & family & getting lost in a good mystery novel.