Middleway's Guiding Council

The seed for Middleway Urban Monastery was planted in the Bryan-College Station Spiritual Directors Gathering, a group of about 25 people who began meeting monthly in 2017. A couple of years later, after hearing a report about the decline of religion in America, along with those who say they are spiritual but not religious, or are "done" with church, the group pondered what they, as spiritual directors, could offer people who seek God but for various reasons do not feel comfortable in traditional "church."

 

In 2020, five of those spiritual directors collaborated to create Middleway Urban Monastery. Though originally set to open in April 2020, the Covid pandemic  changed those plans. However, that helped them see the need all the more and Middleway began virtually in June 2020. Now, with a pilot grant from the Episcopal Diocese of Texas and with collaboration from the ecumenical gathering of spiritual directors, Middleway Urban Monastery has opened a physical location in Bryan, Texas. The original five served as the first Guiding Council along with Rev. Daryl Hay, rector of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, which is assisting the monastery in the startup phase. With life changes for two of the original founders, two additional spiritual directors were added to the Guiding Council.