On June 17, Laura Messamore and Rev. Janine Plum will lead a free webinar sponsored by Abundant Health Michigan on how holy listening in community can improve our spiritual health in the pursuit of wisdom and discernment.
Last year, the Michigan Conference became the newest member of The United Methodist Church’s Abundant Health for All Initiative, a global connection striving for mental, physical, and spiritual well-being for all. Click to learn more about this initiative.
As Abundant Health Michigan grows and builds a network of individuals and local congregations who seek to live out God’s abundant life in the fullest sense, this grassroots movement invites you to join them for a free webinar on Tuesday, June 17, at 6 pm Central / 7 pm Eastern on the spiritual practice of holy listening. Click here to learn more and register.
Our spiritual health is just as important to our overall well-being as our physical and mental health. We believe this as people of Christian faith. But it’s challenging to quiet the external noises or silence the fearful or shameful voices in our head that distract us from drawing close to Christ and encountering his true voice in our heart. This webinar opens our eyes to a key facet of spiritual health, providing us with tools and techniques to enrich this practice of holy listening.
Two Michigan United Methodists, Laura Messamore and Rev. Janine Plum, nurture and teach this practice as a spiritual discipline, and they offer this gift to you. They will lead participants through the practice of holy listening in the context of safe community. Laura and Janine believe that when we bring our heart’s deepest questions to a trusted group of Christians who love Christ and are willing to listen on our behalf, wisdom from the Holy Spirit can arise from the group that creates a fuller, less-biased picture than what we can discern on our own.
Are you interested in learning more about holy listening and how it can improve your spiritual health and well-being, both as individuals and as faith communities? Click the button below to register for the June 17 event. You will receive the Zoom link after registering.
This webinar is designed for anyone who seeks to deepen their relationship with Christ and is open to learning a new spiritual practice. It’s for church leaders, laity, regular churchgoers, and those who don’t attend weekly. It’s for anyone who feels invited to do this soul-deepening work.
Participants may only find this webinar helpful for their own personal growth. However, the webinar can also be a great opportunity to bring back the principles of holy listening to a local church setting and enrich the practices of discipleship and faith formation.
Rev. Alex Plum, an ordained United Methodist deacon who serves as the coordinator for Abundant Health Michigan, hopes this webinar will inspire future ministry. He explains, “I see local churches one day launching ministries of holy listening, spiritual direction, and other practices that help build up the spiritual health of our members and ourselves. This is about going beyond the intellectual exercise of knowing the Scriptures or believing in God, but getting into a deep, personal, life-changing relationship with the One who loves us and calls us good!”
Laura Messamore, a limited licensed counselor with Treeside Psychological Clinic in Lake Orion, worships at Living Water Church of Seymour Lake. She first learned of group spiritual direction as a student at Asbury Theological Seminary. She says the ministry of holy listening was a life-changing experience for her, so she wanted to seek out training and opportunities to offer it to others.
Rev. Janine Plum currently serves as the lead pastor of Chesaning: Trinity UMC. She was also introduced to holy listening as a student at Asbury. She says learning about it and practicing it was powerful for her, for it was the first time she was able to discern Jesus’s voice.
As colleagues and friends, Laura and Janine hold space for one another through holy listening. Laura says, “Janine and I do this for each other all the time. We are also involved in a group (similar to a Wesley-style band) that will sit with each other to listen for us. I find communal spiritual direction especially helpful when I am in crisis or desperate for guidance. When my emotions are big, I need extra help getting quiet and discerning God’s leading.”
Janine agrees, “Laura and I listen for, and with, each other when one of us feels stuck in our relationship with Jesus, seeks discernment about a particular issue, or just needs to experience the Lord’s presence in a deeper way.”
Janine gives an example from her own life of how the principles of holy listening has benefited her own spiritual life and growth.
“Recently, I was struggling with a situation that I was absolutely certain was not God’s best for me. Because I have learned to discern Jesus’s voice through holy listening, I felt the Holy Spirit direct me to a scripture that answered the question I had struggled with. The answer didn’t change my circumstances, but I knew God was with me, and always wills my good.”
Laura shares this personal story: “Several months ago, I was going through something hard and needed God’s direction. Our band practiced holy listening on my behalf, and every member of the group received a picture of purple flowers. Initially, I did not understand what this meant, but as I prayed, I recognized purple was a symbol of royalty and the flowers were a bridal symbol. Jesus was saying I was his bride. Receiving this personal message from him made me feel deeply loved and resolved the turmoil in my soul, even as my circumstances stayed the same. If I’d gotten a picture of purple flowers in my private prayer time, I might have dismissed it. But receiving the same message from multiple trusted people was impossible to ignore.”
Laura and Janine want to walk you through the practice of holy listening, the art of listening with ears tuned to the spiritual realm, in the upcoming webinar on Tuesday, June 17 at 6 pm Central / 7 pm Eastern. Click here to register.
“Learning to discern God’s voice together in community,” concludes Laura, “is an important way to stay ‘connected to the vine,’ experience God’s love and guidance, and grow in intimacy with Christ and fellowship with others.”
Janine encourages you to join them, saying, “Jesus is always speaking to his people. Anyone can learn to discern his voice. I think some people are afraid to hear what Jesus has to say, but Jesus is love and, as the scripture says, ‘Perfect love drives out fear.’”
Abundant Health Michigan is seeking individuals passionate about having honest conversations about health and healing within a faith context. They believe the church has a unique perspective to offer, because health matters related to body and mind only are incomplete without spiritual health. If you’re interested in joining them or just being informed on future events, complete this online form or email them at health@michiganumc.org.
Last Updated on June 10, 2025