Biographical Information
Katherine “Kate” Epperly believes that holistic spiritual direction and affirmative life coaching, in combination with retreat and workshop leadership, best allows her to integrate her passion for holistic healing and wholeness with her background and gifts as a pastoral counselor, Reiki practitioner and teacher, and massage therapist.
Ordained in 1979, Kate holds a Doctor of Ministry degree and a Master of Divinity from Claremont School of Theology in Claremont, California. There her focus of study was human development, pastoral counseling, and theology.
She is a graduate of the Potomac Massage Training Institute in Washington, D.C. and was trained at Sloan-Kettering School of Integrative Medicine in massage for persons with cancer.
Having begun personal and group spiritual direction in the early 1990s with the staff of the Shalem Institute (Bethesda, Maryland), Kate believes that spiritual direction has played a major role in her own growth and flourishing as a pastor and spiritual guide for others.
She recently graduated from a two-year training program in spiritual direction called “Spiritual Direction for Spiritual Guides” (SDSG) at Oasis Ministries in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.
In addition to her private practice, Kate co-leads spiritual formation and nurture groups for clergy at Lancaster Theological Seminary through the Office of Continuing Education. She also teaches in the Lancaster Theological Seminary Summer Academy program.
She is a member of the Spiritual Directors International (SDI), the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC), and the American Association of Massage Therapists (AMTA).
Kate is co-pastor with her husband, Bruce Epperly, at Disciples United Community Church (DUCC) in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, an open and affirming progressive congregation which worships on Saturday evenings at 6 p.m. in the Lancaster Friends Meeting House Community Room at 110 Tulane Terrace in Lancaster.
Prior to moving to Lancaster, Kate served ten years as Senior Pastor of The Palisades Community Church in Washington D.C., an independent progressive congregation affiliated with the International Council of Community Churches. Prior to that, she worked as a pastoral counselor, interim minister, and church consultant.
Kate is co-author with her husband Bruce of Reiki Healing Touch and the Way of Jesus (Northstone, 2005) and a soon-to-be published “triology” on pastoral wellness and spiritual formation for transformative ministry: Feed the Fire (Pilgrim Press, Fall 2008); The Four Seasons of Ministry (Alban Institute, Fall, 2008) and Practicing the Presence of God in Ministry (Alban Institute, 2009).
About Reiki Healing Touch and the Way of Jesus, Kent Ira Groff, Founding mentor of Oasis Ministries says:
“In a high-tech world, Kate and Bruce Epperly present a paradigm for high-touch healing in the environments of one’s inner self, family, community, work, and world. This is not just for practitioners of reiki, but for any who want to be in touch with the Light that shines in the darkness.”