about us — our history
1992 Jean Springer arrived in Austin, Texas with a dream of providing a space within Austin in which people could be invited to listen to the Spirit dwelling within each of them and within the lives they live.

1995 On retreat with a group of women called “Sisters of Diversity” the thought of becoming a non-profit organization was surfaced and from this conversation an Organizational Committee was formed to explore this vision.

1996 We incorporated as Eremos with a four member Board of Directors and received our status as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

Since then we have grown an infrastructure to support the ministry of Eremos spiritually, financially and organizationally.

jean springer — spiritual amma
From the womb my life has been directed by the Spirit.

Raised Baptist and living next to the Baptist Church, much of my time was spent within the influence of the Church. As a teenager I longed to become a missionary, but it took becoming Catholic and entering a missionary community of women to make the desire a reality.

Eight years in South Africa gave me a hunger and thirst for a contemplative way of life. I searched all over the United States for a community which would affirm and support the calling. Lebh Shomea House of Prayer in south Texas honored that search.

The 10-year ebb and flow in relationship within that community gave me another desire. Seeing so many people seeking God within silence and solitude, I yearned to provide a space in Austin where people could step back from their everyday lives on a more regular basis to listen to the Spirit.

As in natural birth, God generates life through parents, so too God has generated new life in the Spirit through me as a spiritual Amma.

board of directors -- 2007
Board members guide and nurture the contemplative life of Eremos. With their unique gifts, vision, and experience they gather monthly to enrich the contemplative dimension of their own lives and serve as catalysts for supporting the contemplative life of others.

Officers  
President           Kim Soechting
Vice President    Kathleen Davis, J.D.
Secretary          Ellen Sullivan, BArch
Treasurer          Nick Woolverton, J.D., MBA, CPA

Members  
Nancy Jewett, M.A.
Travis Sebera, LPC, NCC

Executive Director    Jean Springer, MTS