After 26 years of missions to Guatemala, “emerging” church leader Doug Pagitt’s church, Solomon’s Porch, is now promoting a mission trip to “share yoga, share life and share peace on and off the yoga mat!” These “service” trips are being co-sponsored by Solomon’s Porch and the “Yoga Sanctuary.” In years past, the church sponsored these trips to “support the global church” and to build homes “to follow in the example of Jesus” to reach out to the poor.
Shelley Pagitt, Doug’s wife, is the “curator” and an instructor at the Yoga Sanctuary. In describing her first encounter with yoga, she states: “I cautiously walked into my first yoga class in 1999. I walked out with a sense of curiosity about the awakening I felt in my body and in my mind and spirit.” It appears that this awakening has slowly led Shelley and Solomon Porch’s outreach efforts down a different path. Now, in addition to the Yoga Sanctuary, Solomon’s Porch also has a “Wellness” ministry where acupuncture, Chinese Medicine, and “ShiatsuEnergy Work” are available.