Come Away with Me Retreat: Caregiver Team

Destry Wardle

Destry has her MA in Clinical Pastoral Counseling from Ashland Theological Seminary and received a B.A. in Psychology from Simpson College. Her professional experience is with a diverse mix of populations and knowledge from her work as a counselor for troubled youth with Christian Encounter Ministries to her position as Assistant Director of Summer Ministries for Simpson College. But it is as the leader of Formational Counseling groups within her church where her passion has been most exercised. Destry has been serving on our Come Away Retreat team for the past 15 years and has facilitated over 50 retreats. Her specialty is in facilitating Formational Prayer within the context of small groups as well as on an individual basis as a Formational Counselor for the Come Away with Me retreats. She and her husband Aaron live in Longmont, Colorado and have two children, Grace and Addison.

Chris Ramsey

Chris is a licensed clinical counselor with a private practice (Connections of Hope) in Heath, Ohio. She specializes in marriage and family counseling, trauma and deep wounding. She received her Master’s degree in Clinical Pastoral Counseling from Ashland Seminary. She is a Certified Formational Counselor, has served as a caregiver for the Formational Prayer Seminars for many years, has led numerous Healing Care small groups and serves as a caregiver for HCM International's Come Away with Me retreats.

Seasoned by life and grounded in faith, Chris is a devoted wife of more than 40 years, mother, and grandmother. She blends her therapeutic training with the wisdom and insight of her many years of life experience. She served in pastoral ministry, along with her husband, for twelve years. She knows firsthand the joys and sorrows of God's call to ministry, and has a passion to serve those in pastoral ministry.

Mark Ongley

Mark has pastored Christian & Missionary Alliance and United Methodist churches for over 30 years. In 2005 he completed a D.Min. in Formational Counseling through Ashland Theological Seminary with a special focus on sexual issues, and recently authored Into the Light: Healing Sexuality in Today’s Church (Seedbed: 2016).

During the Come Away with Me retreats, Mark hopes to share from personal experience how meeting the Lord through Formational Counseling can transform one's life and ministry.

Mark is a Certified Formational Counselor. He and his wife Lauri reside in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, have been married for 35 years, and have two daughters.

Proctor Beard

Dr. Beard is the Pastor of Springfield Baptist Church in Glen Allen, Virginia. He also serves as the Executive Director of The Healing Place Center for Counseling and Spiritual Formation in Mechanicsville, Virginia.He holds a B.A. in Business Administration, a Master of Arts in Christian Education, and the Doctor of Ministry Degree from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia. He holds a Certificate in Formational Prayer and a Certificate in Spiritual Formation and the Art of Spiritual Direction from HCM International. Dr. Beard serves as Faculty and Peer Group Supervisor for HCM International's Spiritual Director Program and is a member of the Board of Directors. He lives in Midlothian, Virginia with his two children, Proctor Jr. and Haley.

Tom Lewis

Tom Lewis is the owner and cook of the Eagle Wings Lodge.  After nearly 28 eight years of success in the mortgage banking industry, Tom experienced such a significant transformation at a Come Away with Me that changed his life.  A desire grew in his heart to be involved in some way and decided to ask if the retreat could be held at the Eagle Wings Lodge that he and his wife, Cathy own.  It was their dream after a major fire to dedicate the lodge to the Lord and hoped that the lodge could be used for the Come Away with Me retreats.

Tom is gifted in hospitality and has a passion to create a welcoming space for people to encounter Jesus in their healing experience at Come Away with Me.  One of the caregivers lovingly bestowed on Tom the title, the Lord’s innkeeper.  Tom loves this new title and purpose that God has crafted for him in cooking and caring for the bride of Christ.  He is devoted to provide meals in a spirit of excellence for the participants as well as a listening ear as they journey through the week.  He and his wife have been married for 36 years and have 4 married children and 9 grandchildren.

Cathy Lewis

Cathy Lewis is a licensed clinical counselor and director of Lewis Counseling in Lewis Center Ohio.  She received her Master’s degree in Clinical Counseling from Ashland Theological Seminary.  She specializes in treating anxiety and depression, marriage difficulties, and trauma. Cathy serves as a caregiver at the Formational Prayer Seminars, has led numerous Healing Care small groups in her church. She holds a Certificate in Formational Prayer and a Certificate in Spiritual Formation and the Art of Spiritual Direction from HCM International and serves as an associate in the Spiritual Direction program.   

She loves serving as a caregiver for HCM International’s Come Away with Me retreats where she has the joy of seeing people make significant progress in their healing.  Cathy and her husband Tom live in Westerville, Ohio and have four children and nine grandchildren and one loving golden retriever named Angel who accompanies her to the Come Away with Me retreats.