This history was assembled by Richard Donnelly with input from numerous ACIM students including Rev. Sally Hori, Thomas Dunn, John Hutkin, Ruthann Herring, Robert Ferre, Jan Worley, Rev. Bob Brown, Rene Hernandez, Corinne Esneault, Barb Land, and Gary Liming.
1975 — The First Study Group
There have been students of A Course in Miracles in the St. Louis area since the mid-seventies. Sally Hori was the first in the area to host a discussion group that included A Course in Miracles. This group was formed in 1975 at Sally's home on Tuesday evenings, using a clothbound, three-volume copy of ACIM and articles from the precursor to New Realities magazine. Gerald Jampolsky and Judy Skutch spoke at "The Harold Sherman E.S.P. Conference" at the Chase Hotel in June of 1976. Paul Steinberg and Bette Martin also visited St. Louis in the late seventies to talk about the Course.
In 1984 John Hutkin and Ruth Hanna started attending Sally's group. When Sally moved out of Webster Groves, Ruth Hanna started her own study group in her home in south St. Louis. Ruth reached out to other students to begin a sense of community. Ruth and her husband, Robert Ferre (a labyrinth designer and builder), began to have local events at their home and at other locations around town. Earlier students who remained in the area — Rev. Sally Hori, John Hutkin, Thomas Dunn, and Ruthann Herring — each reached out to others and started their own study groups.
Thomas Dunn was an original board member of the Circle of Atonement along with Robert Perry, Susan Perry, and Donald Giacobbe. He also started the original Friday evening ACIM group in the early nineties, which was subsequently hosted by Ruth and Robert and then by John Hutkin. John Hutkin hosted many gatherings in his homes and provided marketing and financial support to Ruth and the St. Louis ACIM community.
The 1980s — Growing Roots
Ruth began to teach an introduction to ACIM at Maryville College in the late 1980s. The course was titled "A Course in Inner Peace" because of possible confusion between ACIM and Catholic doctrine. During the eighties there were a number of people in the St. Louis area who had found the Course through various sources, but without a sense of community they seemed to pick it up and lay it down repeatedly. Ruth's courses at Maryville called many back to the Course to stay, and she taught there for a number of years, bringing about a rejuvenation of interest.
The 1990s — One Heart
As a result of the Maryville classes, the number of ACIM students in the St. Louis area grew from a few to many, and a number of new study groups were formed. In the 1990s Ruth began an organization — with a website and newsletters — called One Heart. One Heart provided information on ACIM activities locally and nationally as well as a listing of all the ACIM study groups in the area. Ruth became nationally known as the Midwest coordinator for ACIM activities.
Corinne Esneault, whose involvement began in 1997, recalls: "My involvement with ACIM began in 1997 with the Eliot Chapel study group. Our group grew out of Ruth Hanna's group in her home. I was in Ruth's presence only a few times. She was a bright light for all who knew her."
After Ruth became the central point of contact for ACIM matters in the St. Louis area, she and John Hutkin brought a number of speakers to St. Louis between 1988 and 2005, including Pat Rodegast and Judith Stanton (Emmanuel), Ram Dass, Robert Perry, Brent Haskell, Judith Skutch, Dr. Jerry Jampolsky and Diane Cirincione, Hugh Prather, Marianne Williamson, Jon Mundy, Donna Marie Carey, Gary Renard, and David Hoffmeister.
2005 — The 40th Anniversary & the Council's Birth
In October 2004, a local ACIM student, Rene Hernandez, was inspired to organize a weekend event in St. Louis for October 2005, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Helen Schucman's scribing of A Course in Miracles. Rene had been visiting most of the ACIM study groups in the area, and he contacted study group facilitators and others, forming a committee in May 2005. The committee — Rene Hernandez, Mary Purviance, Rev. Robert Brown, Barbara Eckard, and Jan Worley, with Richard Donnelly and Ruth Hanna as advisors — was the genesis of the current ACIM St. Louis Council.
The three-day commemoration took place October 21–23, 2005. Friday evening was held at Unity Christ Church on Skinker Blvd., with a focus on introduction to ACIM for newcomers. Saturday brought an all-day series at the First Divine Science Church on Wyoming St. Sunday's presentations were held at the Soul-Esteem Center in Maryland Heights.
Following the weekend, ACIM community members met at John Hutkin's home in November 2005. All enthusiastically endorsed the idea of a permanent committee, and volunteers formed the St. Louis ACIM Leadership Council — Jan Worley, Barb Land, Rev. Robert Brown, Corinne Esneault, and Gary Liming. The first meeting of this council took place in November 2005. Ruth Hanna, who was dealing with cancer at that time, transitioned in 2007.
2005 to Present
Initially the Council focused on local gatherings: quarterly Local Speaker Gatherings held in ACIM students' homes and churches, averaging 25 attendees. The Council also started an annual picnic at a local park, averaging 50 attendees. After a year or so, the Council began holding an annual weekend retreat with a recognized ACIM teacher from outside St. Louis. The Mercy Center was selected as the retreat venue, and — with the exception of the pandemic years — annual retreats have been held since 2007, averaging about 60 attendees. Robert Perry was the first retreat speaker.
In addition to Council-organized events, Mary Lenihan and John Hutkin have hosted a number of one-day events where Mary has shared her experience with the Course. Mary has become an internationally known ACIM author and teacher. Her current "Pause for Inspiration" approach to living is reaching people around the globe.
The ACIM St. Louis Council became officially incorporated in 2014 and continues to hold speaker events and provide loving support to the local ACIM community.