Chris Wurster
currently serves as the Chair of the board of directors. He grew up in Northern New Jersey and moved to Colorado in 2001. He has made Colorado Springs his home since 2018. For over 20 years Chris was drawn to helping youth in a variety of capacities. He has been a mentor, an advocate, a camp counselor, a 4H leader, and a volunteer in several organizations with the purpose of helping youth navigate the multitude of challenges they face, often due to no fault of their own. Eventually, he realized that he was drawn to this work because he often struggled internally himself as a young person. He had long been seeking, reading or studying with the longing for connection and belonging. It was through the finding and practice of mindfulness meditation that Chris finally felt that he had discovered the tools he had been searching a lifetime for. Since then, he has been connecting with many populations, including seniors and adults of all ages, in sharing these practices with the intent on bringing more peace and ease into people’s lives. Chris has felt at home with the WEB community because of what he describes as the kindness, the sincerity, and the authenticity of its members. He is grateful and excited to be a part of the WEB Board of Directors. He is dedicated to continuing to expand WEB’s reach into the needs of the community. See more under ‘Teachers’ link… 
Ray Osteroos
currently serves as treasurer for WEB. He has lived in the Colorado Springs area for 35 years after leaving an agricultural life in North Dakota. He grew up in a Christian-centric household but turned to Buddhism for spiritual development and as a guide for living. Ray’s “second life” has been as a government auditor that had him traveling extensively in the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East. As a guide for living, Ray values Buddhism’s practical approach, encouraging everyone to test its value for addressing the challenges of their lives. Rather than looking for outside answers and excuses, its resonating message of interconnectedness and personal responsibility/control, mirrored Ray’s approach to life. 
John Moeller
has lived in Colorado Springs since 2017. He was raised in Grand Rapids, MI and has lived in several other places throughout the US including Wisconsin, Minnesota, New Mexico, California, and Hawaii. John has a bachelor degree in Geography from New Mexico State University and an associate’s degree in Geographic Information Technology from Central New Mexico Community College. He has been happily self-employed as a stock trader since 2010. John has explored a number of religious schools of thought and has been involved in Buddhism since 2013. Although he does not consider himself a Buddhist, he finds the teachings and practice to be very valuable. Web of Connection is just the type of spiritual community he was looking for and has been with WEB since 2018. He highly values the interactive approach that Web of Connection offers which facilitates highly valued spiritual friendships. John writes the weekly email, "This Week at Deer Park", and leads a guided meditation every Thursday evening. In 2022 he wrote a book about meditation techniques that he has developed, entitled, “Exploring the Beauty Within.” |
Who are we? |
Aruna Dhammadhira
trained as a Buddhist monastic in the Thai Forest Tradition in lineage of Ajahn Chah. She spent 11 yrs at Amaravati and Chithurst Buddhist Monasteries in England from 2001-2012. After returning to the U.S. Dhammadhira took the full ordination as a bhikkhuni at Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Temple in Los Angeles. In 2015, Dhammadhira came to visit Amma Thanasanti of Awakening Truth in Colorado Springs for what she thought would be a "short stay". In 2017 Aruna founded Web of Connection at Deer Park and since has continued to weave together the three strands of Dharma, Ecology and Community for the non-profit organization. Her involvement with a variety of programs has included Buddhist retreats, weekly meditation and inquiry meetings, a multi-faith camp, community supported agriculture and more. In October 2020 after nearly 19 years in robes. Dhammadhira transitioned from monastic to lay life. She continues as one of the primary teachers for Web of Connection and teaches in other venues along the Front Range. Teacher's bio 
Monty Hall
is thrilled to be a member-at-large on WEB’s board! He started attending weekly meetings in early 2022 and has grown to love this vibrant sangha. Monty grew up in Colorado and lived in Green Mountain Falls for much of his life. He received a Bachelor’s in English Literature from University of Colorado Colorado Springs, working in Pikes Peak Library District during his studies. His parents raised him in an atheist-agnostic household and introduced him to several diverse religions, including Buddhism. Although he practiced meditation individually for several years, it wasn’t until he found WEB’s spiritual community that he truly started to feel like he had begun to walk the Path. He feels much gratitude for having become part of such a kind and supportive home sangha. 
Jacque Tomrdle
is originally a farm kid from Nebraska. She moved to Colorado Springs in the early 80’s with her husband and loves living in Colorado. She grew up in Christianity, but always felt that something was missing. It was not until a work colleague invited her to a “how to learn to meditate” class in 2018 at Web of Connection that the pieces started to fall into place. She dabbled with meditation, but it was not until the Covid pandemic in 2020, when everything went online that she got serious about meditation and being part of Web of Connection. Learning meditation and the Buddhist practices have changed her life by helping her to learn how to quiet her spirit and calmly focus her emotions. One of the aspects she likes the most about Web of Connection is the inclusive spirit of the sangha valuing individual talents and interests where everyone is valued, and everyone belongs. She loves being a member-at-large on the Web of Connection board. Jacque works in higher education utilizing her MBA and M.Ed., as eLearning Coordinator and Senior Learning Designer. She also teaches business and loves working with her students. |
We Would Love to Have You Visit Soon!
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