Help Us Celebrate Our Teens! We are so proud of Lia, Zia, and Neviah, who completed their Certificated Foundations Class last week!

Their dedication to their spiritual growth is inspiring, and we are proud of the commitment they’ve shown along the way.

Please join us in celebrating and congratulating them! And a heartfelt thank-you to everyone who supported them through prayer, good vibes, encouragement, and financial support. Your love and support helped make this journey possible.

Youth & Family Needs You!

With school back in session and new families joining us on Sundays, we’re excited to welcome more young ones into our playful learning space!

Youth & Family will be reaching out to parents and members of our community who may enjoy being part of a rotation of adults who can play, connect, and grow alongside our youngest masters while their families participate in service.

You don’t need to be a teacher—just someone who enjoys children and wants to help create a warm, welcoming space where they can explore and be themselves.

Know someone who would be a great fit? Connect with Adrienne to explore how you can join us on a Sunday!

September Theme: Radical Embodiment
Week 3 Value: The Secrets We Share
Affirmation: I love the humanity of my body in all its glory.

Curriculum Overview:

In Week 3, youth and teens explore how messages about bodies can shape the way we see ourselves and others. Messages about appearance, ability, gender, aging, emotions, and what a body is “supposed” to be can sometimes create embarrassment, shame, or the feeling that something about us needs to be fixed.

This week, participants will begin identifying where these messages come from and consider whether those messages are actually true, helpful, or aligned with the way they want to treat themselves and others.

Through discussion, reflection, creative expression, and the “Message Makeover” activity, youth will practice replacing shame-based messages with language grounded in dignity, kindness, self-respect, and compassion. They will also explore gratitude for the many ways their bodies support them every day.

Spiritual Lesson:

There is nothing wrong with being human. Our bodies are not obstacles to spiritual life; they are part of our experience of living, learning, connecting, and expressing Spirit.

Science of Mind teaches that each person is an individualized expression of the Divine. That means we can challenge messages that tell us we are somehow less worthy because of how our bodies look, move, grow, or function.

Youth will learn that shame can influence the way people treat themselves and others, but shame does not have to define us. We can question inherited beliefs, choose more compassionate language, and recognize the inherent dignity of every person.

Rather than asking, “What is wrong with me?” we can learn to ask, “What have I been taught, and is it a belief I want to keep?”

Spiritual Practice: Body Gratitude & Compassionate Listening

Youth and teens will begin with a brief body-awareness practice, noticing their breathing and physical sensations without trying to change anything.

They’ll then be invited to silently consider:

“What is one thing my body helps me experience, learn, create, or enjoy?”

They may think about walking, laughing, hugging, dancing, creating, resting, tasting food, playing an instrument, communicating, thinking, or simply experiencing the world.

Participants will then offer their bodies a simple expression of gratitude:

“Thank you, body, for…”

Active Listening: Book / Music / Video

Younger Children (Ages 4–7)

• Book: Bodies Are Cool by Tyler Feder
  Celebrates the many ways human bodies can look and move while encouraging children to see differences as normal and worthy of respect.
• Music: Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
  A gentle invitation to notice and appreciate the beauty of the world and our experience within it.
• Video: All Bodies Are Wonderful — Sesame Workshop
  An accessible introduction to respecting differences and appreciating the ways bodies help us experience the world.

Children & Preteens (Ages 7–12)

• Book: The Boy Who Grew a Tree by Paula Fox
  Provides a more nuanced entry point into ideas of identity, difference, and growing into oneself, creating opportunities to discuss how other people’s expectations can shape the way we see ourselves.
• Music: Vienna by Billy Joel
  Offers a thoughtful opportunity to discuss pressure, expectations, growing up, and the idea that we do not have to rush into someone else’s definition of who we should become.
• Video: The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  An intellectually rich exploration of how simplified messages and assumptions can shape the way we see people. It can lead naturally into a discussion of the “stories” people are given about bodies and identity.

Teens (Ages 13–16)

• Reading: Selected excerpts from The Body Is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor
  Introduces the concept of radical self-love and examines the social messages that can teach people to feel shame about their bodies.
• Music: Crown by Stormzy
  Creates an opportunity to explore identity, self-worth, social expectations, and the pressure to measure ourselves against external standards.
• Video: How Beauty Culture Hurts Us — TED-Ed
  Provides a thoughtful starting point for examining how cultural standards of appearance are created, reinforced, and internalized.

Creative Expression Activity: Message Makeover

Youth and teens will explore common messages people receive about bodies and rewrite them into statements grounded in dignity and self-respect. Participants can create their own Message Makeover cards, posters, or digital-style quote graphics using words and images that represent dignity, compassion, and acceptance.

The activity reinforces that we don’t have to accept every message we receive. We can examine it, question it, and choose what aligns with our spiritual truth.

Connecting: Circle of Compassion

Youth will gather in a closing circle and complete the sentence:

“One message I want to remember about myself is…”

Group Response:

“Nothing about being human makes me less worthy of love, dignity, or belonging.”

Brent and LaVon Hardison provide not so secret music this Sunday.

Linda Bremer, RScP will lead the pre-service meditation.

Harvest Festival: Help Us Grow the Abundance! Our Annual Harvest Festival is coming September 19th, and we’d love for you to invite your friends, family, and neighbors to join us for this fun community celebration!

Bring the Harvest! Potluck signup sheets are available in the lobby. Let us know what harvest-inspired dish you’ll bring to share. We’ll be accepting donations for the potluck, with proceeds supporting our community programs.

Spread the Word!

Grab a Harvest Festival flyer in the lobby and help us get them posted around town. The more people who know, the more we can share the abundance!

Our Harvest Festival is about sharing the abundance of our whole Community – Let’s invite more Good!

Help Us Celebrate Our Teens! We are so proud of Lia, Zia, and Neviah, who completed their Certificated Foundations Class on Monday!

Their dedication to their spiritual growth is inspiring, and we are proud of the commitment they’ve shown along the way.

Please join us in celebrating and congratulating them! And a heartfelt thank-you to everyone who supported them through prayer, good vibes, encouragement, and financial support. Your love and support helped make this journey possible.

September Theme: Radical Embodiment
Week 2 Value: Inhabiting the Inner Habitat
Affirmation: I love my body and respect the lessons it teaches me about my inner and outer worlds.

Curriculum Overview:

In Week 2, youth and teens continue exploring Radical Embodiment by turning their attention inward. Our bodies are constantly giving us information about how we are experiencing the world. Feelings such as excitement, nervousness, tiredness, calm, discomfort, or overwhelm can provide clues about what we may need.

This week, participants will practice becoming more aware of these signals without judging them or feeling that they need to immediately change them. Through guided awareness, discussion, movement, and creative expression, youth will discover practical ways to respond to what their bodies are communicating.

Participants will also explore how listening to and caring for the physical self can be a spiritual practice. By learning to recognize what helps them feel grounded, comfortable, and supported, they can develop greater self-awareness and compassion for themselves and others.

Spiritual Lesson:

We are not separate from our bodies. Our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual experiences are interconnected parts of being human.

Science of Mind teaches that Spirit expresses through all of us, including our physical experience. The body can provide valuable information that helps us become more present and aware. Rather than seeing physical feelings as something to ignore or overcome, we can approach them with curiosity and compassion.

Youth will learn that listening to the body is not about judging whether a feeling is good or bad. It is about noticing, understanding, and choosing a supportive response. When we learn to recognize what we need, we become better equipped to care for ourselves and create healthier relationships with the world around us.

Spiritual Practice: “What Is My Body Telling Me?”

Youth and teens will begin with a short, gentle body awareness practice. Sitting, standing, or resting comfortably, participants will notice areas of their bodies that feel relaxed, energized, tense, heavy, light, warm, or cool. They will be invited to consider what messages their body is communicating to them and finish with an affirmation expressing the respect we have for our body’s lessons.

Active Listening: Book / Music / Video

Younger Children (Ages 4–7)

• Book: Listening to My Body by Gabi Garcia
  Helps children recognize physical sensations and emotions while learning that their bodies can give them important information.
• Music: Shake Your Sillies Out
  An energetic way for children to explore how movement can help them notice and respond to how their bodies feel.
• Video: Mindful Breathing for Kids
  Introduces a simple breathing practice that helps children slow down and notice what is happening inside.

Children & Preteens (Ages 7–12)

• Book: Listening to My Body by Gabi Garcia
  Helps children notice physical sensations, connect them with emotions, and identify what they may need.
• Music: Brave New World by Kishi Bashi
  Can open a conversation about noticing the world around us, staying present, and bringing our whole selves into new experiences.
• Video: Body Scan for Older Kids & Adults — Peaceful Kids
  A focus on noticing body sensations non-judgmentally and developing present-moment awareness.

Teens (Ages 13–16)

• Reading: Selected age-appropriate material on somatic awareness, stress responses, and the mind-body connection.
• Music: Keep Your Head Up by Andy Grammer
  Encourages resilience, self-awareness, and moving through challenging experiences with a positive perspective.
• Video: Why Do We Feel Stress? – TED-Ed
  Provides an accessible introduction to the body’s response to stress and creates an opportunity to discuss how awareness can help us respond rather than simply react.

Creative Expression Activity: Personal Peace Plan

Youth and teens will create a Personal Peace Plan that identifies signals their bodies may give them and supportive ways they can respond. They will complete situational prompts about emotional and physical expressions, and then create a plan with choices on how to react in healthy ways.

Connecting: Inner Habitat Circle

Youth will gather in a closing circle and complete the sentence:

“My body helps me know when I need…”

Group Response:

“I listen to my body with curiosity, compassion, and care.”