Resources

TAKE YOUR NEXT STEP.

In our fast paced and increasingly chaotic world, the wellbeing of our souls are often neglected. But Bremerton UMC believes that our souls deserve to be cared for—we believe that our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being is an essential part of God’s plan for humanity. God’s desire for human flourishing is found in every part of the Bible, and so we look to these ancient stories, poems, and letters to guide our unique journeys towards greater self understanding and personal transformation.

In “Soulcare: Help for Heavy Times,” our worship services and engaging messages are designed to bring healing and support to your weekly rhythm. Each Sunday gathering is built around finding community, raising awareness about mental health conditions and needs, and growing in faith together–no matter your life experience or current situation. Every week, we’ll discover how to navigate the challenges of our culture with compassion, and how God is with us every step of the way.

For more information about the topics that we will cover and for additional support options in our local community, use the resources and links below. To connect with a member of our pastoral team for emergency or ongoing care, click here.

The Origins of You: How Breaking Family Patterns Can Liberate the Way We Live and Love - Vienna Pharaon

  • Summary: In The Origins of You, Pharaon has unlocked a healing process to help us understand our Family of Origin—the family and framework we grew up within—and examine what worked (and didn’t) in that system. Unhealed pain (or “wounds”) in that Family of Origin will manifest in our adult behaviors in surprising ways, from work challenges to interpersonal struggles. But the good news: armed with the knowledge about our past, we can actually rewire our programming to meaningfully improve our relationships and our lives, right now and in the future.

But What Will People Say: Navigating Mental Health, Identity, Love, and Family Between Cultures - Sahaj Kaur Kohli

  • Summary: While conversations around mental health are becoming increasingly open, our models remain largely Eurocentric and focused on individuality. Sahaj has sought to challenge these long-held models, using deep personal reflection, therapy, community building, and a whole lot of trial and error, eventually navigating her own way to understanding and acceptance. Here, she shows us how to get there, all the while reminding us that personal healing is inextricably connected to collective healing.

It Didn't Start With You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who You Are and How to End the Cycle - Mark Wolynn

  • Summary: Depression. Anxiety. Chronic Pain. Phobias. Obsessive thoughts. The evidence is compelling: the roots of these difficulties may not reside in our immediate life experience or in chemical imbalances in our brains—but in the lives of our parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents. It Didn’t Start With You is a transformative approach to resolving longstanding difficulties that in many cases, traditional therapy, drugs, or other interventions have not had the capacity to touch.

Aging Faithfully: The Holy Invitation of Growing Older - Alice Fryling and Leighton Ford

  • Summary: As we age, we experience the loss of physical stamina, independence, and career fulfillment. Yet within each of these losses is a holy invitation to grow. God calls us to let go of our need for accomplishment and embrace the gift of fruitfulness so that we might be transformed in this final season of our lives. In Aging Faithfully, spiritual director Alice Fryling explores how to navigate the journey of retirement, lifestyle changes, and new limitations.

Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life - Fr. Richard Rohr

  • Summary: Falling Upward is an invitation to living the gospel and a call to ongoing transformation. Gain a spiritual perspective on the "the common sequencing, staging, and direction of life's arc" and learn how to bring forth your gifts in the second half of life. Grapple with difficult feelings, fears, and emotions associated with "great love and great suffering." Learn how we "grow spiritually much more by doing it wrong than by doing it right" Understand why so many of us resist falling into the second half of life.

Mothers in Waiting: Healing and Hope for Those With Empty Arms - Crystal Bowman and Meghann Bowman

  • Summary: From the moment you cradled your first baby doll, you imagined yourself a mom. Now here you are, a member of the club no one wants to join—the ten percent of women who struggle to fulfill their motherhood dreams because of infertility. Your story may not look the same, or have the same ending, but you don’t have to suffer alone. You are surrounded by a club of Mothers in Waiting—women willing to come alongside you to offer comfort and peace as you wait.

Miscarried Hope: Journeying With Jesus through Pregnancy and Infant Loss - Rachel Lohman

  • Summary: No grief is quite like the grief that follows pregnancy loss. But true hope and redemption are available, even in the heartbreak of miscarriage and stillbirth. For any woman who feels alone, doubtful, and overwhelmed with sorrow, this book invites you on a guided journey to rediscover the transforming hope of the gospel after pregnancy or infant loss.

Somebody Cares: A Guide for Kids Who Have Experienced Neglect - Susan Farber Straus and Claire Keay

  • Summary: Somebody Cares follows children who have experienced neglect and helps them understand their associated feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. It helps kids prepare for changes that occur as they and their families begin to receive help, whether they remain in their homes or transition to a kinship or foster family. And, mostly, Somebody Cares teaches kids that they were not to blame for their experiences and that they were brave to do so much on their own.

When Sad Scary Things Happen: Coping with Childhood Trauma - Erika Arnold-McEwan

  • Summary: Created by a child trauma therapist, this book provides normalization of traumatic events, including displacement from one's home, physical/emotional abuse, natural disasters, neglect, and witnessing violence. Calming illustrations and simple, interactive narratives attempt to engage children without overstimulating their nervous systems.

Trauma Recovery Workbook for Teens: Exercise to Process Emotions, Manage Symptoms and Promote Healing - Deborah Vinali

  • Summary: Experiencing trauma and grief―especially at a young age―can make it a challenge to feel excited about everything that life has to offer. The Trauma Recovery Workbook for Teens shows kids ages 12 to 16 that healing is possible, offering a trauma treatment toolbox that encourages them to identify their emotions, embrace resiliency, and find a renewed sense of hope and happiness.

Grandma, It's Me: A Children's Book about Dementia - YY Chan

  • Summary: This uplifting and touching story encourages young readers to support and care for the elderly with love, patience and understanding. Written as a series of diary entries, Grandma, It’s Me! also encourages journaling as a way to process emotions and feelings in order to become resilient to face life’s many challenges.

What's Inside Your Backpack? Coping Skills for Kids Who Have Experienced Trauma - Jessica Sinarski

  • Summary: While there are no quick fixes for all of life's complex problems, What's Inside Your Backpack? highlights some of the ways we can nurture resilience in body and mind. Using the metaphor of books and bookmarks, author Jessica Sinarski offers gentle, effective strategies to help children impacted by trauma. By sharing their burdens with people they trust, kids can lighten their load and realize just how strong and courageous they really are!

Sometimes we need assistance beyond what we are able to read or listen to, so we have listed a few local organizations below who specialize in mental health and wellness. Learn more by clicking a selected organization below!

Book Resources - Adults:


Book Resources - Kids:


Podcast Episodes:

 

If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, please call 911 or go to your nearest hospital immediately. To reach mental health professionals at any hour of the day or night, call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: simply dial 988 to access free, confidential care.