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.
Does God See Me?: How God Meets Us in the Center of Our Trauma Healing Journey - Dieula Previlon
- Summary: In Does God See Me?, women of all backgrounds, with a special resonance for Black women and women of color, will discover a safe space to find their voice, receive healing, and walk toward transformation. Through her professional expertise in trauma recovery, the biblical story of Hagar, and the lived experience of her own painful stories, Dieula Magalie Previlon delivers a message of unshakeable hope.
Break the Cycle: Healing from Intergenerational Trauma - Dr. Mariel Buque
- Summary: The definitive, paradigm-shifting guide to healing intergenerational trauma—weaving together scientific research with practical exercises and stories from the therapy room—from Dr. Mariel Buqué, PhD, a Columbia University–trained trauma-informed psychologist and practitioner of holistic healing
The Pain We Carry: Healing from Complex PTSD for People of Color - Natalie Y. Gutierrez
- Summary: In The Pain We Carry, you’ll find powerful tools to help you understand and begin healing from repeated trauma. You’ll discover ways to feel safer in your body, build self-compassion and resilience, and reclaim your health and wellness by reconnecting with your sense of self and your ancestral wisdom.
Fear Gone Wild: A Story of Mental Illness, Suicide and Hope Through Loss - Kayla Stoecklein
- Summary: On August 25, 2018, Kayla Stoecklein lost her husband, Andrew--megachurch pastor of Inland Hills Church in Chino, California--to suicide. In the wake of the tragedy, she embarked on a brave journey to better understand his harrowing battle with mental illness and, ultimately, to overcome the stigma of suicide.
Not Forsaken: A Story of Life After Abuse - Jennifer Michelle Greenberg
- Summary: Jenn Greenberg was abused by her church-going father. Yet she is still a Christian. In this courageous, compelling book, she reflects on how God brought life and hope in the darkest of situations. Jenn shows how the gospel enables survivors to navigate issues of guilt, forgiveness, love, and value. And she challenges church leaders to protect the vulnerable among their congregations.
Holy Ghosted: Spiritual Anxiety, Religious Trauma, and the Language of Abuse - Tiffany Yecke Brooks
- Summary: Are you questioning the church of your upbringing but want to maintain your faith? Do you want to cut ties with your denomination, but fear abandonment by God? Are you struggling with spiritual anxiety—fear of hell, obsessive religious ritual, or feelings of never measuring up? Tiffany Yecke Brooks first explored reconstructing faith in Gaslighted by God. In this much needed follow-up, she equips readers to understand and name tactics of spiritual abuse and manipulation. Each chapter covers a different method of control found in toxic religious communities—including legalism, indoctrination, praise, and fear—and how to identify and respond to it in a healthy way. Brooks also reframes scriptural passages commonly weaponized by those in power.
Addiction and Grace: Love and Spirituality in the Healing of Addictions - Gerald G. May
- Summary: Addiction and Grace offers an inspiring and hope–filled vision for those who desire to explore the mystery of who and what they really are. May examines the "processes of attachment" that lead to addiction and describes the relationship between addiction and spiritual awareness. He also details the various addictions from which we can suffer, not only to substances like alcohol and drugs, but to work, sex, performance, responsibility, and intimacy.
Once I Was Very Very Scared - Chandra Ghosh Ippen
- Summary: Squirrel bravely announces that he was once very, very scared. To his surprise, he finds that he's not alone. The other animals have also experienced frightening situations, each responding in their own unique way. With the help of a caring porcupine as well as other adults in their lives, they learn to cope with their emotions and find safety and comfort. Through supportive guidance, they discover that their reactions are understandable and learn ways to work through their fear.
Addie's Mom Isn't Home Anymore: Addiction is Scary, Especially When You Don't Know What It Is - Genia Calvin
- Summary: Addie's story is one of courage, trust, and learning to overcome fear to help someone you love, and is designed to help guide parents, guardians, and professionals through the process of educating children about addiction.
My Body Belongs to Me from My Head to My Toes - The International Center for Assault Prevention
- Summary: My Body Belongs to Me from My Head to My Toes is an educational tool to help instill confidence in children when it comes to their bodies. The narrative of the story is led by a girl named Clara, who encourages kids to say “no” if they are uncomfortable with physical contact. The narrator gives readers tips about what they can say or do to avoid unwanted physical contact, or how to tell the right people in the event it has already occurred.
When a Friend Dies: A Book for Teens About Grieving and Healing - Marilyn E. Gootman
- Summary: The death of a friend is a wrenching event for anyone at any age and can spark feelings that range from sadness to guilt to anxiety. Teenagers especially need help coping with grief and loss. This sensitive book answers questions grieving teens often have, like “How should I be acting?” “How long will this last?” and “What if I can’t handle my grief on my own?” The book also addresses the complicated emotions that can accompany the death of an acquaintance, as opposed to a close friend. The advice is gentle, non-preachy, and compassionate; recommended for parents and teachers of teens who have experienced a painful loss.
Why?: A Story for Kids Who Have Lost a Parent to Suicide - Melissa Allen Heath
- Summary: In developmentally appropriate language and evocative illustrations, this picture book helps open communication about why a parent completes suicide. A reader’s note offers more information about supporting children who have lost a parent to suicide.
- We Can Do Hard Things, Episode 3324 - The Embodied Path to Healing Trauma with Resmaa Manekem
- LGBTQ+ Youth Suicide Prevention - The Inside Mental Health Podcast with guest Dr. Amy Green
- Jamey Heath: Healing My Broken Parts - The Man Enough Podcast
- Forgiving Yourself, Episode 112 - The Recovery Happy Hour Podcast
- What the Church Needs to Know about Domestic Violence, Episode 83 - The Seacoast Podcast: Things You Won't Hear on Sunday
Book Resources - Adults:
- Untangle Your Emotions: Naming What You Feel and Knowing What to Do About It - Jennie Allen
- The Cry of the Soul: How Our Emotions Reveal Our Deepest Questions About God - Dr. Dan B. Allender & Dr. Tremper Longman III
- The Road to Self Awareness: A Therapy Book for Christians - Ian Murphy
- The Deeply Formed Life: Five Transformative Values to Root Us in the Way of Jesus - Rich Villodas
- Practices for Embodied Living: Experiencing the Wisdom of Your Body - Dr. Hillary L. McBride
- Sacred Self-Care: Daily Practices for Nurturing Our Whole Selves - Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes
- Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It's Impossible to be Spiritually Mature While Remaining Emotionally Immature - Peter Scazzero
Book Resources - Kids:
- Big, Big Feelings - Perry Emerson
- My Body Sends a Signal: Helping Kids Recognize Emotions & Express Feelings - Natalia Maguire
- The Friend I Need: Being Kind & Caring to Myself - Gabi Garcia
- My First Book of Emotions for Toddlers - Orlena Kerek MD
- I Can Do Hard Things: Mindful Affirmations for Kids - Gabi Garcia
Podcast Episodes:
- Learning Self Compassion and its Benefits - Inside Mental Health
- Mental Health 101: Terms to Know - Roadmap to Joy
- How to Be an Emotionally Present Parent - Roadmap to Joy
- Our God-Shaped Brains - Hidden Brain
- Where Do Feelings Come From? - Hidden Brain
Book Resources - Adults:
- In Search of You: How to Find Joy When Doing More Isn't Doing It Anymore - Kasey Compton
- Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself - Nedra Glover Tawwab
- Burnout Immunity: How Emotional Intelligence Can Help You Build Resilience and Heal Your Relationship with Work - Kandi Wiens
- Invitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God's Transforming Presence - Ruth Haley Barton
- Strong Like Water: Finding the Freedom, Safety, and Compassion to Move Through Hard Things and Experience True Flourishing - Aundi Kolber
- Made for People: Why We Drift into Loneliness and How to Fight for a Life of Friendship - Justin Whitmel Earley
- The Heart of Anger: How the Bible Transforms Anger in our Understanding and Experience - Christopher Ash & Steve Midgley
Book Resources - Kids:
- I am Enough - Grace Byers
- Breathing is My Superpower: Mindfulness Book for Kids to Feel Calm and Peaceful - Alicia Ortega
- Roaring Mad Riley: An Anger Management Story for Kids - Allison Szczecinksi
- It's Okay to Not Be Okay: A Rhyming Read Aloud Story for Children About Feelings of Sadness and Loneliness - Emily Hayes
- The Essential Stress Management Handbook for Teens: A Teen's Guide to Mastering Natural Techniques to Stress Less, Accomplish More, and Live a Meaningful Life - Richard Meadows
Podcast Episodes:
- How to Tame Stress - The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos
- Maintaining Lasting Friendships, Episode 322 - Therapy for Black Girls Podcast
- Real Self Care with Dr. Pooja Lakshmin, Episode 173 - The Psychiatry Podcast with Dr. David Puder
- Anger: Getting Comfortable with Uncomfortable Emotions - The Man Enough Podcast with Liz Plank and Jamey Heath
- Let's Talk About...Loneliness, Episode 15 - The Let's Talk About Mental Health Podcast
Book Resources - Adults:
- The Origins of You: How Breaking Family Patterns Can Liberate the Way We Live and Love - Vienna Pharaon
- But What Will People Say: Navigating Mental Health, Identity, Love, and Family Between Cultures - Sahaj Kaur Kohli
- It Didn't Start With You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who You Are and How to End the Cycle - Mark Wolynn
- Aging Faithfully: The Holy Invitation of Growing Older - Alice Fryling and Leighton Ford
- Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life - Fr. Richard Rohr
- Mothers in Waiting: Healing and Hope for Those With Empty Arms - Crystal Bowman and Meghann Bowman
- Miscarried Hope: Journeying With Jesus through Pregnancy and Infant Loss - Rachel Lohman
Book Resources - Kids:
- Somebody Cares: A Guide for Kids Who Have Experienced Neglect - Susan Farber Straus and Claire Keay
- When Sad Scary Things Happen: Coping with Childhood Trauma - Erika Arnold-McEwan
- Trauma Recovery Workbook for Teens: Exercise to Process Emotions, Manage Symptoms and Promote Healing - Deborah Vinali
- Grandma, It's Me: A Children's Book about Dementia - YY Chan
- What's Inside Your Backpack? Coping Skills for Kids Who Have Experienced Trauma - Jessica Sinarski
Podcast Episodes:
- Ten Tips to Navigating Family Relationship: Therapy Talks, Episode 42 - Tiffany Roe
- Difficult Parents: Let's Talk About Mental Health, Episode 221
- Families: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Theology and Therapy, Season 6 Episode 3
- The Best Years of Your Life: The Hidden Brain Podcast
- Infertility and Mental: Coping with the Mental and Emotional Side Effects: This is Infertility Podcast, Episode 2
Book Resources - Adults:
- Anxious For Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World - Max Lucado
- The Answer to Anxiety: How to Break Free from the Tyranny of Anxious Thoughts and Worry - Joyce Meyer
- Grieve, Breathe, Receive: Finding a Faith Strong Enough to Hold Us - Steve Carter
- Soulbroken: A Guidebook for Your Journey Through Ambiguous Grief - Stephanie Sarazin
- Out of the Cave: Stepping into the Light When Depression Darkens What You See - Chris Hodges
- Hurting Yet Whole: Reconciling Body and Spirit in Chronic Pain and Illness - Liuan Huska
- Healing What's Within: Coming Home to Yourself and to God When You're Wounded, Weary, and Wandering - Chuck DeGroat
- The Hem of His Garment: Reaching Out to God When Pain Overwhelms - Dr. Michelle Bengston
Book Resources - Kids:
- Why Am I Feeling This?: A Teen's Guide to Freedom from Anxiety and Depression - David Murray
- The Kids Book of Worries: Understanding Anxiety and Managing Feelings - Catherine Stephenson & Jenny Stephenson
- Everywhere, Still: A Book about Loss, Grief, and the Way Love Continues - M.H. Clark
- When Someone You Love Has Dies: Talking to Young Children About Death - Stephanie Seidler & Robin Katz
- Some Days: A Tale of Love, Ice Cream, and My Mom's Chronic Illness - Julie Stamm
Podcast Episodes:
- Spirituality and Chronic Illness: A Grounded Conversation with Matthew Morse, LMHC: The Chronic Illness Therapist Podcast (Episode 28)
- Dealing with Anxiety: Theology and Therapy Podcast (Season 1, Episode 10)
- The Soul in Depression: The On Being Podcast with Krista Tippett, special guests Parker Palmer, Andrew Solomon, and Anita Barrows
- Breaking Free from Caregiver Overwhelm: Mindfulness and Self Care Tips: The Caregiver Podcast (Episode 228)
- Embodied Practices for Tending Grief with Camille Sapara Barton: The Grief Out Loud Podcast (Episode 293)
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.