Speakers

Rev Cindy Edelson began her Spiritual quest at the young age of 17 and then follower her heart and attended art school in the San Francisco Bay area. 

Years later Cindy was introduced to New Thought wisdom teachings and has been a Spiritual Counselor for over 19 years first through the Centers for Spiritual Living then with Heart Space Teachings in San Jose. 

Rev Cindy was recently a staff minister at Agape Bay Area and has Ministerial duties at Agape International. Rev Cindy is also an Energy Codes Master Trainer and Facilitator.

Rev Cindy has birthed two Ministries, “Letting it Go”, and “Letting it Flow”.  Letting it Go is a ministry where she supports, counsels, encourages, and coaches people how to let go of what no longer serves whether it is an emotion, beliefs or many objects that are cluttering a person’s energy field. 

Letting it Flow is a ministry of creativity where Rev. Cindy teaches paint parties to families, friends, and corporations and has developed a Spiritual Painting experience called “Art from the Heart” where she combines Energy Codes practices for removal of the subconscious belief that “I am not creative” since she KNOWS we are all creative beings!

Rev. Cindy has been our full-time senior minister since January of 2023. 

Rev. Verona Garland is a Prosperity Mentor, Certified Freedom Life Coach, Agape and Centers for Spiritual Living Minister. She serves as the Assistant Minister of Agape Bay Area in Oakland, Ca. 

Verona’s ministry expressions include global pilgrimages, international inspirational speaking, spiritual counseling, enlightenment facilitation, curriculum writing, life rituals, and Visioning Adventures. 

The embodiment, exhilaration, and embrace of Oneness are her ultimate joys!!

For more info: www.veronagarland.com

 Reverend Donald Graves loves life, his humor is infectious, his speaking and storytelling captivates, and his interactive facilitation compels those who are willing, to be infinitely greater than they previously thought possible. 

He published Outing Your Inner Mystic: Unleash Your Life Through Conscious Prayer (available from Amazon) and is working on his next book Graves’ Laws, a collection of one-liners and anecdotes to help all of us keep our thinking straight. 

Rev Donald and his wife Jan retired to Arizona and enjoy RV’ing across the US.

Christiane Turner is guiding individuals through personal and professional transformation. With a deep understanding of mindset shifts she helps clients cultivate self-empowerment, and build healthier relationships.

As a speaker and facilitator, Christiane offers sessions that provide practical strategies for embracing change. Her approach is compassionate yet results driven, helping individuals navigate challenges with clarity and purpose.

Passionate about lifelong learning and personal development she is a transformational mentor for visionaries who are driven to create a meaningful impact in the world. Whether you are already living your vision and seeking additional resources or are on a quest to uncover your true mission, Christiane provides the guidance and tools to help you take quantum leaps on your journey.

She seamlessly integrates ancient wisdom with modern technology, drawing on insights from diverse cultures and the latest discoveries in Quantum Physics and neuroscience. With three decades of experience, she has honed her expertise as an international Quantum NLP Trainer. As the founder of Quantum NLP LLC she has built a reputation for delivering high integrity training and coaching that empowers individuals and organizations to unlock their full potential.

A natural teacher and leader, Christiane blends strength and compassion to inspire breakthrough change in individuals and groups. She is deeply committed to community building and has spearheaded impactful initiatives, including the Global Transformation EXPO and the Law of Attraction Club. Her books are available in bookstores and online, further spreading her transformative teachings to a global audience.

You can connect with her on her website: https://learnquantumnlp.com/

Robert L Eckman has been practicing Science of Mind for more than 30 years. He is a grandfather to three beautiful children. 

With his husband, Steve, he owns and operates Belleville Books in Belleville, Illinois, the bookstore of his dreams. 

Steve Mathews first came to the Center for Spiritual Living in 2014. His process in learning teachings of the Science of Mind has been unique and he is grateful to see the difference CSL has made in his life. 

He and his husband Rob, have had opportunities to attend workshops and travel to different cities where they visit Centers for Spiritual Living! He loves seeing the similarities in the people and feeling genuine connections. 

Steve, along with Rob, own and manage an Independent Bookstore in Belleville Illinois. There they are able to connect with community creating unique opportunities for people to connect with each other 

Rev. Myrna Hirst discovered the Salt Lake Center for Spiritual Living in 1998, became a practitioner in 2002, and an ordained minister in 2017. She has served in many capacities at the Salt Lake Center. After graduation she was the founding minister at the Layton Center for Spiritual Living, then returned to the Salt Lake Center in 2021,where she speaks occasionally, teaches classes, and is the Visioning Coordinator.     Visioning is a process that connects us with the Higher Wisdom as we seek answers to life’s questions. The Visioning Core meets regularly to consider the Highest Vision for the Center and share this information with Leadership.     Rev. Myrna has been centered in the Science of Mind philosophy for more than 25 years. The philosophy and its practice has changed her life, and the people at the Center are her family. 

Holly Stokes, 3 x Author, Speaker, Master Neuro Linguistic Programming Coach & National Guild of Hypnosis Trainer has helped thousands of clients retrain their brains out of anxiety, procrastination, and sabotage since 2006. 

She has been quoted by Shape Magazine, Active Times, and Chicago Tribune, and co-owns the Life Harmony Wellness Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

She loves empowering clients to overcome life’s challenges, embrace their potential and step into lives of purpose, intuition and focus. She trains and certifies lifelong learners in the skills of Neuro Linguistic Programming and Hypnosis to help others harness their minds and motivation for life.

 Rev. Linda Brewer grew up as an army brat in multiple places, including six of her first 18 years in Germany. She had a transformational spiritual experience at 16 on a bus in Berlin, Germany, which set her on a lifelong spiritual path. 

She did both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Theology and was ordained as a minister in 1975. She founded the Kindred Center, a counseling ministry in 1980. After 19 years in Unity, she joined CSL in 2002 & was licensed as a Practitioner in 2007.

Linda served for fifteen years as a hospice, then hospital Chaplain before retiring in 2019. She has been busy in many capacities at the Center since then, serving as a Practitioner, Service Host and on the Ministry Council as the Sunday Service Coordinator and former Secretary. She also serves as President of her HOA Association. 

Her deepest calling is to compassionate care for others, especially end of life care. 

David Young is an award-winning artist, author and musician well known for playing two Renaissance flutes (recorders) in harmony. He has recorded 70 albums over an illustrious career with the greatest musicians in the world and sold over one million copies. 

David's music, revered for its soothing sounds and healing properties, is a staple in hospitals like John Hopkins Medical Centers and the Mayo Clinic, and hundreds of healing centers and spas throughout the country.

David travels hosting his signature workshop, A Portal Between Heaven and Earth, which blends his healing music with his enlightening guided meditations, and where countless attendees report remarkable experiences. 

These experiences are the inspiration for many of David's songs, books and paintings.

In addition to David’s many talents, he is also a gifted channeler. Through his music and art, David channels messages from the heavenly realms bringing healing messages and hope. David’s abstract art reflects stories of ancient wisdom and actual events through brilliant colors and impressions. 

His music and personal readings have brought healing and revelations to people for decades, serving as a bridge to the ethereal realms of goodness and light. 

Through his many talents and gifts, David Young offers the world hope, vision and self-empowerment.

Dr. Alison Benjamin is the founder and spiritual director of the Satya Center for Conscious Living in Ogden, Utah. She was ordained through the Emerson Theological Institute in 2010 and holds a Doctor of Divinity degree.

A dedicated member of the New Thought Media Network, Dr. Ali hosts two weekly programs: Realizing Wholeness and the Growing Edge Live podcast. Through these platforms, she engages in meaningful conversations with soul-centered individuals who channel their energy, creativity, and love into making a positive impact in the world.

In addition to her media work, Dr. Benjamin maintains a private counseling and coaching practice, where she empowers individuals on their journeys of self-discovery, healing, and personal transformation.

alisonjbenjamin.com
growingedgelive.com 

 Theresa Martin was born in Dublin Ireland; she is mother of six and grandmother of seven. She has been a serious student of truth from childhood. As an adult she was introduced to many of the New Thought authors by friends and colleagues.  In 1994 she and her husband immigrated to the United States, where two of their daughters had settled in Salt Lake City. 

One day she saw a sign that read Church of Religious Science, she knew that Louise Hay, one of her favorite authors was attached to this group and had to go and find out about it.

That was the beginning of an amazing twenty-five-year journey of unfoldment in a philosophy that made perfect sense. 

She became a member and took classes to become a Religious Science Practitioner. This has allowed her to grow and assist others on their journey to wholeness.

Sally Taggart is thrilled to be returning to her beloved Salt Lake Center for Spiritual Living. Sally began her journey of personal improvement and transformation in her early twenties. She trained and partnered with her mentor, the late Bob Proctor in 2007, and began an active life-coaching and speaking career. 

By 2014 she was experiencing massive changes in her spiritual as well as her daily life…she became widowed and also recognized that the religious faith she had embraced her entire life was no longer working for her. 

Early in 2015 she walked into her first Sunday service at Salt Lake Center for Spiritual Living and today she is an active member of New Vision Center for Spiritual Living in Scottsdale AZ. She is currently studying to become a licensed practitioner. 

Her talks, seminars and workshops are entertaining and filled with inspiration as well as practical strategies and techniques that people can use to immediately start making positive changes in their lives. Sally is funny, upbeat, enthusiastic and real. She plans to ‘light it up’ when she speaks on December 1st and she’s really looking forward to y’alls hugs! 

She became a best-selling author when her children’s book, ‘I Like Seeing Me,’ launched in September of 2024. Available on Amazon. 

https://tinyurl.com/I-Like-Seeing-Me

She will have a limited number of copies available for purchase and will be doing a book signing after the service. 

Sally and Craig, her present husband, enjoy family time, especially with their 18 amazing grandchildren, play-dates with friends, country western dancing, traveling and exploring the gorgeous Sonoran desert. They live in Mesa, Arizona.

Book description: I LIKE SEEING Me shares the story of a girl who made up a game she can play anytime, even when she is alone. “Rule one of my game is to seek and to find me. Rule two instructs that I treat myself kindly.”  Throughout the book she finds her own image in a TV screen, a lake, a brass pot, a spoon, a mirror and several other places. Where else will she find her own reflection and how does she treat her own self with kindness? 

“This book is a heartwarming and transformational children’s book. It beautifully conveys the importance of acknowledging and honoring oneself, inspiring young readers to embrace their inherent worth and individuality. I highly recommend this book to parents, caregivers and educators who are committed to nurturing the spiritual growth and well-being of young minds.”
Mary Morrissey,

Educator, Author, and Speaker 

Rev. Dr. Joan Steadman is a founding member of the Agape International Spiritual Center and of Agape Bay Area. She has been an ordained Agape and Centers for Spiritual Living minister since 1998. She has served as the Senior Minister of our beloved community since January 2019 after serving as the assistant minister. 

In 2014, she reFIREd, releasing her position as Spiritual Leader at the Oakland Center for Spiritual Living where she served for fifteen years. Previous to that, she was an assistant minister at the Agape International Spiritual Center for two years and a licensed spiritual practitioner for thirteen years where she had a thriving practice.

As a founding member of Agape International, she served in many capacities, including the original Vision Core and the original Board of Trustees. She was the founder and director of One From The Heart, the pastoral care ministry. Under her leadership, the ministry grew and became one of the largest pastoral care ministries in the New Thought movement. While at Agape, she also facilitated accredited classes and many workshops centering in the mystical aspect of New Thought/Ageless Wisdom.

For many years, she has been on the faculty of both the Michael Beckwith School of Ministry and Holmes Institute, the CSL School of Ministry. She created curriculum for Practical Mysticism and Visioning and has taught innumerable classes since the late 1980’s.  Rev. Joan has facilitated workshops and retreats nationwide and has been a sought-out speaker at many New Thought centers and conferences. Additionally, she has authored articles and meditations for various New Thought magazines, including Science of Mind magazine and Inner Visions.

She was inducted into the Martin Luther King Hall of Preachers at Morehouse College and was awarded the Gandhi Ikeda King Award for Peace and Unity in the Community. She received congressional recognition by Representative Barbara Lee in 2014, and in August of 2021, she was a recipient of the Walden Award for New Thought Wisdom. 

Her education includes a BA from Immaculate Heart College and a teaching credential through UCLA. She became a licensed practitioner in 1086 and graduated from Ernest Holmes College, which was then the United Church of Religious Science ministerial school, in 1995.

Aa significant part of her spiritual growth was cultivated in the Immaculate Heart Community where she was a Roman Catholic nun for nine years.

Rev. Joan has two daughters and three granddaughters, all of whom continually teach her how to love unconditionally.

Rabbi Alan serves as the Assistant Rabbi at Spirit of the Desert (Ruach Hamidbar) Synagog in Scottsdale, Arizona, and as the Chair of the North American Interfaith Network (NAIN). He previously chaired Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable, and Sacred Music Night for the 2015 Parliament of the World’s Religions. He has served as a chaplain at St. Marks hospital and has organized many interfaith music events in our region.

Rabbi Alan is a long-time friend of the Salt Lake Center for Spiritual Living. When he first moved to Utah in 1985, he sought out Science of Mind. He had previously been introduced to New Thought by the Living Enrichment Center while living in Oregon. When he first came to the Salt Lake Center for Spiritual Living (then called the Salt Lake Church of Religious Science) he met Raj Harrous (our audio-visual genius) who became his first friend in Utah and has remained a close friend ever since.

It wasn't long before Alan was serving on the Board Church of Religious Science (CORS). On a humorous note, while on the Board, he made a motion to change the name of CORS to a "Spiritual Living Center." No one supported his motion! Then CORS ended up moving to a location that was the "Center" bookstore. And finally, CORS officially changed its name to the Center for Spiritual Living. So, something was obviously put out there into the universe!

Rabbi Alan's rabbinical journey began 25 years ago when he was called as a musician to perform for a Jewish Renewal Community, Spirit of the Desert, related to his Kabbalah Shekhinah CD.

Rabbi Alan emerges from his rabbinical training with a depth of knowledge and experience in the traditions of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, Rabbi David Wolfe-blank, Rabbi Sarah Leah Grafstein, and Rabbi Leah Novick.

Music has been part of Rabbi Alan's life since the very beginning. As a baby, he would cry if the radio was not on. While growing up in Rochester, New York, he studied at Eastman School of Music.

Much of the music he currently composes and performs with his band, Desert Wind, includes New Thought principles, especially as elucidated by Ernest Holmes.

He has spoken at "Science of Mind" locations in Nevada, Northern and Southern California, Utah, and Arizona.

In addition to music and spirituality, Rabbi Alan has also expressed his passion for making the world a better place through his study and practice of law.

After earning a BS in Special Education from Syracuse University, at the age of 20 he went on to law school to pursue his interest in the legal rights of disabled people. His first job as an attorney focused on land use and environmental law. He also worked as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Utah before going into private practice.

He is married to his soulmate, Andalin Shekhinah Bachman. Between the two of them, they have three children and nine grandchildren.

Because of his commitment to personal growth, he is always honored to be among the wonderful, like-minded people at the Center for Spiritual Living.

 Rev. Skip Jennings is a dynamic spiritual leader, co-hosting the enlightening "Voices of Unity" podcast on MindBodySpirit.fm. He is also an accomplished author with a heartfelt mission to inspire positive transformation. Some of his inspiring books include "The Lotus Kitchen," "Spirit Explosion," and "The Little Book for Big Transformations” and his new book of essays will be available early 2024.

Formerly serving as the Spiritual Director for the Center for Spiritual Living in Fort Lauderdale, Rev. Skip brings a wealth of experience and wisdom to his work. He is a proud graduate of the esteemed Michael B. Beckwith School of Ministry, which has deeply influenced his spiritual journey.

As the visionary founder of Mind, Body, Spirit Solutions L.L.C., Rev. Skip has created a platform dedicated to holistic well-being and personal growth. His multifaceted expertise encompasses yoga instruction and energy healing, both of which he passionately shares with the world.

You can explore Rev. Skip's profound wisdom and guidance on his website, SkipJennings.com, and immerse yourself in transformative meditations through the Insight Timer Meditation App.

Rev. Skip's spiritual journey took a profound turn during a yoga class in 1996, leading him to realize his divine calling to teach this sacred practice. With over 500 hours of yoga and meditation training under his belt, hot yoga holds a special place in his heart.

In his counseling and coaching sessions, Rev. Skip follows his C.A.R.E.S. philosophy, which stands for Connection, Action, Remember, Empowerment, and Self-Love. Through these principles, he is dedicated to the profound mission of transforming the planet, one session at a time. Join him on this empowering journey of self-discovery and growth.