Our Youth Ed Staff
Unity Youth & Family Ministry Coordinator
Hi! My name is Kate and I’m the Unity Youth Family Ministry Coordinator. It is an honor to share Sunday mornings with these kids!
I have degrees in Electron Microscopy and Journalism, so I love incorporating science or storytelling in our spiritual lesson. For example, in a recent lesson, we delved into the concept that happiness is a constant within us even though it can be entangled with other emotions. To bring this idea to life, I invited the children to play with prisms in the sun. As I explained how the sunlight bends to form rainbows, we drew parallels between the colors emanating from the prism and our emotional spectrum, recognizing that amidst the many feelings we experience, happiness is always there. The kids shared moments in their life where they had more than one feeling at a time, one even saying that even though he was sad his grandmother passed away, he was glad she was no longer in pain.
I also study mindfulness, and love offering a divergent learning space (where there is no correct/one answer to the topic) and we explore our feelings. I help the kids be aware of the present moment without judgement.
What I love about Unity is that it honors universal truths in all religions and respects everyone’s right to choose their spiritual path. It is spiritual without being overly religious, and Unity never made me feel like I had to compromise something to attend. Unity is also diverse, inclusive, and welcomes science and change.
My history with Unity spans almost my entire life. I was introduced to the Unity Church through my grandmother when I was 13. At the time, she led a study group after hours at Unity Church. Later we went to church together or studied core principles of Unity together at home. I learned that through prayer, I could speak to God and my true self. As I grew, I exercised that skill which has helped me see through life’s ups and downs. I’m grateful she shared Unity and its teachings with me at a young age and am so blessed I can help children find their own strength!
When considering this position, I thought about how much my own children had grown while attending Unity Youth & Family Ministry. After only a few classes, my daughter was at home putting a difficult puzzle together one day. She got frustrated but instead of getting angry, she stopped, and I heard her say to herself, “I’m going to put this puzzle together and just let my heart beat.” I knew this was something she’d learned at Unity. Soon after, the position was made available, and I wanted to learn to teach as Unity does!
In my free time, you can find me camping with my husband and 2 kids in the summer (my favorite is Devil's Lake), at Schuster's Farm in the fall, writing, cooking, or reading a good cozy mystery!
I am currently studying to be a Certified Spiritual Educator through Unity Worldwide Ministries, have taken the "Autism 101 for Community Members" from the Autism Society of Southcentral Wisconsin, and am Certified in Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AEDAdult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED with the American Red Cross.
My mission statement as your child’s teacher is, "I am enthusiastically present to ignite each child’s personal truth."
Unity Youth & Family Ministry Intern
COMING SOON.