news briefs

Unity of Charlotte Welcomes New Co-Ministers

Marking the third time they have brought a married couple to the pulpit, the 48-year-old congregation of Unity of Charlotte recently selected Rev. Lisa Herklotz and Rev. Jim Ernstsen as new co-ministers with their first service set for 9:30 a.m. on November 20. Both have completed their Master of Divinity degrees through Unity Worldwide Spiritual Institute and are ordained through Unity Worldwide Ministries.

Rev. Jim served as senior minister for Unity of Central Minnesota, in St. Cloud, for the last two years; Rev. Lisa was most recently a ministerial consultant at several Unity centers in Minneapolis and Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

The passions of Rev. Jim—involved in the Unity Movement for 25-plus years including as a guest speaker throughout the eastern U.S. and Canada—are facilitating Pub Theology and teaching Insight Meditation and universal spiritual concepts through both Unity and contemporary authors like Eckhart Tolle, Michael Singer and Thich Nhat Hanh.

Rev. Lisa, with the movement for 15-plus years, spent as many years living and working in a spiritual community as she has in large corporations after completing her bachelor’s degree in psychology and experienced spiritual practices from several faith traditions before Unity. Her strongest interests include interfaith connections, spiritual social action and contemplative practices. She currently teaches two contemplative practice courses in a Spiritual Direction certification program.

Location: 401 E. Arrowood Rd., Charlotte. For more information, visit www.UnityOfCharlotte.org.

Natural Awakenings Charlotte Hosts Social Event

Natural Awakenings Charlotte will host a natural health and green-living social event from 3 to 6 pm. on November 8 at BraveWorks, in Charlotte.

“This is a great opportunity for like-minded people and business owners to get together, reconnect with old friends and meet new associates prior to the busy holiday season,” emphasizes Shannon McKenzie, publisher of Natural Awakenings Charlotte. “This event is also intended to welcome newcomers to Charlotte and the natural health/green-living community as well as help businesses gain insights and marketing strategies to help kick off the new year with fresh ideas and reinvigorated alliances.”

Event location, BraveWorks, provides artisan programs for women seeking to overcome situations such as human trafficking, abuse, addiction, incarceration, generational poverty and ethnic persecution both locally in Charlotte as well as internationally. Participants may enjoy the social and do some holiday shopping as well. BraveWorks has a large selection of hand-made jewelry, bags and accessories, home décor and clothing made by program participants. Artisans are paid upfront for their creations and 100% of purchases go to the organization to help the women and families being served.

Natural Awakenings is a free natural health and green-living magazine that has been in the Charlotte region for 18 years. It’s part of a national franchise network with editions in 45-plus markets in the U.S. that connects businesses, with both print and digital offerings, to a highly motivated niche audience of readers interested in alternative approaches to health, wellness, sustainability, spirituality and self-improvement.

BraveWorks location: 1717 Cleveland Ave. RSVP by Nov. 6 at https://tinyurl.com/NACLT2022Social. For more information, call 704-499-3327, email Shannon@AwakeningCharlotte.com or visit www.AwakeningCharlotte.com.

Taking Emotional Wellness Quiz Leads to Special Offer

Doctor Darryl Roberts, a naturopathic doctor with Haas Wellness Center who specializes in emotional wellness, has created an Emotional Wellness Quiz to assess our current emotional state. All those that take the quiz at www.DoctorDarrylWellness.com or schedule a free 15-minute consultation this month will get access to his Sound Therapy for Emotional Wellness program through December 31 at no charge.

“Our emotional health has a direct impact on our physical health,” says the board-certified Naturopathic Doctor and Flower Essence Therapist. “The past two years have caused devastation on our emotional health, and we are seeing it manifest as disease. There are natural ways to help.”

After completing his studies at the Trinity School of Natural Health, he became a Certified Health Specialist, Certified Flower Essence Practitioner, Certified Natural Health Professional and Doctor of Naturopathy.

Doctor Darryl is also a plant-based chef who studied at the Rouxbe Cooking School.

For more information or to arrange for a free consultation, call 704-837-2420, email DoctorDarrylND@gmail.com or visit www.DoctorDarrylWellness.com.

IVY Integrative Offers Free Webinar and Meet-and-Greet Sessions

Naturopathic Doctor Chelsea Leander Birch, owner of IVY Integrative in Charlotte, will host a special, one-time, free, webinar on Aging Gracefully with Holistic Medicine from 5 to 6 p.m. on November 30. For those who cannot attend or who want more information on the practice as soon as possible, free, 15-minute meet-and-greet sessions can be scheduled via her practice’s website. Both are great ways to get more information about IVY Integrative in time to plan holistic health options for 2023.

From herbal medicine and supplements to acupuncture and beyond, this webinar will include a Q&A plus discounts on packages and memberships at its conclusion. It will also include research-based evidence to help attendees age as gracefully as possible. Optional online meet-and-greets connect participants with naturopathic doctors on IVY’s team to review their health and formulate a tailored holistic plan which may include seeing a single practitioner with an a la carte service plan or multiple experts and enrolling in an affordable package (examples: five acupuncture, counseling and massage sessions spread over time; or acupuncture month one, massage month two and chiropractic adjustment month three).

“In a world aimed at extending quantity of life, we want to focus on quality of life,” says Dr. Birch. As a registered herbalist, a certified Bowen Therapist and CEDH homeopathy trained physician, Dr. Birch aims to bridge the gap between natural and conventional medicine. Her practice of 15 plus holistic clinicians uses non-invasive medicine to avoid harmful side effects and support long-term healing. “Let’s get back to our roots.”

For more information or to register for webinar, visit www.Tinyurl.com/AgingGracefullyHolisticMed. To schedule a meet-and-greet, visit www.IvyIntegrative.com or call 704-569-5489. Location: 1520 South Blvd, Ste. 228.

Make a Difference on Giving Tuesday

As we enter the special season of giving this month, Giving Tuesday is a specific day to generously support people and organizations that help transform our communities and the world. Giving increases feelings of gratitude, self-esteem and self-worth while inspiring others to also give. Habitual Roots Inc., a leading Charlotte-based nonprofit that has provided mental and emotional health events, programs, resources, services, scholarships and more for 10,000-plus people since its founding in 2019, will welcome contributions from the public now through Tuesday, November 29 toward reaching their goal of $10,000.

Their focus is on preventative programming such as yoga, meditation, workshops, support groups, and one-on-one wellness coaching. A gift of $33 provides one month of programming for someone in need.

The importance of the organization’s efforts is shown by the fact that nearly half of all Americans will experience a mental illness during their lifetime, one in four report they had to choose between getting treatment and paying for daily necessities and 74 percent of us don’t believe that mental health services are available for everyone.

For more information, visit www.HabitualRoots.com. Contribute directly to Giving Tuesday campaign by visiting https://givebutter.com/qTzGyg.