Five Years of Spirit and Service: A Morning Meditation Project Blossoms into a Book

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Written By Guest User

This March, former director of ISC Rev. Therese Bimka, LCSW, along with a team of 11 facilitators, marked an extraordinary milestone: five full years of offering daily meditations, beginning on March 16, 2020. What started as a heartfelt response to the uncertainty of a world suddenly shut down by the pandemic has grown into a sustained act of community, presence, and spiritual care.

Back then, Therese couldn't have imagined how far this simple daily commitment would take her, or how deeply it would touch those who joined the virtual gathering known as the Morning Sangha. With as many as 60 people tuning in during the early days, and still over 25 gathering regularly every Tuesday, this daily rhythm has become a spiritual lifeline for many.

What began as a daily solo offering  “blossomed into a village” of facilitators who faithfully sustain this ongoing gift of service.

Not sure where to put this…And while this announcement is focused on the morning sangha, we also recognize and honor the evening meditation sangha started by Gabriele Ganswindt, which continues to meet Sundays - Fridays and has a dedicated group of participants and facilitators. 

Through lockdowns, collective grief, political unrest, and personal challenges, the Morning Sangha has held space for reflection and connection. Along the way, Therese carefully kept notes from the first 230+ days of her offerings. These reflections, alongside contributions from fellow One Spirit ministers, now form the heart of a new eBook: The Corona Files.

The book is more than a retrospective—it is a tribute to the resilience and generosity of a spiritual community that shows up, day after day. In the spirit of giving back, Therese and the Morning Sangha are making The Corona Files available by donation, with all proceeds going to the One Spirit Scholarship Fund. This marks the group’s third fundraising effort, having already contributed approximately $2,000 to support future ministers and seekers in the One Spirit community.

Therese shares, “To bring the eBook to publication, I finally let go of perfection. I just want to honor the moment. Five years of service—and we’re still going strong.”

The eBook will be offered for internal use only and made available to anyone who has been part of the sangha. It's a powerful reminder that small, consistent offerings of spirit can ripple outward in beautiful and unexpected ways.

For those who have walked this path with Therese, or for anyone seeking a dose of inspiration born of steadfast love and service, The Corona Files is a spiritual time capsule—both a record and a gift.

Bowing Down to the Team:

While Therese launched and led the daily sangha for sustained periods of time, the sangha would not be going strong today if it wasn’t for the village that organically arose to sustain and continue to offer service.  We bow down in deep gratitude to the team that comprises the morning sangha.

Our Current Team Is:

  • Robert Ferrell

  • Molly Hansen

  • Sara Kahn-Gearity

  • Susan Nason

  • Carol Asiaghi

  • Susyn Reeve

  • Janet Dunn

  • Dina Kushnir

  • Thomas Brown

  • Dawn Reddick-Umoja

  • Yvette Shipman

Many thanks to others who comprised the team in previous years!

We would Love to Have You

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