Minister

“There’s an excitement in the air and it’s drawing more and more people to our Center and to our teaching…it’s fantastic!”

After 20 years of asking passengers if they’d like “chicken or beef” Rev. Joe landed at the Center for Spiritual Living – Palm Desert in 2003. “You really gain a different perspective about people when you’re confined in a tube, traveling 500 miles per hour for hours at a time…it’s part of what drew me into the teaching… keeping my sanity and wanting even more out of my life!”

“I’ve been fortunate to have had the best instructors in Science of Mind: teachers and mentors such as Dr. Tom Costa, Dr. Bill Taliaferro and Drs. Frank and Anita Richelieu.”

Born, raised and christened in the Unity philosophy, Rev. Joe was first introduced to Dr. Ernest Holmes and the Science of Mind while he resided in Redondo Beach in 1995. This exposure turned out to be a pivotal moment in his life. Interested by what he heard and then personally demonstrated, he sought out more information about the Science of Mind and has spent the years since then concentrating on his spiritual development.

“It’s about creating a spiritual experience and environment for personal growth and development for each member of our congregation. Ultimately, what we do at our Center changes the world, one person at a time.” And that’s exactly what he has done in Palm Desert. Rev. Joe has effectively transitioned a 32-year legacy ministry and put together a team of highly motivated, spiritually trained leaders in every area of the Center.

When asked about his personal philosophy, Rev. Joe responded, “I am committed to creating a Center that works for everyone, where no one is overlooked and each person has an opportunity to thrive. By applying the Principles of our teaching to our Center, I know we will clearly, methodically, and without exception demonstrate positive change in our world.”

Rev. Joe has served on the International Centers for Spiritual Living Board of Directors, as the chair for the Policy and Bylaw Committee.

For more information please call (760) 346-4649.

Rev. Laura moved to the Coachella Valley in 1976. She was co-founder of the first court reporting agency in the desert in 1978. She began her spiritual journey in 1991, which lead her to her home in 1996, Religious Science of the Desert. During her spiritual journey she came to the realization that our sole purpose or soul purpose is our relationships with one another. She believes our relationships are the vehicles through which we experience who we are, which led her to become a certified facilitator through John Gray's Venus and Mars Institute. Through better communications and respect for the individual, Rev. Laura will continue work towards assisting and solidifying the organizations in our church through her outreach ministry.

Rev. Jerry Styner was born and raised in the Los Angeles area where he lived until his move to the desert in 1998. He holds a Master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California and worked for several years at major electronics companies, designing and programming computer systems. He has wide experience in the management of technical personnel and owned his own business that developed and marketed computer systems for physicians.

Always involved in music, he made his living for many years as a composer, arranger, record producer, instrumentalist, and recording engineer. He has over 30 feature film scoring credits, about 300 published and recorded songs, and a nomination for a Golden Globe award. Early in his career, Rev. Jerry composed dozens of songs for the “Beach Party” films starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. He has worked with hundreds of singers and bands including The Osmonds, The Supremes, Ricky Nelson and Eddy Arnold, to name a few.

Rev. Jerry has been a practitioner since 2003 and is a graduate of the RSI ministerial course. He served on the Board of Trustees of the RSCD Spiritual Center, and was recently named a Staff Minister. He is currently assisting Dr. Maxine Kaye with the “Wednesday Night Live” mid-week service. Rev. Jerry often gives the opening prayer at Sunday services and frequently leads the Sunday healing services. He has had several prayer treatments published in Creative Thought magazine.

Although he enjoys all aspects of spiritual work, Rev. Jerry says his most satisfying activity is working one-on-one with clients as a professional practitioner. His personal vision statement is “Awakening the Goodness within us all.”

Our Assistant Minister arrived at the Center for Spiritual Living - Palm Desert in Spring of 2005, after serving two Spiritual Centers in Northern California. Raised in this philosophy in Southern California, she has been a Minister for 32 years and is well-known as an inspiring teacher and facilitator.

Here in Palm Desert, she conducts the Sunrise Service at 7:15am on Sundays, a meditative, contemplative, heart-opening service, then assists Rev. Joe for the 9:00 and 11:00am services. She and Rev. Jerry Styner facilitate a Wednesday Night Live! service from 7:00 to 8:00pm every few weeks. She also teaches classes in our basic and advanced studies throughout the year, including a four-week Meditation Class each summer.

Dr.Maxine's rich background in Practitioner and Chaplaincy training assists those in our Center who do the uplifting spiritual work of guiding and supporting people seeking prayer and healing.

Agreeing with Ernest Holmes that we should "take what we are doing seriously but not take ourselves too seriously while we are doing it," she believes that, "Everything is sacred, and nothing is serious!"

I am thrilled to be serving as Director of Youth and Family!  Even before I stepped on the spiritual path it has always been my greatest desire to work with our youth. It is my passion to create a space that empowers our youth and celebrates their unique qualities with the world!   

I believe that each one of us is born to become the fullest expression of our TRUE SELF which is absolutely beautiful, brilliant and whole at our core.
 
As a young boy I always knew that I would be working with youth and families. My familial life was challenging at times as my parents struggled to be happy...even though I knew their children were the most important thing in their lives. As I look back on my childhood, it became clear that if we all just had some simple practical spiritual tools and more knowledge on the stages of child development, a lot of the suffering we experienced could have been alleviated making for a more peaceful and empowering family experience.
My pursuit of deep spiritual understanding over the last 18 years through the Ministerial studies of the Science of Mind,  spiritual psychology, child development, and a wide range of spiritual practices is the foundation  I use in creating a place of insight and knowledge for our youth and families.

My experience serving as Spiritual Leader at the Center for Spiritual Living in Raleigh,  assistant minister at the Center for Creative Living in Chicago and 15 years of working as a youth leader and adviser led me to serving my life's passion -- Director of Youth and Family at our beautiful spiritual community. One of the greatest things I leaned along the way is to practice respect and fun as we explore and express the wide spectrum of all of our gifts and talents.

All of our youth and family programs are designed to practice balance in our thought and attitudes, our emotions, bodies and spirit..Our experiential workshops, activities, outings, and community service and are always fun, empowering, safe and uplifting.

It is my deepest intention to expand our awareness, teach spiritual principles and practical tools to our community so we will all experience our greatest desire -- happier, stronger and healthier families. Join us as we share our brilliance with the world! 

A third-generation native Californian, Rev. Bill grew up in Southern California before heading north to attend college. After graduating from Stanford with a degree in Chemical Engineering, he served five years in the Marine Corps as a fighter pilot.  Returning to civilian life, he spent 33 years with IBM in various marketing and engineering assignments, and got a Masters Degree in Computer Science along the way.

After retirement from IBM in 1994, this agnostic engineer/scientist found Religious Science when a friend took him to the Redondo Beach Center. "What I heard that day just made sense to me," he says of that visit. He became a regular attendee and soon began taking Science of Mind classes with Dr. Frank Richelieu. In 1998, he moved to the desert and continued his studies with Dr. Bill Taliaferro and Dr. Tom Costa, becoming a Minister of Religious Science in 2003.

When he was installed as a Staff Minister, Rev. Bill said, "Reflecting on my professional career, I realize that I have spent my entire adult life teaching in one form or another. It just seems natural that I would choose Education as my Ministry."