Video &#8211; Embraced:Fully

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

Join our mailing list to receive an invite link to our Zoom meetings.

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

What Freedom Really Means – From Behind Bars – Replay [Video]

Gabriel Serafini — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 23:25:14 +0000

Watch the replay of this excellent talk!

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KZLq9LMwzQ

“How Prayer Can Bring Freedom!”

Bobby Lewis, CS is a member of the Christian Science Board of Lectureship and is also a prison chaplain in Buena Vista, Colorado—making this talk especially meaningful for the Embraced:Fully community.

Whether you’re seeking spiritual growth, supporting someone on their journey back into society, or simply curious about the healing power of prayer, this talk promises to be uplifting and practical.

About the Speaker

Bobby Lewis, CS is a Christian Science practitioner based in Buena Vista, Colorado. In addition to his work as a practitioner, he serves as a prison chaplain—bringing spiritual support and healing insights to those who need it most. He is also a member of the Christian Science Board of Lectureship.

Questions?

Contact: csinsanjuancapistrano.com or christiansciencesjc@gmail.com

Healing and Hope Through Music – a special music gathering with Matthew Hammond, Laura Lapointe, family & friends [video]

Gabriel Serafini — Sat, 29 Nov 2025 10:15:34 +0000

Watch the replay of this very special musical gathering featuring Matthew Hammond, Laura Lapointe, family and friends!

Matthew Hammond and Laura Lapointe

Special Guest Alert! Mathew Hammond of Love Only Grows Music Ministry along with Laura Lapointe, his family and friends will be performing live at our next Embraced:Fully Zoom Meeting, December 4th at 6PM (Pacific Time). You will definitely want to attend. For what better way could there to celebrate the joy and spirit of the Christ spirit than with the healing and transformative music and abundant goodwill that emanates from Matthew’s deeply effecting voice and sweet guitar work? He, along with his wife Liz, family and friends look forward to sharing some of their original songs and Christmas carols with you, your church and friends. This promises to be a truly special evening of uplifting spiritual music that brings healing and transformation…. and oh did we mention joy?! There will be plenty of that.

Laura is a Christian Science practitioner with a background in education and the arts. Prior to entering the full-time practice, Laura worked in a prison in Boston as a literacy teacher and with a re-entry program. Laura loves to worship through song, particularly in gospel choirs over many years, and learns much through dialogue with fellow Christians and those of other faiths. She believes in being honest about her struggles as a way of encouraging and showing solidarity with everyone who is on this journey of striving to love God and our neighbors more each day.

Links:

Love Only Grows Music Ministry (https://loveonlygrows.org/)
Laura Lapointe, CS (https://healing.lauralapointe.com/)

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

Join our mailing list to receive an invite link to our Zoom meetings.

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

Interview with Carlos Vasquez – “Coming out of Prison With a Purpose” [video]

Gabriel Serafini — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 18:37:49 +0000

Watch the replay:

Our 2nd interview with Carlos Vasquez, author, speaker, and CEO of How to Battle and co-founder of the Pathway to Purpose Project.

We discussed how to come out of prison with a true purpose in life. Carlos served 17 years and experienced true moral character transformation. Today, his inspiring podcast reaches thousands of listeners.

About our guest

Carlos Vasquez is a speaker, author, and the Founder and CEO of HTB Consulting. After overcoming homelessness, addiction, and a 17-year prison sentence, Carlos transformed his life through faith, education, and personal development. He walked out of prison with just $200 in gate money and rebuilt his life from scratch.

Carlos is also the co-founder of the Pathway to Purpose Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to mentoring at-risk youth, including those in foster care and juvenile detention. Through his work and podcast platform, Carlos strives to inspire individuals to embrace resilience, overcome fear, unlock their potential, and create lasting change in their lives and communities.

Links:

How to Battle (https://howtobattle.com/)
How to Battle Podcast (https://howtobattle.com/podcast/)
Pathway to Purpose Project (https://p2p-project.org/)

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

Join our mailing list to receive an invite link to our Zoom meetings.

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

Interview with Rob Smith, San Diego County Director, Center for Employment Opportunities

Gabriel Serafini — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 01:21:28 +0000

Watch the replay of our interview with Rob Smith, San Diego County Director, Center for Employment Opportunities:

About our guest

Rob Smith is the Site Director of the CEO San Diego office, overseeing all aspects of the Social Enterprise and our vocational services. Rob has 20 years experience as a nonprofit leader, specifically focused in underserved communities. He is also a lived experience expert in understanding the challenges of extreme poverty, domestic violence, sexual assault, drug addiction and incarceration from early childhood until his release from state prison in 2000 that was the existence of his life. Overseeing the CEO office in San Diego Robert has been able to combine the best of both his worlds; his relentless hustle and grind mentality has propelled San Diego’s office to the second largest site next to NYC; his deep understanding of and ability to partner/broker between justice involved communities and public systems has contributed to expanding San Diego CEO’s footprint across the local region.

About CEO

Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) offers individuals returning home from incarceration the ongoing support necessary to build career capital and financial stability. We believe that everyone, regardless of their past, deserves the chance to work toward a stronger future for themselves, their families, and their communities.

As the largest reentry employment provider in the country, CEO is using our scale, experience, and data – backed by our participants’ feedback on what works – to change the way government invests in criminal justice and workforce development.

Links:

Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO)

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

Join our mailing list to receive an invite link to our Zoom meetings.

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

Interview with Libby Hoffman, President of of Catalyst for Peace

Gabriel Serafini — Sat, 23 Aug 2025 17:16:13 +0000

Watch the replay of our interview with Libby Hoffman, President of of Catalyst for Peace:

About our guest

Wise woman and practical visionary, Libby Hoffman has worked for more than 30 years at the nexus of international peacebuilding, organizational development, spirituality, and social transformation. She is the president of Catalyst for Peace, a private foundation she established in 2003 to grow a new architecture for peace — one that works from the inside out, where those most impacted by violence and war lead in building peace and restoring social wholeness.

For over 15 years, Libby has focused her work in Sierra Leone, as co-founder, funder, and ongoing program partner of Fambul Tok (Family Talk), a community-led post-war reconciliation program rooted in local culture and tradition. In response to the 2014 Ebola epidemic, she helped adapt the Fambul Tok approach into a groundbreaking national policy framework for people- and community-led planning and development. The framework has become a model for transformative partnerships between international donors, national governments, and civil society.

Libby produced the award-winning documentary film Fambul Tok and co-authored a companion book of the same name. A former political science professor at Principia College, she has degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and Williams College. The mother of three grown children, she divides her time between southern Maine and Washington, DC.

Links:

Catalyst for Peace

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

Join our mailing list to receive an invite link to our Zoom meetings.

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

Interview with Eddie Ellis, Co-Director of Outreach & Member Services at the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth [Video]

Gabriel Serafini — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 16:58:36 +0000

Watch the replay of our interview with Eddie Ellis, Co-Director of Outreach & Member Services at the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth and author of Change is Possible: I Never Gave Up, a personal memoir of his experiences:

About our guest

Eddie Ellis joined the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth team in early 2018. He works with ICAN members across the country, connecting them to each other and with local resources. He also works with other directly impacted communities, including the family members of juvenile lifers.

Eddie, a native Washingtonian, was arrested and charged with murder at the age of 16 — he was later found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 22 years in prison. He served 15 years and finished the rest of his time on parole.

Eddie came home in 2006 and since that time he has worked on a variety of issues, including reentry, solitary confinement, and on behalf of people with disabilities who are in the system and coming home. He has served on the board of directors of a national legal organization, and helped with client center training for lawyers, probation officers and social workers. He is an advocate for those in the system, a mentor, and a motivational speaker. His lived experience as a formerly incarcerated person provides invaluable insight and depth into his work that allows him to connect with and engage the community he serves.

Links:

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

Join our mailing list to receive an invite link to our Zoom meetings.

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

“Welcoming Returning Citizens” Introductory Workshop – Video replay

Gabriel Serafini — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 00:09:47 +0000

Watch the replay of this excellent workshop:

More than 1,000,000 prison inmates now have access to the Christian Science Bible Lesson on their tablets.

When they reenter society, some of these seekers will be looking for a welcoming church community.

Are we ready?

Whether your church currently has an Institutional Committee or not, this is an opportunity to learn more about the new seekers who might be visiting your church soon.

This workshop explores:

Current Christian Science activities and publications in prisons and jails
Personal stories of moral character transformation and finding church homes
How to prayerfully address concerns
Correcting common misperceptions
Resources, training and guides for volunteers
How to participate in the National Angel Team Network to help support individuals in their path to freedom

Invited speakers:

Bob “Woody” Woodard, Marilyn McDonald, Marshall Reddick, Byron Alexander, Kenyard White, Brian Abbott, Elizabeth Arnett

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

Join our mailing list to receive an invite link to our Zoom meetings.

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

Interview with Jenny England, Content Partnerships Manager at Edovo [Video]

Gabriel Serafini — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 21:11:48 +0000

Watch the replay of our interview with Jenny England, Content Partnerships Manager at Edovo.

About our guest

Jenny England is the Content Partnerships Manager for Edovo, the largest digital learning platform for incarcerated people in the United States. Prior to Edovo, she worked in creative direction and program development for a variety of non-profit organizations, both internationally and domestically. She currently lives in central Pennsylvania with her best friend and their opinionated dogs. When she’s not working, she’s most likely to be found on a pickleball court.

Links:

Edovo

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

Join our mailing list to receive an invite link to our Zoom meetings.

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

Interview with Rita Sloan, Coordinator for the Alternatives to Violence Project in Nevada [Video]

Gabriel Serafini — Tue, 27 May 2025 21:33:22 +0000

Watch replay of our interview with Rita Sloan, Coordinator for the Alternatives to Violence Project in Nevada:

About our guest

Rita is a lifelong resident of Reno, Nevada and is married with 5 grown offspring and 11 grandchildren. Her education includes a BA in Philosophy and a Masters of Theological Studies (MTS) in Christian Social Ethics from the Franciscan School of Theology, part of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA.

Rita currently holds a part time position with the Catholic Diocese of Reno, Nevada and serves as the Coordinator of the Alternatives to Violence Project in Nevada (AVP Nevada).

She has has worked over 20 years in the AVP program.

AVP is an international volunteer program that enables participants to deal with potentially violent situations in new and creative ways.

“What we do” – We don’t lecture or preach. Our experiential workshops use the shared experiences of participants, interactive exercises, games and role plays to examine the ways in which we respond to situations where injustice, prejudice, frustration, and anger can lead to aggressive behavior and violence.

Links:

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861