Goodness Weekly 8.17.26
“We hope that many people feel how the love received from others can become the power that allows them to love themselves.”
—BTS
WHAT’S GOOD
Flower Power Watercolor Wellness is Back August 29th!
Artist Suz Browning is returning to the Art Room at Sunset Ridge Collective for another Watercolor Wellness Class on Saturday, August 29th from 11 AM - 1 PM! All supplies are included and sessions are just $15—but please note that space is strictly limited to 8 participants and advanced registration is required. Walk-ins cannot be accommodated, so be sure to grab your spot now before it fills up!
Freebies
Che Ortiz, Program Manager, One Another Coffee
This past weekend, I finally got to see BTS live in concert. For context, I’ve been following this seven-member South Korean group since 2011-2012, when they were just teenagers training to debut. It’s been a journey to watch a group I grew up with transform from a niche K-pop act into a record-breaking global powerhouse, becoming the absolute biggest pop phenomenon on earth selling out stadiums in minutes. Getting to witness that stadium-level energy as a longtime fan was truly unforgettable.
My love for K-pop goes beyond BTS. I share it with my two younger sisters, Katelyn and Keira, who introduced me to the whole culture and routine of attending a K-pop concert.
The themed outfits, camping out at 4 AM for merch, meeting fans from around the world, light sticks, photocards, and name chants—it was an entirely new culture and community I couldn’t wait to experience again and again.
From start to finish, I’ve always left these concerts in awe and pure happiness. There’s something special about singing your heart out with thousands of people during light shows and dance breaks and collectively losing your minds when the members tell fans how much they love them.
And you can’t talk about BTS without talking about ARMY, their global fan community. While the name sounds intense, it’s actually an incredibly welcoming global community of millions of people who connect over the band's message of self-love. Being in that stadium felt less like a standard concert audience and more like a massive, high-energy family reunion spanning generations, languages, and cultures.
But one of my favorite parts of K-pop happens before the show even starts:freebie culture.
Fans spend weeks handmaking photocards, bracelets, keychains, and stickers just to give them away to strangers in line. Walking around the stadium, you’re constantly greeted by smiling faces offering these tiny gifts. It perfectly captures the heart of the community, generosity with no expectation of receiving anything in return.
After my first few shows, I always thought, “I want everyone to experience this.”
So before my solo journey to see BTS, I hosted my first K-pop craft night in my little apartment. I invited friends and family who aren’t necessarily part of the K-pop world to help me make freebies.
We ordered takeout, wore our PJs, listened to my favorite BTS album, and I got to explain why I love my bias (your favorite member) while we made bracelets and keychains together.
There was something incredibly sweet about it. The gifts I handed to strangers at the concert weren’t really just from me anymore. They carried a little piece of the people I love at home into a community I love just as much.
It reminded me that community doesn’t always have to begin with having something in common. Sometimes it begins by simply sharing what you love with someone else and inviting them in.
So this week, share something you love. Make something together. Give something away. You never know how something small might make someone feel like they belong.
Coming Up…
Daily, NYX Yoga & Fitness
Daily, One Another Coffee
Wednesdays, 11 AM - 1:30 PM, Open Studio Painting
Wednesdays, Mission Compost Pick Up
Wednesdays-Sundays, Scott’s Pizza, Charis Park
Saturdays, 9 AM - 1 PM, Sunset Ridge Farmers Market, Charis Park
Sundays, Worship at 9 AM and 11 AM, Sunset Ridge Church
Friday, August 28, 7 - 9:30 PM, Full Moon Friday, Charis Park
Saturday, August 29, 11 AM - 1 PM, Flower Power Watercolor Wellness Class, Registration required
Event Rentals - Interested in hosting your event at Charis Park or in our facilities? Please email rentals@sunset-ridge.org
Community Partners: For updated schedules and events please follow One Another Coffee, Sunset Ridge Farmers Market, NYX Wellness, Scott’s Pizza, Mission Compost, Sprouts School, Good Acres, and Community First Food Pantry.
