Shinzo Zen Meditation Center in St. Louis, Missouri has found a new home in the basement of Centenary Church, a three-story historic Methodist church that rents rooms to other organizations.
As the Riverfront Times reports, the center, founded in 2005, says they are the first Zen meditation center in downtown St. Louis.
The new location is meant to be peaceful and quiet, with stained glass windows, a historic brick facade, and rugs and cushions dotting the floor.
The organization’s president, Bill Reyland, and founder, Rev. Kalen McAllister, both traveled to Japan and Thailand to study Zen. McAllister also founded Inside Dharma, which is a non-profit, non-denominational Buddhist organization that provides support to incarcerated or recently-released individuals.
On top of Shinzo Zen and Inside Dharma, McAllister also runs Laughing Bear Bakery to help ex-offenders find employment. It is also housed in the basement of Centenary Church, in a kitchen space just around the corner from Shinzo Zen.