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August 2008 “For we are what He has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” Ephesians 2:10 Beloved Friends, The time is NOW! The groundwork has been laid for our church. We together have created a beautiful church home ready to receive those who are searching for the Truth. We each know there are many souls out there looking for answers. We each were in that same position before we found Unity. And what a difference the simple spiritual principles we teach make in our lives when we practice and live them! Have you every wanted to explain what we teach and profess, what Unity’s “Creed” is? Here it is: We believe in One Great and Good God, who’s Spirit is alive in us. God helps according to our faith and trust in God as we create our lives through the thoughts, beliefs and experiences we hold deep inside. We connect with God through prayer and meditation. In prayer, we pray that we might be changed at depth to release our inner splendor and meld our minds with the Mind of God. In meditation, we seek the Silence that we may hear and know the inspiration of God. Then, we practice and live the goodness we find inside and share the very love of God with others in a multitude of ways. I invite you to breathe this Truth in, to memorize it if necessary. Make it your way of Being! Make it your practice of Life! Remember, you may be the Divine expression of Unity Truth another person needs to awaken and visit our church and change their life for the better as many of us have. The message of Christ Jesus is that each and every person has the Divine Potential within him or her to create anything they choose. Now is the time to take the awakening of your own innate Divinity and be it to those you know. We are God’s calling card. It is time to become the radiating center of love we profess in our Vision Statement and attract to us those of like mind and heart. When William Carey began thinking of going to India as a pioneer missionary, his father pointed out to him that he possessed no academic qualifications that would fit him for such a task. But Carey answered, “I can plod.” How true it is that God accomplishes mighty things for The Kingdom of Heaven on earth through those who are willing to persevere – that are willing to walk faithfully through one difficulty after another in the power of the Spirit to claim their abundant blessings and live life fully. You can do your missionary work right where you are. Live the Truth you know. Share it with those that you are inspired by God to help. Then, friends, you become the Christ of God in expression! And always remember, God is Good ~ All the Time! In Spirit and in Truth, Reverend Stephen P. Horn MICHAEL’S BLOG HOT! HOT! HOT! The dog days of summer are here with a vengeance. Although I grew up in the South, I don’t remember the weather being as hot then. Oh well, that seems to be the trend, “remembering”, that is. We certainly have had a lot of activity the last six weeks around the UCBA. John Bradshaw’s Sunday message at our rededication and his workshop the next weekend introduced our church to a large number of new people. Michael Yeager’s message several weeks ago was very inspiring and enlightening. Our vegan workshop and meal was well attended. Also, I understand our bake sale sponsored by our Uniteens put smiles on all the “sugarholic” faces. At our last Board meeting, discussions were started regarding our church’s next steps with regard to growth. I believe that if we do nothing, we regress. There is no such thing as a “status quo” in this situation. Some of the areas for consideration are: the front of the building, getting away from the “old bar and grill look”, continued beautification of our lake and surrounding area, our parking lot, and the next phase of construction. Also, how do we promote our church to invite more people into our community? What are your thoughts? We want to hear them. Our Board meets the second Tuesday of each month. If you have a concern or topic for discussion, you are welcome to share this with the Board. We do need to know you are coming so please contact me personally at 281-684-4094 so we can include you on the agenda. Stay cool, and smell the roses! SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER! Unity Church of the Bay Area is pleased to welcome Pastor Robert Hudspeth as our guest speaker on Sunday, August 17, 2008. Mr. Hudspeth will be speaking on The Power of Meditation. He is a powerful teacher of meditation and pastors the Fellowship of Seekers Church in Stafford, Texas. Over the years, Robert has been a positive influence in the community, serving on advisory boards for the Mayor of Houston and Constable May Walker. He has achieved licensing and ordination in several denominations. He is an achiever in life, and currently is a candidate for a Doctoral Degree in Religious Studies. Robert has also received the Certificate of U.S. Congressional Recognition for his work with youth. His work in the business world with Hines Limited Partnership and J.P. Morgan Chase has created him being given numerous service awards and being named an officer of the bank in 2000. We in Unity know that success in life is totally dependent on our connection with our true Source, God. The best way to increase and heighten that connection is through prayer, and more importantly through meditation. The practice of meditation will bring about a profound change in one’s attitude and outlook in life, opening the door to God expressing more fully and completely through us. Robert Hudspeth breathes and lives this Truth. This is one Sunday that will inspire you and touch your heart in a powerful way. His gentle nature and firm grasp of the Truth will bless you abundantly. Plan to attend at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, August 17, 2008! (On this Sunday there will be no 8:30 a.m. Service. All are invited to attend the 10:30 a.m. Service.) SOUL SESSIONS…A meditation workshop with Pastor Robert Hudspeth! Unity Church of the Bay Area is pleased to welcome Pastor Robert Hudspeth as he returns on Saturday, August 23rd, for a two hour workshop on meditation. This workshop is open to people of all faiths and is not a promotion of religion but rather a path to heightened spirituality through the practice of the ancient art of meditation. Pastor Robert Hudspeth teaches the Seekers Meditation and it is based on the Quantum Theory of Self Empowerment which incorporates the study of Yogic philosophy and study of the Chakra system. The practice of meditation cleanses, heals, restores and empowers the human energy system to a higher level of consciousness. The Five Branches of Meditation taught create the following: · Clearing the mind · Focusing the mind · Connecting to Consciousness · Becoming Consciousness This workshop is being offered on a love-offering basis. Robert’s gentleness with helping people at every range of understanding about meditation will create a positive experience for everyone who attends. Invite friends and family to come learn about meditation and how it can enhance and transform your life! Saturday, August 23, 2008 ~ 10 a.m.—12 noon ~ Love-Offering Basis NOMINATING COMMITTEE FOR BOARD ELECTIONS IN 2008 Our nominating committee for board elections this year has formed. The committee will be taking nominations for board members. Please be considering church members who you believe would be qualified, proficient and excited about serving our church in this most important way. Listed below are the contact names and numbers for our committee. Maybe you would like to serve! Remember, our Annual Membership Meeting is October 12, 2008. Amy Groblewski, Chairperson: 281-992-0287 YOUTH & FAMILY MINISTRY We have such a great group of children and teens at UCBA! And the really cool news is that they are growing up learning to live life from their spirituality. Most of we adults learn that lesson when we find Unity later in life. Recently, one parent shared with me that her teenager was well grounded mentally, emotionally, morally and spiritually. She clearly pointed to the experience of growing up with Unity principles, thought, and curriculum in Sunday school as one of the primary reasons for this maturity and positive outlook on life. School teaches us many things, but it is important to add to it with good parenting and sharing ways to handle the situations we all may face in life. The simple spiritual principles of Unity give us great advantage in guiding our youth into becoming happy, responsible adults. I am grateful for all of the experiences in my life and I wonder how different my life might be today if I had grown up in Unity. I received many teachings in the church I grew up in that still occasionally come up for me to look and choose whether they fit who I want to be today. I truly believe that we influence the lives of our future generations in an incredibly positive way with our Youth & Family Ministry at UCBA. Recently in our children’s class, we read a book called I Like Me. It is a story that teaches self-esteem, good habits and true self-acceptance and love. Imagine loving yourself just as you are – even with your imperfections! The main character gets up in the morning, brushes her teeth, looks in the mirror and says, “Hey good lookin’!” Later in our class, we were looking at ourselves in a hand mirror and saying aloud our affirmation “I see God in me as me.” One of the younger children hesitated and then looked in the mirror and said quite confidently “Hi good lookin’!” It was so absolutely perfect! I never know for sure what children absorb in our classes, so we make learning our Unity principles and concepts of Truth fun and it brings them alive. I learn as much from these simple lessons as I do from our young students. Their comments and reactions help me to understand these concepts on the level Jesus spoke of, “Be like little children to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” We have as much to learn from our children as they do from us. Wouldn’t you like to be part of entering the Kingdom of Heaven, now? We do every Sunday in Youth and Family Ministry. We have fun, learning through the Bible and other stories about life. We pray and meditate create together the experience of God’s love in our lives. God may be calling you now. So, I invite you to come and be part of a Sunday with us. Give us a try. You might find that the children will share their love with you in ways that one can only imagine – as I have. Please call me at 281-339-2096, leave a message with the church office, or join us one Sunday in Y&F Ministry to give and receive the beautiful love of our children. Youthful Blessings! Receiving new members! Unity Church of the Bay Area will be receiving new members on Sunday August 24, 2008, at the 10:30 a.m. service. Unity membership is unique; it does not require one to give up their affiliation with any other spiritual discipline or denomination. It is a personal and holy decision to join a church. It is an outward expression of an inner knowing of joining a spiritual family of like mind. If you are interested in joining our church, fill out a blue membership card at church and leave it in the church office. There will be an orientation meeting on Thursday, August 21st at 7:00 p.m. at the church for all new members in which we will answer all questions and outline the inner workings of the church. We ask each new member to attend or make and appointment with Reverend Steve if that is not possible. Membership is important in that it is an outward declaration of one’s spiritual path. It also allows the member to vote on all matters of business at our Annual Meeting, which is very important to attend in October. Prayerfully consider if now is the time to join our church family! Here are some insights from our Association of Unity Churches consultants, quoting ideas from Robert Schase, sharing how members can be a blessing using his book, Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations: 1. Radical Hospitality: This is hospitality that goes the extra mile and surprises people with its depth and authenticity. It means truly seeing people as the Christ, offering God’s invitation to be in spiritual community. 2. Passionate Worship: Worship is the most important hour of the week, regardless of what else you have going on. Attend church regularly, asking yourself, “What did God say, in us, to us, with us?” Get involved! Serve on a team! Volunteer where Spirit guides you! The blessing you give will return multiplied! 3. Intentional Faith Development: This is one of keyway that churches help facilitate transformation by creating a community in which it is safe to learn together, through practice. Attend the classes and groups if possible. 4. Risk-taking Mission and Service: This is service regardless of whether the recipient is ever a member of the church. Make a commitment to serve others for the sake of serving. Go the extra mile! 5. Extravagant Generosity: It is an aid to both spiritual and physical health for people to learn generosity. The emphasis is on our nature as givers; we are designed to give. We know this because of how happy we are when we do! Putting God first through giving of our time, talent and treasure changes our view of wealth. Think positively about proportional giving, tithing and money. Wealth, generosity and giving are all part of the spiritual journey. In Unity we have the prosperity teachings and shared experiences to create and support this! NEW CLASS! In this class you will learn…
During this class, if you are willing, you will receive of the Holy Spirit a revelation of your Divine commission to be a channel of God’s healing power in your own life, and guidance in how you, personally, can help heal our world! Instructor: Reverend Diane E. Plamondon, Ph.D. Date and Time: Wednesdays, Sept. 3 – Oct. 8, 2008, at 7 p.m. Tuition: $30.00 (Scholarships available)Credit: 10 SEE credits available through Unity School First Assignment: Read Foreword and Chapters 1 & 2.
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