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APRIL 2009MINISTER’S LETTERML.NL.4.09 “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26 Beloved friends, Easter Sunday is a day for rejoicing. It was on Easter Sunday that the friends of Jesus learned that Jesus was alive again. They went to the cave where Jesus had been buried. They found that the huge rock, which blocked the entrance to the cave, had been rolled away. The cave was empty. Jesus was alive again! His promise to Martha in the scripture above was true. And He promised new life to everyone who believed in Him. He taught us that the Christ is within each of us. Each of us is filled with the living Spirit of God, the Christ within. As George Matheson, a 19th century preacher once said, “Christ has illuminated the world, not by what He did, but by what He was; His life is the Light of Men. We speak of a man's life-work; the work of Jesus was His life itself…it is good to be told that the pure in heart shall see God, but the vision of heaven in a pure man's face outweighs it all. They tell us that the Easter morning has revealed His glory; rather would I say that His glory has revealed the Easter morning. It is not resurrection that has made Christ; it is Christ that has made resurrection…” Each of us has the resurrecting power of Christ within us. Whatever it is that you desire to be resurrected into the newness of life this Easter, know that you have the power within you to release and rise above any limitation and claim new freedom and life. Whether it is your thoughts or emotions, your finances or job, your relationships or health, place it fully into the care of God and let the resurrecting light of Christ shine fully and freely and powerfully upon it. The celebration of the Easter resurrection is but a beginning. It is an opening to a daily overcoming of the obstacles of life to claim greater love, greater wholeness and happiness. As Easter approaches, you will hear again and again, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Christ in you is the resurrection and the life. Receive it. Rejoice in it. Live in it now! You will be made new, experiencing for yourself the resurrection and the life! Join us this Easter to celebrate the greatest miracle of all time. Invite your friends and family. Easter is a time of Homecoming. Come and share the Good News of the Easter Message with us! And always remember that God is Good ~ All the Time! In Spirit and in Truth, MICHAEL’S BLOGIf you have ever sailed on the open sea, then you will recognize that frequently, a navigator misses the mark. Normally, a course correction is a fairly simple project. “Where are we and where do we want to be?” In life, similar actions, a course correction, will enable us to get right back on course. We re-commit to “How we want to be” with ourselves, our loved ones, our customers and co-workers. We re-commit to being the way we want to be. It’s as simple as saying “I made a mistake and I re-commit to being the kind, sensitive, loving person that I am.” Pretty simple isn’t it? Sylvia and I had the opportunity to go to Rockport, Texas the third weekend in March. Having been raised in that area, it was like a mini homecoming. A couple of high school buddies joined us Saturday night for dinner and we laughed a lot. The “bird watching” was in full force and Rockport had a large number of “snow birds” in the area. It rained a lot but was very enjoyable. Your Board of Trustees will be attending a leadership-training workshop this month. We believe this will help us to better serve you, our Church family. The goal is to have such an experience each year as we vote new members onto the Board of Trustees, to help the Board bond together and to remind both new and current Board members of the roles and responsibilities you have entrusted to us as your elected servants. Our next step is to invite the church family, especially our Team Leaders and those who serve in our church, to a similar workshop, “Growing Our Church Through Spiritual Leadership.” The positive aspect of attending leadership workshops is it kindles a spark within each person. People learn more about themselves and discover abilities and sharpen skills that can be applied to every area of one’s life. As we approach the first Sunday following the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox, Easter, please accept from my family to you a joyous, Spirit-filled Easter! Michael GoldreyerEASTER WEEK SERVICESGood Friday, April 10, 2009, 7:30 p.m. The Seven Last Words of Jesus Christ Special music provided by Jack and Jill Kastle. Easter Services We will be offering Communion, using the elements of bread and juice, for those who wish at each service. Children’s Easter Egg Hunt after the 10:30 service.Make this Easter special. Invite your family and friends to come and experience the greatest miracle of all time. Invite them to hear the message of eternal life. Invite to come and experience the way of life that reflects Positive, Practical Christianity. The Activities Team PresentS: An Eggsceptional Spring Picnic! Sunday, April 5th - 1 p.m. til 4 p.m. Jack Brooks Park , 5700 Hwy 2004, Hitchcock Bring a covered dish to share! (Take Exit #16 (Dog Track) off I-45 S and turn right onto FM 1764. About 200 yards down, turn left onto FM 2004. Follow 2004 about two miles and make a right to enter the park. Follow the entrance road and look for the Pavilion with a brightly colored playground. You are there! EASTER BLOSSOMSIn a winter of darkness, Three earthbound bulbs lay, Then burst into bloom At dawn Easter Day. They shed their fragrance Around, above, The blossoms of light, Of life, Of love. By Mildred N. HoyerFrom Living in the Kingdom, Spiritual Preparation for Easter UCBA WELCOMES BACK PASTOR ROBERT HUDSPETH! We are excited to welcome back Pastor Robert Hudspeth as our guest speaker on Sunday, April 26, 2008. Robert is the pastor of The Fellowship of Seekers Spiritual Life Center in Houston. There will be one service this Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Pastor Hudspeth has facilitated meditation workshops and has been a guest speaker at our church. The principles of his church are in alignment with the teachings of Unity. Pastor Hudspeth and his church family have recently realized their dream of having their own church home. We know you will enjoy his message and be blessed by this service! NEWS FROM UNITY VILLAGE! Our Association of Unity Churches and Unity School of Christianity are now offering a new website, combining both organizations. unity.org is a wonderful site to go for information about Unity and has many resources to enhance your spirituality. You can e-mail Silent Unity directly with a prayer request. There are abundant resources on prayer and meditation to discover and explore. There are new online classes you can participate in. You can find out about retreats being offered at Unity Village. And you can read and also subscribe to the Daily Word if you choose right on the site! Also, Daily Word in printed form will be changing to a bimonthly printing this summer. You will still receive the inspiring words of Daily Word, only each mailing will include two months’ of the Daily Word. Daily Word and issues of Unity Magazine are also available in our Bookstore to be purchased! THE PROSPERING MIND IN ACTION Facilitated by Kathleen Jaap Do you want to be more prosperous in your life? Would you like to discover the hidden blocks to receiving joy and peace of mind? Would you like to learn the simple principles to create abundance in your life? Then this class is for you! Join Kathleen Jaap for this interactive class that will meet for four weeks on Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m. Kathleen Jaap of Prosperity Coaching Now, is an avid manifester and long time prosperity student utilizing the principles taught in Unity. Her professional background includes her CPA license, as well as a Master’s Degree in Psychology. She is currently a Business/Prosperity/Life Coach and Consultant, Business Owner, and Entrepreneur, with over 20 years experience in all areas of business start-ups, training, management consulting, and prosperity principles applications. She attributes all her success to her study and application of prosperity principles from such classes as 4-T, The Quest, Spiritual Economics, and the Feel Free to Prosper Program. All Materials provided ~ Four Wednesdays ~ April 15 through May 6, 2009 ~7-9 p.m. TREASURER’S REPORT for FEBRUARY 2009 General Fund Income $ 17,714.10 Expenses - 22,857.03 Net General Fund Income - 5,142.93 Total Income $ - 5,142.93 Unity Church of the Bay Area's tithe for February was $1,654.00. It was blessed and $413.30 each was sent to the Association of Unity Churches and Unity School of Christianity. $827.00 was sent to The Fellowship of the Seekers Spiritual Life Center, Pastor Robert Hudspeth’s church in Houston to help support their work. They offer special programs to help children in the community. Your continued financial support allows our church to flourish and carry the message of positive, practical Christianity in the Bay area. Thank you, and thank you God! YOUTH & FAMILY MINISTRYWe are excited to announce our first Youth and Family Ministry Program! You, your friends and family are invited. Who will benefit? Parents, grandparents, teachers, friends; anyone involved with children who is interested in learning more about:
This program features a video called "1-2-3 Magic, Managing Difficult Behavior in Children 2-12" by Thomas W. Phelan, Ph.D. In this insightful video you will see Dr. Phelan sharing with a group of educators and parents about his technique and explaining to them how they can use it. You also get to see examples using real life situations. Facilitating the discussion after the video is our own in-house expert, Sylvia Herbert Goldreyer. Sylvia, with 29 years of experience in teaching and seven years as one of our Sunday School teachers, is known for her ability to keep discipline in her classroom in a loving and effective way. She began using the 123 Magic Program seven years ago, and applies these principles to her classrooms as well as parenting her own two children. Sylvia uses the 123 Magic Video and books with her school parents and says, “Parents who have used it consistently report good results and calmer households.” What: "1-2-3 Magic, Managing Difficult Behavior in Children 2-12" Program When: Sunday April 19th from Noon to 2 p.m. Noon – Participants serve themselves from a Potluck Lunch (Bring a covered dish to share} 12:15 - Watch 123 Magic Video as we eat Group discussion and sharing our experiences follows – Facilitated by Sylvia Goldreyer, professional educator and Sunday School teacher How: Sign up at the Information Table in the Sanctuary. Invite your friends. This program is open to anyone who is interested. Please bring a covered dish to share. Childcare will be provided. Please specify childcare needs when your sign up. We look forward to seeing you there! Amy Hart Groblewski Director of Youth and Family Ministry Amy Hart Groblewski, UCBA CHURCH DIRECTORY Now is your opportunity to be listed in the upcoming Unity of Bay Area Church’s directory. It has been several years since we have had an up-to-date directory and now we have the chance for an awesome one. Please don’t be left out. We would like for our Directory, for use by our congregation only, to be as complete as possible. This is a GOOD thing. It means you will be able to have correct, current information to contact others who attend our Church. Every Sunday in March, after the 10:30 service, someone will be available in the Gathering Room to take your picture for the Directory if you do not have a current snapshot. Please fill out a form listing your name, address, home phone, cell, and email address. The blank forms are located in the back of the Church on the information table. Return it either to the Church office or to Carol Curtiss, via email at captaincurtiss@comcast.net. We would like to complete our Directory this Spring. OUR UNITY BOOKSTOREWe have several new items in our Unity bookstore, including beautiful Easter Baskets for those who wish to give a friend a “special” visit from the Easter Bunny! You will find other great gifts and books in the Bookstore! UNIQUELY YOU @ UNITY Separate, but similar to our new Directory, is an in-house notebook that will give additional information about the people who go to our Church. When you fill out the information for the Directory, you also have the option to fill in additional information that will be listed in the “Uniquely You @ Unity” book that will be kept in the Gathering Room. This information is voluntary and you may list as much or as little as you want people to know about you. The book will be kept in our Church and information is not available to vendors. The picture that you submit for the Directory will be used unless you submit a different one. Looking for someone who reads the same kind of books you do? Check out the notebook. Looking for someone who likes to play cards? Check out the notebook. Looking for someone in your neighborhood to carpool to Church with? Well, you get the idea… Also, for those of us who forget names, you will be able to match a name with a face as we plan to have a picture of each person in “Uniquely You @Unity”. You can participate simply by filling out the bottom portion of the Directory information form that is in the back of the Church. Since the notebook is to be a three ring binder, it will be able to be updated with any newcomers, as well as changes in information. Come be a part of “Uniquely You @ Unity “ a great idea suggested and started by Carol Curtiss. You can contact her with any questions by e-mail at captaincurtiss@comcast.net or call the Church office with questions. MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW! Unity Book Sale & Craft Fair, Saturday, May 2nd, at the Church. Contact Theresa Abell at 281-460-1662 for information about the sale or if you wish to reserve a booth.
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