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FEBRUARY 2008 “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8 Beloved Friends, We are declaring the Year 2008 THE YEAR OF MOVING FORWARD for our church. So many exciting things will be beginning in February! The much anticipated remodeling of our church will begin in February. Isn’t that just the best! Our contractor has assured us that our Sanctuary will be ready and in Divine Order for each week during construction. So please, come to church and add your energy to this exciting transformation. This is all possible because of the generosity and love of each of you. We have raised the funds to move forward, with the church family performing some of the work. Look for ways you can help in upcoming newsletters and bulletins! The parallels between fundraising and actual construction are amazing. We raised the final monies necessary for construction during Christmas, a time of conscious preparation for the rebirth of Christ with you. And now, the construction will happen during Lent, which is also a sacred time of preparation. Lent will begin with a special service on February 6, 2008, at 7 p.m. ~ Ash Wednesday. Some of us use the practice of “giving up something” for Lent. Charles Fillmore, in his book, Keep A True Lent, wrote, “To observe Lent according to the spirit rather than the letter we must fast from criticism and condemnation and feast in brotherly love; fast from false beliefs in sickness and weakness and feast on the Truth of God's omnipresent, perfect life; fast from beliefs in lack and limitation and feast on the Truth of God's bountiful good.” So, during Lent, we can practice keeping our thoughts, words and actions on the positive. Why not make a commitment to surround yourself with positive people, coming to church each Sunday to fill yourself up with inspiration and spiritual fellowship to enrich your life during the week? Let me share with you a poem by Reverend Dr. Henry Van Dyke. It is a good Lenten formula: FOUR THINGS Four things a man must learn to do In Spirit and in Truth, RICK’S REFLECTIONS We are moving forward with the build-out. The contract has been signed with our builder, Herring Construction. Obtaining the required building permits is under way. We have a flow chart as to the time frame and how the build out will proceed. Al Herring has assured us that our sanctuary will be unaffected during the build out. It will be shielded from any dust so our services will be just excellent as usual. This certainly is an exciting time for us! Let us keep in the forefront of our minds bringing new members to our church. It is an exciting time, and new people might get caught up in the spirit of this great transformation. It’s time we let all the people in the area that our church is available for anyone searching for a fantastic church home. Please keep the invitation cards with you at all times so you have them to hand out when needed. These cards are always available in the basket at the sanctuary front door. If you are not familiar with these cards, please see any board member or Reverend Steve. These cards have proved to be very effective. Just ask Reverend Steve if you have any doubts they work. We really need to get the word out about our church. We have used some new advertising sources with some success. We could use any marketing ideas anyone may have. Please write down your ideas and give them to any Board member or Reverend Steve. If you have marketing experience and would consider leading a marketing team, let us know. Please see me or Reverend Steve so we can discuss this in more detail. On a personal note I would like to sincerely thank all those who supported me with their presence, kind words, and prayers with the passing of my sister. Your prayers were deeply felt by Barb, myself and our families. It is because of the love and compassion from my church family that makes being a member and inviting my friends to church so meaningful. Blessings to all, YOUTH & FAMILY MINISTRY The Youth & Family Ministry team is so excited about having regular classrooms for our Sunday classes! We’ll even have a bathroom with a changing table (including a special toilet for our little people) adjacent to the new nursery. Thank you, God, and thank you to all those contributing to make this a reality! It will be great to have more of a sense of permanence for our children and teens. We will continue with our classes during the build-out, although we may be moving around a bit as the construction progresses. As we ready ourselves for our new rooms, it is essential that we increase our number of volunteer teachers and class assistants. If you have been considering how you can be of service, we ask you to search your heart and see if youth & Family Ministry is calling you. Many have found that as we serve our youth, we grow in wisdom and understanding of ourselves and our relationship with God. We also give ourselves an opportunity to reclaim a sense of our youthfulness and receive an incredible blessing when we open ourselves to be fully present in the moment with our youth. Whether we are blowing bubbles, singing a song, reading a Bible story, discussing current trends and concerns of teens, or creating a refrigerator masterpiece, we are truly experiencing our Being as a blessed child of God. And this commitment to our youth opens us up to receive even more love than we can possibly imagine! Let us affirm and know that God will bring to us those joyously willing to follow their divine guidance to serve in this vital ministry of Unity Church of the Bay Area. We have incredible Unity curriculum that creates an interactive learning experience that is age appropriate for our classes. You don’t have to be a parent, a Bible scholar or a teacher to be a part of our Youth & Family Ministry – just someone willing to allow God’s loving presence to strengthen and empower you on this sacred journey of life. Please contact the church office or call me at home at 281-339-2096 if you want to learn more about this opportunity. Youthful Blessings, Thank you to our Building Fund Donors! Many donations and contributions built the foundation upon which we now stand, owning our own church home! At our Annual Membership Meeting in October, we set a goal to raise the necessary funds to begin the remodel and Build-Out of our Church interior. Many have given of their time and talents. We love and appreciate you! Our volunteers allow our church to operate more smoothly and serve our community. The following list is of those who contributed financially since our Annual Meeting to help bring our Building Fund to over $150,000. Thank You all! Chris and Casey Bennett TREASURER’S REPORT for MAY 2007 General Fund Income $ 24,068.62 Expenses -20,940.13 Net General Fund Income 3,128.49 Building Fund Income + 8,705.00 Total Income $ 11,833.49 Building Fund $ 150,910.56 (Also, $3,260 was donated to our family in need for our Christmas Giving Project not reflected above. Our stuffed bears and animals went on to bless the children at Bay Area Turning Point, a shelter fro abused women and their children) Unity Church of the Bay Area's tithe for December was $3186.00. It was blessed and $796.50 each was sent to the Association of Unity Churches and Unity School of Christianity. $1,593.00 was sent to the Unity National School, in Montego Bay, Jamaica. They have a Unity School for children which provides a complete education. Your continued financial support allows our church to grow and flourish and carry the message of positive, practical Christianity in the Bay area. Thank you, and thank you God! THE Activities Team presents: A WINTER BEACH PARTY! Saturday, February 23, 2008 Arrive at 1 p.m. ~ Gumbo served at 5 p.m. 12906 Bermuda Beach Dr. Galveston on the West End Let’s go to the Beach for a party! The Activities Team is hosting a Beach Party at a wonderful Beach home on Galveston Island! Bring a COVERED DISH to share, There will be plenty of FUN, FELLOWSHIP and GAMES. You can play or walk the beach, collect shells, or relax and chat! All are invited, but we ask that you sign up in the Gathering Room. CARPOOLING IS NECESSARY! So, mark your calendar and be prepared to have a fun day at the BEACH! (Maps will be provided at church when you sign up!) ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE Wednesday, February 6, 2008 ~ 7 p.m. Ash Wednesday begins one of the most powerful and sacred times of the year. Lent is a time of preparation for our own personal resurrection – a new sense of freedom, vitality and joy. Join us in a time of prayer and meditation as we open ourselves to the infinite possibilities of God’s transformative power in our lives. WE NEED YOUR RECIPES FOR OUR UCBA COOKBOOK! We are putting together our own Unity Church of the Bay Area Cookbook! We need your recipes! We have many wonderful cooks at UCBA. Every Sunday and every potluck dinner reveals a new treasured dish! Enclosed is a form you can mail or bring to the church with your recipe(s)! Also, if you wish to advertise in the cookbook, contact the church office! Please have your recipes turned in by the FIRST OF MARCH! There will be a rawing for a special prize for those who get their recipes in by March 1St! A NEW MEETING OF A COURSE IN MIRACLES! Wednesdays at 7 p.m. WE HAVE A NEW MEETING OF A COURSE IN MIRACLES! Several people have asked for the opportunity to study the Course in the evening. Carol Curtiss and Janie Neill are bringing the energy together for a Wednesday evening study and discussion of the Course. You might want to come early for the Twenty Minutes With God meditation at 6:20 p.m.!
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