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July, 2004 “Freedom is yours, but you must realize it and claim it. Beloved Friends, This month we are celebrating the 228th birthday of our nation. Our nation was founded because of a deep desire for religious freedom - the freedom to worship God however we might choose. Freedom is something we each cherish at every level of understanding. True freedom begins with spiritual freedom, the freedom we experience when we live in conscious partnership with God. The key is to be continually grateful for the blessings of life, keeping our attention focused on the good in every situation. In the sixteenth Chapter of Acts we read the story of Paul and Silas on Paul’s second missionary journey. They were falsely imprisoned, beaten with rods and put in stocks in the inner prison. What did Paul and Silas do? They prayed and sang hymns of praise to God! Around midnight there was a great earthquake. The foundations of the prison were shaken; all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. And when the jailer awoke, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” The jailer was moved deeply, and asked what he must do to be saved. Paul said to him, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household.” The jailer washed their wounds. He brought Paul and Silas into his house and set food before them, rejoicing greatly with a new belief in God. He and his entire household were baptized. Paul and Silas were set free! Who truly was in prison in this revealing Bible story? Were Paul and Silas, or the jailer and those who had falsely imprisoned them? Paul and Silas knew the secret of true spiritual freedom. It is a freedom we can claim in every experience in life. We can know the Truth that God is our Source -ever-present, ever-ready to help us in any area of our life. The secret? Prayer and praise! We too can pray and give praise to God. One of the most important steps we can take towards spiritual freedom and peace of mind is to surrender ourselves totally to God. Surrender everything - our thoughts, our feelings, and our very life to God. Make your every breath be one of celebration and thanksgiving for the living Spirit of God in you. Freedom, true spiritual freedom, will be yours! In Christ Love, AMY’S ANGLE Our first adventure was to hang on to a big “tube” being dragged across the water behind my cousin’s boat. I did it after my 13 year old son Ryan did it, constantly grinning, and my husband Mark afterward, albeit more seriously. I didn’t tube for long, but I did it! We also camped a couple of days in the Great Smoky Mountain’s National Park. It was incredibly beautiful, cool and sunny, with deer feeding by our campsite in the early morning and a stream that lulled us to sleep at night. One afternoon we decided to go check out some trails. Mark and Ryan wanted to take a shortcut, which involved going across some streams by walking over stones or logs in the water. Okay, so “Flexi-Woman” was feeling doubtful about this little trek. Both Mark and Ryan picked their way across but I stood there, really scared. Suddenly they were both coaching me. “Come on! You can do it!” They walked back over and showed me which rocks to step on, “be aware of that one, it moves.” I made it almost all the way, but then I froze - big distance to the next rock. Ryan came back and reached out his hand, “Come on Mom. I’ll help you.” I grasped his hand as I did a little jump. This was the hand I had once held to help him cross the street. I was struck by it, now as big as mine, sure and strong, and by the smile of my proud son, having helped me succeed. Sometimes we just have to reach out for help, knowing God will answer. And remember that the one who helps us gains as much as we do. May wisdom and peace be yours, BOARD TALK by Barb Clemons The Board voted to send the tithe for June to three Unity churches as seed money for growth. The Church Picnic at Bay Area Park was a great success with around 40-50 people attending. Chris Bennett will have a team meeting of the Youth Education team on the 3rd Sunday of each month. More teachers are needed. The 9th Anniversary Luncheon will be held on September 26th at South Shore Harbor Resort (the same location as last year’s luncheon). The name of the Finance Team has been changed to the Development Team since that will be the main focus of the team. Scott Sartorius has agreed to be the team lead. The team meets the 1st Sunday of each month at 8:30 AM. The Outreach Team is still in need of a leader. We will have a survey in August to determine the interest in a second service and determine if there is support for it. The Board discussed the ideas generated from the first Development Team meeting. It was decided to designate our $25,000 investment as the start of the Building Fund. The fund will not be used for any other purpose. Possible fund raising activities targeted to the Building Fund were also discussed. Since the Annual Meeting is coming up on October 10th, the Nominating Committee was discussed. Mary Pat Gunn was elected last year to represent the congregation on the committee. The rest of the committee is Amy Groblewski as the Board representative and Reverend Steve. As stated in the Bylaws, they will choose a chairman from the congregation and start looking for candidates. Two three-year terms will be up for election in October. YOUTH ED There is a terrific Unity website for our youth that has information, age specific activities, and recommended books to read that are based on Unity principles. The website address is www.scucafamilyministry.com. The Kids Page has a Wonder Word for every day of the month that stimulates the mind and helps nurture the soul. Check out the Uniteen page for junior high students with "Cool Books to Read." There is a Uniteen Parents page with reading and parenting articles. There are YOU (Youth of Unity) pages with articles, events and Meditations for high school age students. There is also a Unity Parents Page with articles on parenting and recommended reading. I highly recommend that you visit this Unity sponsored website as it will provide a healthy experience for you and your child. What a wonderful way to provide an interesting topic that can be discussed and shared with the family at dinnertime, and alleviate the scenario of "What did you do today" with the often heard response of "Nothing." This can also promote and strengthen communication between parent and child in supporting "heart talks." If you have any questions about this or need help in navigating the website, please feel free to contact me at 281-339-2096. As one of those who doesn't get a couple of months off from work in the summer, I remember that I am very grateful for my job. I practice “Letting Go and Letting God" when adult responsibilities seem burdensome, unending or overwhelming, so that I can claim the joy our children so beautifully express! Youthful Blessings, Unity Chaplains LIFE OF PRAYER II Mondays, August 2-30, 2004 UNITY TREASURES Thank You, God Life can hold such lovely things! NEW CHANNELS OF PROSPERITY! We live in an abundant universe, ever ready to meet and fulfill our every want. We have found new channels of prosperity for our church, partnering with Randall’s Good Neighbor Program and the Kroger Share programs. Every grocery purchase at either chain will create a financial blessing for our church. It is easy to sign up and begin to fill a new channel of prosperity for our church! FOR RANDALLS: FOR KROGERS: ALSO! God is our Source! A consciousness of God is our supply! We open ourselves to every channel of prosperity that God has freely created for us! Thank you God! CIRCLE OF HEARTS Dr. Jane Noojin’s talk on June17th about health and nutrition was an informative evening - with lots of laughs and information (and a few sad faces when learning about the “shouldn’t eats"). We talked about food allergies, what’s good for our bodies and what isn’t. We learned many interesting facts. For instance, did you know that exercise is important not only for your muscular/skeletal fitness, but it even helps your body attain nutrients? Exercise warms up the cell walls and makes them more permeable, allowing nutrients to enter the cell more easily. We also learned that milk can cause hot flashes! Wow - now I can just blame those hot flashes on a glass of milk instead of a birthday! Also, if you chew ice constantly, you may have an iron deficiency and if you are easily startled, you may have a magnesium deficiency. Of course, the main things we should stay away from are salt, processed sugar and flour - the food we all know and love! But, anything, even those things, in moderation is ok. We just have to honor our bodies and be aware of what we put in them! It was a wonderful evening, as usual - a time to share and learn together. Our July 22nd Circle of Hearts meeting will be honored to have our own Reverend Diane Plamondon and Chris Bennett, travel expert, talk about Costa Rica and service opportunities there. They will share information about our sister church as well. Chris promises pictures and lots of information. Come along and learn all about our international sister church, Unity Costa Rica, founded by Rev. Diane. Departure time is 7:00 PM, Thursday, July 22nd. You won’t have to worry about your seat back or your tray table! Ladies, we will need volunteers to help us organize the special evening coming up August 12th with Freddie Weber. She will be presenting a musical comedy concert about “Being Here NOW!” If you are willing to help us with refreshments or check-in, please give Sue Witt a call. This evening will be on a love offering basis and open to our entire congregation. Mark your calendars now, so that you will “Be there THEN!” DEVELOPMENT TEAM NEWS Change is good! Our Finance Team has been transformed into the Development Team. The purpose of our team is to help develop the financial base of our church to plan for the future growth and expansion of our ministry. We seek to help bring our church mission alive –“We envision a magnificent spiritual center of love, beholding a world in which all people honor each other and live together in peace and harmony.” Our role is to plan and to create fundraisers that will help increase our Building Fund. Yes, we have a Building Fund! Our church has been able to set aside monies for the purpose of one day owning our own church, our own spiritual home. Your generous financial support has paved the way for us to begin this unfolding plan of God’s good for our spiritual family. Our next meeting is Sunday, July 11, 2004, at 8:30 a.m. in the Angel Wing at church. Please join us if you are interested in or have experience in fundraising. Your support and input will help us to raise funds and the prosperity consciousness that will bring our mission alive! Scott Sartorius, Development Team Leader, Cell: 281-250-3696, email: ssartorius@houston.rr.com Ego Honey, The Traveler by Janie Neill It isn’t the big problems of life that challenge my peace as much as the little problems. Ever get behind a man in the security line at the airport? He has to take out his cell phone, his beeper, his change, his car keys and his laptop, and then take off his belt and his shoes. He still can’t go through the machine because he left his boarding pass in the case with his laptop. They have to send that back so he can retrieve his boarding pass. He finally goes through, and of course, he set the machine off anyway. By this time, Ego Honey is thinking, “It’s probably the steel plate in his head!” One would think that the man behind him would take a hint and begin his undressing process, but alas, he waits until it is his turn. Ego Honey would rather be behind ten women than two men. A woman just throws her carry-on and her purse on the conveyer belt and walks through. I finally arrive at the gate and three out of four people are talking on their cell phones. Ego Honey screams silently, “Haven’t you people ever heard of face to face conversation?” And of course, everyone seems to feel it is necessary to talk louder than usual. Ego Honey is going nuts. She wants to ask each one if he always talks this loud or only in airports. *What is it about airports that make everyone want to talk on the phone? My husband who is hearing challenged anyway decides in a noisy airport, where he really can’t hear, to call his sister who talks on the phone in a whisper! I figure the poor dear must have been feeling left out because everyone else was talking on a cell phone. I get Ego Honey to take a few deep breaths, and I begin to picture these people talking to God on those cell phones, and they are all asking for love. You know, in the deepest sense, that is exactly what they are doing and so is impatient Ego Honey. UNITYOFBAYAREA.ORG Our new website is beautiful! A new feature that will prosper our church is the link to Amazon.com on our bookstore page. Bookmark our bookstore page as the starting point for all of your Amazon.com purchases. Every time you purchase at Amazon by connecting through this link, the church receives a financial blessing! TREASURER’S REPORT Weekly Goal - $3655.00 May - 5/01/04 to 5/31/04 Total Income - $18,312.08 Expenses and Tithe - $13,448.84 Net Income - $4,543.36 Unity Church of the Bay Area's tithe for the month of May was $1764.00. It was blessed and sent to Silent Unity. SUNDAYS IN JULY July 4th - The Faith to be Healed Guest Speaker: Reverend Diane Plamondon, Ph.D. July 11th - Finding Our Way to God Reverend Horn July 18th - The Jonah Factor Reverend Horn July 25th - Over the Hill to Heaven Reverend Horn Your newsletter contributions are welcome! Deadline for articles is the 15th of each month. Please submit them to the church office or e-mail them to: unityofbayarea@aol.com |
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