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AUGUST 2004 Beloved Friends, Summer is coming to a close. I hope and pray that your vacations have helped to renew, restore and refresh you. I always looked forward to our family trips in the summertime. It was great to see new areas of the country and to visit the members of my family that I did not have the opportunity to see as often. No matter where we went, it always felt good to return home! In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he invites people to remember that God is with us, wherever we go. Continue to live your life with God foremost in your mind, wherever you are. As you have traveled this summer, we have been holding prayerfully the sacred space of God’s love, care and protection for you. We appreciate each of you, those who have been here, and those who, while not here, have remembered their church home during their travels. Your support of prayer and finances helps us to continue God’s work through this ministry. Thank you God for abundant blessings! This fall is shaping up into an exciting blessing of Spirit. We have many activities planned during the month of September, from honoring our Service Teams to celebrating the Ninth Anniversary of Unity Church of the Bay Area. Our Teams are gathering energy so that each can be a vital part of this ministry that love is building. I invite you to ask yourself in what way you are called to give at church, to serve in a way that will enrich and fulfill you! There is an old Sufi saying – ‘To bring joy to one heart with love is better than a thousand litanies.” Jesus Christ said, “I came not to be served, but to serve.” Giving freely is the shortest path to knowing God. Why? Because loving service releases the divine potential within you! It is sharing the vital essence of God, which is love, with whomever you are serving. This is the great example taught to us through the ministry of Jesus Christ. Let us be samples of the great example! The Light of God surrounds you. In Christ Love, Amy’s Angle What’s been on your mind lately? Looking at that question has been creating a mental “mini-revolution” for me in the last few weeks. I’ve been reading an oldie but goodie book, Psycho-Cybernetics by plastic surgeon Maxwell Maltz, M.D. The book discusses how God created our minds as “servo-mechanisms” that will work automatically to create whatever we focus on. And like a rocket, once we have a clear target, our minds will make corrections whenever we get off the mark, until we hit the target. But this mechanism is impersonal; it just goes for the target, whether positive or negative. (Sound familiar? It’s pretty exciting what light Unity teachings bring.) Reading this book helped me to see that I’d been focusing on my fears a lot at work. I'm in a process of going beyond an old image of myself and reaching new heights, and yet I've found myself mentally rehearsing how I’d handle it if things went wrong, or if the things I'm afraid of happen. I’ve become aware of an old mental habit of trying to figure out EVERTHING that could possibly happen AND what I’d do to control and/or manage it. (How about THAT for a fantasy!!) Big problem - it doesn’t work! In fact, it creates anxiety and stress, and most importantly, it blocks me from the Creative Mind of God. (Sorry, God, too busy thinking about all this YUCKY stuff that hasn't happened to tune in right now!) So, I’m paying more attention to what’s on my mind. I am consciously focusing on what I WANT and on the Truth that God is alive in me and available every instant. I don’t have to know HOW I’m going to hit the target or even what I'll do if X happens. (Deep breath, FAITH!). God-Mind takes care of that; all I need to do tune in to those "God-moments." Finally, thank God for you and our church, for being there to help me remember when I forget! Loving thoughts to you, Youth Ed Meditation anyone????? I was initially quite unsure of how to present meditation practice to our younger students and was probably most concerned that they would not like it. After wasting energy in worrying about it, I remembered to ask God for help! And I followed the recommendations from our Unity curriculum, set the mood, and read the guided meditation. I was astonished and filled with wonder as I watched our younger students respond immediately to this practice, almost as if they had been doing this all their lives. It reminds me of Jesus telling his followers that only if you come as a child, will you enter the kingdom of heaven. I believe that our children are much closer to God in a very natural way because they haven't had years of conditioning that they are separate from God. It brings me great joy to see them snuggle into their bean bag chair, close their eyes, and focus on the meditation without any struggle. OK – there may be a few moments of squirming while they get comfortable! However, I can actually feel the energy shift as God's peace fills the room and settles into the hearts of all present. It is awesome to see a roomful of children with seemingly boundless energy become as peaceful and content as they experience meditation. One week we had a couple of interruptions as students from other classes walked in the room during our meditation. Not a single one of them opened their eyes or popped up to see who it was. That was incredible to witness. They all seem to enjoy this part of our class because if they do not like something, I have learned that they will voice their opinion quite quickly. Here is a simple way to help your children meditate. Begin by saying, "Let your body find its most comfortable way to sit in your chair. Make sure you are in your own space, not touching anyone around you. Ask your body to be still and quiet. Close your eyes so that you can pay attention to the inside rather than what is happening around you. Listen and use your mind to create pictures of what I say as we enter into meditation." Then read, recite or let Spirit guide you for the meditation. Daily Word readings are a great source! For closing, you can say, "As we end our time of meditation, open your eyes just a little and close them again. Now open them again. Amen." We have a different meditation each week, which ties into our lesson. If anyone would like a copy of the meditation, please see me. The peaceful smiles reveal contentment, happiness and a sense that all is right with their world. I invite you to be a part of this experience and to be blessed abundantly by volunteering once a month as a class room assistant or teacher. Youthful Blessings, Board Talk by Barb Clemons The Board voted to split the tithe for July between the Association of Unity Churches and Unity School. Plans for Team Sunday on September 19th were discussed. Each team will be available to discuss their area of service and invite people to join. The Youth Education Team will provide refreshments. Reverend Steve reported on the business conducted at the AUC convention and the SCUCA regional meeting. We discussed the budget and possible ways of trimming expenses. A survey regarding an 8:30 AM worship service on Sundays will be distributed starting on August 22nd through September 19th, 2004. Congregants will be encouraged to express their ideas. The Nominating Committee for the elections at the Annual Meeting in October consists of the following people: Michael Goldreyer, Chair; Mark Kirby, Amy Groblewski and Reverend Steve. Our Ninth Anniversary Luncheon is scheduled for September 26th at the South Shore Harbor Resort in League City. LIFE OF PRAYER II Does your prayer life fulfill you? Prayer is the most important building block of our relationship with God. Through prayer, we open ourselves to the power of God that can heal and transform our lives. Jesus Christ clearly outlined the ways to pray in the Bible. Join Rev. Steve for this exciting class in which we will explore different types of prayer using the book, Come Apart For Awhile. Each class night we will explore different types of prayer, and review basic Unity methods of prayer. While open to everyone, this class is required for those wishing to enter our Unity Chaplain program in September 2004. Books are available in the Bookstore. Mondays, August 2-30, 2004 Unity Chaplains Have you ever considered becoming a Unity Chaplain? Do you wish to expand your prayer consciousness and serve others in a very sacred and meaningful way? Our Unity Chaplains serve our congregation through prayer after services, in monthly wellness calls and assisting with other services in our church. Chaplains are trained in listening, holding sacred space and praying affirmatively with others. Does this special way of expressing God touch your heart? We are forming our Chaplain Team for next year, with a training weekend to be held on September 10 -11, 2004. A prerequisite to becoming a chaplain is the prayer class, Life of Prayer II, which will be held Mondays, August 2-30, 2004 at 7 p.m. If you are interested in becoming a chaplain, call the office to schedule an appointment with Rev. Steve. All interested persons are invited to attend an informational meeting at 12:00 on Sunday, August 8th, in the Lighthouse, to help answer any questions you might have about the Chaplain program. I invite you to pray about it, asking God if you are being called to expand your prayer life and share it with our church family! Memorial Gift Option Now Available Church members and friends who wish to make donations in recognition of special occasions now have the opportunity to mark such events by contributing to the UCBA building fund. This option provides an excellent opportunity to honor requests for charitable gifts, in lieu of flowers, in memory of a deceased loved one. Consider making a donation recognizing such happy events as birthdays, anniversaries, and other landmark occasions. A personalized, printed card acknowledging each gift will be mailed to both the donor and the honoree or family of the deceased. When you make your memorial gift, be sure to identify the nature of the occasion, along with the name and address of the honoree or deceased's family. Include your own address as well, so an acknowledgment card may be mailed to you. This exciting new option gives us an avenue to demonstrate our love of family and friends while advancing the progress of our building fund. 2-4 Book Club The 2-4 Book Club is going strong. We’re currently reading A Glimpse of Heaven - The Remarkable World of Spiritually Transforming Experiences. The author is a resident from Galveston, Carla Wills-Brandon, who has written eight other books on spirituality and relationships. We’ve also discussed two books about Jesus and one book written by Christopher Reeves, so I think we definitely qualify as an eclectic book club. I recently read Matthew Fox’s latest book, Sins of the Spirit, Blessing of the Flesh, in which he discusses women finding their voice. Fox divides the body in sections called charkas, and the thyroid and the parathyroid are the glands associated with the throat charkas. “The parathyroid secretes hormones that regulate calcium metabolism. This charka represents the throat and the expressing of one's truth and wisdom. It is surely telling that a calcium shortage is common among many women today. Some people say it is because of childbearing, but women have always borne children. Perhaps it has something to do with the closing down of the parathyroid, which regulates calcium metabolism - in other words, with the "loss of voice" that many women experience.” Right now our group is all women, who have great voices, and we’d like to formally invite all the men to join us in our conversations. Join us on the 2nd and 4th Sundays from 7:00-8:30 p.m. in the Lighthouse. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me. Sue Brooks, 832-419-7525. SUNDAYS IN AUGUST August 1st – God’s Country August 8th – Think Big – Believe Big! August 15th – Let Go – All The Way! August 22nd – God Never Breaks A Promise! August 29th – Walking: The Pace of The Soul A Special Presentation, August 12, 2004 at 7:00 p.m. BEING HERE NOW! A Musical Comedy Concert by Freddie Weber based on Ms. Weber’s experience practicing the spiritual principles of Eckhart Tolle’s book, The Power of Now. This special evening is hosted by the Circle of Hearts Women’s Group. Everyone is invited! Ms. Weber is a speaker, author, award-winning Broadway performer and composer. She writes and performs inspirational and spiritual songs, winning numerous awards. LOVE OFFERING BASIS. JOIN US FOR A FUN AND INSPIRING EVENING! EGO HONEY: THE DIETER, by Janie Neill Dieting is Ego-Honey at her finest. No matter what position I take Ego Honey can drill me. She loves to play “Heads I win. Tails you lose.” It usually begins with Ego Honey telling me that I’m so fat I’m gross. Her litany is long enough to fill an unabridged dictionary. “Fat is unhealthy.” “You are lazy and self indulgent.” “You should exercise more.” “Relax, Ego Honey, gross is in the eye of the beholder. Maybe I’m just a little female Buddha. He was enlightened and I doubt if he ever worried about his weight.” If I listen to Ego Honey, I will believe that I am captain of all sinners. But my inner teacher gently tells her, “Vanity, my dear, you are nothing of the kind.” When the captain of all sinners and the female Buddha reach a détente, I begin to omit sweets and eat more salad and fruit. A reasonable person would assume the matter to be closed. Oh, contraire! Staying on a diet makes Ego Honey frantic because now I’m not feeling guilty. Ego Honey begins to sing siren songs that tempt my sister-in-law, who weighs about ninety pounds after Thanksgiving dinner. “It’s like holding your breath, sooner or later you are going to give in. Come on one cookie won’t hurt. Feel that emptiness. You are hungry. You had better eat.” “Ego Honey, food isn’t going to fill that emptiness.” “Sure it will. You’ve been stuffing feelings down with food your whole life. Don’t you always feel better after you eat?” When the temptress gets tired, Ego Honey, the tantrum thrower begins. She screams and kicks, “I don’t want another salad. I want a big fat hamburger.” “Oh, great! That would make you a big fat hamburger eater.” Ego Honey loves to argue with herself. This master destroyer of peace can take any side and “Let slip the dogs of war.” Ego Honey, you must be exhausted from all this guilty making. Let’s go take a nap.
September 10-11, 2004 September 26, 2004 NINTH ANNIVERSARY LUNCHEON Featuring Entertainment by Mike Buentello, Chuck Gunn, Jack &Jill Kastle, Jeff Stocki & Elton Witt. Make your reservation through the church office! TREASURER’S REPORT Weekly Goal / $ 3655.00 June / 6/01/04 to 6/30/04 Total Income / $15,339.85 Expenses and Tithe / $15,232.37 Net Income / $(313.30) Unity Church of the Bay Area's tithe for June was $1,443.31. It was blessed, divided and sent to three Unity churches: Unity of Brazoria, Unity of the Black Hills, and Unity Whole Life Church. UNITY TREASURES Tide of Joy Dawn is a tide of joy Dawn is a tide of joy NEW CHANNELS OF PROSPERITY! We live in an abundant universe, every ready to meet and fulfill our every want. We have found new channels of prosperity for our church, partnering with Randalls 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: Stop by any Randall’s Customer Service Desk to enroll or add our church number (10873) to your existing card. Simply fill out a Remarkable application to get a card or link your present card’s purchases to our church (10873). Our church gets a percentage of all sales, and your card creates opportunities for special in-store discounts. Each time you shop, present your card to the checker before they ring up your order. FOR KROGERS: Kroger Share cards are available in the church office and in the Gathering Room. You can pick one up in the church office or Gathering Room, or we can mail you one upon request. Simply carry it in your purse or wallet. Each time you shop at Kroger, present your card to the checker before they ring up your order. The Kroger Share card can be used with or without the Kroger Plus card. ALSO! If you shop online and make purchases from Amazon.com, you can now create a financial gift for our church through your purchases. Bookmark the Bookstore page from our church website, www.unityofbayarea.org. and use it as your entry point to Amazon.com. Click on the link and the church will receive a portion of any purchase you make! 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!
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