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NEWSLETTER October 2005Beloved Friends, Homecoming. The very word opens the heart to receive! At first it reminds me of the times growing up in Indiana when we would have Homecoming weekend at school with all of its festivities. There was the great football game and returning alumni to hopefully celebrate a victory. The storms of the last few weeks have given me a different insight into what it means to return home. Many of us left when Hurricane Rita was predicted to hit the Houston area. The road to safety was long and challenging for many. But think of how it felt when you came home. Wasn’t it wonderful to return home to that safe and familiar sanctuary? And if you stayed, how wonderful it felt when the storm had passed and you realized that you were safe. Imagine how it felt when you first came to Unity. I remember a feeling like I had finally come home. I felt it deep within my soul. Many of us have had a similar feeling. Wouldn’t it be the best if we could share our message of positive, practical Truth with everyone? We can. Sunday, October 9th is Homecoming Sunday. Invite your family and friends to attend our church. If you have missed seeing one of our members in church lately, give them a call and ask them to come home. It feels good to be remembered! And know, dear ones, that God always remembers you! Why? Because we are God’s children, created to be magnificent and abundant in every way. Let God come alive through you. And always remember that God is Good ~ All the Time! One in Christ, Important Date Change of Annual Meeting! MARK'S MUSINGS My thoughts this month center on change and balance. I feel as though I am sitting in a rowboat, leaving behind the shore of my old thoughts, behaviors and habits. I can see the new shore that I desire to reach. I haven’t quite reached solid ground and sometimes find myself drifting away from the new shore. It can be exhilarating and yet also frustrating. My life is busy with new opportunities at work and with coaching my son Ryan’s soccer team. Add to that my other responsibilities and balancing it all with prayer and meditation can be a difficult balancing act. There were moments in the past few weeks when I found myself trying to speed up my life; to be more and do more. I found the quality of my work suffered if I did not create time for myself. I also developed some insomnia. Since my natural inclination is “to serve others I’ve had to work at making some time for me. Most of my working day is spent with very little attention upon me. People don’t go see a therapist to listen to the therapist talk about their personal life; they go to have the focus upon them. I had not considered this until my coach brought it to my attention. Therefore, one of my decisions was to not renew as a chaplain at church for the coming year, a big change for me. I also volunteered at the George R. Brown Convention Center working with evacuees in terms of counseling and assessment; determining whether their symptoms, if any, necessitated a medication consult from the Psychiatrists on staff at the triage units. I was in awe of how many donated items had been collected- a block of clothing and supplies! There were also two blocks of cots for around 10,000 people. I was humbled at the generosity of Houston, and the courage of so many evacuees in making change in their lives. May God bless us all as we continue to grow and change. Mark Groblewski Fall Back! Please remember to set your clocks back 1 hour before you go to be on Saturday, October 30th! BOARD TALK At our September meeting, the Board established a standing policy that no alcohol would be offered at any church-sponsored event. This positive action eliminates the need for the Board to make judgments on a case-by-case basis and avoids potential legal and insurance complications. Our “adopted family,” from New Orleans--Loretta, Wendy, George, and Paul--have provided opportunity for us to express our response to Katrina’s devastation in a personal way. Thus far, UCBA members have given $2,241.25 to help ease our friends’ transition to their new life ahead. Bob and Janie Neill have generously donated use of one of their cars for two months. Others have helped in a variety of thoughtful ways. In September, our tithe of $100 each will go to Janie Kelley and Denise Wilson, ministerial students; also, 25% goes to the Association of Unity Churches and 25% to Unity School of Christianity. The remaining 50% will be distributed by Unity’s Hurricane Relief Fund to churches affected by Hurricane Katrina. On Saturday, October 8, at 11:00 a.m., Rev. Steve will conduct his annual Blessing of the Pets. This service not only provides a superb opportunity for all of us to honor our animal companions, but also serves to enhance the bonds between us and our four-legged buddies. Did You Know? That UCBA receives a rebate from grocery purchases you make at Krogers and Randalls? We have received over $400 this year in rebates from your grocery purchases at Randalls and Krogers! Details on how to participate are available in the Gathering Room, or call the church office! Do you shop online at Amazon.com? If you shop with them using the link on our church website Bookstore page, we get a rebate from all purchases you make. Just open the page and save it as your link to Amazon for future use! God has many channels to bring our good to us. We invite you to help our church claim all of the abundance that is ours! Randalls Important Date Change of Annual Meeting! Annual Membership Meeting Sunday, October 23, 2005 We have changed the date for our Annual Membership Meeting! We have moved the date for the Annual Membership to October 23,2005 due to the issues with the weather, evacuation and the return to the Houston area. It will be held after the Sunday service at approximately 12 noon. All are invited to attend. Church members will be voting on any business matters before the church and for three new members to our Board of Trustees. Plan to attend! Absentee Ballots will be available October 16-20,2005, in the church office. All absentee ballots must be received prior to the meeting. New Member Sunday moved to October 9, 2005! We will be receiving new members on October 9, 2005. Membership is a declaration of one's commitment to a spiritual path, one aligned with the principles of Unity. If you would like to become a member of Unity Church of the Bay Area, please fill out a membership card at the church office. There will be a New Member Meeting on Thursday,October 6, 2005, from 7-9 p.m. Lending Library Notes Books in the Lending Library have now been catalogued and check-out cards placed on the inside back cover of each book. For future book check-outs, please sign the card and place it in the box provided instead of signing the check-out sheet. Other media (tapes and videos) will continue to be checked out in the usual manner. Thank you to those who have donated books to the Lending Library. We appreciate your generosity. While we have a selection of tapes available for loan, several members have expressed a desire for devotional or inspirational CDs to play in their cars that have no tape players. If you have any such CDs to which you no longer listen, we’d appreciate your donation. If you haven’t looked at the books and tapes in the Lending Library, I invite you to see what an outstanding selection we have available. Youth Ed “Who will take care of the children?” Many hands raise as these words of Myrtle Fillmore echo down through the years. She very much loved children and spent much of her time and energy working with them. Our Youth Ed teachers provide the opportunity to take care of our children in the most wise, nurturing, holy and respectful ways. In doing so, teachers deeply learn what they are called to teach. The opportunity of accelerated spiritual growth for those who teach is truly miraculous and humbling. We offer guidance and tools for our children that will help them grow in self-esteem and self-respect. We help open them to the awareness of their God-nature and to the power that they possess to create their life experiences by what they choose to think and what they feel and believe. What greater gift can we give them? Does this sound exciting to you? Would you like to be involved in this beautiful and creative way of awakening the divine potential in and empowering our youth? We have opportunities to serve in our Youth Ed as teachers and helpers. If you would like to help, please give me a call at (281) 339-2096. Youthful Blessings, Unity Treasures Success Success is the sum of small efforts
Answered Prayers! Hello Reverend Steve, Thank you so much for sending us a prayer the day before a hurricane evacuation. Your guidance and care was perfectly timed. What a great minister! I particularly liked the beginning phrases in the prayer, "God's wisdom will guide you..." and "God's strength will uplift you..." I am writing to tell you how I used the prayer. I diligently carried the wrinkled and tattered prayer in my pocket. I could have said the prayer without your email, but because you sent it, when I read your email, I felt the power of the entire Unity congregation behind me. I read the prayer several times during my 10 hour drive and during my stay with family members. I actually never made it to Ft. Worth and at 3:00 a.m. found myself in a Wal-Mart Evacuee Camp, at which time the prayer came in particularly handy!! I am laughing about, and even though it sounds like a scary story, the reality is that I knew that God was with me in that parking lot at 3:00 a.m. till dawn, and that no matter where I was, I was in God's hands at all times. Thank you for being there in time of evacuation, Joanne B. Barb’s Broccoli Grape Salad Broccoli, cut up into small pieces Dressing: Mayonnaise - 1 cup Homecoming Sunday! Sunday, October 9, 2005 It’s time to come home! Unity Church of the Bay Area is a spiritual home to many. It is a place where we can experience, express and learn more of the Power and Presence of Spirit within. Our message of positive, practical Christianity feeds and fuels us to be the best we can be. The Christ within shines brightly through us! What makes our church so special is the love one feels whenever he or she is here. Invite your family and friends to attend our church. If you have missed seeing one of our members in church lately, give them a call and ask them to come home. It feels good to be remembered! TREASURER’S REPORT August 8/1/05 – 8/30/05 General Fund Income $ 17,346.10 Expenses - 17,192.01 Net General Fund Income $ 154.09 Building Fund Income + 2,660.00 Total Income $ 2,814.09
Building Fund (CDs & investments) $112,000.00 Unity Church of the Bay Area's tithe for August was $1,692.00. It was blessed and $100 each was sent to Janie Kellley and Gloria Hardesty, ministerial students at Unity School of Christianity. Also $306.25 each was sent to the Association of Unity Churches and Unity School of Christianity. Unity Church Universal, Unity’s mother church, in Kansas City, Missouri was sent $ 612.50. Interfaith Caring Ministries was sent $267.00 from the Let Down Your Nets Building Fund project for school supplies for children. Your continued financial support allows our church to grow and flourish and carry the message of positive, practical Christianity in the Bay area. SUNDAYS IN OCTOBER! October 2, 2005 October 9, 2005 October 16, 2005
October 23, 2005
October 30, 2005 Our Tenth Anniversary Gala was a Huge Success! Thank you to all who helped to make our Gala a wonderful success. Many people donated their time, energy and talents to make the evening a fun celebration of the Ten Year Anniversary of our church. This special evening provided something for everyone - good fun, a chance to buy a new treasure, dancing and special entertainment by four professional dancers. Our church family and guests had an awesome evening! After paying all expenses and tithing $1,297.00 we raised $8,543.30 for our Building Fund! Thank you God! Thank you to all of the contributors of auction items below! Aesthetic Alternatives The Blessings of Our Pets In the creation story in Genesis, God created all creatures, and named each one “good.” Many of us have pets that are our special friends. We freely share and exchange love with them. Join us for a special outdoor service in which we honor and bless our pets. Bring your pet, or a picture of him or her, to receive a special blessing from Reverend Horn in this service that honors the beauty of God in all living creatures. Please have leashes for your dogs and carriers if possible for your other pets. Snacks for our animal friends will be provided. Your newsletter contributions are welcome! Please submit them to the church office or e-mail them to info@unityofbayarea.org by the 15th of each month. We ask that articles not exceed 300 words, and ask that Answered Prayers articles be between 150-200 words if possible. Our goal is to share your articles in newsletters as soon as possible.
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