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NEWSLETTER December 2005Beloved Friends, It’s almost here! Christmas is one of the special times of the year for me. I enjoy the hustle and bustle of people as they prepare for the holidays. I really had great fun as we decorated the church this year. I am always impressed with the process. We really have some great self-starters in our midst, who enthusiastically used their creativity in decorating. The church looks beautiful! It reminded me of the Reason for the Season. We welcome the Light that has come into the world to free us from all of our limitations. Yes, the Christ Light is within each of us. Each Christmas is an opportunity to reawaken to the power and presence of the Christ within. In the Bible, scripture refers to the coming of Emmanuelle. Emmanuelle means “God is with us.” How wonderful to again claim that God truly is with us, within us, alive in us through the Christ within! I am grateful for each of you and the many ways that you share with our church family. Your generosity in sharing your abundance is a source of joy for our church and the people who call Unity Church of the Bay Area their spiritual home. Together we have created a powerful prosperity consciousness in which our church can thrive. May this season be a holy time in which the blessings you give are returned to you multiplied! My prayer for you this Christmas is that you are blessed in such a way that your relationships with family and friends are deepened and enriched. May you find a deeper and truer connection with Spirit within you and those you love. May you walk in peace and experience the love of God in every area of your life. And may the gifts of Hope, Peace, Love and Joy be the treasure you claim this Christmas. Open your heart this Christmas. Rediscover the joy of Christ in you. Give freely of yourself and you will know the true Reason for the Season. Your reward will be treasure in heaven, and abundant happiness and lasting peace in your life! One in Christ, MARK'S MUSINGS Peace on Earth, good will to all... BOARD TALK Our first Board meeting of the new fiscal year was held on November 8, 2005. At that time, officers were chosen for the year. Our officers are: Mark Groblewski, President; Rick Flynn, Vice-President; Sylvia Hicks, Treasurer; and Barb Clemons, Secretary. Mary Pat Gunn and Chris Kuhlman are members-at-large. Rev. Steve announced that we had a $25,000 donation. $20,000 of this will go to the Building Fund, $2,500 will be tithed and the rest will be used for some improvements at the church. There will not be any scheduled Wednesday evening classes until after the holidays. After the holidays, Dianna Marion, LUT candidate, and Rev. Steve will be offering classes on Mondays and Wednesdays. One of the congregants has offered to teach a yoga class on Tuesday or Thursday evenings. We will update everyone as soon as we can! Christmas Day and New Year’s Day both fall on Sundays this year. Some changes are being made to the holiday services. The Christmas Eve Candlelight Service will be at 6:00 PM with refreshments to follow. The Letters to God will be written at the Burning Bowl Service on Sunday, January 8, 2006. Teams are doing well. Sara Thompson is now the team leader for the Bookstore, Marcie Hale is the team leader for Special Events and Rick Flynn is the team leader for the Dream Team. The Dream Team is investigating possibilities for buying or building our own church. Our annual Christmas Project was discussed. The Board decided to collect Walmart cards for Bay Area Turning Point and collect toys for Toys for Tots. Our thanks to Gayle McFadden and Pauline Hitt as they leave the Board. We appreciate their good work. YOUTH ED It’s that time of year when most of our children are trying to be especially good in an attempt to receive all the items on their Christmas lists. I have a nephew who used to take a marker and circle everything he liked from the Toys R Us catalog. As we get older, we change and our lists become the gifts we would like to give to others – family, friends and co-workers. I often get side-tracked with the material aspect of these lists. Did I remember everyone? Are they going to like my gift? Am I staying within my budget? I forget that it’s not about the “stuff.” It is about giving in love and appreciation of the special gift that person is in my life. When I remember this, I can be more creative and thoughtful. This is a wonderful time of year to do something special as a family in giving to others. Whether it’s picking up an extra toy, warm jacket, gift certificate or bag of groceries for someone you may or may not know, take an extra moment to be thankful that you can do this as a family. Anonymous giving helps keep me mindful of the true purpose of a gift. One year I took a girlfriend’s 8-year old daughter out shopping at the dollar store. I gave her $10 to spend on gifts for a child she didn’t know. We both had so much fun that we decided we needed to double the amount and I was amazed at how thoughtful and practical she was in choosing the gifts. Children are often wise beyond their years and I always learn something from them when I am open to receive their blessing. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could maintain that child-like anticipation and expectancy of the Christmas season in every day of our life? The good news is we can if we choose to! Being with our youth on Sundays helps me to remember I am a child of God and to come into alignment with God’s purpose in my life. If you feel called to assist in Youth Ed once a month, please give me a call at 281-339-2096 or leave a message in the church office. I wish all of you a very blessed Christmas season and thank you for the privilege of serving our youth. Youthful Blessings, ARE YOU AN EARLY RISER? We are adding an 8:30 a.m. service on Sunday mornings beginning January 15, 2006! So many of you have asked for an earlier service, another opportunity to connect and celebrate together the living Spirit of God. We will need people to commit to helping at this service so that it might flow with ease, be successful and be a sacred experience for all who attend. If you are interested in helping and would like to get involved, please see Rev. Steve or give him a call at the church office. We will especially need an usher/greeter, sound person and platform assistants. You may already be participating on a Love in Action team and might wish to shift your serving to the early service. Please let us know! More details will follow in the January newsletter! God is Good ~ All the Time! ANSWERED PRAYERS For the past ten months I had been trying to find a job. Many were the days when I was worried and depressed but my faith in God and His love kept me going. On many occasions I turned to Silent Unity to pray for me and just knowing that you were praying along with me helped me to keep searching and not lose hope. God has answered our prayers. Finally, I have a job and it is just what I needed. I am truly happy and grateful to the Lord for my job. I thank you all for your prayers. To God be the glory. I praise Him and thank Him daily for all that He has done in my life. May He bless you richly. Classes at UCBA There will be no scheduled classes during the month of December due to the busyness of the holidays. Reverend Steve will resume classes on Wednesdays in January. Dianna Marion, LUT candidate, will be teaching on Mondays in January. Her class will be Creative Living, a seven-week study to help students rediscover, claim and express their creative genius. Look for further details in the January Newsletter! Christmas Outreach at UCBA! Each year we pick different ways to share our abundance in our greater community at Christmas time. We are very excited this year about adopting a family for Christmas. We are adopting a mother with two children who were referred to us through Bay Area Turning Point, a shelter for abused women and children. We will have a full "wish list" available at church for you to pick gifts you would like to give. Sylvia Hicks, Pauline Hitt and Kerri Steele are coordinating this special opportunity to bring the joy of Christmas to a family in need. If you would like to make a financial contribution towards this special endeavor, please make your check payable to the church and write Bay Area Turning Point on the memo line. Gift cards from Walmart are also appreciated! Also, we are collecting unwrapped gifts and toys for Toys for Tots. Please bring them and place them in the Critter Corral in the Gathering Room. Thank you in advance for your generosity! Have You Had A Prosperous Year? Giving is a way to express our greatest blessings as well as our values. It demonstrates the principle of flow in our lives because we know that as we give, we also receive. Jesus taught again and again that as we sow, we also reap. Each gift supports the work of this ministry, sharing the positive message of God's unconditional love. Our church is funded solely through the generous giving of each of you, and we are grateful. So at this year’s end, as you are counting your blessings and looking for a place to share them, I invite you to consider our church. The seed you plant today will blossom and bloom into an abundant harvest! With Blessings of Hope, Peace, Love and Joy! Christmas at Unity Church of the Bay Area 1st Sunday of Advent 2nd Sunday of Advent 3rd Sunday of Advent 4th Sunday of Advent Saturday, December 24, 2005 Sunday, December 25, 2005 January 1, 2006 The Angel Tree! This year we again have our Angel Tree in the sanctuary. Our goal is to fill it with lace Angels during the Christmas season. Last year we placed over 150 Angels on our tree! We will add an Angel to the tree for every $100 that is donated to the Building Fund. Whatever the size of your financial gift, each will become a part of our goal to increase our Building Fund and fill our tree with Angels. Our goal is to place 150 Angels on our tree. We will publish a list of our Angel contributors in our January newsletter. We thank God in advance for the abundance that is flowing to our church now! Unity Treasures Christmas is more than gifts or carol singing Know that however far by time and tide It’s Christmas in your heart; for you in your heart Not outward forms but what the heart may hold For Christmas is your love for those who love you, SOME THOUGHTS OF SPIRITUAL GIVING Spiritual giving is actually a form of prayer. It is an opportunity to express your gratitude and open yourself to receive greater abundance. You will benefit most from spiritual giving when you follow these simple suggestions: Seek inner guidance for giving. In your time of prayer and meditation, ask God to reveal to you what your financial gift can be, whether it is a dollar or percentage amount. When we rely on God, we can only be right! Give regularly. Our church expenses continue even when you are not in attendance. Make a personal commitment and keep it, not for the church but for yourself. Spiritual giving helps develop spiritual discipline. Give unconditionally. Give freely and joyously. Give without strings attached and without expectation of recognition. Open yourself to receive from unconditional love as you have given in unconditional love. Give more than just money. It is true that our church needs money to pay our bills and serve the community. We also need your time, talents and attention to our teams. We flourish and prosper as we minister to each other in loving service. Invest your total self in your spiritual home. Bless every gift. The attitude in which you give is important. Giving in love and thanksgiving nourishes you as well as your church. Feel good about giving. When we allow our giving to reflect the glory of God, we allow God to use us as a channel, an instrument to create peace, love and prosperity. These gifts are the very reflection of God. Feel good about putting God first in your life, at every level of knowing, being and doing!
Gingerbread Cookies 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour Use a clean 1 quart jar and press each layer down firmly. Put in half of the flour along with the baking powder and baking soda. Add the spices and the remaining flour. Add the brown sugar last. Tie a ribbon around the top of the jar and attach the cookie cutter and the directions below. A Christmas Gift Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the church “Golly Gee,” said one member, “Let’s give him a tie. “Let’s get him a suit,” another chimed in, “Let’s give him our love, our devoted attentions, “Golly Gee,” they all said, “What a thing to behest!” ACIM Christmas Luncheon The Course in Miracles Thursday Group will have a pot luck luncheon on December 15th at 1pm. We will discuss the question: What does the Course say about Christmas? Bring a dish with enough to spare and to share. All are welcome to join us. Are You Looking to Adopt a Dog? Ministerial student Janie Kelley is looking for a loving home for her two dogs. She has a Sheltie-mix named Cassie, who is 3½ years old, house trained and weighs about 40 lbs. Her other dog is a Basenji-mix named Molly, who is 6 years old, spayed, house trained and weighs 40 lbs. Molly cannot be around cats and is a bark-less dog. Both of her dogs learn commands easily. Her hope is that the perfect person can adopt both if possible. However, whoever adopts each of them will be very blessed because they are wonderful pets. If you have any further questions about Janie's dogs she can be reached in Missouri at 816-246-8409. Or you can contact Mark Kirby at 713-252-5606 or Dianna Marion at 281-996-0508. OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES Listed below is the contact information for officers and members of the Board of Trustees for 2005-2006: Mark Groblewski, President Rick Flynn, Vice President Sylvia Hicks, Treasurer Barb Clemons, Secretary Mary Pat Gunn, Board Member Chris Kuhlman, Board Member TREASURER’S REPORT October 10/1/05 – 10/31/05 General Fund Income $ 16,981.53 Expenses -20,023.69 Net General Fund Income $ -3,042.16 Building Fund Income + 1,160.00 Total Income $ -1,882.16 Building Fund (CDs & investments) $132,000.00 Unity Church of the Bay Area's tithe for October was $1,800.00. It was blessed and $100 each was sent to Janie Kelley and William Gill, ministerial students at Unity School of Christianity. Also $1,600.00 was divided evenly and disbursed to the Association of Unity Churches, the Association of Unity Churches Hurricane Relief Fund, Unity School of Christianity, and Christ in You Fellowship. Your continued financial support allows our church to grow and flourish and carry the message of positive, practical Christianity in the Bay area. 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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