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February 2007 Beloved Friends, February is here, a month where we traditionally focus on Love. Love is an amazing attribute of the Divine Presence within us. Jesus spoke of Love as the great commandment - loving god, loving our neighbors and loving ourselves. Every experience, every interaction in life is either a sharing of love or a call for love. Let us always remember the grace of god. Grace has been called "compassion and mercy expressing through an understanding heart." We are all human, sometimes excelling and sometimes falling short of the mark of being the best we can be. I invite you to always remember that forgiveness is possible whenever we choose to forgive. Forgiveness is simply sharing love to release that which has bound you to whatever your bondage is - anger, resentment or frustration. February will be a busy month for us at church. We have a new committee (actually the combining of two other committees) that has planned special events for us to experience a variety of events and get to know each other. The Activities Team has a copy of their planned events for the year in this newsletter. Their first event, the Potluck dinner, was an incredible success. Valentine's Day is approaching, and we are having a Vow Renewal Service for all couples interested on Sunday February 11th after the 10:30 service. The Men's Group is hosting a Valentine's Dinner on Wednesday, January 14th. Space is filling up, so make your reservations in the Gathering Room! The Easter Season begins with Ash Wednesday on Wednesday, February 21st. We will have a special anointing ceremony at 7 p.m. to begin this Holy Season of Lent which leads to our Easter Celebration. Mark Groblewski has a special workshop planned for Saturday, February 24th, at 9 a.m. at UCBA, Understanding Your Partner. This workshop will help couples and singles explore ways to make their relationships more meaningful. So let us remember that God's grace, through God's unconditional Love for us, is always a source of inner strength and healing for us. God is Good ~ All the Time! One in Christ, FEBRUARY EVENTS Vow Renewal Service, Sunday February 11, 2007: All couples are invited to renew their wedding vows after the 10:30 a.m. service in a special service with Reverend Steve. Valentine Dinner, Wednesday, 7:00 p.m. at the Pier du Lac Restaurant: Reservations required for this special dinner in the Copper Room. Sign up in advance, reservations close on 2/11/07. Sponsored by the Men's Group. The Power of Wisdom Class continues through February. There will be no class on Valentine's Day! IMPORTANT MEETING! We will meet with our architect on Sunday, February 18, 2007 at 12:30 p.m. All are invited to attend and review the proposed plans. There will be a special service on Ash Wednesday, February 21, 2007 at 7 p.m. The Power of Wisdom class will follow after this anointing service. SPECIAL WORKSHOP! Understanding Your Partner February 24, 2007 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Mark Groblewski, LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker); CIRT (Certified Imago Relationships Therapist) "A crucial key to improving the quality of your life lies in improving the quality of your relationships." Do you wonder what happened to the person you fell in love with? Or do you just want to expand the love you have in your present relationship? Perhaps you are single and would like to find a relationship that meets your needs... This workshop will explore: 1) The role of conflict in relationships 2) The role of love versus attraction in relationships 3) Current trends in the divorce rate 4) Coping strategies for issues from the past 5) Ways to identify and cope with the "hot issues" of each relationship 6) Skills for recognizing the barriers and to improve your relationship with yourself and your partner. RSVP at Mark's office 281-482-5999, or at the UCBA office 281-554-2450. Offered on a love offering basis with proceeds going to the church Building Fund MAKING CONNECTIONS! We now have new contact information for two of our dear ones! Kat Robbins Mailing Address: Kathryn Sue Robbins (Regular Postage) 281-669-3455 (9 hours ahead in Iraq) Lucia Christian Mailing Address: (Please call before visiting)
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