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MINISTER’S LETTER“Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” John 14:9 Beloved Friends, June is a month of celebration for different reasons. It is a month in which we celebrate our Fathers on Father’s Day. The school year is coming to a close. Many of us take time off from work for vacations. No matter where we go or what we do, the wonderful Truth is that the Spirit of God is with us, within us. Bumper stickers have always interested me. One of my favorites is “God is my Co-pilot.” Isn’t that what Jesus meant when he said, “If you have seen me you have seen the Father”? No matter wherever Jesus traveled, no matter where He went, He lived consciously from His relationship with God, the Father within. He spoke that His strength, His ability to do all things, was sourced from His conscious connection with the Spirit of God within Him. May was a month in which everyone was given an opportunity to learn tools and develop skills in leadership and team building. Our Board of Trustees explored its roles and awakened to ways that we might serve you better. We held a Team Building and Leadership workshop for all church attendees to revitalize our Teams and call forth new leaders in our church. True growth begins from within and I am grateful for those who took time from their busy schedules to invest in themselves and our church. We have been conducting a church survey for attendees and members to let us know your feelings about our church and any areas that we might embrace change to be of greater service. The results are being compiled and summarized, with everything held in the strictest confidentiality. At our June Board meeting, we will discuss a way to share the summaries with the church family. Each of us is Unity Church of the Bay Area. A church is not so much a place as a people, not a building but a community of spiritual seekers. We come together to celebrate and share our experience of God with each other, to build the foundation of love for those that come also seeking a deeper relationship with God. We have built our house on solid ground – the future is bright! And know friends, that the greatest strength of our church is you! So wherever you travel or whatever you do this month, know that God is always with you, ever seeking to express through you. And know that we will be praying with you, seeing you filled with wisdom and strength and inspiration. May this beginning of summer be a new opportunity for you to refresh and deepen your connection with God, and show the world your “Father within.” Enjoy each day, and claim from it the special blessing God has in store for you! And to every man, Happy Father’s Day! In Spirit and in Truth, MICHAEL’S BLOGI have been living in a place of gratitude. Life has been extremely busy, and I am grateful for each moment and the gift it brings to me. Recently, a number of our Board Members attended a long weekend training in the Galleria area. During this weekend, we experienced different exercises to deal with the issues of life. The cool thing is we were given tools to use in those times when life happens, and it doesn’t necessarily show up the way we had planned. I was visiting with one of our attendees later in the week and asked him how his week was going. He had attended this same training over twenty years ago. He responded that at first he didn’t think he had gotten much out of the weekend. He followed up by sharing that as the week progressed, he realized he was indeed in a place of gratitude for where he was in life and what he had accomplished. He further shared his renewed trust in Spirit. Our training focused on letting go of fears and trusting. We learned that so many of our decisions and non-decisions are fear-based. Letting go of those fears is instrumental and important in our progress in life. We can accomplish so much more when we act in faith, trusting ourselves rather than reacting to life. Works for me! Our Board has been busy lately. We had an excellent Board training last month, developing leadership skills and opening to the different roles we play as the Board members. We saw the need for new goals and a strategic plan for our church. We offered a Team building and leadership workshop because we need your help! We know that we have skills and talents yet to be discovered in our church family. We are compiling the results of the surveys we have received to date. All are being reviewed by the Board and held in the strictest confidence. We will create a summary of the results to share with the church family. And let me wish a Happy Father’s Day to our men. You are very much appreciated and loved! Michael GoldreyerYOUTH & FAMILY MINISTRYThis month we thought it would be fun to give you an idea of what’s happening in YFM! Nursery, Preschool, and Elementary – Cooperation Day Normally we hold three different classes for these age groups (age 0 to 2; age 3 to Kindergarten, and Grades 1 through 5). However, on Mother’s day we practiced cooperation as all age groups got together to make bath salts for our moms. The elementary school kids had a blast measuring out Epsom salts, baking soda, and fragrance into bowls. Then all the children, including toddlers, took turns stirring lots of love into the mix. The children took this seriously, and made sure their love was added! Then we put the bath salts into glass jars and tied pretty ribbons around each. The kids topped them off with home-made cards for their moms and/or grandmothers. Moms and Grandmothers, now you know why that bath was so wonderful! We also made up a special dose of bath salts and a card for Miss Chris (Bennett), who brought us this wonderful idea and continues to be a beautiful nurturing mother presence to all of us in Youth Education. We love and appreciate you, Chris! Teen Connection The teenagers at our church are starting to connect to other teens by reading the Unity website for teens and www.goodnewsnetwork.org. They are discussing different popular music, including the contemporary service at Unity in Houston. Based on an article about students in Orlando doing community service, the teens at Unity church of the Bay Area brought trash to be recycled and donated old toys to the elementary school of the church. Thanks teens! To acknowledge earth day, they listened to the song "Earth." As always, we invite you to join in the fun and learning by volunteering. You’ll be blessed! Amy Hart Groblewski UCBA WELCOMES REVEREND JERRY ROBERTS AS GUEST SPEAKER! We are excited to welcome Reverend Jerry Roberts, UMC, minister of Unity Circle of Light in the Woodlands, as our guest speaker on Sunday June 28, 2009. Reverend Jerry has been one of our favorite guest musicians before he assumed leadership at Unity Circle of Light in the Woodlands. He has blessed us as a guest speaker, too, always sharing the love and compassion in his heart. Through his speaking and music he has a way of touching your heart. Reverend Steve and Reverend Jerry will be exchanging pulpits this Sunday, each offering an inspiring message of Truth. So mark your calendar for this special opportunity to receive a blessing! (Please note that there will be one service this Sunday at 10:30 a.m.) The Activities Team PresentS CHURCH CLEANING DAY! Saturday, June 20th, 2009 What a wonderful opportunity to join the Activities Team for Breakfast at Joe’s and then come to the church for Spring Cleaning! Breakfast will be at 8 a.m. at Joe’s Banquet Center, 1400 E. Hwy 6, in Alvin, TX, 77511. It sits next door to Joe’s Barbecue, which was featured on CNN. The food is the best! Then, at 9:30 a.m. we will meet at the church for some Spring cleaning. Bring your own gloves and mosquito spray if you plan to help outside. We will clean all windows and doors; move the chairs in the sanctuary and vacuum the carpet; clean the kitchen appliances; dust the bookshelves mop the floors in the nursery and preschool rooms. Outside, we will pull weeds and pick up trash on the grounds and ditches. If you choose not to join us for breakfast, you can always come to the church at 9:30 a.m. to help with the cleaning. Our plan is to be completely finished by noon! NEW WEDNESDAY NIGHT CLASS! Interpreting the Bible Join Reverend Steve for his next class, Interpreting the Bible, which will begin on Wednesday, June 17th at 7 p.m. Bring your Bible! We will have a complete set of handouts as Reverend Steve shows us how to read and interpret the scripture using Unity books like the Revealing Word and The Metaphysical Bible Dictionary (if you have these two books in your collection, bring them to class). We will study any passage you wish after learning the framework for Bible study. Guaranteed to be fun, exciting and insightful! Class will be offered on a love offering basis. A MIDSUMMER’S NIGHT AT THE THEATER! Please set aside Saturday evening, July 11th , to enjoy a performance of Steel Magnolias by the Grace Theater’s A.D. Players. Most of us have been touched by the monvie. The A.D. players bring the story of six southern belles and how their lives entwine and mix together. This outing is being coordinated by Nikkie Saunders. Tickets are $22 each and can be paid for by check to Nikkie Saunders (713-436-6056). Bring your family and friends for an evening of fun. Ticket sales will take place through June 14th. So call or see Nikkie after the 10:30 a.m. Sunday service. Tickets will be distributed in plenty of time prior to the performance. The performance starts at 8:00 p.m. at Grace Theater, 2710 W. Alabama, Houston, TX, 77098. There is a possibility to carpool from church if there is interest! A THOUGHT FROM THE PROPHET “You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” Kahlil Gibran KNIT ONE, PURL TWO The Ladies Craft Group that meets on the first Tuesday of every month from 5 p.m. til 8 p.m., has undertaken a new endeavor. We are stepping out to help others who are less fortunate by crafting. We will be learning to knit on June 2nd. The objective will be either a newborn hat or an 8” x 8” square to be made into a patchwork quilt. The sum total of both of these projects will be mailed to organizations that will distribute them to those in need, both in the USA and other countries. If you want to participate but are unable to attend on June 2nd, please contact Judi Hoggatt or the Church office for the pattern. The hat pattern is very easy and can be made with scrap yarn. The project is not limited to knitted works and crocheted projects are accepted, but crochet will not be taught that evening. This month the group is meeting at 5101 Oak Court in Dickinson. Bring a dish to share and your knitting needles and drop in any time after 5. TREASURER’S REPORT for APRIL 2009 General Fund Income $ 16,172.98 Expenses - 18,825.78 Net General Fund Income - 2,652.80 Total Income $ - 2,652.80 Unity Church of the Bay Area's tithe for April was $1558.73. It was blessed and $779.37 was sent to the Association of Unity Churches and $779.36 was sent to Unity School of Christianity. Your continued financial support allows our church to flourish and carry the message of positive, practical Christianity in the Bay area. Thank you, and thank you God! Who Am I Willing To Be To Create Heaven On Earth? Life is a creative process indeed! We know that when we live from our oneness with God, we align in the creative process of be-do-have. The presence of God fills our very being (be) with wisdom, understanding and love. This direction creates the way (do) to achieve our goals and fulfill our dreams. We create and reap the rewards (have) of living in the divine flow of life. Who am I willing to be to create magnificence in my life? Within each of us are the spiritual gifts of God, the ways of being that Jesus manifested as the Christ – love, imagination, power, wisdom, understanding, zeal, elimination, faith, life, order, will and strength. The following are attributes or states of being that reflect the Christ potential within you, the perfect pattern of God. Begin each day by asking yourself the question: Who am I willing to be to serve God and create magnificence in my life? Alert Appreciative AttentiveAccepting Caring ClearCommitted Compassionate ConfidentConsiderate Courageous CourteousCreative Empowering Enthusiastic Flexible Friendly Focused Generous Gentle Grateful Helpful Humble Joyous Kind Loving Loyal Open Patient Present Receptive Reliable Respectful Responsible Supportive Trusting Truthful Understanding Vulnerable Pick three each day and center your conscious awareness on being these attributes. Write them on a post-it note or on the palm of your hand as a conscious reminder of the intention you have set for the day. God is truly our Source, and when we focus and live from the awareness of the God-potential within us, we truly bless our life and every life we touch and create heaven on earth! “In Him we live and move and have our being.” Acts 17:28 NEWS FROM UNITY VILLAGE! Our Association of Unity Churches and Unity School of Christianity are now offering a new website, combining both organizations. unity.org is a wonderful site to go for information about Unity and has many resources to enhance your spirituality. You can e-mail Silent Unity directly with a prayer request. There are abundant resources on prayer and meditation to discover and explore. There are new online classes you can participate in. You can find out about retreats being offered at Unity Village. And you can read and also subscribe to the Daily Word if you choose right on the site! Also, Daily Word in printed form will be changing to a bimonthly printing beginning with the July/August edition, the 85th Anniversary Edition! You will still receive the inspiring words of Daily Word, only each mailing will include two months of the Daily Word. Daily Word and issues of Unity Magazine are also available in our Bookstore to be purchased!
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