 Sept.-Oct. 2010 |
| Unity North Church Coon Rapids Minnesota |
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| Updated 8/25/2010 |
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CAROL'S FRONT PAGE
Dear Friends,
Have you ever had a difficult time trying to describe Unity – its beliefs or how it feels to you? You are not alone. This difficulty has made Unity the best kept secret in consciousness and spirituality. All of that is about to change. Unity – the Movement – is about to be discovered! The following information is from the Association of Unity Churches:
“With ministries in all corners of the globe, we are a far-flung movement. We all know we are truly one in Spirit, yet sometimes it may seem like we’re isolated by physical distance.
“Your Association of Unity Churches International has been working on a branding/identity initiative to help us ‘get the word out.’ Through extensive research with both Unity people and those outside Unity, we have gathered input that is both scientifically grounded and spiritually resonant. Our new identity will create a kind of shorthand that allows people to quickly and easily find us. It will give a united voice and images for our movement.
“Establishing an effective identity allows people to find us, so that once they are familiar with Unity in Louisville, Kentucky, they can easily find Unity in West Palm Beach, Florida, no matter how big or small. We have the opportunity to grow lives, grow our ministries, and grow our movement.
“People everywhere are seeking the practical, spiritual teachings of Unity that empower abundant and meaningful living and enable people to engage in a positive way of life. Reaching beyond our walls to those who don’t yet know us is an act of love. And it is truly an act of love to reach out to people who feel like they don’t fit in and have different beliefs than many people around them. By offering people a spiritual home, with language they can hear and relate to, we give them the opportunity to engage with us. Branding gives us the method for speaking their language, while remaining true to who we are. . .
“This Unity identity implementation project will begin with a small group of ministries willing to implement the new Unity identity. By starting this way, we can get our systems well in place to respond promptly to your requests. We understand that as ministries experience the benefits, new ideas and input will come forward to improve the service for all. Starting with a smaller group allows more ministries to benefit from the first group’s experience. This interactive process will continue until we have addressed common concerns. We will invite groups of ministries to participate in phases until all who wish to participate are served. If you wish to participate, please notify us so that we can include your ministry.”
Because of this work within the movement, we have chosen the book by Tom Shepherd, Friends in High Places, as our in-home book study; and a class on Myrtle Fillmore’s writings follows in November.
This is going to be exciting!
Blessings, Carol
BOARD MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
Ahoy Mates,
Well, somehow summer has come and is almost at its end. It’s been a quiet time of getting away and centering for many of us. As the rest of this season winds down, I hope everybody is able to get that last bit of relaxation in as we gear up for the fall.
We already have quite a bit in store. We’ll be starting the Family Promise program in September. Please see Rhonda’s article or speak to her about getting involved.
We’ll be getting some new tables to replace the rest of the old, cumbersome ones. All involved with setting up for activities are greatly rejoicing about this.
Important Announcement: We will be phasing out the paper copies of the newsletter with the new year. Please notify Sara if you do not have Internet access and need to receive a paper copy, or give her your e-mail address if you haven’t already done so. The November-December issue will be the last to get a mass paper copy mailing.
So as we wrap up our summer time of relaxation, we look forward to all the new possibilities that we will face as a community in the coming months. Thank you all for sharing in this experience.
Godspeed,
Steve Walker, Board President
OUTREACH NEWS
- A BIG thank-you to everyone who donated school supplies in August. The supplies get put into backpacks and given to kids in grades K-8 by Anoka County CEAP (Community Emergency Assistance Program). In 2009 CEAP distributed over 3100 backpacks, and they anticipated this year the need would be greater. So thank you for your donations!
- We have some exciting news for the Family Table meals – There will be a Family Table Nurse at our meals. Her name is Jeannie Freytag. She will help people connect to any services they may need. We are also having a volunteer healer from our community there as well for people to connect with. Family Table Meals are the fourth Thursday of the month from 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. We are always looking for volunteers. It is a great way to meet any service hours you may need. Signup is in the Fellowship Hall: September 23 and October 28.
- Our next Bear Blessing is October 31. Please leave all price tags on the bears you donate. We are finding it hard to prove they are new, and some places are not accepting our bears without the price tags.
THANK YOU FROM ALEXANDRA HOUSE
Alexandra House sent us a thank-you for the clothing we donated to them. Their letter states that in 2009 they helped over 2,400 victims of domestic and sexual violence, and they are very thankful for our support. For further information about their mission, etc., see their website: www.alexandrahouse.org.
Becky Haaf, Donna Snyder, Kathleen Bailey, Mary Sorenson, Rhonda Steele, Rick Bona, Sue Bona and Barb Green
CHILDREN'S CHURCH
We are back! September 12 is our first day of this school year. We have a few new teachers. They are Nancy Dahlbom and Wade Reckinger with the Uniteens and Sue Mattson and Heidi Hanson with the 3rd- and 4th-grade class. Please welcome them when you see them. We welcome back Nancy Guthrie and Nancy Steele in pre-K/kindergarten. In the 1st- and 2nd-grade room, Jackie Bargman and Kathleen Bailey are back, and so are Christine Grinsell and Martha Burckhardt in our large 5th- and 6th-grade class. Nancy Helvig is also continuing as teacher and support for the Uniteens. We are so happy to have such an enthusiastic and well-versed group of teachers this year!
We are grateful for the rest and refocus time granted us this summer by the following members of the congregation who stepped in and gave one or two days of their time and talents to our children this summer: Sue Bembenek, Debora Fournier, Wendy Erickson, Leah Skurdal, Kathy Grimes, Karla Adams and the Y.O.U. Thank you for supporting our community by honoring our essential component, our children.
We will again be studying the 12 powers. We are beginning with the power of Understanding and then going on to Will. Understanding is the “knowing with the heart.” It is the ability to know and comprehend Divine Ideas, Truth Principles and Spiritual Law. The color representing this power is gold; the apostle is Thomas; and the location in the body is in the front brain. Will is also located in the front brain; the apostle is Matthew; and the color is silver. To be willing is to choose to let the Spirit of Divine understanding direct our lives. It is being willing to link our minds with God-mind and to have access to the unlimited power of Spirit.
Brenda Erickson
Children’s Church Director
763-438-6790
Prayer Teams & Prayer Request Line
Now Available!
There will be several teams available to take your prayer requests. To activate a prayer team, you may (1) speak with Wendy Erickson or Laura Drube at the church; (2) leave a phone message for Carol Kniskern at 763-754-6489, line 2; or call our new prayer request line at 763-754-6489, line 3. This line will be checked twice daily and requests assigned to a confidential prayer team. Prayer requests will be prayed over for 30 days.
WORLD DAY OF PRAYER
Unity’s World Day of Prayer has a brand new look! Each year, the second Thursday of September is a 24-hour world-wide prayer vigil. We at Unity North have been joining the rest of our movement in this event since its inception. This year will be a bit different. Here’s the schedule. Please note the day and dates:
Wednesday, September 8
• 7 p.m. – The Opening Ceremony will be streamed live from Unity Village.
• 9 p.m. – 24-hour prayer vigil begins.
Thursday, September 9
• 11 a.m. – Silent Unity Prayer Service will be streamed live from Unity Village.
• 7 p.m. – Music, message and meditation – Unity North style.
• 9 p.m. – Vigil ends.
Our affirmative prayer this year is “We are living expressions of Divine Light flowing forth into the world.” Please sign up for a prayer time on the vigil sheet if you are able. Ask yourself seriously: How much time can I give in prayer with my community in this one 24-hour period? I hope the answer is “an ample amount of time.” If you do, I promise you will notice a real difference in how life feels to you.
I (Carol Kniskern) also invite anyone who would like to join me in a fast from 9 p.m. Wednesday to 9 p.m. Thursday. Tea, coffee and small snacks will be available before we begin at 9 p.m. on Wednesday and when we have finished at 9 p.m. on Thursday.
SPIRIT OF THE NORTH CHOIR IS LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS!
“If you can walk you can dance; if you can talk you can sing” (Zimbabwean proverb)
Find your voice, make new friends, sing a joyful noise onto the “Lord,” promote peace, and contribute to the Unity message on Sunday mornings. We are one in spirit and we sing with one voice.
When I talk to members about joining the choir, I am frequently told, “I can’t sing.” If you have a passion for music, it doesn’t matter what you believe about your singing ability. We sing as one voice. If you are interested, come join us for a practice or two to see if this is the right place for you.
Choir Startup Information:
Aug 29 – Choir Rehearsal, 12:15 1:15
Sept 5 – Choir Rehearsal, 12:15 1:15
Sept 12 – Choir Rehearsal, 12:15 1:15
Sept 19 – Choir Sings at both services (8:45 and 11:00)
If you have questions, comments, or ideas, please feel free to contact me, Therese Schutte, at thschutte@yahoo.com or by phone at (763) 438-8111.
SPIRITUAL CINEMA
Please join us the second Friday of each month at 7 p.m. $5 suggested love offering donation for Unity North Church.
Kick off the year with two features exploring what people around us are experiencing on a spiritual level.
September: We’ll view LORD, SAVE US FROM YOUR FOLLOWERS. Why is the “Gospel of Love” dividing America? Filmmaker and follower Dan Merchant donned his Bumpersticker Man suit and set out across America in this funny and moving look at the collision of faith and culture. Features interviews with well-known folks, a wild Culture Wars game show pitting a Liberal Media Elite team against a team of Young Conservatives, and a powerful "reverse Confession Booth" at a Gay Pride event!
October: We’ll view A CASE FOR FAITH. One view of Christianity exploring two questions that challenge the faith of Christians: (1) Why is Jesus the only path to God? and (2) How could a loving God allow evil in the world? The questions are presented in a context that suggests the discussion might help Christians offer answers to these questions to others who are skeptical of the Christian faith. Hmmmmm!
Definitely following the films, we’ll have our own discussion about these deeply touching subjects!
MEMBERSHIP CLASS COMING!
Membership classes will be held on Wednesday, September 15, 22, and 29 at 7:45 p.m. This is a great way to learn what this "Unity stuff" is all about. Note: You might want to take this class for information purposes only and, upon completion of the class, not become a member.
FAMILY PROMISE OF ANOKA COUNTY
We are ready to open our doors! FPAC will begin serving families on September 5, 2010. We are very excited, after many months of planning, to be ready to host families.
The Day Center is located next door to the Salvation Army Headquarters in Coon Rapids. The address for the Day Center is 10341 Ibis Street NW, Coon Rapids, MN 55433. This is located near Coon Rapids Boulevard and Jay Street. There will be an open house held on Thursday, August 26, from 4-7 p.m. The open house is an opportunity for people to visit the day center and look around. You can meet the staff and see where our guest families will be spending their time during the day.
We will need several sets of pillowcases and sheets for twin-sized beds. We will also need blankets and pillows. If you have extras, please bring them to the church and label them “FPAC”.
Unity North Church will be hosting families from September 12 – September 19. Families will come to Unity North in the evening and have dinner. They will stay overnight and then get back in the van in the morning and head back to the Day Center. If you would like to volunteer to make food, spend time with the families in the evening (reading to the little ones, helping with homework, visiting with the parents, etc.) or stay overnight, please let Rhonda know. There will be a sign-up sheet in the narthex soon. We will be partnering with Glen Cary Church. They will provide volunteers and help with meals.
We are really looking forward to this opportunity to be of service. If you would like further information, please let Rhonda know.
Rhonda Steele, LUT
FPAC Coordinator
Ph: 763-442-1780
UNITY NORTH BOOK CLUB
Caribou Coffee on Northdale—7 p.m.Sept. 16, Einstein’s God, by Krista Tippet
SPIRITUAL KUNG FU FAMILY CLASS
Dates: Sept. 20, 27, Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25
For children ages 8-13 and their parents
Tuition: Parents are free. $60 per child.
Class focuses:
• Parent-child bonding
• Self-defense
• Self-esteem related to self-defense
• Spiritual principles of conflict resolution
This class will be taught by Accolon Hollingsworth. He has been practicing spiritual kung fu for 20 years. He has experi¬ence with teaching and mentoring youth as a Unity Y.O.U. sponsor and Sunday School teacher. For more information about the spiritual kung fu that Accolon teaches, visit his web¬site at www.spiritualkungfutraining.com.
IN-HOME BOOK STUDY
This is so exciting! Because we as a movement are now establishing ourselves clearly and prominently, we need to know from whence we came. “The Fillmores” you say? – Yes, but where did they get this kind of understanding? They say in their own writings that these ideas are not new. In fact, some of their teachings, attitudes and methods reach back even before Jesus!
Friends in High Places is a wonderfully written little book about our spiritual family tree. Many of you will recognize Tom Shepherd from his writing in Unity Magazine where he answers questions put to him by readers. This just happens to be one of my (Carol’s) all-time favorite books put out by Unity.
So, again this year, we invite folks to open their homes and form small study groups six weeks in length. Study questions will be provided for your use, and Sunday talks will reflect some aspect of the study.
Our in-home book study begins the week of September 19, and sign-up sheets will be found on the table in the narthex.
LIFE AFTER DEATH
Conclusive Evidence That We Survive Forever!With
Don McCurdy
Sunday, September 19, 2010
2-4 p.m.
Love offering
I will present a two-hour talk introducing the most compelling proof of the afterlife. My focus will be a historical recounting of man’s earliest understandings of eternal life. My main body of evidence centers on the era of about 1850 to the 1950s when the best physical evidence from mediums came forth. I will discuss different forms of mediumship including direct voice, materializations, apportations, ectoplasm and levitations.
Other topics I will address include ghosts, EVP, or electronic voice phenomena, near death experiences, after death communications, and testing of mediums’ accuracy. I will be reading excerpts from some of my books, which also include dramatic photos many have never seen. At the conclusion of my remarks I will field questions and comments from the audience and discuss why I think the knowledge of this reality is important for everyone to hear.
GRIEF: THE GREAT HEALER
September 19, 1:30 p.m.As we learn that everything is energy, we realize that unexpressed emotion becomes stuck energy that can block our good from expressing in our lives. In our culture, grief is a very powerful and misunderstood emotion. Join your fellow seekers and explore grief in the safety of a community setting.
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN SERVING
AS A PRAYER CHAPLAIN?
Prayer Chaplains are a visible member of the community that are willing to pray out loud with another person. This program was started last year as a part of the Thriving in Unity goals and the first team of prayer chaplains was dedicated last November. It can be an excellent opportunity to serve others and deepen your own spiritual life.
Prayer Chaplain is not an ordained role, or accredited position. Prayer Chaplains are not trained to counsel, fix or advise, but trained to pray with another person. Training teaches how to call upon the presence of God and hold a space of wholeness and love. From that space, one lovingly listens and prays with another from the heart, releasing to God with gratitude the prayers voiced. A Prayer Chaplain holds in strict confidence what is shared.
An orientation session is scheduled for September 19, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. The training session will be held in October (15-17, 24). If interested in this service opportunity, please plan to attend the orientation session. Additional information about the program can be read in the Prayer Chaplain brochure located on the announcement table in the narthex. You may also talk to Laura Drube, 651-433-5811.
BIBLE CLASS RESUMES
In response to many requests, a year-long Bible study will begin the week of September 19.
We will be doing a Bible overview to understand the flow of history and culture in the entire book. Then, we will be doing a focused study on the New Testament.
Identical classes will be held Monday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 and Wednesday mornings from 10:00 to 12:00 noon.
WORLD ANIMAL DAY MN
Celebrating our connectedness with all animals!
- Pet a kangaroo from Cock A Doodle Zoo
- Learn about what services there are for your pet/s
- Be part of the Will Hale and Tadpole Parade Concert
- Meet one of the first MN Animal Chiropractors
- Find out the results of the MN Wildlife drawing contest and writing contest
- Bring your well-mannered pets (event is in one of the stables)
Website: http://worldanimaldaymn.com/eventschedule.html
10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Running ACES Harness Park
Columbus, MN
Event and parking are free (donations accepted)
This day is created and sponsored by Kathy Grimes from Unity North Church.
DRUM MAKING WORKSHOP
WithWayne Manthey
Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010
10:00-4:00
13” drum $105
16” drum $130
“As I started making drums, I was especially interested in the vibration of rawhide and the sound it makes. Once I was able to consistently achieve the quality sound and feeling I was looking for, I found antlers, wood, stone, and lacing variations made the drums more decorative and visually pleasing.
The healing properties of a drum are found in the elements that make it: wood and animal hide. Making personal frame drums is a journey that is individually and spiritually meaningful. Teaching drum making classes involves storytelling and introspection. The drum symbolizes the heartbeat of life, the heartbeat of community. It is not simply an art form, but a tool for cleansing, centering and focusing one’s intentions for health and happiness.
Drums teach responsibility. Making them is an honor, a meditation, and continues to reveal lessons for me as well.”
Wayne Manthey Website: www.waynemantheydrummaker.com
Sign up by Sept. 19; bring a brown bag lunch.
WOMAN SONG & CIRCLE
Saturday, Sept. 25, 7 p.m.
In gratitude we celebrate the abundance of our personal harvest.
We Live We Love We Walk in Gratitude
We reflect upon & give voice
to what we have brought into expression.
What are the fruits of your personal harvest in 2010?
(See flyer for details regarding what to bring.)
PET BLESSING SERVICES
Sunday, September 26At this outdoor pet blessing, we will bless all the pets, whether present or held in mind, and give gratitude for the gifts they bring into our lives and the world.
THE COUNSEL OF THE ELDERS
Messages of Peace Hope LoveChanneled by INSIAH BECKMAN
Thursday Evenings, Sept. 30 and Oct. 21, 7-8 p.m.
Love Offering
Insiah channels a group of Light Beings who identify themselves as “The Counsel of Elders”. They are here to assist mankind in a changing world with their teachings and messages of peace, hope, and love. Insiah is South African born and has been living in the Unites States since 1995. She is a Reiki Master, teacher and is also a channel. Her conclusion on having studied several religions and spiritual paths is that every teaching is based on Love. Hence her religious belief is LOVE. Insiah and her husband produce The Edge Life Expos and Events and have been bringing together the community of like-minded in the modalities of healing and spirituality for the past 16 years.
THE OLD AND THE NEW
AT GOOD FOR YOU!
Mark your calendars! Saturday, October 9, will be the fall Good For You Day. If you've never been to Good For You Day, now is the time to start. Good For You classes will provide new insights into the metaphysics and self-healing. Instead of four short classes, we'll have two classes, each two hours long. Gina Booth will do a class on Spirit Communication, which will entertain and enlighten you. Kate Peppler will bring you along on her journey, as she tells you the story of her amazing healing from a terminal disease. Here's a hint: clearing, prayer and forgiveness have a lot to do with healing. Kate will tell you how.
Along with the classes, we'll have many of our old favorites such as astrology charts with Karl, acupuncture with Ann, stone layouts with Don, shamanic adventures with Carol and Rhonda, massage with Charlie and Steve and many more. Be prepared for some new faces and talents as well. We'll tell you more when we put up all the information in September.
But the basics are these: You'll be able to sign up for the classes starting in September. On October 9 at 8:30 a.m. the doors will open and you can claim appointments with the energy workers and readers that catch your interest. From 9:30 until 4 you can enjoy being immersed in a sea of Spirit, along with two fabulous meals being served at the Good For You Café. All of this is provided at way below what it would cost you to be served by these practitioners if you went to them individually. All money earned goes to Unity North. It doesn't get much better than that!
FIVE WISHES:
America’s most popular Living Will & Health Care Directive
Sunday, October 1712:45-1:45 p.m. OR 1:45-2:45 p.m.
$5.00 including the “Five Wishes Living Will Legal Document”
Two opportunities, each beginning with a 20-minute DVD with questions and answers to follow.
The Five Wishes
1. The Person I Want To Make Care Decisions for Me When I Can't
2. The Kind of Medical Treatment I Want or Don't Want
3. How Comfortable I Want To Be
4. How I Want People To Treat Me
5. What I Want My Loved Ones To Know
Pre-registration encouraged to plan for handouts.
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND FORGIVENESS WORKSHOP
Weekend, October 22-24Join us for what could well be the most transformative weekend you’ve enjoyed in many years.
- Forgive to open yourself to prosperity.
- Forgive to remove blocks to healing your body and your life.
- Forgive to free yourself from nagging anger, resentments, and regrets.
- Forgive to ease the power and pain of addiction.
- Forgive to allow a deeper experience of Spirit in your daily life.
- Forgive to create more fulfilling, more mature and satisfying relationships.
This method, originally developed by Dr. Edith Stauffer, provides a ‘whole’ experience in forgiveness. The transformations that result are felt in the physical body and are permanent.
Cost: $95
Times: Friday, 7-10; Saturday, 9:30-5; Sunday, 1:30-5:30
FACEBOOK
Did you know that Unity North has a Facebook page? It’s called “Friends of Unity North Church,” and Darlinda has decided that FUN! is a good acronym for it. :-) Starting soon, reminders of upcoming church events will be posted on this FUN! page, so be sure to check it out.
LETTER TO THE UNITY NORTH COMMUNITY
I don’t have enough depth to my words to express how overwhelmingly grateful I am for each of you. Thank you all for your prayers while I have been recovering from my lung transplant in May. You all held a vision of health for me and my new lung. I could feel the love, support, and energy helping me gain strength and balance. I have had very few side effects, even when the doctors said I would. I am sure this is a result of all the healings and prayers you sent to me. Yes, I had major surgery, but it actually felt quite easy. God is so good!
Thank you to whoever recognized our needs before we did and organized the plan. Thank you for all the shopping, cooking and delivery of delicious home cooked meals and sweet treats to our home. Thank you for laundry service picked up and delivered and so beautifully done.
I am at a place now where I am able to start doing for myself again. I have so very much to pay forward. I have never felt so completely immersed in God’s divine love and oneness as I do when I am at Unity North or think of each of your kindnesses. This is simply amazing! Thank you, thank you and thank you again.
Gratefully,
Nancy Dahlbom
MYRTLE FILLMORE’S HEALING LETTERS
6 weeks, November 3 – December 8Wednesday evening after the 7 p.m. service (7:45)
Experience the teachings and energy of Myrtle Fillmore. We will discuss the letters she wrote to counsel others. More than this, we will “move” into Myrtle’s “field” and raise our awareness to hers. This will be a powerful, transformative time together.
This class will be followed with a special Saturday night prayer and healing service where we will apply Myrtle’s “way” to our own process of healing and expansion.
ESSENTIAL PEACEMAKING – WOMEN AND MEN
Coming November 13
More details in the next newsletter
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER CALENDAR
September 9, World Day of Prayer
September 10, Spiritual Cinema, 7 PM
September 12, Sunday School Year Starts
September 16, Book Club (Caribou), 7 PM
September 19, Prayer Chaplain Orientation, 12:30 PM
September 19, Grief: The Great Healer, 1:30 PM
September 19, Life After Death, 2 PM
September 20, Spiritual Kung Fu (Class Starts), 6:30 PM
September 20, Bible Study (Class Starts), 7 PM
September 22, Bible Study (Class Starts), 10 AM
September 23, Family Table Meal, 5 PM
September 25, World Animal Day MN
September 25, DrumMaking, 10 AM
September 25, Woman Song, 7 PM
September 26, Pet Blessing, 8:45 and 11:00 AM
September 30, Counsel of Elders, 7 PM
October 8, Spiritual Cinema, 7 PM
October 9, Good For You Day, 8:30 AM
October 17, Five Wishes (Living Will), 12:45 OR 1:45 PM
October 21, Counsel of Elders, 7 PM
October 22-24, Unconditional Love and Forgiveness Workshop (Weekend)
October 28, Family Table Meal, 5 PM
October 31, Bear Blessing
ONGOING
Church Services, Sundays, 8:45 and 11 AM
Nursery and Sunday School, Sundays, 11 AM
Y.O.U., Sundays, 10 AM
Y.O.U., Wednesdays, 6 PM
Healing, Wednesdays, 5:30-7:00 PM
Midweek Recharge, Wednesdays at 7 PM
CoDA, Thursdays at 6 PM
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- UNITY NORTH CHURCH
- COON RAPIDS MINNESOTA
- 763-754-6489
- On the web at: www.unitynorthchurch.org
- UNITY NORTH CHURCH