PLEASE NOTE: In case of severe weather (aka snowstorm), you can call the church at 763-754-6489, Line 1, and listen to a message regarding cancellation of church services.

Dear Friends,

You may have noticed in years gone by that our children’s Sunday school rooms had the five Unity Principles posted on their walls. They hang even now in the Y.O.U. room. The principles turn up in all of Unity’s teachings, even when not directly referenced.

In 2009 Unity minister Ellen Debenport wrote a small, well-done exploration called simply The Five Principles. The following is from the book’s introduction.

“A century later, the Fillmores’ great-granddaughter Connie Fillmore Bazzy, an ordained Unity minister and then president of Unity School of Christianity, was asked to summarize Unity’s teachings in an article for Daily Word magazine. This article was later incorporated into a booklet titled The Keys to the Kingdom: Five Fundamentals of Truth, published in 1990 to be used as a month-long study of Unity principles. She condensed the teachings of Unity into five essential points.

“’My basis for the way that I framed it was out of what I had studied in ministerial school,’ said Connie, now retired in Florida. . . .

“Within the Unity movement, the Five Principles caught on and are now used in most churches. They are handed to visitors and new members as a short explanation of the Unity teachings. They are the basis of sermons, classes, debate and discussion. Connie is a little surprised at their longevity.

“’There’s certainly nothing new in them. I didn’t invent anything. I just restated what the truth is, the way we teach it as I understand it.’

“A great deal has been offered about spiritual principles in recent decades. Books and seminar leaders cite principles of prosperity, love, health, business and so on. For me, the Five Principles comprise them all. I believe they can be applied to any situation that shows up in our world. Other teachers might not agree, including some Unity ministers; we pride ourselves on offering a big tent for varying interpretations of the laws of life. Just as scientists, economists and historians look at facts differently, so do spiritual teachers. The beliefs surrounding the Five Principles that are expressed in this book are my own, and I fully expect e-mails and lively discussion with those who believe differently. . .

“As well as offering tools for daily living, the Five Principles suggest answers to the great questions of existence that humans have been asking since the dawn of conscious awareness.

• What is this greater Presence that we sense around us?

• How can we communicate with this Presence?

• Who and what are we?

• Why do things happen in our lives the way they do?

• What are we on Earth to do?

“Every religion and philosophical tradition offers answers to these fundamental questions. The myths that recur throughout history are attempts to answer them.

“The Bible addresses them too. The story of Adam and Eve asks: Why is life so difficult? Why do we work so hard to grow food? Why is childbirth so painful? Early writers concluded that humans must have disobeyed God.

“Their understanding sufficed for thousands of years: The circumstances of our survival seemed to be the result of pleasing or displeasing the Presence that permeated our lives. This Presence was conceptualized in many different ways and addressed accordingly. Maybe the sun god was angry. Maybe a virgin needed to be sacrificed. Maybe God required his human son to be crucified. Our ancestors did their best to answer the great questions of life.

“As science has explained more and more about how the world works, we have become less superstitious but perhaps no less fearful. We still wonder why bad things happen to good people or rail against God as cold and uncaring. Many of us still aren’t sure why we are on Earth or what kind of relationship is possible between us and the Presence.

“We learn the secrets of life as we go, growing through our failures and successes. Those who have gone before have left us with many, many writings and signposts about what works and what doesn’t. They discovered that two plus two is always four. They discovered that gravity holds us to the Earth. They discovered that spiritual laws are in effect for everyone, working all the time with no favorites and no changes.

“The Five Principles offers a glimpse of what those laws are.”

Beginning the second Sunday of January, I will be exploring these principles at Service. The board will be reviewing this book in their January retreat. I recommend that those of you who miss your in-home study groups get the book, regroup and have fun!

Blessings,

Carol

Note: On January 2, we will hold a burning bowl ceremony during service.

Peace Is Possible Now World Healing Meditation— - Thursday, 12/31, 6 a.m.

You are invited to the annual meditation for peace presented by the Y.O.U.

Meditation service begins at 6 a.m. and is followed by a candlelight breakfast.

New Year’s Eve—Fun ‘n Games!

Join others from your church community on Dec. 31 from 6-10 p.m. at the church. Bring your favorite game if you have one and ȁmunchies” to share. We’ll play some music too! If you have questions, check with Darlinda Alexander or Donna Snyder.

After the games, at 10:30 p.m., Therese Schutte will lead us in a Burning Bowl ceremony. For those of you not familiar with this, the ceremony involves writing down (1) what we would like to release and (2) what we would like to attract into our lives. It’s powerful. NOTE: The burning of paper will be done outdoors as we leave the church and go to our cars.

 CHILDREN'S CHURCH

We had a wonderful time celebrating advent this December. This is the January/February newsletter, but before entering into 2011, there is one last note about 2010. The Children's Christmas service is at 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve. The children will be entering the sanctuary singing two Christmas songs. Please have your children to church by 4:50 p.m. Show them where you are sitting, and then bring them to Brenda in the Fellowship Hall. It is a beautiful way to celebrate Christmas with our children and with each other.

In 2011 we will be completing our study of the 12 Powers. In January we study the power of Order. Order is thought of as dark green and is located behind the navel, our control center. Our prayer is, "Divine order is established in my mind, body and life. I AM in tune with divine timing, and I let God create this day for me." In February we look into the power of Zeal. "Zeal is the faculty of mind that gives us "go power." Zeal is energy; it is the push that drives us toward our goal in spite of obstacles. Zeal is quiet, continuous, patient, persevering in a calm way in spite of events, people, or circumstances that would distract it." (From "A Twelve-Power Meditation Exercise" by Charles Roth)

In January, our teachers will be on retreat the weekend of the 16th. Please see Brenda if you would like to watch a movie with our children that day in the Fellowship Hall. Four volunteers would be wonderful! Also in January, the 30th is Family Sunday, and there will be no Sunday School classes that day.

Thank you, everyone, for your support over the last year. Our program is growing and beautiful to watch as we work and play together.

Brenda Erickson

Director of Children's Church

763-438-6790

 CLASSES & EVENTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS
 

WOMEN’S CELEBRATION

You can bring….

• A candle to light during the sharing circle

• Your thoughts, feelings, experiences of this time of Darkness

• Your hopes for the new year as the Light returns

• Drums, rattles, cymbals etc.

• A simple food to share

We will gather at….

Unity North Church

11499 Martin St, NW, Coon Rapids

Contact Robyn Froemming with questions: 763-576-8269

THE COUNSEL OF THE ELDERS

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.

UNITY NORTH BOOK CLUB

Whenever a month has 5 Saturdays, which includes January and April in the upcoming months, a choir and community concert will be held on that Saturday evening at 7 p.m. However, since there is an all-day event scheduled for January 29, this first concert of 2011 has been moved to February 5. The theme has yet to be determined, but the themes in this series of concerts will be by decades, music genres, or whatever else we happen to think of. Contact Tom Haddox with any questions. tomhaddox@msn.com

Lynn Woodland’s new book, Holding a Butterfly—an Experiment in Miracle-making, is about consciousness, time, quantum science and God, all woven into a series of practical, personal experiments in miracle-making. Going far beyond current teachings on the law of attraction, it thoroughly bends reality as we have known by inviting readers to step beyond the illusions of time and space to enter a collaborative experiment, here and now, with every other reader to see what we can create together. Find out more at www.lynnwoodland.com.

Bio:

Lynn Woodland is an award-winning author, international teacher and human potential expert with a 35+-year career in transpersonal psychology, human motivation, spiritual healing and mind-body psychology. Her particular expertise is in what gives rise to miracles and in teaching ordinary people to live extraordinary lives so that miracles become not just possible, but natural.

UNITY NORTH CHURCH

COON RAPIDS MINNESOTA

763-754-6489

On the web at: www.unitynorthchurch.org