Your board of trustees has been busier than ever as we wind down the business of 2009.  Our board retreat was an intense experience bringing forth many insights around prosperity and developing a vision for our church. Dr. Robin Vorhees did an NET (Neuro Emotional Technique) activity with us about our beliefs and perceptions around prosperity that was very personally revealing. We also had a presentation on upcoming bylaw changes presented by our bylaws team. We spent the afternoon with Bob Untiedt, executive director of the Linn County Nonprofit Resource Center, who took us through the appreciative inquiry process as we began the development of a vision statement. These activities will provide us with direction and guidance in the coming year.

Many additional meetings were also held as the board executive team finalized the minister's contract and created our 2010 Prosperity Plan. Please continue to hold us in prayer as we affirm our continued prosperity for 2010, knowing we fully trust Source.

A fabulous "Thanks for Giving" celebration was held on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. The board cooked a scrumptious meal and didn't leave any turkeys in the oven this year! Notes of appreciation and small gifts were given to our many, many volunteers who do so much. Deepest thanks from the board.

Many new and very exciting leadership and organizational ideas were introduced and put into practice this year as we are committed to "moving forward". As I leave the board, I can only express my deepest gratitude for the consistent demonstration of Unity leadership shown.

Knowing for everyone only the best this holiday season.

Susan Liddell

ANNUAL MEETING JAN. 24

Our annual meeting will be held after the service, Sunday, Jan. 24. Food will be provided! During this powerful meeting, we have the sacred privilege of electing two new board members from a highly qualified slate of candidates. Financial and ministry reports will be provided, as well as other updates. We will also vote on new bylaws. Our bylaws were reviewed with great attentiveness to detail by our bylaws team. We are grateful to them for the work that went into this process. If you would like to review the revised version prior to the meeting, please email Paula Land at pland@mchsi.com or contact the UnityCR office at 319.393.5422.

Please plan to attend our Annual Meeting and, prior to the meeting, please give your prayerful consideration to the significant decisions that will be made. Your voice truly matters.

BOARD NOMINATION PROCESS IS UNDERWAY

The 2010 nomination team consists of Rick Robinson, Polly Gould, Mary Beth McGuire (board representative) and Rev. brenda.  The team met twice in November and once in December to prepare a slate of highly qualified nominees for the 2010 board elections at our annual meeting Jan. 24. 

There are currently two positions available on the board. President Susan Liddell completes her three-year term.  Treasurer Stuart Bohling completes two three-year terms.  These two have served with great dedication and deserve our appreciation.  The next time you see them, please share your gratitude with them for their board service.

The final slate of candidate names, along with their personal bios, will be posted via e-Newsweekly and in the foyer prior to the annual meeting.

Over the last few weeks, I have reflected on the last six years of serving on the board of trustees. It has been a huge honor and privilege to serve as your treasurer. Although there have been challenging times for me personally, there were many more times that brought me great joy. I thank everyone who has served with me on the board for your support and your dedication. I am truly blessed to have worked with each of you. The years have been exciting with the building of our new addition and welcoming all the new people who have joined our church family.  I know that the future for UnityCR is bright. I plan on still being an active member and will enjoy having a little more free time.

Namaste'

Stuart Bohling

A safe, easy and convenient way to give to UnityCR is through our auto-tithe program. This program allows you to register to have your tithe automatically withdrawn from your bank account. You may direct your gift to the general fund or to the expansion fund on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis. This is a wonderful way to help us cover our monthly expenses. It's also convenient for you so that you do not have to remember to bring your checkbook - or to send a check to Unity when you miss a service. If you want to learn more about auto-tithing, or want to sign up, please contact the UnityCR office at 319.393.5422 or a board member.

WEDDINGS

Congratulations to Sandy Stewart and Bev Lawrence, who were married Nov. 11, 2009.

TRANSITIONS

Sandy Swore McCright's mother, Betty Jane Swore, made her transition Nov. 7, 2009. Please hold Sandy and her family in prayers of love and comfort.

Jan Armentrout's sister, Teressa (Teddy) Protsman, graduated from her earthly life Nov. 9, 2009. Our blessings are extended to Jan and her family.

JOIN US NEW YEAR'S EVE FOR SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION

We are planning a sacred Burning Bowl service New Year's Eve, starting at 7 p.m. Please join us for a beautiful night of spiritual release and transformation and set your sacred intentions for 2010.

REV. BRENDA SCHEDULED TO BE OUT OF THE OFFICE

Rev. brenda will be out of the office Jan. 4-12 for spiritual renewal time and Jan. 25-29 for vacation.  Please contact Kip at the office at 393-5422 for any administrative needs.  Please contact Janith Griffith, Licensed Unity Teacher, for any pastoral care needs.

SPIRITUAL SOCIAL ACTION CLASS STARTS JAN. 6

How do we meld our Unity principles with Social Action? How do we actually demonstrate our belief of the "Christ within"? Join us to learn the uniqueness of Spiritual Social Action through the lens of Unity beliefs. Jan Griffith and Susan Liddell, Licensed Unity Teachers, will offer this class starting Wednesday, Jan. 6, from 6:45 - 8:45 p.m., and for five consecutive Wednesdays. Sign up sheets will be available in the bookstore or contact the church office at 393-5422. Please contact Jan or Susan if you have questions. No book purchase is necessary. Love offering gratefully accepted.

BARB BUCHANAN TO TEACH CLASS STARTING JAN. 9

Barb Buchanan will teach "The I of the Storm: Embracing Conflict, Creating Peace," based on a book by Gary Simmons. The class will be from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays: Jan. 9, 16, 23 and 30, and Feb. 13. To register, contact Barb, or sign up in the bookstore or by contacting the UnityCR office at 319.393.5422.

ST. PATRICK'S CHOIR TO PERFORM JAN. 17 AT UNITYCR
On Sunday, Jan. 17, please plan to arrive about a half hour early so that you can enjoy a brief concert by the St. Patrick's Catholic Church Choir (under the direction of Michael H. Phelan). The choir will also perform three songs during the 10 a.m. Sunday service. A CD will be available with proceeds going to help with flood recovery efforts at St. Patrick's.

UPCOMING MUSIC

Jan. 3: Ann & Ken Rinehart and family
Jan. 10: TBA
Jan. 17: St. Patrick's Catholic Church Choir, under the direction of Michael H. Phelan;

              9:30: free pre-service concert
Jan. 24: Unity Spirit Band

Jan. 31: Jim Healy, tenor

In December 2009, the Association of Unity Churches presented Susan Liddell and Janith Griffith each with an important certificate-that of Licensed Unity Teacher (LUT).  This marks an important time in our history, as we believe they are UnityCR's first LUTs.

These two have completed 250 class credit hours to receive their Personal Development Designation.  They went on to complete 120 more class credit hours in the Leadership Program.  They also completed the necessary fieldwork and successfully passed the Skills Demonstration Test. Jan and Susan both chose Pastoral Care as their area of expertise - Jan with a focus on pastoral care and prayer; Susan with a focus on leadership development.

So, what does it mean to be an LUT? Essentially an LUT serves as a right-hand person to the minister.  They can teach classes, provide pastoral care services, and serve in other agreed-upon capacities.  In the case of Susan and Jan, they have been having dialogues with Rev. brenda over the past few months about what their leadership roles at UnityCR might look like.  The role definition continues to unfold in a spiritual, mindful way.  Please remember to congratulate Susan and Jan for this significant accomplishment.

REV. BRENDA TO OFFER SEE CREDIT COURSE

Coming in early 2010: Rev. brenda will offer a class about our 12 Divine Powers. During Advent season 2009, she spoke about our 12 Gifts of Christmas.  Charles Fillmore, Unity's co-founder, wrote about our 12 Divine Powers. Becoming aware of our 12 Powers and how we can employ them in life can be an empowering and freeing experience. Please join us in this class to discover your personal power. For those who sign up for Team Freedom (see next article), and for anyone who has intentions for freedom in 2010, this will prove very effective.

Learn how to quicken and awaken your God-given gifts! There are several recommended texts for this course and pre-registration is required. Please watch for a sign-up sheet in the bookstore by mid to late January.

UNITY FUNDRAISER ANNOUNCED FOR 2010

Are you ready to be free? Free of tobacco? Alcohol? Gambling? Coffee? Sugar? Join Team Freedom! Starting Jan. 1, 2010, this group of fearless folks will pledge to:

·       Lay down cigarettes, chocolate, alcohol, coffee, etc. for at least one quarter of 2010.

·       Take the money they save from giving up that vice and put it in a Unity prosperity bank. So, for example, if they spend $15/week on lattes, they'll put that $15/week in their little bank.

·       At the end of the quarter, they'll take the money they've saved and tithe an amount that feels comfortable to them to UnityCR!

·       Sign-up for another quarter and do it all over again!

This truly is a spiritual project. It is not about giving up something but about stepping into and claiming our wholeness and freedom. Maybe you would like to be free of an unhealthy relationship, profanity or overspending. Place a value on that, put the money in your prosperity bank and tithe away at the end of the quarter!

This ties in wonderfully to Unity's 12 Powers that we learned more about during the Advent season. Rev. brenda's 12 Divine Powers class, starting soon, will be especially beneficial for Team Freedom participants who want to get invested in using their spiritual power to claim freedom and wholeness.

Interested? Contact organizer Ann Scholl Rinehart, who will be free of coffee and sugar in 2010. Join her in this quest and do something great for yourself AND for UnityCR!

UnityCR will host its Second Annual Sweetheart Dinner & Talent Show, Saturday, Feb. 13. Last year's event was a wonderful evening, filled with great food, music and fun! Want to get in on the fun? If you want to help with any aspect of the event, please plan to attend a meeting Jan. 6 at 6 p.m. in the CommUnity room.

If you would like to participate in the talent show, please contact Nina Swanson. If you would like to assist with the dinner (or set up/clean up), please contact Cindy Hathaway. 

NEW THIS YEAR: We will have a silent auction! What a great opportunity to buy a gift for your special Valentine! Please contact Nancy Dearborn, auction chair, if you have items or services to donate. Volunteers also are requested to assist with this great fundraising opportunity for UnityCR. Please see Nancy if you are willing to help.

Mark your calendar now for this spectacular event and watch your e-Newsweekly for specific details.

UNITY 101 CLASS SCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY/MARCH

Our first four-session series of 2010 new member classes will begin Sunday, Feb. 28, from noon to 2 p.m.  The three remaining sessions will be at noon on Sunday, March 7, 14, and 21.

If you're ready to be an official member of UnityCR, please contact Kip at the office (393-5422) to register for this class. Please complete one of the bright yellow new member cards by the guest registry in the main foyer and turn it into the office.  If you're already an official member of UnityCR, but want to know more about our basic tenets, you may also register for this class by contacting Kip.  Finally, if you just want to stick your toe in the water and come see what the class is about, feel free to register.

In order to be included in our new member ceremony on Sunday, March 28, you must plan to attend each of the four new-member class sessions (unless prior arrangements are made with the minister).  We look forward to having you on board!

MINISTRIES OF THE MONTH

JANUARY

Kitchen/Brunch

Bill Graham heads up this important - and tasty - ministry. Team members are Pat Schomburg and Craig Lekin. Throughout the year, a variety of "kitchen angels" sign up to cook brunch to be served after the Sunday service on a love-offering basis. Many others assist with clean up. We are grateful for their continued commitment and enthusiasm to this community-building activity. If you are interested in helping in any way, either to organize and prepare a meal or to help with clean-up, please see Bill.

FEBRUARY

Historian

Harold Armentrout is our historian, a role he has held since the early 1990s. Harold keeps track of all the UnityCR significant dates, records, photographs and memorabilia.  His work and dedication to this ministry really shined during our 85th anniversary celebration this past fall.  During that time, Harold provided invaluable information and photographs to be included in our 85^th anniversary DVD and photo album. We are grateful to Harold for his diligence and continued commitment to this extremely important part of UnityCR.

Information Technology

Another solo ministry being celebrated this month is Information Technology (IT), led by Carl Swanson. Carl is responsible for keeping our computers and other electronic equipment working smoothly. Throughout the years, Carl has always been our go-to guy in this area. We are appreciative of his willingness to assist whenever he is called - and are grateful for his incredible knowledge and expertise in this area.

Marketing & Media

Ann Scholl Rinehart is the chair of the Marketing & Media Ministry. This team helps spread the word about important UnityCR happenings within our Unity commUnity as well as the larger community of Cedar Rapids and surrounding areas. An example of their work would be the Gazette articles that ran in December 2009 about Joshua Haun and his Divine idea of a Prayer-a-thon and the article about Team Freedom. The team also recently established our Facebook page (see article this newsletter). Ann is joined by Penelope Headen, who specifically makes certain musicians are publicized each week in the Gazette; Brian Schumacher, who notifies the Gazette about any workshops, classes and other Unity events; Beth Parker; and our newest member Nancy Andreasen.

Ann and Jan Armentrout are co-editors of the Unity newsletter. Ann is responsible for creating and emailing the e-Newsweekly, delivered Friday mornings. (Please note: If you are not currently receiving this and would like to, please contact the church office at 393-5422 and provide your email address). For the larger newsletter, which goes out every other month, Jan gathers the news items and sends them to Ann to create the newsletter. Jan and Rev. brenda edit the newsletter. It is then sent on to Beth Parker, who graciously prints it each month. Volunteers help with the mailing of the newsletter. This was our first full year of sending the newsletter electronically, creating a great savings for Unity as well as lessening our carbon footprint. We now print and mail less than 50 newsletters every other month! We are grateful to the M&M team for keeping people abreast of the wonderful things going on at UnityCR.

Many thanks to all of you who have contributed to various Outreach (Spiritual Social Action) Ministry "Home for the Holidays" projects!  So many beautiful people generously gave to the community through the HD Youth Center fundraiser, the HACAP Food Drive, Love-Filled Stuffed Animals, the Tanager Place Angel Tree, and Unity Youth's Pennies for Peanut Butter, which raised $250!  We are extra grateful for the consistently joyful giving and hard work on these projects by Pat Schomburg and Jeanette "JJ" Tampir and all of our Outreach regulars.

In January and February we invite everyone to choose an activity or two and join us as we continue to share the Unity spirit with our greater       community. If you're interested in any getting involved with any of the following, please contact Brian or Teri Schumacher (Brian 651-7771; Teri 651- 5311):

• Meetings & Party: Everyone is invited to attend our first meeting of 2010, Thursday, Jan. 7. We'll start with a short meeting at 6:30 p.m. and a post-holiday party at 7 p.m. Please bring a treat to share and join us as we celebrate and help the decorating team put away the Christmas decorations. Our February meeting will be 11:30 a.m., Sunday, Feb. 7.
• Shoes 4 Unity: Check out this Association of Unity Churches project, which provides shoes for people all over the world. Visit www.shoes4unity.org/ and let us know if this idea speaks to you.
• Blood Drive: By participating in our blood drive, Monday, Feb. 1, you can save three lives and get free cookies! Most people are eligible to donate.  If you've been denied in the past because of low iron or similar reasons, please take your vitamins, eat right, get your rest and try again!
• UnityCR T-shirts: Help us manifest Unity Center of Cedar Rapids T-shirts to demonstrate our presence in the greater community. Let us know if you want to lead or contribute ideas to this project.
• Your own projects: If you have a community social service project that you would like to work on with Unity friends, let us know.  We would especially like to have Unity groups participate in local non-profit fundraiser events such as walk-a-thons.  We will wear our Unity t-shirts and share our spirit with the community!
• Class: Check out Jan Griffith and Susan Liddell's Spiritual Social Action class in January (see article this newsletter). This class dovetails with the work that we do through Outreach and will be a great way to find your vision of joyful giving.
  

UnityCR now has a fan page on Facebook! If you are on Facebook, you can become a fan of this page and view recently posted photos of our sacred Christmas Eve Candle-lighting Service, the Prayer-a-Thon and Susan Liddell and Jan Griffith receiving framed certificates for completing Licensed Unity Teacher training.

If you are not a Facebook member, it's free and easy to do. Visit Facebook (facebook.com) and you'll be walked through the steps to join.