FROM OUR PROSPERITY CHAIR 

By Jim Healy 

Summer can be a challenging time to balance our budget. It is a time when seasonal expenses put pressure on the cash flow. It is also a time when we take vacations and enjoy the outdoors. This combination can have the unintended outcome of creating a gap in the UCR cash flow. 

In keeping with Unity's affinity for affirmative prayer, I offer the following affirmations to guide us as we consider our gifts and tithes in the coming months:

• I take personal responsibility for the health of my Spiritual CommUnity.
• I support my spiritual home with a constant flow of my abundance.
• I recognize and support the source of my spiritual nourishment.
• I am energized by channeling my spiritual gifts to enrich the life experiences of so many.  

One of the most sacred obligations of our Board of Trustees is to practice good stewardship of UCR resources.  As your Prosperity Chair, it is my role to apprise you of our financial progress so each of us can make an informed decision regarding our financial support for UCR. Updates are included in each monthly bulletin. A brief summary is presented at each quarterly CommUnity meeting, and financial reports are available for review in the office. Please contact me or any board member with your questions and suggestions. Your insight truly adds value as we make decisions for the good of UCR.

REV. BRENDA OUT OF OFFICE

Rev. brenda will be on silent retreat for personal spiritual renewal Monday, July 11, through Friday, July 15. She will be out of the office on paid time off Monday, Aug. 8, and returning Wednesday, Aug. 24.  A guest speaker will be scheduled for the 10 a.m. Sunday services Aug. 14 and 21. In Rev. brenda's absence, please contact Kip Lilly in the church office (393-5422) for any church-related business. Please contact Janith Griffith (389-0706) for any pastoral care requests.

CONGRATULATIONS, GRADUATES!  

• Brianna Zumhof, daughter of Brian and Carol Zumhof, graduated from Washington High School.
• Chloe McGuire-Brigl, daughter of  Mary Beth McGuire and Dan Brigl, graduated from Kennedy High School.
• Jennifer Lilly, daughter of Kip Lilly, graduated from Xavier High School.  

TRANSITIONS 

We bless Carl Ritscher, Harold Ritscher's father, who made his transition May 12 at age of 104!

We bless Regina Youker, Darlene Youker's mother, who made her transition May 6.

CIRCULATION DAYS: THANK-YOU!

A big thank-you to everyone who participated in Circulation Days!  Approximately $100 was collected and will be donated to a local charity. Special thanks to everyone who donated items and to the following wonderful volunteers who helped with the event: Lynda and Ray Smith, Glady McMellor, Don and Yvonne Epley, Pat Schomburg, Jeanette Tampir, Frank Niedermayer, Judy Walton, Margaret Lanning, Babs Haggin-Roy, Terry Galvin, Barb Buchanan, Dayle Berggren and Ann Scholl Rinehart.     

LIFE LINE SCREENING AT UCR JULY 15

Life Line Screening, a leading provider of community-based preventative health screenings in the U.S., will be at UCR on Friday, July 15. Watch for registration information! To learn more, visit www.lifelinescreening.com.

UPCOMING MUSIC

July 3: Susan Scharnau and Mike Wilhelm, vocalists
July 10: Marylee Camp, vocalist
July 17: Unity Spirit Women's Choir
July 24: Sandy Stewart, guitar/vocals
July 31: Kelsey Madsen, vocalist
August 7: Tune-Up Quartet
August 14: Metro Mix Chorus
August 21: Unity Spirit Men's Choir
August 28: Melinda Yehyawi and Friends

REV. BRENDA TO OFFER SUMMER CLASS 

At your request, Rev. brenda will be offering an additional S.E.E. class, Metaphysics II, Part 1, on five Thursdays, July 7 - Aug. 4, from 6 - 8 p.m. Metaphysics is the basis of all New Thought (and therefore Unity) teachings. Grasping metaphysical concepts gives us powerful tools with which to move through life. We'll cover topics such as the four functions of consciousness, creation (thought and manifestation) and the 12 Powers. Register in the Sacred Grounds & Books or by contacting the UCR office (393-5422). A minimum of 12 students is required. The text is "Heart Centered Metaphysics," which is available in Sacred Grounds & Books. You may attend even if you have not attended past Metaphysics courses.

SAVE THE DATES FOR PROSPERITY CLASS

Mark your calendars now for Rev. brenda's fall prosperity class, Thursdays from 6 - 8 p.m., Aug. 25 - Oct. 6.  

BOOK REVIEWS

By Janith Griffith

New from Unity Books, Messengers by David L. Arnett is a riveting novel about the urgent spiritual and political questions we face in the 21st Century. This book will leave you reconsidering your outlook on life and death and why we are here. The book is an interesting look at near-death experiences, messages from angels, and how using faith, love, and compassion can bring civilization and cultures together and reverse the violence and hatred of the post-9/11 world.  

Kitchen Table Wisdom by Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D., is her approach to healing the body, mind and spirit. The book consists of 80 short stories of the lives of people she encountered in her practice. She believes the power of telling of one's own struggles (or of hearing of those of another) brings a sense of connection and community, like that of sitting around a kitchen table with others who care. By reading these powerful stories, you will learn how others have found meaning in the challenges of pain, illness and loss. Each story can be read individually, perhaps as a daily devotion, or several can be read together. They appear under such headings as "Opening the Heart" or "Mystery and Awe." Reading a few aloud would be a gift to someone who is ill and finds it difficult to read. Each story will leave you feeling enriched.