"BURNING BOWL" ON NEW YEAR'S EVE

We invite you to spend part of your New Year's Eve at our "burning bowl" service at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 31. This service provides the opportunity for life inventory, visioning and setting sacred intentions. Special music will be provided by Gretchen Brumwell, principal harp for Orchestra Iowa.

WHITE STONE SERVICE NEW YEAR'S DAY

Because New Year's Day falls on a Sunday this year, we have the opportunity to offer a special white stone ceremony at our 10 a.m. Sunday service. The ceremony, conducted by Licensed Unity Leader Jan Griffith, is a unique way of honoring our "new" self in the new year. Ericka and Chance Maynard will be our guest musicians.

UCR OFFICE CLOSED JAN. 2

The UCR office will be closed on Monday, Jan. 2, but will re-open as usual on Jan. 3. Happy New Year everyone!

SACRED GROUNDS MEETING JAN. 8 

The Sacred Grounds and Books Ministry Team will be holding its visioning meeting in the Strong Room on Jan. 8, following the Sunday service. New members are always welcome!

FROM OUR MINISTER 

Rev. brenda

At the beginning of a new year, I like to pause to reflect on how we "showed up" as a spiritual commUnity the previous year. In my humble opinion, Unity Center of Cedar Rapids shone brightly in 2011.

 

We'll be reviewing highlights at our upcoming annual meeting on Jan. 22. Perhaps most significant is the launch of our 2011 CommUnity Visioning Project. A team of folks put together an amazing process and facilitated it beautifully. Congregants showed up in great numbers and contributed important thoughts about what we can become. Next, the UCR leadership team (Board of Trustees and Licensed Unity Leaders) put some shape and form to the congregants, visioning content. Working within our clear intentions--to attract, engage and strengthen--goals were formed. Next, our Ministry Team Leaders took on the task of bringing forth strategies to carry out our goals. Our commUnity vision plan continues to unfold.

It was a Divine process for me to witness! I saw the creative process flow throughout our commUnity and manifest in some strong, tangible goals and strategies. My heart is so grateful for what we've become, and I eagerly anticipate what we will continue to become!

I look forward to our annual meeting. We'll recap our 2011 finances, present a 2012 prosperity plan and share reports on where our leaders have been investing their energy this past year.

And in keeping with tradition, I offer the following tagline for our new year: "Creating Our BEST Selves in 2012."  Think of the possibilities! We create our world every day through our thoughts and actions. Just imagine if each of us committed to creating our very best self.

As we stand on the threshold of a fresh new year, I invite you to ponder that vision.  In the stillness we can ask, "Who have I come here to be?" That's a fabulous start to creating our best self. Let's start there, shall we?  

FROM OUR PRESIDENT AND PROSPERITY CHAIR 

Your Board of Trustees is in the final stages of developing the Prosperity Plan for 2012. There are two separate but closely related parts to this process. First, goals and priorities are being set to assure we are moving ever closer to realizing our marvelous vision. Second, a budget is developed to support those goals and to cover our operating expenses.

 We are looking forward to sharing a Prosperity Plan for 2012 at the Jan. 22 annual meeting. We intend for the plan to both inform and inspire congregant engagement. We will ask you to join the spiritual journey toward our vision supported by a clear and viable financial plan.

We want each of you to be in a position to make an informed decision, not only regarding your financial support for 2012, but also your level of active giving of your time and talent. Healthy spiritual communities are the result of engaged and committed congregants working together toward a positive and inspiring vision. 

When you receive your annual meeting notice and associated information in mid-January, please take a few minutes to review it. We encourage you to call any board member with any question at any time. If you are thinking it, others are likely doing so. Thank-you for sharing your time, talent and treasure with UCR. We are all in this together!

SEEKING COORDINATOR FOR SWEETHEART EVENT 

For the past few years, UCR has hosted a wonderful event, the Sweetheart Dinner and Talent Show. We've enjoyed great camaraderie, a delicious meal, a well-stocked silent auction and an impressive talent show. It also serves as an incredible fundraiser for UCR early in the fiscal year. This event was the Divine idea of congregant Cindy Hathaway. She is now ready to pass the torch to a new coordinator. Cindy is available to coach someone in successfully chairing this event. You will also be surrounded by a well-seasoned team that includes a silent auction coordinator, talent show coordinator, meal coordinator and a representative from the Marketing and Media Ministry. If this interests you, please contact any board member or Rev. brenda. Work (play!) will begin in January.  

Auto-Tithing: Safe, Easy and Convenient  

UCR is a spiritual commUnity that relies on the prosperity consciousness and financial commitment of our congregants to support our sacred work. A safe, convenient and consistent way to support our spiritual commUnity is through our auto-tithe program. This program allows you to set up a regular tithe that is automatically withdrawn from your bank account on a regular basis. Think of it as your church receiving a regular income--just like you do! The lights are on and the furnace is running for you and because of you! This program is a wonderful way to help us confidently cover monthly expenses and to assure that our future at UCR is secure. To learn more about enrolling in this program, please contact the UCR office at 319-393-5422. You may also contact Prosperity Chair Jim Healy at jhealy@ksfinc.com or 319-310-3140. If you currently auto-tithe to UCR, know that we are truly grateful. With the new year beginning, we ask that you please consider revisiting the amount you are donating to determine if an increase is possible. 

Outreach/Social Action Ministry NEWS  

Considering how the UCR Outreach Ministry team can support the Community Vision goals for 2012, we have reviewed our activities. Projects such as Angel Tree gifts and food drives will be continued, and we hope to bring back the Adopt-a-Highway cleanup walks. One of our objectives is to increase our identity outside UCR by wearing T-shirts during projects such as Adopt-a-Highway. One of our new members, Cory Matejka, is very interested in organized walks, such as those for breast cancer awareness. Cory will keep us informed of their timing so we can participate as a group. We plan on discontinuing the blood drives at UCR because there are so many other places to donate.  Also, after much soul-searching, we are not planning to have Circulation Days in 2012. This project requires more time and energy than any other project and is greatly impacted by the weather. We believe in the Law of Circulation and intend to find other ways to demonstrate it. Finally, we would ask the congregation to help identify other ways we might positively impact our greater community while also spreading the word about UCR. 

REV. BRENDA OUT OF THE OFFICE, JAN. 2 - 11

Rev. brenda will be out of the office beginning Monday, Jan. 2 through Wednesday, Jan. 11. A guest speaker is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 8. Please call Kip Lilly at the UCR office (319-393-5422) for any church-related business. Please call Janith Griffith at 319-389-0706 for any pastoral care requests.

 "LIFE OF PRAYER" CLASS STARTS JAN. 5 

UCR 2012 classes kick off with "Life of Prayer," a Spiritual Education and Enrichment (SEE) credit course. The course will be based on a new Unity book by Rev. Linda Whitsett-Martella titled "How to Pray Without Talking to God." Books are available in Sacred Grounds and Books. This book introduces a new way to pray and recognizes the Divine Identity that is us. The experiential classes will include readings from Charles Fillmore and Eric Butterworth, sharing affirmative prayers, small group work, music, silent meditation and prayer partners. Classes will be held on Thursdays in January (Jan. 5, 12, 19 and 26) from 6-8:30 p.m. Join Jan Griffith in the Strong Room as we explore this exciting prayer approach. Watch for sign-up sheets on the bookstore door or contact Jan at janithsg@aol.com or 319-389-0706.

MEDITATION WORKSHOPS, JAN. 15 AND 29  

Dr. Fred Travis, a professor at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, will be giving a free talk at UCR titled "Three Kinds of Meditation: Meditation, Yoga and the Brain," on Sunday, Jan. 15, from noon to 1:30 p.m.  Dr. Travis will help clarify the differences in meditation types based on brainwave patterns. The talk will also feature a demonstration of EEG patterns generated during a live meditation session. Then on Sunday, Jan. 29, Paul Stokstad and Patti Steurer from Maharishi University of Management will give a workshop titled "Introduction to Transcendental Meditation." This free event runs from noon to 1:30 p.m. For more information on either event, contact Paul Stokstad at pstokstad@mum.edu or 319-743-5611.

UCR ANNUAL MEETING AND ELECTION, JAN. 22

Two board members (Joshua Haun and Beth Parker) will have completed their three-year term. Both have agreed to run for re-election. We welcome any active member who wishes to self-nominate for board elections (or encourage others to run) to pick up a nomination packet at the UCR office. The UCR annual congregational meeting is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 22, beginning at 11:30 a.m.  If you have questions about serving on our board of trustees, please visit with any board member. 

HEALTHY CONGREGATION MEETING, JAN. 29

Licensed Unity Leaders Jan Griffith and Susan Liddell will present Healthy Congregation materials on Sunday, Jan. 29, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.  The meeting is primarily for Ministry Team Leaders, Liaisons and Licensed Unity Leaders, but all congregants are invited. Watch the e-news for additional information.

REV. BRENDA TO OFFER COURSE, FEB. 2 - MARCH 1  

Beginning Thursday, Feb. 2, from 6 - 8 p.m., Rev. brenda will offer a Spiritual Education and Enrichment (SEE) credit course. Please mark your calendars for five weeks and reserve the dates. Please watch for class information via e-news in January. A sign-up sheet will be posted on the door to Sacred Grounds and Books. 

UCR Launches Prayer Chaplain Program, Feb. 5

Because of the strength of the weekly e-news publication and growing costs of the bi-monthly newsletter, the Marketing and Media team has determined that the physical newsletter should be discontinued. Please watch for all future UCR news in the e-news. The Jan.-Feb. 2012 newsletter will be the final issue; however, we will continue to mail out hardcopies of the UCR events calendar for those who request it. For those who are not receiving the e-news but would like to be included, please send your request and e-mail address to unityofcrnews@gmail.com. We welcome any comments or feedback that you have. Please contact Mark Hanna at 319-390-7980 or contact him at markhanna@mchsi.com.