21 King Avenue, Albany, New York 12206

   The mission of Unity Church in Albany is to
   awaken to and embrace the Christ in all persons
   through prayer and service.

 

 June - July '13 | April - May '13 | Feb. - Mar. '13

 

The Messenger
June - July 2013, Vol. 29, Issue 4
Below are articles from this issue.
To view/print the entire issue, click on the thumbnails in far left column.
PASTOR'S MESSAGE: I'M SORRY, PLEASE FORGIVE ME | SPOTLIGHT ON SERVICE

grumpy girl

I'm Sorry, Please Forgive Me

by Rev Jim Fuller

    A few weeks ago I decided to do some forgiveness work as a part of my daily meditation.  It’s good to clear out old thoughts of unforgiveness, large or small.  I began by searching my mind for recent incidents of unforgiveness.  I recalled an incident in a store a few months before when a man had directed a very angry comment toward me.  I was shocked and a bit frightened at the time.  Things like that almost never happen to me.  Based on his shaved head and body covered with tattoos I assumed that he might have been on drugs.  He reminded me a bit of another man I know who has a drug problem, is at times erratic and has a history of trouble with the law.

      To release this incident I began offering a Meta prayer, a prayer of loving-kindness.  The term loving-kindness (meta in the ancient language of the Buddha) refers to a feeling of warm friendship.  In one simple form the prayer has four parts.  May you be filled with loving-kindness, may you be well.  May you be peaceful and at ease, and may you be happy.  We begin the prayer by saying it several times for ourselves, building positive feeling as we go.  May I be filled with loving-kindness…  Next we offer the same prayer to someone who has been helpful toward us or to a friend.  May you be filled with loving-kindness…  We do this several times to build more positive feeling.  Then we offer the prayer to a “neutral person”, someone we see in our community but don’t really know.  I often use a familiar clerk from the grocery store.  We say the prayer for this person, again building positive feelings as we repeat it.  Finally with all this positive feeling inside us, we offer the prayer to our difficult person.  May you be filled with loving-kindness… warm positive regard.  May you be well.  May you be peaceful and at ease, and may you be happy. 

     As I offered the prayer to the rude man from the store I suddenly realized that I had actually “cast the first stone” in our interaction.  When I first noticed him I had seen him as someone I wouldn’t want to interact with.  His appearance had reminded me of people I didn’t care for (more people to forgive) and wanted to avoid.  I realized that I had reached out with my mind and attacked this man long before I ever got close enough for him to say something unkind to me.  Perhaps he wasn’t a warm and fuzzy person?  Perhaps he did have a drug problem, but did he deserve my attack?  Were my judging thoughts what precipitated his words to me?

      Almost immediately another prayer popped into my mind, one that we have sung in church: I’m sorry, please forgive me, thank you, I love you.  It’s called a Ho’oponopono prayer (pronounced: ho-o-pono-pono), an ancient Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness.  (There is a short article on Ho’oponopono in the online Wikipedia.)  I began praying this prayer for the man from the store.  Instead of trying to forgive him, I was now asking his forgiveness for the attacking thoughts I had directed toward him.  As I prayed this prayer for him I began feeling better, much better.  Next I shifted and began praying the prayer for the man he reminded me of, the person I knew and “didn’t like so well.”  I’m sorry (for my judging critical thoughts of you).  Please forgive me (for sending you such unloving feelings rather than prayers or blessings).  Thank you (for forgiving me).  I love you (my brother, son of God).

      Both prayers are recommended for forgiveness work and I have had excellent results with each.  The Meta prayer is still a favorite and I continue to use it often.  Sending positive friendly regard to ourselves and others puts us in alignment with God, with the Creative Force that loves and sustains us all.  (Remember to start with yourself and friends before moving on to neutral or difficult people.)  The Ho’oponopono prayer requires a greater degree of mindfulness before it becomes effective.  It requires some awareness that we are active participants of our world, creating our experiences of the people and events around us.  In asking forgiveness from those we have judged, belittled or attacked (if only with our thoughts); it opens a space for release of judgment and karma.  It can then clear a space for us to once again offer a meta prayer, a prayer of blessings and loving-kindness to all others, and to ourselves.

happy girl

May you be filled with loving-kindness, with warm positive feelings. 
May you be well, in body and in mind. 
May you be peaceful and at ease, in all parts of your life. 
And may you be happy.
Amen

 


spotlight on service: coming...

By John Daubney


 

 

The Messenger
April - May 2013, Vol. 29, Issue 3
Below are articles from this issue.
To view/print the entire issue, click on the thumbnails in far left column.
PASTOR'S MESSAGE: AFTER EASTER | PRESIDENT'S CORNER

 

After Easter

by Rev Jim Fuller

easter

Easter was the original Christian holiday. Long before the stories and traditions around Christmas were formulated and worked into the church calendar Easter stood alone as the holy day of the Christian movement. Followers of “the Way”, as the early Jesus movement was known, would gather to remember the stories of his final trip to Jerusalem, his martyrdom and his resurrection. One would presume that these early gatherings were small and simple. They probably stayed small for many decades as the religious and political situation in Judea and Jerusalem deteriorated.

Later as the gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John were being compiled in the late first and early second century an idea emerged that shaped the future of Christianity. The idea was this, Jesus wasn’t just a prophet and martyr; he was an atoning sacrifice to God. Never mind that according to the Jewish Torah only the heathen nations would practice abominations like human sacrifice. Never mind that the valley outside Jerusalem which Jesus calls Gahanna (sometimes translated as Hell) was considered unfit for habitation because it had been a place where former nations had practiced human sacrifice. Putting facts and history aside, as we often do, the followers of Jesus who compiled our gospels and filled them with commentary decided that Jesus must have been an atoning sacrifice, just like the sheep and animals that were ritually slaughtered at the Jerusalem Temple.

It is important to remember that the messiah the Jewish people of Jesus’ time were looking for was a warrior-priest, someone to drive the Romans from the land and reestablish the Hebrew nation. Some scholars speculate that Judas’ reason for turning Jesus in was not for money as the gospels state but to force his hand in confronting the Romans. Jesus was clearly a God connected man, a man with spiritual power. Wouldn’t God come to his rescue? Perhaps Jesus would use his God-connection to call together the many revolutionary groups who were already active in Judea at the time? Within a few decades after Jesus some of these revolutionary groups did attempt to overthrow the Romans which led to the demise of the Temple in Jerusalem. When we read our gospels it is important to remember that this was the social and political situation taking place just before our gospels were complied.

So Jesus was not a warrior-priest, nor was he like the judges or kings of the Old Testament. But clearly Jesus was more than just another martyred prophet. And while some people saw and experienced him after the resurrection, he was no longer readily present as he had been before Easter. What could all this mean? The theology of “God’s atoning sacrifice” was the meaning that the compilers of our gospels came up with. Since other competing gospels were later destroyed we don’t know if there were alternative opinions. Early Christian theologians went on to expand the sacrifice idea to include the idea of redemptive suffering. A century or so later this was merged with another concept, that of original sin. Finally Christianity had created a “solid reason” for a special human sacrifice, a way to justify what to Jesus would have seemed unjustifiable.

The notions (and they are simply notions) of inherent or inherited sin and the virtue of atoning suffering and sacrifice has shaped western culture ever since this unholy alliance of ideas took place. It is woven not just into our religious holy-days but also into our basic understanding of the human condition. We perceive humanity as broken or fallen people, lost souls. We imagine that suffering and dying are our just due for our individual and collective mistakes. We are reminded that Jesus suffered for us (Is that really true?) and so why shouldn’t we expect to suffer along as well, accepting our collective fate? Brokenness, guilt, sin, suffering and sacrifice are very present in all aspects of western culture; legal, social, moral, religious.

Since we now understand that the beliefs and expectation we hold in our creative and powerful minds must show up in our lives in one way or another, is it any wonder that we experience ourselves living in a world filled with sinful, suffering, unworthy creatures? Is it any wonder that we cower in fear of some “final judgment” which will naturally result in yet more suffering and sacrifice? Can you see the emerging pattern here? Was this really the “good news” that Jesus came to share?

Easter has come and gone. The Jesus of the Easter story has walked quietly through what the worshipers of suffering saw as injustice, death and disgrace. But was that how Jesus saw it or experienced it? Today you and I have the opportunity to walk quietly through something much less dramatic yet equally frightening to us; the dense cloud of man-made ideas, of theologies of sin and suffering and sacrifice. The good news is that only truth is true, no matter what cultures or religions may teach, no matter what appearances may seem to show. Only love is real, no matter how loudly we may individually or collectively proclaim otherwise. We are not inherently broken or evil; none of us. We are not capable of damaging or destroying God or God’s creation, not any part of it.

The only loss you and I will ever face is the loss of our stories, our precious rituals of suffering and sadness. The real Jesus of the gospels is still with us as inspiration, imagination and support to guide us through the Easter process we must complete; the releasing, letting go and forgiving all that is not true, not of God. When we have walked quietly through our own letting go of the un-true, when we have forgiven and released our un-Godly thoughts, what will remain for us to experience but God and God’s whole, innocent and perfect creation?

May we accept Jesus’ Easter invitation to release all un-holy ideas of sin, suffering and sacrifice and welcome the truth of our holiness and perfection. May our minds and lives be healed this day. Amen.

 


 

Ex-President's Corner

by John Frederick

John FrederickIt is with a great mixture of feelings that I write this last newsletter article. After two terms on the Board of Trustees of Unity Church in Albany, I am constrained from serving another consecutive term.

Thank You, God! :-)

Wiser minds than mine long ago saw the wisdom of "rotating service" so that people did not become entrenched in positions of "authority" but also so that others could step up as Spirit called them to fill in positions of service. A stagnant stream is soon brackish; while a stream that is constantly replenished remains vital and life-giving.

Serving on the Board has been a Joy and a Blessing. It has been a powerful vehicle for enhancing, developing and learning Spiritual Truths.....a practical way to sharpen Spiritual skills of compassion, listening, discerning, allowing, communing, praying, giving and receiving.

The people with whom I have been blessed to serve have all given so much of their time, talent and treasure to the Board meetings, to the process of governing the church, to uplifting and supporting each others' ideas and projects, to seeing things from a higher vantage point. Thank you one and all for all of the Gifts you have bestowed on me!

Truly, the small amount I have given has been repaid to me many, many times over. Truly, I have changed and grown and become more of who I Am in Spirit as a result of our Board meetings and interactions. There is more to do... and there are people serving with Joy and Zeal, continuing on the path of Board membership.

I could list accomplishments, and things still "needed", but that would be to miss the larger point of serving, whether on the church Board or in any capacity: Service is among the most powerful ways to Spiritual growth -- both personal and community -- in order to achieve all that God has promised us.

I Am Grateful for my Time on Unity Church in Albany's Board of Directors and thank everyone for their Love and Support.

Best and Blessings,

John Frederick

 

 

 

The Messenger
February - March 2013, Vol. 29, Issue 2
Below are articles from this issue.
To view/print the entire issue, click on the thumbnails in far left column.
PASTOR'S MESSAGE: THE SECRET TO LOVE | SPOTLIGHT ON SERVICE

 

The Secret to Love

by Rev Jim Fuller

love keyWe read in our Bible that, “God is Love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.” (1 John 4:16)  Jesus even expands upon the traditional commandments by saying, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” (John 13:34)  When we have people in our lives who love us this seems easy.  They love us and we feel loved.  But what if my boyfriend, girlfriend, child, parent, pet or partner doesn’t love me?  Or what if I don’t currently have a boyfriend, girlfriend, child, parent, pet or partner?  How can I feel loved then?  Where can I look to find the love I need?

Most of us have experienced times when love seemed to be in short supply.  Perhaps we resolved this by finding someone new to love us?  Perhaps we adopted or purchased a pet, a love-object less likely to leave or to criticize?  Now we have someone to love us and we feel better.  But how secure is this love-relationship?  How will we feel when it changes or ends?  Some people solve this dilemma by limiting their friendships or staying out of relationships altogether.  Others wander from friendship to friendship, relationship to relationship throughout their life, touching upon love at times, lamenting its absence at others.

While it is wonderful to have people in our lives who love us they aren’t the real source of the love we feel.  The secret to love is this, when you feel love in the presence of another, what you are actually feeling is your own love moving out from you.  You could have a thousand people loving you and still feel alone and cut off from love.  Or you could be standing stand alone in your home or church or shopping center and feel totally bathed in love’s wonder.  Love is not something that others give you.  It’s not something that some external God sends down from heaven.  Love is what you are.  You feel love when you allow it to move out from you.  Just like the money in your purse or wallet, it is of no value to you until you open up and let it out.  The richest person on the planet might starve to death if they refused to open their wallet and use what was in it.  The same is true for love.

We might imagine that each part of creation, you and me and all things, came into being when the Mind of God said, “I Love…”  Each part of God’s creation is made of love.  You and I are made of love.  When we share the love that we are we allow love to flow through us.  When we create things, inventions, buildings, jobs, art, food, we are saying, “I love…”  Sometimes we send our love out creatively and wisely.  Sometimes we love in ways that we later realize were not-so-helpful.  Everything we create, build or do is either an expression of love or an attempt at expressing love.

The secret to love is this:
When you feel love in the presence of another,
what you are actually feeling is
your own love moving out from you.

Since we are literally made of love we can never run out of love.  There is always more love to create with; love for creating inventions, jobs, art, food, and of course relationships.   We can’t run out of love but we can refuse to open our wallets (or hearts) and release the love we are.  People have many reasons for refusing to let their inner love out.  They may not feel safe loving others.  They may be angry because others harmed or disappointed them in the past.  But whenever we refuse to let love move out through us the result is always the same, we feel un-loved. 

So Jesus gives us some really good advice, “Love one another.”  This is the key to feeling loved.  This is the key to experiencing closeness with God.  This is the key to experiencing the miracles and healings that come from allowing your inner God-Nature (Love) to heal you and provide for you.  And if there are “difficult people” in your life, those who you still find hard to love, try extending compassion toward them.  Compassion is a form of love that says, my brother I’m sorry you are feeling so un-loved or fearful that you feel un-able to share your love today.  But I am willing to extend my compassionate love to you knowing that my prayers and desires for your happiness, wellness and freedom can help support you in your healing.  No one sets out to live a miserable, angry or un-happy life, not you and not others.  And while we may not want to move our “difficult people” into our homes or agree with some of their upset ideas, we can extend love toward them in healthy ways.  And we can refuse to think or talk about them in negative and un-loving ways.  Love alone heals and we have the power to extend love.

“God is Love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and Love abides in them.”  If you want to experience happiness, another word for heaven, try following a different commandment, “…love one another. Just as I have loved you, love one another.”  The secret to love is this, we only feel love when we open our hearts and let the love that we are flow out.  If you feel that you can only love certain people or things look around for a couple more to add to your list.  As you expand your list of lovable people, situations and things, even by just a few, you will begin to experience more love.  Expand your willingness to love a bit more and you will find yourself feeling even more loved.  And since your thoughts attract things that are like themselves, the more you love, the more others will find it easy to love you.  That doesn’t mean that you will “get” their love.  Remember, the love you feel is your love moving out from you.  It does mean you will be helping others release the love that is present within them.  Imagine yourself becoming part of a collective releasing of love into our families, circles of friends and communities.  What a lovely healing gift to offer your sisters, your brothers and your world.

May the Love of God flow freely through me,
blessing everyone and everything in my world;
and thereby allowing me to experience
the love that I am. 
Amen.

 


spotlight on service: Susan Oringel

By John Daubney

Sue OringelIt may be hard to imagine that providing service to others could actually be fun rather than just the fulfillment of an obligation that must be done or simply the right thing to do. There is a joy in working with our unique gift(s) or becoming involved in whatever particular activity we feel drawn to, that makes serving others exhilarating. Sue Oringel has been led by her intuition, passion, love, and curiosity to choose her service opportunities. Just attend a Unity Coffee House and listen with your heart to Sue read one of her poems; watch her sing with chorus. You’ll know what I mean.

I have always been a spiritual seeker. My parents were Jews from Brooklyn who were raised with very little knowledgeof their religion, but nevertheless sent me to Hebrew schoo lto learn what they couldn’t teach and didn’t practice – a very disorienting experience. I grew up in a neighborhood of Jews and Catholics in a suburb of Washington, D.C. till I was 10, then we moved to a suburb between Baltimore and Washington, where there were very few Jews and more Methodists and Baptists. In a Comparative Religions class at temple in tenth grade, we visited various congregations, and I decided I wanted to be a Unitarian. In college I read the Don Juan books by Castaneda, and later became en-thralled with Tibetan Buddhism.

When I moved to Albany at 29, I took the Jewish “convert” class trying to give my old religion one more try. It didn’t take. Another convert classmate was Anne Roberts, former music director at Unity. Anne and I went to the mikvah for ritual bathing for her conversion and eventual marriage.We were happily surprised to find each other 15 years later at Unity. My thirties were spent at the Kripalu Center inAlbany as well as the Center at Lenox, Mass.

Fast forward to my mid-forties. I was brought to Unity by my first twelve-step sponsor, who also had a Jewish background and who thought I would like the services. I had joined a twelve-step fellowship for many reasons, not the least of which was that the people who belonged had strong relationships with a personal God, and none of the paths I had pursued had led me to such a relationship. I LOVED the first service I attended at Unity. I was taken by the concepts, the meditation, and Arthur Wells, our minister, but had a little trouble with the “C” word. In fact, I had to make a hasty translation every time I heard the “C” word – I substituted “crystal.” So for a long time, I was listening to the “Crystal within” and “Crystal love.”

But as Unity in Albany grew, so did I. The metaphorical exploration of the Bible led me to understand and embrace Jesus’s story and life as a way-shower. I started slowly with classes and volunteer experiences, but with each activity I got involved in, I felt more connected to Unity and to myself. I finally joined the church as a full member, something I had never done in my life.

Because I’ve been involved for about fifteen years or so, and because my memory is failing (!), I can’t tell exactly when and what I’ve been involved in. I think I started with the hospitality crew and later helped Charlie Hatch and Don Raux design a church retreat that was held at the Abode in New Lebanon. I also taught a creative writing class at that retreat. (Susan Trump took part in it). I think my next “assignment” was to be on the garden crew, the garden that Jim Mack’s bequest and Bettie and Art Rogers’ money “grew.” I bought and planted many of the perennials, including the rose bushes, and several of the “burning bush” “twigs” from my garden, that have burgeoned into big shrubs today. I spent several years being a gardener and then felt the urge to move on.

One of the things I most admire about Jim Fuller’s teachings is his admonition to serve where we are called. I have found when I volunteer in areas too close to my livelihood (psychotherapy practice), such as the We Care Committee (a wonderful collection of loving people), it felt too much like “work.” So as part of being on the financial visioning committee, I ended up being a teller once a month, which I really like. I like counting the money, feeling the church’s abundance, and getting to know the other tellers.

I have admired the outpouring of creativity that this church arouses. Inspired by the music program, I joined Phyllis Pulver’s Fourth Sunday Singers and have continued with Roger Mock and the 'Cowabunga Chorus '. I have also brought my poetry to read at many of our coffee houses which is another way to share myself and get to know others. It feels to me that all a church member of Unity has to do is find a passion, and there will be people and ways to help fulfill it.

For those who are shy or afraid to get involved, I suggest starting small. Help with a one-time event, like church clean-up, or setting up for a party. Try different things so you get a sense of what might be fun for you. I have found Unity to be a very welcoming church and truly my church family.

 


 

The Messenger
December 2012 - January 2013, Vol. 29, Issue 1
Below are articles from this issue.
To view/print the entire issue, click on the thumbnails in far left column.
PASTOR'S MESSAGE: WHICH GIFTS WILL YOU RECEIVE? | PRESIDENT'S CORNER | SPOTLIGHT ON SERVICE

 

Which Gifts Will You Receive?

by Rev. Jim Fuller

Christmas GiftsThere is a story about a man who has just arrived in heaven and is getting a tour of the grounds.  At one point he spots a large warehouse which his guide is not including in the tour.  When he asks about the building the guide says that it would be best if he didn’t visit there.  Eventually the man convinces his guide to show him what is inside that warehouse.  Inside he encounters row after row of shelving, all filled with beautiful unopened gifts.  Each row is marked with the name of a person.  Running down the aisles he finds the row with his name on it, pulls down a box from his shelf, opens it and peering inside begins to weep.  “That” says his guide “is why we don’t like to stop here.  This is where we save all the gifts that were offered to you but which you weren’t willing to receive.”

Throughout our lives we are offered many gifts.  Some we accept and enjoy, allowing them to enrich and expand our lives.  Others we decline, believing them to be of a value either too little or too large for us to accept.  Many of the greatest gifts we will ever be offered could not be kept into boxes, small or large.  Gifts like friendship, forgiveness, encouragement and caring can’t be bought or boxed.  But just like the gifts that we do purchase with money, these gifts must be received in order to be enjoyed.  The same holds true for the many gifts we get from God, the Source that creates and sustains us.  The point of the preceding story is that God, Spirit, Creation is continually offering us gifts, and not just material goodies.  God offers us people and companionship, ideas and resources, awareness and the experience of life.  But unless we open these boxes and receive these gifts, it will be as if Christmas had passed us by without so much as a single card or candy cane.

Here’s a big secret about Christmas; all the things piled under the tree are junk.  Yes they may be entertaining or even useful (nothing like a shiny new blender for the holidays!) but what really makes our hearts sing is the feeling that we have been remembered and loved.  And if we want to feel that we must be willing to release our judgments and defenses and to unlock the doors of our hearts.  You see the real warehouse isn’t located in some distant heaven; it’s located inside your heart.  And all the gifts that have ever been offered to you are still in there, just waiting for you to unlock the door and claim them.  Seeing some may make you weep.  It’s humbling to realize that you have been rejecting and refusing so much good and so much love.  But once you get past the initial shock of realizing what locking the door to your heart has cost you in the past, you then have the opportunity to look around with wonder at all that has been saved just for you.  No true gift is ever lost.  Every loving and wonderful thing that has ever been offered to you remains with you throughout all of time.  Which ones will you take off the shelf, unwrap and experience this Christmas?

May you allow yourself to receive all the gifts of comfort, companionship, healing and joy that are already present in the storehouse of your heart.  Amen.

 


 

President's Corner

By John Frederick

John FrederickLight is the visible metaphor for Spirit, and a powerful symbol of Christmas.... the Star guiding the “Wise Men”to the manger. Christmas light is perfect; the Christ Spirit come to us at the darkest time of the year.

Isaiah (9:2) foretells this vision: “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light....” In the beginning, in Genesis, God’s first action is to say, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.

A famous passage from the Lotus Sutra (3rd century CE) says, “The Buddha emitted a light from between his eyebrows....This light illumined the eastern direction, eighteen thousand Buddha lands....” The brilliance of the Buddha’s light is often said to be indescribable.

Scientifically, light is a stream of photons visible to the physical eye. We see, in fact, not a person or object, but really the light bouncing off a person or object.

Spiritual “light” is something else entirely. It is that illumination of the mind that does not depend on physical vision, but on an awakening to the Truth. An explosion (or a gentle dawning) of awareness that what is “really Real and truly True” is sometimes an exact mirror opposite of what our human mind and senses “see” as factual.

We think we don’t have enough :: We find we have all that we need and enough to share.

We think we are not worthy :: We find that we are worthy and fully capable.

We perceive difficulty, poverty and lack in the world :: We are aware of the beauty and joy and perfection in all of Creation.

We act and react out of dysfunction, old habits, self-destructive behaviors and traumatic experiences :: We heal our old wounds... and those of our family... and find a wealth of friendships and relationships that are whole, healthy, supportive and joy-filled.

These and many other examples are ways that the light enters into our minds and our hearts and opens us up to the Gifts of the Spirit.

The sign of Christmas is a star, a light in darkness. See it not outside yourself but shining in the Heaven within and accept it as the sign the time of Christ has come. He comes demanding nothing. No sacrifice of any kind of anyone is asked by Him.
~ A Course in Miracles

 


 

spotlight on service: Nancy McLearn

By John Daubney

 

We all have god-given abilities and gifts which no one can use in exactly the way that we do. When we become aware of these gifts and abilities, we can use them not only in our chosen careers or professions, but also in our volunteer work in the community and here at Unity if we choose. The activities we just love to engage in are a great way to give service. That way service is a joy! Nancy sees the connection between her gifts and chosen profession and the kind of service she offers here at Unity.

Nancy McClearn“I first attended Unity in August 2002 with Randy. He had been attending for a while, and asked me to join him. He thought I would like the people, the spirit, and the music. So, when I attended that first Sunday, I did feel the warmth, and really liked the affirmations and the music. I commented to Randy that it was so much like what we do at work. “This is a mental health church,” I said. In fact, I call Unity my Mental Health Church. I say Mental Health because when you come into this sacred space at Unity, you may be struggling with some thought or idea but in a short time you can shift into a healing and positive new space. So, mental Health is a continuous process of moving on and letting go in a manner that allows for connecting and embracing new thinking. I use a Virtues Model when working with children and this is similar to the beliefs inthe 12 Powers of Man (by Charles Fillmore) and in Unity Principles. Any behavior issues that are addressed with children are reframed in the context of a new positive outcome. This helps the parent with knowing what to praise which then helps the child’s behavior to be reinforced in a positive way.

“Working as a Mental Health Family Nurse Practitioner, I have an opportunity each day to be a part of a healing journey for people of all ages. My Nurse Practitioner career began after joining Unity Church. I have worked as a Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist in a variety of settings over the past 40 years. Today I can truly say my work is my play. I am in a private practice, where my mission is to awaken and embrace the good and the beauty in all the people I encounter. Working with this mission in mind is very rewarding for me. I attend Unity so I can recharge my batteries and be at my best for being present with others.

“I grew up in a Christian Church. My father was a great role model for doing service. He volunteered in various ways until he died. He was doing God’s work on a daily basis. My Dad could have been a street preacher. He taught me to be positive in any and all situations. Here at Unity all the board members are active and continually inspire me. I am also motivated by my peers at work who are re-ally awesome worker bees.

“My service at Unity began with teaching the younger children in the Sunday school classes on a regular basis in 2004. I did that for a couple of years, then took a break when both my father and then my sister became ill. I am a sub now, but would like to teach more often when I retire. I love to arrange flowers, and serve on task forces and committees on an as-needed basis.

“I helped with Circulation Day and have also enjoyed helping out with Christmas parties, and being part of the Retreat team. I have offered Reflexology as a seminar for people to learn how to give a partner a relaxation foot treatment. I have done this workshop a few times. Everyone gives and receives, providing an immediate relaxation response. In the past I have offered Reiki treatments in a group format. Last year I presented a program called “Wrapping up 2011” and am offering “Wrapping up 2012” this year. This program addresses ways to manage the end of the year and its holiday challenges with a Spiritual/Physical/ and personal process for making choices to be as healthy as possible. The program runs for four weeks and includes 3 early morning workouts per week. We called our sessions the “Twelve Days of Christmas.” Most everyone who was able to be present for the 12 sessions actually lost weight. We addressed the intentions for each day and celebrated each others’ successes while we danced, moved our bodies, and journaled daily with an emphasis on gratitude. Also, laughter and encouragement from each other allowed us to experience a daily energy shift.

“I have also been a backup usher and helped with food preparation on Sundays and parties.

“When I hear of a particular need I offer support. I can sometimes lead and sometimes just jump in and help as part of a group. I love volunteering and being committed to change. As the quote from Antonio Porchini goes: 'In a full heart there is room for everything and in an empty heart there is room for nothing.' I gain more energy by offering myself in service at Unity. I think people who volunteer live longer and have greater life satisfaction.

You will be inspired by the gift of giving of yourself. The task will just flow. If you are considering getting involved in the children’s programs I encourage you to just love them and all will fall in place."


 

 

 

The Messenger
October - November 2012, Vol. 28, Issue 6
Below are articles from this issue.
To view/print the entire issue, click on the thumbnails in far left column.
PASTOR'S MESSAGE: A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE | PRESIDENT'S CORNER | SPOTLIGHT ON SERVICE

 

A Community of Practice

by Rev. Jim Fuller

luteA tourist asks a New Yorker, “How can I get to Carnegie Hall?”  The man replies, “Practice, practice, practice.”  This is true in the performing arts.  It’s true in sports and in sciences.  And it’s true in spiritual matters as well.  How do you learn to meditate?  How do you find inner peace?  How do you become spiritually grounded?  Practice, practice, practice.  Many of us have spent decades, perhaps lifetimes, practicing the art of ignoring the spiritual dimension; our spiritual dimension and the underlying spiritual nature of our world.  We have become great performers of “being human” but this has been accomplished at the expense of our spiritual awareness.  Sadly our human self only lasts for a rather short period of time whereas our spiritual self is timeless.  Churches and other spiritual gatherings are places where we come together to practice, practice, practice - tuning back toward our timeless spiritual nature.

            Perhaps you have noticed that it is fairly easy to feel uplifted or inspired while you are at church?  Most people comment that they are able to meditate much more easily during services, workshops or group meditations.  This is because the collective spiritual intent of the community is actually supporting them in their practice.  The community doesn’t even need to be focusing on them for this to occur.  A collective attention turning toward God or Spirit makes it easier for all present to tune in.  The poet Rumi used the analogy of resonating strings of a lute, a guitar-like instrument.  When one string is plucked the others begin vibrating automatically.  When one or two people begin vibrating with the intent of spiritual connection, the vibration of connection begins to stir within all those around, even those who consider themselves spiritually unskilled.

            This is illustrated by a parable concerning a poor man who lived in a poor village.  The man was hungry and wanted something to eat but he had no food, only a kettle.  So he filled his kettle with water, built a fire around it and dropped in a few smooth stones.  A neighbor saw him doing this and inquired, “What are you doing?”  “I was hungry” the man replied, “so I decided to make stone soup.”  “Well I only have one onion” the neighbor said, “but perhaps that would help the soup along.”  Another neighbor overheard and offered a few beans.  One by one the people of the village contributed what they had.  None had very much but eventually the kettle was filled, the stones were set aside, and together everyone had a delicious meal.

            When we come together in community, sharing what we do have, the entire community is “fed”, not just physically but spiritually.  I often say that as each person brings his or her nickel’s worth of willingness, faith or dedication; we collectively have a wealth of spiritual consciousness and connection.  The whole is definitely far more than the sum of the collective parts.

           It is important for each of us to realize that we need people to practice with.  Jesus points toward this when he states. “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there with them.”  (Matthew 18:20)  Gathered “in my name” means in the way that Jesus taught, not simply speaking his name.  We will recall that Jesus’ teachings focused on loving one another, trusting in God, and going into “the desert” or “our closet” to pray – connecting in the silence.  When we do this collectively we strengthen our connection with his teaching, with the living Christ consciousness and with God.  It is, he notes, as if he were present with us in person.  Indeed he is.

           Most of us are not yet ready to appear as spiritual practitioners at Carnegie Hall.  We are still attached to many old religious ideas that aren’t particularly helpful.  Our ability to quiet our minds or pray in times of trouble is often poorly developed.  Our ability to hear and sense guidance or to find the inner strength needed to follow it may be weak.  We may think of ourselves more often as human animals rather than as spiritual beings.  But with practice, practice, practice each of these seeming obstacles can be overcome.  After all we are already spiritual beings.  We are spiritually interconnected with our Creator, with Jesus and other teachers, and with each other.  We all have a great inner potential just waiting to be unlocked.  It’s already ours.  What we need are places to practice finding and focusing our hidden spiritual wealth.  At the present time you may feel so far removed from achieving that goal that it’s difficult to maintain your dedication.  But notice what happens when you connect with others who are also doing their spiritual practice.  With just a little effort you can begin to feel yourself becoming spiritually lifted, perhaps even inwardly connected.  And each time that happens, your practice supports the community around you as well.

           We are all on our way to whatever Carnegie Hall calls us.  Each of us has an inner potential that wants to express itself through us and in ways unique to us.  Individually we can each do some good things and bring some light into our world.  But as we practice together we can release the greater potential of spiritual power that resides within the deepest parts of our being.  In Unity we call that the power of our Christ self.  It is the power of the creative Love of God in motion, moving through us individually and collectively as we practice, practice, practice the spiritual art of being.

May each experience of practicing together bring us closer to our true selves and to one another; and may our coming together spark the release of the greater gifts that lie within.  Amen


 

President's Corner

By John Frederick

John FrederickIt’s astounding! The number of things that are going on at our small church are simply astounding. And what is even more astounding, is it is all happening in ways that are (seemingly) effortless. We are a Taoist Center of Excellence ®

Oh, that is not to say that people are not putting forth effort. A lot of people work very hard around here. Reverend Jim. Barbara in our office. Roger and Mark. The Board of Trustees. All of the volunteers who do one thing once……or one thing regularly.

The “effortlessness” of our effort is in the naturalness of it all. It just Flows! It just happens. It’s done with JOY and GRATITUDE and LOVE.

Energetic music is provided each week. The bookstore has someone staffing it every Sunday. More people are bringing more food (and MORE FOOD!!) downstairs for hospitality. Unity Cares people are ready to help when called upon.

Ushers are ushering. Tellers are tellering. Gardeners are gardening. Jim is Jimming. Kay is Kaying. (I’m channeling Steve Holmes here, if you haven’t noticed).

Congregants are congregating…..for that is a very important form of Service.

The Tao of the Sage is Work without Effort. The Master does nothing, yet through her All Things are Done. Everything happens without rancor, minimal planning (mostly) and with Ease. The proof of that is the sustainability of it all.

And the Increase in it all. We are open to receiving more, so we are open to giving more. We are in touch with Source whenever we toss a salad, pull a weed, teach a child or sing a note.

Thank you God for your Vibrant Energy manifesting in and through our Church Community!

 

spotlight on service: Paul Frament

Paul FramentBy John Daubney

 

A life that contains a reasonable degree of service to others through using our God-given skills incarrying out activities that bring us joy, a sense of fulfillment, and purpose, is a life well-lived. As the old saying goes: “You can’t keep it (happiness) unless you are willing to give it away.” Paul Frament experiences happiness and has "fun" while serving others. Rather than consider service a “chore,” Paul considers service a blessing.

“Often, the concept of service conjures up thoughts of effort, difficult tasks, and sacrifice. I have a different slant on providing service. I look for activities where I have some skill, enjoy the activity, and would be pleased to participate for my own fulfillment. Then, if I can find a situation where I can have fun, and be helpful to someone else, that is like having my cake and eating it too.

“One example of my brand of service is my volunteering as a coach for the Cougars, a Special Olympics Hockey Program. I thoroughly enjoy physical activity, especially skiing and hockey. When I learned that I could skate for free and be of service at the same time, it was like realizing that life can be easy. When I volunteered, I expected that working with Special Needs youngsters might be difficult. But it turns out that my new hockey buddies are just like everybody else: they need extra help in some areas, but are fun and interesting in many other areas. What a concept: Getting credit for being of service when all I’m doing is having fun.

“I began service at Unity after Dottie and I had been attending services for two years. When we were first looking for a new church home, and came to check out Unity,the furthest thing from my mind was that we would choose to go more than once a month to a church that was 30 minutes from home. Well, as everybody knows, Unity is different. The spiritual education, the music, the enthusiastic Sunday service, and the people all make the 30 minute drive a minor effort. We have now been attending Unity regularly for about 7 years.

“My first foray into service at Unity came after taking the 48-week Quest class where I learned that when I forgive those who I think have wronged me, I gain peace and happiness, and, when I am generous with my possessions, I become more prosperous.

“So, after gaining so much, I decided that a good way to show my thanks was volunteering to lead a Quest class myself. I believed my newly acquired insights would help guide the next group of students. My plan was to sign up for the class, help get them started, and then drop out. Well,the class was so small; I felt that they needed me. So I stayed for the entire 48 weeks, and I learned so much more the second time. My intention to offer service actually served me, more than the group I was intending to help.

“At Unity I have also found a number of easy ways to make a difference. After enjoying the food and friendship during the hospitality time on Sunday, simply taking a few minutes to put away chairs or carry dirty cups into the kitchen is easy, and requires no special skills. I am only one of many people who quietly and cheerfully extend the effort to clean up after Sunday hospitality and Wednesday evening classes. I find that those few minutes of working together, build friendships that are deeper and stronger than if I just attend Sunday Service.

My main area of service to Unity is working in our Peace Garden. There, a group of Unity members select, plant, feed, and weed the flowers that add beauty to our property. I do very little with the flowers, but instead I trim hedges and maple trees that try to take over Unity’s property. Whenever I look at neat hedges and pretty flowers, I feel a sense of pride knowing that “I helped,” even if others did the important work where my skills aren’t so great. It is the feeling of being part of a great team that makes the effort worthwhile.

Another area where I am involved is pressing the buttons to display the words for songs and prayers at the exact perfect time (sort of). Our job title is “Operating the Sound Board”. But, some combination of Jim Fuller, Roger Mock, and Mark Shepard adjust the various settings before the 9:00 Service, and I pretend that I am a doctor and “do no harm” by not changing anything. Again, even though I have no musical ability, I am allowed to be a part of the music ministry, and enjoy being part of an awesome team.

As I think about service to Unity, I am realizing that, for me, the main benefit of service is that it helps me to feel at home when I am at Unity. When I attend a function and look around and see people that I have worked with on various Unity projects, I realize that this is MY spiritual family, and we are all helping each other to create a loving and supportive community.

“Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love.” —Rumi, Sufi mystic and poet

 


 

 
 
 

  Unity Church in Albany,  21 King Avenue, Albany, NY 12206 • (518) 453-3603  Fax: 518-453-0117