First Unity Church
of
St. Louis
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FIRST UNITY THEME FOR 2020
Compassionate, Courageous, Community
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After the Pandemic
In 2020, we at First Unity set the intention to sail the seven C’s together
as a COMPASSIONATE, COURAGEOUS, CONTEMPLATIVE, COLLABORATIVE, CONNECTED, CANDID COMMUNITY.
Little did we imagine how choppy, unpredictable, and frightening the current seas would be! We have been adrift in uncharted waters – where none of us has sailed before. Forced to depart from the life we have known, we might feel unsure about our destination.
Yet, never has compassionate community been so important; never has living in spiritual principle been so essential. While no one welcomes a pandemic, this global challenge calls us to come together as a spiritual community
in oneness of Spirit to support one
another, pray for all humankind, and live the Truth we know.
In the midst of the pandemic, we can ask ourselves, “What will be the grace in moving forward?” What will life be like after the pandemic?” As American Buddhist monk Pema Chodron wrote, “When things fall apart, we can use it as an opportunity to be open and inquisitive about what has just happened and what will happen next.”
Crisis often leads to positive change, and it is my prayer that we remember:
1.
WE ARE ALL CONNECTED.
Realizing that people all over the globe are facing the same challenges and fears is a striking
reminder of our Oneness. We have grieved together and we have joined together to celebrate victories along the way, discovering that there is more to unite than to divide us. As Jack Kornfield wrote, “The veils of separation are parting and the reality of interconnection is apparent to everyone on earth.”
2. ACTS OF GOODNESS, COURAGE AND COMPASSION MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Around the world, we’ve witnessed acts of heroism in health care workers and first responders putting their lives at risk to care for the sick, and we’ve seen others work tirelessly to feed us and to provide essential supplies and services. We’ve been entertained by quarantined people singing from their balconies, and our hearts have been touched by teddy bears displayed in windows. Mother Teresa said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love. But we can do small things with great love.”
3.
WE ARE HERE TO BE ALL WE CAN IMAGINE GOD TO BE
. This is the time to realize that the Power and Presence of God is greater than any worldly challenge. We are all individualized expressions of the same God, endowed with all the powers of the Christ including Love, Strength, Faith, and Wisdom. We set the intention to use our Christ powers for the good of all humankind. One loving thought, one affirmative prayer, one positive action at a time, we come together as a compassionate, courageous community to hold the highest possible consciousness as we set the intention to create a better world together.
Holding all in prayer.
Love,
Rev. Jan
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First Unity Church of
St. Louis Newsletter
May/June 2020
In This Issue:
Minister’s Corner
Bookstore Ministry
Crochet/Knitting Group
Upcoming Events
Shopping On-line with IGive.com
In Graditude
Save The Date
Core Values
Humor
Photographs
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Bookstore Ministry
Our Bookstore Ministry was created to provide invaluable resources to the First Unity Church of St. Louis community.
Our entire Sunday service is available for purchase on CD in the bookstore immediately following the service. It includes introductions, the selection of hymns for the service, Dean Christopher’s solo performances and Rev Jan Mourning’s inspirational message.
In addition to the CDs,our bookstore has books and pamphlets to support everyone's spiritual journey. Reading materials are available for children and adults.
To supplement our ongoing classes and Sunday messages, books may be purchased or ordered at the front desk of the bookstore.
Greeting cards are presently available and with the evolving design to the bookstore, many more resources and other inspirational gifts will soon be available. Our bookstore encourages all to celebrate being a part of this wonderful spiritual community.
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First Unity Crocheting/Knitting Group
The First Unity Crocheting/Knitting Group meets the first and third Tuesday of the month from 11 am until 1 pm.
We make baby items for the St. Louis Chapter of Newborns in Need who delivers items to hospitals and group homes that help infants in need. The St. Louis Chapter of NIN delivers items throughout the eastern half of Missouri.
Virginia and Joan deliver all finished items to the monthly NIN meeting on the first Saturday of the month.
Other items NIN collects are diapers and infant clothing, both new and gently used.
If you want to help but don't crochet or knit, we are always pleased to receive donated yarn. We will turn your donation into a lovely baby item to be donated.
For more information, email Joan at joanmueller46@att.net
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Minister, Jan Mourning
Board of Trustees
John Young - President
Rick Emnett - Vice President
Betty Jean Kofron - Secretary
Hope Dodson -Treasurer
Betty Ponzar - Trustee
Mary Tumminello -Trustee
Prayer Chaplain Team
Prayer
Chaplain Coordinator
Anne Hartupee,
Prayer Chaplain Trainer
Mary Tumminello
Prayer Chaplain Admin, Coordinator
Linda Harr
Prayer Chaplains
Lance Baugh
Hope Dodson
Paul Henley
Lynn Mark
Betty Ponzar
Gladys Young
Platform Assistants
Hope Dodson
Linda Harr
Mary Tumminello
Bookstore Managers
Betty Jean Kofron
Mary Grace
Webmaster
Carol Ellerman
Office Manager
Sara DeWitt
Music
Music Director
Anne Hartupee
Soloist
Dean Wiegert
Youth Ministry Team
Denise Halbert-Raggio, Director
Glenda Gebhardt
Cindy Gibbs
Facebook Admin
Kathy Boyd
Newsletter Editor
Patricia Riess
riess@htc.net
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Ladies Night Out
The next Ladies Night Out will be
May 18th at Mike Duffy's
at 5:30 pm.
Presently our June outing is scheduled for
June 21th
Please contact Mary at
jtpres5111@g
mail.com
for more information on modifications for the upcoming events.
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Our Book Club meets on the 2
nd
Tuesday of the month from 2 – 4 pm at The St. Louis Bread Company on Tesson Ferry Road, St. Louis, MO.
The April meeting was canceled due to the Stay-at-Home order in effect.
We will continue with our original schedule and read "
Tatooist of Auschwitz - and his secret love"
by Heather Morris in May,
We will reschedule "
Flash"
by Rachael Anne Ridge at a later date.
We are in a wait-and-see mode at the present time. Please contact
Carol
at
cabullock48@yahoo.com
for future updates.
Looking forward to seeing you at the Book Club!
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Shopping On-line with IGive.com
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Many of us have resorted to shopping on line during the coronavirus pandemic. So, let’s use that to our advantage and earn money for our church!!
You can do this by enrolling in IGive.com.
IGive is an organization that coordinates giving to thousands of charities from a network of stores with online purchasing options.
Here are the steps to follow:
Search for “First Unity Church of St. Louis” when asked for your school or nonprofit.
You can do this from your desktop or download the IGive app to your mobile device.
Contact Rick at rrrrj2006@sbcglobal.net if you need assistance.
You can click on the button below to watch the short 5 minute
IGive.com video
on our website detailing how you enroll. .
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IN GRATITUDE
Heartfelt thanks goes out to all those who are making it possible for us to post abbreviated Sunday messages during this time when we cannot hold our usual Sunday services. Gratitude to:
Kathy Boyd – Videographer, Facebook Admin
Carol Ellerman – Webmaster
Linda Harr – Prayer Chaplain
Anne Hartupee – Licensed Unity Teacher, Music Director
Bob Leonard - Lighting and Sound
Mary Tumminello – Prayer Chaplain
Dean Wiegert – Soloist
Victoria Wiegert – Dean’s Videographer
Gladys Young – Prayer Chaplain
It is our dream and intention to upgrade our network, sound, and projection capabilities in order to begin Live Streaming so that our Sunday services can be simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real time and then made available as Podcasts. Join us in seeing that intention realized. In the meantime, we are grateful to be able to provide abbreviated Sunday services. Kathy Boyd reports that our six abbreviated Sunday services published on YouTube have 100-180 views each, averaging 145 views per service. We look forward to the time when we can broadcast our entire Sunday service every week.
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Save The Date
For the most current updates concerning our church, please refer to
Rev. Jan Mourning's Mid-Week Update
, our website at
Unitystl.org,
and
First Unity Church of St. Louis
Facebook Page.
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One of our core values for First Unity Church is: SPIRIT-LED
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We transcend our human identity and claim our spiritual identity by aligning with and living in awareness of Infinite Spirit
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- We begin all our gatherings with prayer
- Cultivating communion with the Divine, we teach spiritual principles and practice sacred service
- We consistently provide opportunities to deepen and expand understanding of Unity principles and how to align with them
- Guided by Spirit, we act from our Divine Identity
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- I take life's celebrations and challenges into prayer
- I engage in daily spiritual practices that keep me conscious of Spirit
- I choose activities that deepen my relations with the Divine
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HUMOR
Kids in Church
3 year old Reese said his daily prayers, “Our Father, Who does art in heaven, Harold is His name. Amen."
After the christening of his baby brother in church, Jason sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car. His father asked him three times what was wrong. Finally, the boy replied, “That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home, and I wanted to stay with you guys.”
Six year old Angie and her four year old brother Joel were sitting together in church. Joel giggled, sang, and talked out loud. Finally, his big sister had enough. “You’re not supposed to talk out loud in church.” “Why? Who’s going to stop me?” Joel asked. Angie pointed to the back of the church and said, “See those two men standing by the door? They are hushers.”
I had been teaching my three year old daughter, Caitlin, the Lord’s Prayer. For several evenings at bedtime, she would repeat after me the lines from the prayer. Finally, she decided to go solo. I listened with pride as she carefully enunciated each word right up to the end of the prayer: “Lead us not into temptation,” she prayed, “but deliver us some E-mail”.
A little boy was overheard praying: “Lord, if you can’t make me a better boy, don’t worry about it. I’m having a real good time like I am”.
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Minister:
Jan Mourning
Office:
314.845.8540
SilentUnity
prayer support
1.800.NOW PRAY (669.7729)
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