Minister's Monthly Letter

Unity Church of Christianity Appleton, Wisconsin

April 2008

The Whole Ball Game

The major league baseball season has just opened. Baseball has its own niche in the array of team sports:

• The pace of the game is slow sometimes, compared to basketball.
• It's much less violent than football.
• It's a team sport, but relies heavily on the skills and strengths of individual team members in specific situations.
• And, it's part of the cadence of summer; the call of a baseball game brings thoughts of warm weather and long sunny afternoons.

I recently read something about teamwork that resonated with me. Chris Clarke-Epstein is an expert in the field of organizational change. She wrote "Most organizations these days talk about wanting their people to work in teams. Many organizations don't clearly understand what it takes to build a team - in training, time, and resources...One person can be a crucial ingredient to a change, but one person can't make a change. The next time you're faced with a change, think of the team you could assemble and go for it." www.ChrisClarke-Epstein.com

As I think about our Unity community, I see many talented and spiritually fit individuals. I see people who have given years of service to this community. And, I see our community in a time of change. One of my hopes for us is that we will take the training, time, and resources necessary to build and strengthen our team(s). Our church exists as a community of like-minded spiritual seekers. It is not a "minister and flock" organization. This means that each person has a place on the team(s); that we must be alert for opportunities to join individual skills and interests with community needs; and that what happens will occur not because of any one person, but because of the actions of the entire community.

Teamwork does take time to develop--everybody needs to practice their own spiritual work, be willing to join with others, and have patience to watch the team grow and become stronger. We need to welcome new recruits, too! Teamwork builds slowly, as members recognize ways to work together, to support one another, to achieve goals together, and to minister to one another. We're in spring training with weekly meetings, examining our own expectations and those of our community, and making decisions about how we will approach our next season. Soon we'll be taking the field, and our effectiveness, joy, and fulfillment will grow as we work together to create an exciting, new, and original "whole ball game."

Spirit is blessing us now!

April Kain-Breese, Spiritual Leader
minister@unityofappleton.org