Minister's Monthly Letter

Unity Church of Christianity Appleton, Wisconsin

July 2008

By the Time I Got to Phoenix... and Back Again

The Association of Unity Churches International held the Annual People's Convention in Phoenix June 9-13, 2008. This was my first national Unity convention. I met many ministers and spiritual leaders from all over the country. I met up with Rev. Marylou Palmer, who served as our transitional minister some years back. It was wonderful to spend time catching up, and she was a great help to me in getting oriented to the convention. Rev. Marylou is currently serving Unity in Key West, and sends her greetings to you all.

I'll probably be talking about the convention for months, but one of the best things I heard came from Rev. Dr. Gary Simmons. Some of you recognize that name. He's among the senior staff at the AUC. He talked about how our churches thrive. He said,

"We want to be clear and focused on what we want to be and do, not on 'more people' or 'more money.' Our purpose shouldn't be to relieve our discomfort. We don't want to be driven by lack toward thriving, but by what we are and have and are meant to do."

"We want to be focused on what we are and have and are meant to do." That means being open to Spirit's guidance in planning activities and services that support our mission/vision statement. I am beginning to plan our "program" for the year ahead, September 2008 to May 2009. My purpose is to create a framework into which we can place activities, classes, special services, and so on, that most clearly move us in the direction of our mission/vision. I'll be learning a lot as I go through this first year. I ask for your creative thoughts, your vision, your willingness to work side by side with me, and your prayer support for our community.

There are three activities that you can already be thinking about:

• Outdoor service and picnic on Sunday August 3rd
• Our own political campaign! Huh?
• "11 Days of Global Unity", with a surprise capstone service on Sept. 21

Read more about these events and all the church news on the following pages.

Summer on! Pray on! Spirit is great and active in your life today and everyday!

Blessings of joy,

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