Unity Center
in western North Carolina

Y.O.U. (Teens)

Youth Education Corner

This fall has been a renewing time after a beautiful, busy summer for all the children of Unity and the Reps (Y.E.S. Class Guides designated as "Reasonably Enlightened Persons"!). Everyone has grown and moved into new stages of development which are always interesting to observe. And we all enjoyed performing a song about "our gifts to shine" in the Christmas themed Volunteer Appreciation Show in October. 

We are especially grateful to the adults who have heard the call and signed on to complement our Team for a four-week unit each month! 

Currently we are exploring "Gratitude For What Unity Teaches Us" and learning about the 5 central principles of Unity which includes an understanding that God/Spirit is everywhere present and in each of us, that we create our own experience thru the wise use of our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, that we can learn to "talk to God" within as well as "listen to God within"... and that we serve with love to make a difference. A small book The Simple Truth is guiding us in all of these lessons as we move toward the Thanksgiving holiday �a beautiful package of growth! 

From Nov. 27 through Dec. 18, we will travel the wonderful journey of Advent with our own Advent wreath, creating a enlightened symbolic tree of Peace, Hope, Joy, and Love, "bringing in the light" to the chapel each Sunday, preparing a short musical gift to sing in chapel with Nancy Glowacki & Eric Russ on Dec 18th. 

We invite the congregation to our second annual Christmas Dessert Feast after the 11:00am Service and Potluck on Dec. 18th! We welcome your baked goods and we want everyone to feast their eyes on our "Tree of Life" decorated with meaningful symbols. 

Because Christmas Day falls on a Sunday this year, Chad and we will be creating a Family Sunday Service with one service only at 11:00am on Dec. 25. We invite parents and children to sit together in the chapel and enjoy a delightful Christmas Day Service! 

Last year we collected warm clothing for local people in need, we'd like to repeat that project� Be on the lookout for a collection box! We�re very grateful to the congregation for their contributions to UNICEF in October. Our gift to Unicef totaled just over $100! 

Helping Hearts and Hands Wanted! We need to develop a data base & email list immediately so that we can reach all parents and kids with our ongoing news of programs and projects! We seek 1-4 persons to take turns staffing the hall table and taking attendance and/or registering newcomers each Sunday between 10:45 and 11:15am for latecomers! 

Children raised in Unity will deeply benefit from your volunteering in YE for a four-week unit sometime this year�they - and you - will receive untold gifts from your giving! We are developing ideas for January through spring�please do join us. Sign on the clipboard on Sundays or call Nancy 693-5257 anytime! 

Parents! We are so glad to be growing in numbers! Your children do benefit from coming every week�bring them as regularly as possible �remember we start promptly at 11:00am! We are grateful for your partnering in this important growth opportunity in your child�s life. 

Cameron Ellison, YE Coordinator - 890-1476
Nancy Glowacki 693-5257

Cameron Ellison, YE Coordinator - 890-1476 
Nancy Glowacki 693-5257

"Hands of Blessings," a quilt made by children, raised $1,000 and then was donated to Elizabeth House in Hendersonville, NC, in Honor of Rev. Chad O'Shea�s work with Hospice.

Montessori Cooperative School and the Biodynamic Educational Coop formed a partnership to create the Friday Enrichment Classes at Unity Center. In a class titled "Discussions on Death without Crisis," the children discussed death and dying and then thought of a word they would want to hear just before their death. The children then made a handprint with paint on cloth, wrote their word under it, then decorated it with hand stitching. The quilt was pieced together by moms and then brought in for the children to hand quilt with buttons. In gratitude for Unity Center, the children raised $400 dollars in the name of their quilt for the Unity Annual Auction, and challenged the Unity Community to match their donation. The Unity Community raised $600, for a total of $1,000.  ~Donna Askew, April 2011

Cameron Ellison, YE Coordinator

On December 19, after the 11:00am service, or after the Potluck, you are invited to come to the YE to have Dessert and see our Advent tree. By that time, it will be filled with the symbols of hope, joy, peace and love, the culmination of our four weeks of study.

Dick Allen, Unity Board President & head of Unity�s Habitat for Humanity team, hosted a Sunday for the YE in the summer. The children were so inspired by Dick�s stories about building houses for those in need, that they decided to dedicate their Sunday School offerings through October to Habitat for Humanity. We are pleased to present a check to Habitat for Humanity in the amount of $62. Unity youth gives back!

After the holidays, our joyful and loving REPs (Reasonably Enlightened People) have a fun and thoughtful January and February planned out. We will explore the simple, yet profound question, "Who am I?" We will set the stage and the children will lead us in exploring the great mysteries of life.

We welcome you to become a facilitator in our YE. We have ongoing training sessions and we provide all lesson plans & materials. You don�t need prior experience. You just need to be a good listener and want to be with children. Wander on back to the YE and find Cameron or Nancy. You are who we�ve been waiting for!

Cameron Ellison, YE Coordinator

What have we been up to, you ask? Well, since the birth of Spring, we�ve been celebrating life with the plants here at Unity. By planting sunflowers and mulching trees, our Unity children have helped feed the birds and protect their habitat from crippling drought like we experienced last summer.

With the horrid oil spill in the gulf, we�ve been prompted to adopt the saying �Think globally, act locally.� One can become so alarmed and discouraged by the environmental problems in our world, hopelessness can set in. We talked about this, and how we can take our despair and turn it into empowerment by taking action. We have acted locally by protecting our trees, thus contributing to clean air, carbon removal and oxygen regeneration.

A Summer of �Free Spirit Sundays�

Y.E.S. (Youth Exploring Spirituality) is looking for a few R.E.P.s (Reasonably Enlightened People) to sign up for a Sunday or two to celebrate life with our youngsters this summer. It will be a marvelous potpourri of topics and events centered around what our wonderful volunteers want to bring; tell or read a story, teach us something, help us make something, show us something, just be with us. Already we have a REP coming on the second Sunday in June to tell stories about her trips to India and the Himalayas!

We want our summer Sundays to be rich with stories and experiences gifted to us by our Unity family. We are interested in sharing and learning about what you do, know about, love�. Please see me, email or call me anytime to pick out a Sunday. Our sessions run from 11:00am to 12:30pm.

If you want to help but don�t have an idea of what to do, I have a lot of fun things that I simply need a generous soul to step in and facilitate with the children. Age groups range from Kindergarteners to Elementary to Middle schoolers. Sometimes we are all in one big group, and other times it makes more sense to break out into smaller groups. One thing is for sure, we always have fun! Don�t miss out on this chance to make a difference in a child�s life.

Fall

Once the summer is over and children are back in school, we will begin a four month curriculum of Spiritual learning in our Unity Sunday School.

In September, we will focus on the question �Who am I?� We will have discussions, explorations and projects to develop the awareness of each and every one of us, and our divine spark within.

In October, we will broaden our discussions to include friends and family, asking the question, �Who are we?� We will explore and strengthen our relationships with each other and all sentient beings with which we share our planet. We will affirm our place in the great web of life, and explore methods of peaceful communication and conflict resolution.

In November, as winter begins to set in, the animals begin to hibernate, and we too will look within and reflect on our relationship with God. We will give thanks for all our gifts, in particular the gift of life. As the trees let go of their leaves, we too will focus on letting go of the desires that create disharmony in our lives and remember to be grateful for the love and gifts that come our way. We will explore making affirmations of abundance, letting go of fear that there is not enough.

December is a time for giving, and our children will be working hard on gifts for others and on preparing the annual Christmas Pageant, which is their gift to the congregation. We will share the joy of giving as we talk about the gift of the baby Jesus, and the rich lessons of unconditional love and service to others that he came to teach us about. We will rejoice with the children, not in the material things that dominate the American Christmas message, but in the warm satisfying experiences that come from loving kindness and generosity of spirit.

I would like to thank the awesome Board members who pitched in and updated the Youth Education office with a fresh coat of paint and new shelves. Now we will all be able to serve our children more efficiently and creatively out of our Central Resource Center! Come back and have a look. Peek around, you might find you like it and find a new home in the church. I am so grateful to all of the people who have come forward offering to help. The gifts of material, time and ideas means so much to Grace, Cinda and me. Thank you!

Our Unity Sunday School is alive with Joy. Our children are so full of love and wisdom, grace, and purity. It is so much fun to be with them every Sunday!

Cameron Ellison, YE Coordinator

Cameron Ellison, YE Coordinator

Winter, 2009-2010:

We are blessed with 5 age groups in our Unity Sunday School, and we are truly blessed with wonderful adults who choose to spend their time with these precious young ones. There is a special person who basks in the glow of fresh, innocent, tender hearts, as can only be found in children. Our Youth Ed is vibrantly alive with old souls who come to teach, learn and play among our young initiates.

Cameron Ellison, YE Coordinator

Our children are studying the 12 Powers as outlined by Charles Fillmore. The basis for these powers is that they are all inherent within us. Through the grace of God/Goddess, Great Mystery, these are gifts bestowed within humans.

In the Youth Sunday School, we spend a month resonating with each power, and look for the cycle of life within their unfolding.

In order to teach something, one must understand it first, so we�ve worked hard to find connections between the 12 Powers and the life rhythms that we already celebrate. The four seasons that turn the wheel of the year and the holidays that drive our culture are familiar and beloved.

We celebrate the return of the Christ Light at the Winter Solstice with the birth of Jesus. We learn from him how to be loving, forgiving and accepting of ourselves and each other. At Easter, when Spring is springing, we have festivities with bunnies and eggs, celebrating renewal of life. In Summer, we try to get outside a lot and play games, holding fun in nature as sacred. Come Fall, we are preparing for the busy season of buttoning down for the winter.

We celebrate life as we harbor joyfully what we choose to keep, and wisely release what we no longer choose to give importance to.

Looking at the order in which the Twelve Powers are presented, and the month in which they are assigned, a parallel pattern can be drawn.

1. Faith

2. Love
3. Strength
4. Wisdom
5. Power
6. Imagination
7. Understanding
8. Will
9. Order
10. Enthusiasm
11. Release
12. Life/Joy

Starting with January makes perfect sense. The circle is on-going, but we have to start someplace. If you look at the 12 months and the 12 powers as numbers on the clock, they are easier to isolate as well as integrate. The four directions correlate very nicely, 12 being North, 3 being East, 6 being South and 9 being West.

I�ve always wondered about the quadrant of the circle between North/Winter, and East/Spring. Unless you�ve been through the cycle, how would you know that new life of spring will surely follow the apparent death of winter? To me, faith is the perfect quality to have at that time.

Faith is followed by Love, the strongest force in the Universe. Faith and Love combined bring Strength, the 3rd power (March). It takes Faith, Love and Strength to be born, for the East is the place on the wheel for New Life. Our lungs fill with air for the first time and we greet the dawn as our new day of beginning.

As we move into April, May, and June, we step into our gifts of Wisdom, Power and Imagination, all things that come through the human heart and mind, to gift Mother Earth. Moving in grace as we give thanks for our powers, wee seek Understanding (7) to guide our Will (8), and bring divine Order (9) to our existence. These are great gifts that bring balance and insight to our lives.

As the bright oranges of October quicken our blood, Enthusiasm (10) is honored and celebrated. As we rejoice in the beauty of this lifetime, we show the power of Release as we remember to let go of old hurts and habits that don�t serve our or the planet�s highest good.

The power of Life or joy (12) completes our cycle as a culmination of all the powers and the true gift, the gift of life itself, Joy.

There is no place more alive with Joy than our Unity Sunday School. Our children are so full of love and wisdom, grace, and purity. It is so much fun to be with them every Sunday, to see how they look and to hear what they say. They are incredibly dear! Cinda, Tim, Leslie, Grace, Jeanie, Cadie, Tom, Steve, Kim and I thank you for bringing them. We love to teach and share, and we also like to listen, for their words are truly, "out of the mouths of babes!"

In Youth Ed, our children (and their teachers) learn about love, compassion, forgiveness, patience, kindness, and other things that will give us wisdom and knowledge. Come share your energy with our children!

Cameron Ellison, YE Coordinator

We will celebrate Halloween on Sunday, Nov. 1^st.We invite the Unity children to come to church in costume and enjoy games & treats during Youth Ed on that Sunday.

Spring, 2009: A Sunday School Query

A while back, we discovered a whole collection of King Arthur puppets. The children and their adult sponsors felt inspired to write a play about the struggle between humans and nature. The "problem" was that humans (King, Queen, Princess and Prince- who�s really a frog) dominated nature, taking whatever they wanted because they could; they had the power to do so (the knights). The Unicorn, Dragon, Merlin and Wise-Woman were there to remind them of nature�s natural balance, and how being too greedy would upset the Great Earth Mother, which in turn would endanger eventually all living beings, including humans!

Continuing this theme, we decided we needed some direct input from nature. We were divinely guided to hold a Council where we invited nature to speak, so we humans could listen. Humans are always busy yacking away, and when we are talking, we cannot be listening. So in our Circle of silent humans, we each took a turn to sit in the center and offer our voice for an animal or form of life on the planet to speak. We listened. Then we thanked that animal for sharing. Here are the words that were spoken.

Ocean- I am the ocean. Stop littering. Why do you throw garbage on me? Why do you take the fish?

Sea Anemone- Thank you.

Spider- I only bite people when I�m excited or scared. Don�t scare me.

Bunny- I am only scared when you get close to me.

Earth- Why do you litter on me? Why do you dig rocks off me? Why are you pulling the grasses off me? Why are you digging me and hurting me?

Eel- You put me in aquariums to look at me, and all I hear you say is how ugly I am. I too have the earth in me. Without my place in life, we would have too many of one kind and not enough of another. We hide from you and your big machines.. We have spirit like all the others.

Horse- I do your service. I help you when you need it. Now you whip me for fun. I wish the world was back where horses were respected for their duties. What happened to when you rode us with love? Now we die without dignity. Our beauty isn�t the only thing that shines in us. Listen closely.

Monkey- Why do monkeys eat bananas? They want to live.

Rain Forest Animals- Please don�t cut down the trees, our homes, our canopies. How are we going to live, how are we going to eat?

Elephant- Why are you cutting down our trees? We have no place to live.

Bear- We only attack if we are scared. We don�t want to hurt you.

Bee- We make honey for the humans, but you are still scared of us. You look scary and big to us. We are beautiful and fuzzy. We only sting for protection. If you cut down our trees we have no place to build our hives.

We are listening. Are you?

I am a teacher between classrooms. Rather than store or lose my books and materials, I�ve brought a lot of it into the Unity classrooms. Merging these new resources with what we already had has been an organizational nightmare, I mean challenge.

Synchronicity seems to work actively through me, so listening to a little voice inside, I decided to call the lady who put up the flyer about getting organized. I told her I needed help streamlining the materials and systems of the Youth Education Department. We had a long talk about how one�s surroundings can be a mirror for what�s happening inside, also how working with the outward shape and sway of things can bring a welcome and happy change to one�s interior landscape.

I speak of Carol Pimental. The catchy phrase on her flyer is "Are you the person who has everything but can never find it?" This question prompted me to make the call, and I am so glad I did. Unity's children deserve to celebrate in ordered and loving spaces, geared for their nurturance. It is hard for me to ask for help, but my responsibility to our children drove me to it.

It turns out; Carol and I are like-minded on many interesting topics. She verbalized what I�ve been thinking, that our modern culture is having a nervous breakdown! This is an insane time where we are assaulted with too much information and communications. It is not good for our nervous systems. We are also assaulted with consumerism. Is it any wonder that many of us are chronically disorganized!

What I appreciate about Carol�s approach is that she starts from your strengths. She says, instead of feeling like we have to change to fit the system, we need to check in with ourselves, and find out what we are doing that does work well. This affirms your sanctity as the dweller within and honors your right to seek balance in your life as befits you.

I am so happy that Carol has agreed to work with me in bringing balance to our Youth Ed. My favorite saying is "I am not a human being having a spiritual experience. I am a spiritual being having a human experience." That�s how I try to live my life. "Stuff" can really run a human experience amuck, if you let it.

Carol will give a workshop at Unity called "Organize Your Life: a Practical Foundation for Personal Freedom!"on Sunday, May 31 at 2pm. I have agreed to be her assistant, as she is now my Teacher and I her humble student. This could really make a big difference in my life! I am so hopeful. Help at last.

In Youth Ed, our children (and their teachers) learn about love, compassion, forgiveness, patience, kindness, and other things that will give us wisdom and knowledge. Come share your energy with our children!

Cameron Ellison, YE Coordinator

I am grateful for such an inspiring cohort as I have in Cinda Dobbs. She and I have had the amazing experience of knowing people at the beginning of their lives in the nursery, and then still knowing them as grown young people. When they first start out in the Nursery, they are tender and dear. I imagine that they are still tender and dear as older people, it�s just not as apparent.

Lola, almost 3, is a regular at the 9:30am Sunday service. She just got a new baby brother, Staton, who is one month old! Congratulations to Lola�s family! Lola listens and watches everything. She is sensitive, alert, interested and a little shy. A couple Sundays ago, I was sitting in for Cinda in the nursery. It was Lola�s family�s first trip back to church after the birth of Staton. I could only imagine how Lola must be feeling about all the change in her world, and on top of it all, there I was instead of Cinda!

Mom and Dad wanted to go into the service, but Lola hesitated. So we honored Lola�s need to take things easy, at her speed. Mom & Dad hung out for awhile, and Lola took her time clinging to Dad and eyeing me. Cinda and I have an easy affinity for relating with the very young. We see them as regular people with feelings, and then it is easy to see how they feel. That�s all anyone really wants, is to be understood.

Lola began to relax as I started to play. I was setting out little stuffed animals before her. She watched carefully as I put a pretty, white doll�s dress on a little lion. All the animals had to sit up on their bottoms, like they were gathering for a tea party. By now Lola had come over and was standing next to me. The ice broke when she reached out, and with her tiny finger tipped over the lion, and as he fell, I said �bonk����..

Lola looked at me, and I looked at her, and we both broke up laughing. Lola thought my saying �bonk�, was the funniest thing in the world! I thought her busting out laughing was amazing and wonderful! It was like a dramatic ray of sunlight suddenly bursting through the dark cloud and lighting up the world below. We both were delighted with each other! The more I set the little animals up, the more she tipped them over, the more I said �bonk�, the more we laughed. We became hysterical with joy. I hardly noticed Mom, Dad and Staton leaving the room.

Lola taught me something that day. I thought she�d been very brave. Brave enough to be patient, brave enough to face fear, brave enough to reach out and tip, brave enough to give me a chance, brave enough to love and trust and just play. It made me wonder about bravery, if it always leads to hysterical joy, or only when used wisely, like Lola did that day.

New Uniteen Group Starting Up!

If you are in middle school (6th, 7th, 8th Grades) or are 10-13 years of age, you are a Uniteen! Jay and Jennifer Dale are starting up a new Uniteen group this September. The room has been painted, couches are being sought, special projects are being explored, and there are opportunities to attend Southeast Regional Uniteen Rallies (spiritual weekend retreats) in north Florida. Gather with other (super cool Unity) Uniteens from the whole SE region of the US! You are not alone.

Uniteens is a time and place where we honor our preteens and youngest teenagers. We know that wisdom comes from people of all ages, and we have prepared a safe and loving space for you. We honor you at this powerful time of your life and want to teach and learn spiritual wisdom from you.

You will meet people your own age from different parts of the Asheville area and enjoy the benefit of confidential group heart talks where you can share issues that are important to you and hear what others are thinking and going through too. We honor the right to pass your turn, but we would love to hear what�s in your heart and mind.

Your Uniteen group is a place to enjoy more freedom while you prepare to become a YOUer. YOU stands for Youth of Unity, our high school group (9th � 12th grade or 14-18 yr. olds). They too have a room of their own in which to gather and share heart talks on Sundays. The YOU Rallies are so outstanding, that they have actually changed how adults think about teenagers! The YOU Rallies are planned and led by the YOUers themselves. The adult sponsors are there as guests and are invited to participate.

So get started, Uniteens. You have a very rich and wonderful future ahead of you. Sincere and loving thanks to Jay and Jennifer Dale, who�ve stepped up and given their commitment to be sponsors for this very special group! Watch for Uniteen and YOU events and fundraisers in the near future. These precious children are the next generation, and they are a gift.

In Youth Ed, our children learn about love, compassion, forgiveness, patience, kindness, and other things that will give them wisdom and knowledge. We think fun (for a child) is holy & we want them to have a big dose of it on Sundays.

Come share your energy with our children!   ~ Cameron Ellison, YE Coordinator

In our Sunday School on June 1, we learned a Cherokee chant to greet the day. Turtle Dog joined us in our opening prayers and we sang the chant to the four directions. We then focused on the East, being the direction of Spring, (still the season at the time of writing this).

In learning about the East, we talked of new growth. Then we settled down to draw pictures of what new growth looked like in our world, in our life, in our heart. As the children took turns at the end sharing about their drawing, I captured their words to share.

Micah said, "I drew some flowers that I really want to grow in my yard. These are some cut down trees for houses, but the red cardinal is flying in the yellow sun, looking for his tree. It would be good to plant some new trees."

Sebastian said, "These are some dollars. You can buy food because you need food to live. I drew a sixty one dollar, a hundred dollar, a two dollar, a ten dollar, a one dollar and a zero dollar. This is a tree you can hide in and there�s a flower there. The flower means beauty."

Matthew said, "I drew grass and flowers and sun. There�s a big flower and plants coming together. The sky is green, kind of like the grass is in the sky and it all works together."

Abbey said, "I drew a tree. It means that people who don�t have enough money can get food from trees. It�s cherries on the tree, and it also can make a house and the seeds in the cherries are so you can plant more trees."

Xavier said, "These are all dollar bills. I am going to spend it on a power-wheel motorcycle. You can ride it around and it moves people. These are all dollar bills, fifty hundred, sixty hundred, forty-eight, forty-nine. I have another dollar bill and another dollar bill, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 (let him finish or he�ll start over from the beginning) 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 28."

Samantha said, "I drew a flower tree. Each flower has something that the earth needs: life, love, wisdom, power, peace and faith."

Ethan said, "Spring is beauty even though it might be painful with all the gnats and stuff. I drew apricots and anemones, and green and forest green. It makes me feel calm and wild."

Timmy said, "My drawing is about this vine and how it presents life and how it protects."

Thank you for the pure words of the children. They are our teachers.

In our Sunday School, we plan for sharing, prayers, art, movement, play, nature, and oh yes, teaching. The adults are not the only ones doing the teaching at this mysterious and wonderful place!

Our philosophy is to model and give our kids strong doses of Unity Principles, which are based on unconditional love, non-judgment and forgiveness. We learn not just from the teachings of Jesus, but also from many other Wisdom Traditions, finding common ground in them. So our children learn about love, compassion, forgiveness, patience, kindness, and other things that will give them wisdom and knowledge, such as the chakras-energy centers in the body; the four directions-which teach about being grounded & centered in the four centers & the wheel of the year; chi- the body�s energy force; art, music, dance, & fun. We think fun (for a child) is holy & we want them to have a big dose of it on Sundays. 

Come share your energy with our children!  ~Cameron Ellison, YE Coordinator

We are blessed. Our Unity Center is a mysterious and wonderful place. I come on Sunday, not knowing what I need, and it magically appears, delivered to me from the alchemical root cellars of Mother/Father God�s deep love for all life. It can be something I see, something someone says to me, a look, a thought, a conversation, a child.

I gravitate to the children. Intuitively I know that they have a pure form wisdom and love, and that inspires me. At least once a Sunday my jaw drops and my eyes get very wide, for in those moments, I know I am in the presence of the Divine. For example, last week we took a survey. All the kids brainstormed their ideas of what they would like to do at Unity on Sunday. One little girl told how fun it is to build a fort. I could connect with that, because I too had many forts when I was little; tall grass forts, tree forts, under the root forts, cardboard forts, blankets over the table forts.

While we were all excitedly sharing our ideas, my thoughts drifted ahead and I said, �We�ve been talking about what we can do with our hands. What about what we can do with our hearts?� Just as I said that, one little girl said, �We can build a fort!� The timing of the words, as they collided, created one of those jaw-dropping, eye-popping moments for me, and I heard Spirit talking. In my head was a vision of a heart with a fort built around it. Next I thought how often we humans do that (and model it for our children); build a fort around our heart.

The children had no idea why Miss Cameron suddenly become lost in reverie. I took a moment to share with them, about how those words came together magically for me and how that helped me think about how our hearts need healing, and that loving kindness and forgiveness, not just of others, but of ourselves as well, is what will bring the healing. Some were too excited or too young to understand, but I know many heard me. Perhaps in that moment, they got what they needed. I know I did.

In our Sunday School, we plan for sharing, prayers, art, movement, play, nature, and oh yes, teaching. The adults are not the only ones doing the teaching at this mysterious and wonderful place! Our philosophy is to model and give our kids strong doses of Unity Principles, which are based on unconditional love, non-judgment and forgiveness. We learn not just from the teachings of Jesus, but also from many other Wisdom Traditions, finding common ground in them. So our children learn about love, compassion, forgiveness, patience, kindness, and other things that will give them wisdom and knowledge, such as the chakras-energy centers in the body; the four directions-which teach about being grounded & centered in the four centers & the wheel of the year; chi- the body�s energy force; art, music, dance, & fun. We think fun (for a child) is holy & we want them to have a big dose of it on Sundays.

Miracles do happen

My range is broad. My reach is wide. I started volunteering in the Nursery soon after we moved into the new church. Young children are the sweetest and friendliest humans around. Who wouldn�t want to be with them? But I had an agenda. I wanted to look in their eyes and see if I could discern any clues about where they�d been before they incarnated. Surely there is an unconscious human mechanism that takes place at birth where we forget where we were before, or else why would we agree to stay. My theory is that we must forget, so we can begin anew, learning to love, remembering gratitude, expanding our consciousness.

I thank Grace Singingheart for holding the energy in the Nursery on Sundays. We are looking for a volunteer to join her at 11:00am - this is a great invitation to spend time with a wonderful & wise woman while surrounded with precious little souls who are "fresh from God." They have much to teach us, and they need help to keep from bonking their heads.

Duty called, so there was no lingering in the nursery for me. As cute as they are, (believe me, they are cute) my help was needed with older children. Cinda Dobss and I faithfully (with a deep breath for optimism) stood up for the Uniteens (Middle Schoolers) when no one else did. With this group I had some of the most powerful creative moments of my life! We made a giant collage banner for Martin Luther King and presented it to the congregation to the song �Where is the Love?� by the Black Eyed Peas. The Uniteens went on to choreograph & perform a beautiful dance to Joan Osborne�s �What if God was one of us?� This group proved to be wise and powerful deep thinkers (once we reached down deep and found the loving tolerance to work with their mouthy exuberance.)

Lately, I spend time with the Elementary age children (6-10 years), where I�ve had the joy of working with Linda Walker and Tim Norwood as they lead these youngsters in meditation, movement, art, and play. The children come to know and love their adult sponsors. When Tim was away for a few weeks, he had tears of love spring in his eyes on return when Chloe told him she�d missed him. We matter to them, and they matter to us. We are a family back there.

I�ve been with all the age groups, but the biggest life changing experiences have come out of my time with the YOU (Youth of Unity - high school). I'm incredibly grateful to Sue Hall and Steve Stanley for giving their time & presence as YOU sponsors. Teens have more to give than they are usually given credit for. Their room, filled with couches and heart-talks, is a place of unconditional love & understanding for them, an oasis amidst a fast & hard world of daunting realities. It is a blessed place for young people to come and share and heal their hearts, just like what happens in the Sanctuary with Chad. Unity is a truly wonderful and important place for all ages of our church family.

Many of our teens attend the Southeast Region YOU Rallies offered 3 times a year. They raise funds to offset the cost and an adult sponsor must accompany them. The benefits of these rallies to our youth are incalculable! The theme of the last Rally (Nov �07) was �Be the Eye,� with this quote from Gandhi, �Peace is not the absence of hard work and strife. Peace is having serenity in your heart while in the midst of hard work and strife.� All of the workshops reinforced this truth. This is a message that really helps. The Rallies give our young people hope and inspiration for a positive life and world, and are all planned & given by the YOUers themselves. I was very impressed with their wisdom, creativity and ability.

After this Fall Rally a miracle happened! 55 teens and 10 adult sponsors were headed back to Atlanta on our charter bus. It was dark as we pulled into a rest stop south of Macon, GA, and all 55 kids talking & dancing, crowded into the open-air facility. All the joyful noise felt like a last little �Rally.� Amidst our hoopla, a few of us noticed then talked to the black man sitting on the bench. It turned out he was in crisis. He and his wife set out from north Florida headed for Birmingham where their daughter was scheduled to have surgery at 7:00am the next morning, when their truck broke down. The tow company quoted him $80, and then charged him $180. He took what was left of the $250 he set out with and put his wife on a bus to Birmingham. He�d started walking. With no money, food, or anyone to call for help, his prospects looked grim. He started crying as he was telling us this and we put our arms around him and told him it would be ok.

By this time, the YOUers had all been corralled back on the bus and we were ready to blast off. But we couldn�t leave him there like that. Someone grabbed a hat & passed it back for a love offering for the stranded man. As the hat disappeared into the reaches of the dark, noisy, crowded bus, I knew we were the miracle that the man must have been praying for. My empathy was on overdrive as I imagined how he must have been feeling: a black man, alone, stranded, in south Georgia, with a worried heart. Karma was surely at work that night, especially since his sick daughter was awaiting healing in Birmingham, of all places, the starting point of the Civil Rights movement in the 60�s.

The hat returned to the front of the bus filled with fives, tens, twenties. Our YOUers were deeply caring and unselfish. We ran back up the hill and dumped the contents of the hat on the bench next to him. His face lit up with hope, �That�s my bus ticket!� He began crying again; we put our arms around him and reassured him, then we disappeared into the night.

As we rolled down the dark highway, we talked about how we had been a miracle for the man, showing up like that. Then someone remarked thoughtfully that maybe he�d been the miracle for us. We had been given the gift of showing kindness and compassion to help someone who was alone in a very dark and scary place.

Miracles happen. This one was because of and in the presence of those bright and shiny people we call teenagers. Bless their hearts! Bless their hearts!

~ Cameron Ellison, YE Coordinator

It is just past the time of year of the harvest. The thanksgiving for the harvest has just been celebrated and we move into the winter, a time of going within, with gratitude for all our blessings.

The children are our most precious blessings and our harvest for the future. They carry within them the light and hope of a new day, one filled with light, love and compassion for all beings. At Unity, we reassure them that they are the light, as each & every one of us is the light, the Christ light, the light of mother-father God, the healing light, and the divine spark within.

Our YE Sunday Gathering (Sunday School) has become a place of fun & spiritual refuge for young and old alike. I sense the volunteers (and staff) are nourished by their experiences here every Sunday. If you are the kind of person that wants to be a part of our youth Sundays, please approach me and let�s talk. "There is a place for you at our table."

This Sunday, Alice & Linda worked with our children practicing yoga poses and putting together a short but powerful presentation to give to the congregation in the service. With Alice leading and narrating, they demonstrated yoga with a message. It was a way for the children to give back to their families and caregivers a message of gratitude. They said "You are the sun, moon and stars to us, and we love you." Their first position was the Star position, then they moved into the half moon position, (stretching to both sides), and finally brought the sun up with the Sun stretch, shining forth their light with a great big smile! I think the congregation loved it! Back in the day, when my husband and I used to send our two little ones to Sunday School, and we�d listen to Chad remind us (thankfully) that we are not humans having a spiritual experience, but rather spirits having a human experience, I�d always thrill at seeing my kids come out and get up on stage for one thing or another. This was a way for the children to give back, just by shining forth their beautiful and precious selves. I feel it is a good thing to regularly get the children up in front of the congregation. I would love feedback on this, and if you have any ideas to share, I�m all ears.

On Dec. 16 at 1:30 we'll perform our Christmas play, and this year it is a DOOZIE! Cinda Dobbs adapted a script from a Conversations With God children�s book and has created the best Christmas play ever! Tim Norwood will direct the play, so it is guaranteed to be a showstopper! The message is for child and adult alike, so you' enjoy the play, whether or not you have a child in it. Plan to stay after the Potluck to catch the show. It is guaranteed to touch your heart and give you something to ponder. 

We've been merging our K & 1st grade group into the older groups out of necessity since we don�t have anyone to hold the energy for us in that position right now. Speak with me if you are interested in spending some time with our 4-6 year olds (incredibly precious). I'm sure we can work out something to accommodate your busy life and nourish your soul in tender & loving ways. There is a place for you at our table.

Grace Singing Heart, our wonderful Nursery caregiver, would love some company on Sundays. These tiny people, "fresh from God" and only 1, 2 or 3 years old, are incredibly entertaining and shine forth humanity at its finest. I remember when I started in the Nursery as a volunteer. I�d just hit my early 40s and intuitively knew that there would be no more infants in my life. I didn�t want another baby, yet there was a hankering in me to look deeply into the eyes of an infant and ask them� where they came from� what they remembered� what forgetting they agreed to in order to incarnate on this learning plane. What I found were the cutest little beings who are working on the same basic things we are all working on; patience, sharing, loving, and dealing with fear & loneliness. In the Nursery they discover that the world can be a loving and calm, safe place. That it's ok to face their fears (of being separated from their source of security) and look around, play & be joyful, to share and learn to play together. Not many people realize that our Nursery is an oasis of deep wisdom. So if you feel the urge, there is a place for you at our table.

From the Newborn to the High Schooler, our Unity Youth Family keeps the nurturing and spiritual growth of all our children in focus. I am about to embark on an adventure, escorting 4 of our High Schoolers to the SE. Fall Y.O.U. Rally in north Florida for a weekend. When you read this, we�ll just have arrived back, all rosy with the remembrance that "We are divine!" What better gift to give teenagers stepping into a world fraught with challenges in the culture, environment and economy. With hope & a love of humanity fully conscious in their minds & hearts, they become strong & optimistic in outlook. They can make a difference!

Youth of Unity Rallies draw attendance from the whole Southeast US Unity Churches, are carefully planned by a elected YOU officers, and are completely Youth led. This is very impressive and enlightening to adults, who may be used to thinking of anyone under 18 as a "child". We are conditioned to think of children as being secondary to adults, listening to adults, following directions from adults, learning from adults, as though it were a one way street. When teens are given the opportunity to be listened to, honored, and looked up to, they flower. This acknowledgement is rarely given to them. YOU Rallys give the teenagers an opportunity to be the leaders, the thinkers, the ones who are not only learning, but also teaching.

The Rally itself is like a spiritual utopia where all are honored, loved and treasured. This is a glimpse of how the world can be a nurturing and accepting place with a focus on doing what�s right. No one is left out, no one is judged, rather they reach out to each other and life long friendships are born. They are in their element and it is a positive and healthy interaction. Deep down, the youth want to make a difference, fight poverty, peruse and practice more respectful and balanced ways of living on the earth without continuing to injure the natural balance among plants, animals and the natural world. The teenagers are encouraged in their self worth, the value of unconditional love, non-judgment and forgiveness, visions of empowerment, healthy change and healing. Investing in these magical young people, as they mysteriously transform in their teenage pupas from children to the future grown-ups who step into their adult lives is one of the greatest gifts of time I�ve ever had the opportunity to give. They are our hope for the world. Let us equip them for the complexities of mind and heart that they will face. There is a place for you at our table.

Cameron Ellison, YE Coordinator

Who are the wise among us, and how can we learn from them? Well, I think one of the deep wells of human wisdom is among the children. It spans all ages, and emerges in many forms. That is the fun of it, in recognizing the wisdom as it glints, flows, jolts and manifests in the proximity of our Unity children.

At one time, Cinda and I opened our �Children�s Church� in a community circle, where we shared our names, lives, prayers, hurts, hopes and joys as we passed the talking stick. The prayers from the children were so pure and sweet. Sometimes, a child would offer a prayer for the world, or the suffering of others that would cause us to catch our breath, humbled by the purity of a child�s heartfelt message. Cinda would tell the younger children that �praying is like talking to God, and meditating is like listening to God.� We would always take time in the circle to breath together, meditate for a few minutes and to offer our prayers.

We create a space for our children to know themselves and others as God�s love and light, that that is what the divine spark is within them, and all of us. To be kind, to give love to one another in the form of a smile, a twinkly eye, being a good listener, being patient and generous, that these are the ways we share and know God�s love.

Last week, I went to the children with a question. I wanted their words to appear in this article for the congregation to see. My question (inspired by one of the Unity band members) was: �Finish this sentence. What the world needs now is������  Here are their responses.

• Dylan said �Love.�
• Abby said �Peace.� 
• Sammy said �Energy.� 
• Erin said �less pollution.� 
• Belen said �Air.� 
• Mattias said �Animals.� 
• Zenna said �more trees.� 
• Josh said �Us.� 
• Matt said �less animal killing and less violence.� 
• Austin said �water�. 
• Brigid said �Hope.� 
• Austin said �Wisdom.� 
• Abby said �Life.� 
• Gabriel said �Serenity.�

Out of the mouths of babes, who by the way, the future belongs to. We are only borrowing this space. Every week, I come to this Center to fill up on the love that these children have to give.

Today, I held and comforted a small child who was sad and afraid because she was separated from her Mommy. She let me stroke her hair, hold her close and rock her, and she considered being soothed. I felt lucky to be there. She was precious.

Today, I spent a few moments listening to a small boy tell me about something that had happened in his life, and he needed someone to stop and listen, because it was important to him to tell someone.

Today, I hugged a teenager, who was on his way to the Apple Festival, (with other YOUers*) to bring the question to the public: �Where is the LOVE?� They took posters from one of our former performances to stage a public presence at the festival in Hendersonville. I was impressed with our budding activists, that they care enough about human rights to want to start a dialog and try and do something to bring change is admirable. (With adult supervision of course.)

Today I received hugs, blessings, and amazing healing words from other adults in the Y.E. (Youth Ed.) We are blessed to be working with the Unity children. We are grateful for their little faces, hugs, stories and prayers that they show up with every Sunday. They are a pure wellspring of God�s wisdom among us. They are our garden. They deserve the most attentive, affectionate and generous tending that we have to give. If you open yourself and listen with your ears and heart, you will hear God speak, in her infinite knowing, through the children.

Cameron Ellison, YE Coordinator

It�s been a whale of a spring! Both of our older youth groups, the Uniteens (11-13 year olds) and the Y.O.U. (14-18 year olds ), have swelled in rank. Yay! We love it! Both groups are supported by dedicated sponsors, who seem to relish showing up!

The Uniteens will present their Gandhi banner to the congregation in early June. Our experience will be enriched by a young, talented singer/song-writer from our own congregation who�s written a song just for the occasion. While constructing the banner, the Uniteens learned & talked about Gandhi and the incredible qualities of love, patience, and hope he brought into the world in his place & time. Uniteens have completed three banners, on display in the Assembly Room, inspired by the book 10 Amazing People. It�s been a great way to explore world issues like love, courage, and peace. This new group of Uniteens hopes to attend their first Rally weekend in Florida in November, with other Uniteens from the southeast. Watch for their fundraisers as they work toward their goal.

There is room for you to be part of the magic of YE! Our two-person teams serve 2 Sundays a month. A tape or CD of the service will be provided free to you. We appreciate and support our teachers with luncheons, training opportunities, and special events.

The Y.O.U. has a whole new crop of teens. A big shout-out to Mrs. Laughing Pants (our own precious Annmarie E.) for being their dedicated sponsor. She�s been with them from the start, and a more wise and loving heart they could not ask for. Thanks to Dr. Sue for stepping up and giving us the added sponsor needed to support this large group of over 10 kids, when everyone�s present. What is truly a miracle and a blessing is these wonderful people who keep showing up to hold the space and energy for these burgeoning individuals that we know as our youth.

My eyes were opened to the amazing beauty of this age group when Cinda D. & I served as Sponsors for their Spring Rally. It was a long van ride to Atlanta for a lock-in, then a 10-hour, 55 passenger-bus ride to the Rally site in north Florida. Only the adventurous and splendid in heart need apply! After experiencing, not the bus ride, but the weekend retreat with hundreds of teenagers, I was a changed person (in a good way)!

The Southeast Youth Of Unity officers work year-round to plan and deliver three Rallies a year. These officers are YOUers themselves, and are elected at the Spring Rally annually. It is all youth-led. That was an eye opener for me.

This age group holds so much capability, wisdom and compassion that I never saw before. I was so busy (as a parent of teenagers myself) trying to �keep the lid on� the simmering pot of adolescence, I was missing the point. Rather than being a lid �on� them, I want to be a saucer under them. It�s hard for a (seemingly know-it-all) parent of teenagers to stop talking, stop telling, stop finding fault, stop pointing out the dangers and weaknesses, and to just listen. It was a beautiful experience for me, and an awakening. The youth need support and encouragement. In a spiritually nurturing environment like Unity, where young people remember not to judge, remember to look with loving and truthful eyes, the flowering of our humanity is like a glimpse into the heart of creation.

There were small moments at Rally that seemed like sacred windows into the heart of God. There was a dual presence of innocent exuberance grounded by an abiding tide of deep wisdom, and it was coming from the youth! Adult sponsors were present as chaperones and facilitators if needed, but it was all done by the young people themselves, and they did a beautiful job. One YOUer from Atlanta, a beautiful dark-haired girl, took the stage and with softened lights, led a meditation she had prepared for the event. It was so moving and beautiful, it left me stunned. She spoke in her delicate and sure voice of spinning chakras, spinning, each in its pure, brilliant color. These young people are talented! They have so much to give, if given the chance.

The deep compassion that the YOUers, especially at these Rallies, have for each other is inspiring. I was seated with Cinda, my cohort & beloved co-sponsor, at the back of a gym full of chairs, waiting for the graduation ceremony to start, when I spotted a young looking YOUer (a �newbie�) sitting alone, two rows in front of us. I said to Cinda, �Oh, look. He�s all alone. I�m going to go sit with him.� Cinda said, �No, don�t go sit with him. It�s his journey.� I immediately knew what she meant, and was grateful for the reminder. Meanwhile, sitting in the row in front of us was a group of older YOUers who were very relaxed and at ease with each other. I thought how comfortable they seemed in contrast to the younger one on the end of the row in front of them. Just as I was thinking this, the young woman in front of me reached over the 5 empty seats to the �Newbie� and started a talking. Tears started in my eyes. After a moment, the single teen came and joined the �cool� group in front of us (which had just gotten A LOT cooler in my eyes), and he was not alone anymore. Cinda looked at me and said �See, if you�d gone over there, that wouldn�t have happened.� Sometimes little moments can rock your world. This was one for me. The sacred is found in the ordinary.

Rally is a place for teens to gather and affirm the positive, retrieve love and bond it into each others hearts, to hug, laugh, cry, sing, dance, draw, write and listen. It�s a wild ride for an adult sponsor, but well worth the effort! Seven of our YOUers will attend Summer Connection Rally in June at Warren Wilson College. Our chapter will help staff the registration table. Now that they are seasoned YOUers, they can be the ones reaching out their hand to those who are new, uncertain, vulnerable.

I can honestly say �Thank Father Mother God for Unity and the YOU!� My 17 year old son, Dylan, is a dedicated YOUer, along with Chad & Lyte's daughter Katie O'Shea. YOU was a nurturing and inspiring haven for mydaughter Carolyn, now thriving in the heady University environment, who experienced YOU along with Michael O'Shea, under the timeless wisdom of Tom Heald and other heart-strong sponsors.

These young people had the gift of having a Unity youth group to grow their eyes on the inner and outer world, to focus their heart on truth and love. They had something to hold on to as they approached their future in a world that at times must seem threatening and uncertain. Their YOU experience gave them the strength, heart and call to move through fear into empowerment, strength to go on and wisdom to do so with love in their hearts. It is a hard focus to maintain in the outer world. They talk of how hard it is to come back from Rallies. But once they�ve been, they want to go to every one.. and they return with wise, full hearts. Mix that with the power of being a teenager, and there may be hope for the world yet.  

~Cameron Ellison, YE Coordinator 

October 2006: Welcome to our Youth Education page.

We welcome children of all ages to our church. The youngest (1-3 years) play in our nursery with Monica and Grace for the 11:00 Service, while the teenagers (Uniteens and YOU) start out in their rooms with their sponsors Cinda and Annemarie. Our children from Kindergarten to 5th grade now start in our Assembly room, singing with Linda and Richard.

We no longer start our Sundays in the Chapel. We enjoyed that, but now we are trying something different. Bring your little ones back to the YE Assembly room where we gather in circle and warm up with singing. We are working toward performing some of our songs for the congregation. So you will see us soon.

The Uniteens (our middle-schoolers) have finished another banner, this one is for Gandhi. We have found a talented congregation member to write an original song to help us present the banner. Look for our announcement at church for when our presentation will be. It�s going to be a knock-out, so don�t miss it.

The Y.O.U. (our high-schoolers) will be attending their Fall Rally in November. We�ll drive them down to Atlanta where they will spend the night with the Atlanta Unity YOU at a Lock-in the night before taking a charter bus to the North Florida location for the Rally. At these events, the teenagers are assigned to a "family group". They share mini-seminars with in frequent meetings with a sponsor. Our YOU will be sheltered in cabins with others from Unity Churches across the South East region. They will enjoy specially planned events, a talent show, a bonfire with dancing, meals, an Angel Wash where they all bless each other with affirmations. They bless everything! It is an uplifting experience for children at this age and invests them with hope and love at a time where they really need it. They come back glowing and filled with positive energy. Yay! Thank you for supporting our bake sales and car washes that help fund this trip.

Our Elementary age children have been enjoying fun events filled with art projects, visiting animals and teachings filled with wisdom. A special thanks to the family that brought the Collie puppies. That was a big hit and we learned a lot about the gentle qualities of this special breed.

At Unity, we create a fun and loving environment for our children. We offer them support and instruction in the Christ Consciousness centered message taught by our Rev. Chad O�Shea. We also allow space for the children to teach us, their mentors. Children have a tremendous amount of love and wisdom to share with us as well, so it is a two way street. They need people to be there for them that appreciate their unique humanity and that treat them with wonder, love and respect, with a big dose of light heartedness and humor mixed in. I always end up leaving on Sunday feeling a thousand times better than when I arrived. That feels great! See me if you want a piece of this. There�s plenty to share.

~Cameron Ellison, YE Coordinator

• Firewood-Sale was a success last winter. Think ahead & buy your firewood from Unity Youth. A bundle of wood is $3; a cord delivered & stacked is $130. Call Richard Porter: (828) 890-2787.
• Adopt-A-Street was a success. The children made signs and took them home. Pictures will be coming in as parents & children pick up trash on their streets and take photos for the Unity-In-Community wall. We invite you to make an �adopt-a-street� sign with us, and join in keeping our environment clean and beautiful.
• Visit-Our-Neighbor was a success. Children and (Foster) Parents visited our neighbors at Ardenwoods Assisted Living Facility. We introduced ourselves with plenty of smiles, hugs and handholding. Then, the children sang Yankee Doodle and danced for our newly made friends. We presented the women with halos made of silk flowers, and the men with paper hats adorned with a feather. Story telling was exciting as the children said their name, age, and something special that happened to them this year. We asked our neighbors if any of them had something special happen. One said she remembers being baptized with 10 other people in a river. Another said she sang songs in a famous hall in New York. Games were next: balloon-waddle, musical-balloons, and draw-&-guess. As we left we sang �Adieu, Farewell, Auf Wiedershn, Good-Bye" to our new friends. (WE WILL REPEAT THIS VISIT EVERY OTHER MONTH) You are invited to come join the fun. Look in our YE news letter.
• Give-A-Hand-Up shifted focus from Armelina (in the Philippines) to a local family in  FaithLink, an organization that mentors families who show the desire and hope to have a better life. FaithLink is a blessing to 50 families in our community. The actual way our youth will contribute is not yet determined. We hope you can hear the call to participate in this project when it unfolds.

• Our-Living-Friend - Who do you know that likes HORSES? Miniature horse will be coming to visit our church. The date will be in YE newsletter.
• Help-Those-Who-Help-Themselves - Our Unity Youth are ready to explore spirituality with our community. We are open to suggestions on projects to set our community�s vibration on fire. For example, do you know someone 70 years or older who needs her/his yard weeded? Do you know a handicap person who'd appreciate having his/her house painted? We are only limited by our community�s imagination. Call Richard Porter or drop off your ideas in the box in Cameron�s office. 

  ~Richard Porter, R.E.P. for ages 7-9

We had a great turn-out in Youth Ed for Friendship Sunday! And lots of fun bouncing in our MoonWalk. Thanks for your participation!

Our younger age group, the Kindergarteners, have a great time every Sunday. They enjoy a Unity Lesson that involves coloring. Then they have a snack, and weather permitting, off to the playground. With those little ones, it is always great to have an extra pair of adult eyes and hands. Come on out and play with us.

~Cameron Ellison, YE Coordinator

April, 2006: Our Sunday School children are finding ways to help the earth, honoring that they are a part of it. Thank you, Richard Porter, for giving such loving support to these 7-10 year olds by facilitating their creativity. Richard has designed a �Unity In community� program for our elementary age children. Here are some of the projects they are actively working on .

Adopt-A-street 

• Keep Our Community Beautiful and Safe for ALL of Gods� Creations. 
• One sign created by your Sunday School Student. This sign is to be hammered into the ground in front of your house. 
• Each (Foster) Parent will supervise and participate with his/her child by walking up and down his/her street and pick up papers on either side of the road (once a month). 
• Once the trash bag is full, the (Foster) Parent takes a picture of the street, trash bag and happy participants who are helping keep our community beautiful and safe for all of Gods� creations. 
• Student or (Foster) Parent will bring the pictures back to our Sunday School room and place them onto our Unity-In-Community wall.

Visit-Our-Neighbor 

• Bring a Smile and Cheer to a Friend in Our Community as Jesus does for us in our lives. 
• Sunday School Children will create arts and crafts for the elderly in our community. 
• Once the gifts and letters are complete we will plan a field trip to the Ardenwoods Assisted Living Facility, about a mile down the road. (Foster) Parents are invited. 
• We will take pictures to bring back to our Sunday School room and place them onto our Unity-In-Community wall.

Give A-Hand-Up 

Continue to send letters, clothes and sponsorship donations to the organization that helped us sponsor Armelina, our friend from the Philippines who is 7 years old. 

Our younger age group, the Kindergarteners, have a great time every Sunday. They sit around a table, enjoy a Unity Lesson that involves coloring. Then they have a snack, and weather permitting, off to the playground. With those little ones, it is always great to have an extra pair of adult eyes and hands. Come on out and play with us. Prepare yourselves! Soon the Uniteens (6th, 7th and 8th Graders) will present their fourth banner from the inspiring book Ten Amazing People. Our banner will honor Ghandi, and it is shaping up to be beautiful.

Bring the family out and bring friends & neighbors too, for the �Unity Friendship Sunday� on April 30. For the small children, we are having a Blow-up Moon Walk with four different places to explore!

We also extend an invitation to the High Schoolers in our Community to come see what our Y.O.U. (Youth Of Unity) group has to offer, and to meet our new YOU Sponsor and Mentor, AnnMarie. We are here to nurture old friendships and to enjoy new ones.

~ Cameron Ellison, YE Coordinator

Working with children is good for you! Children will ground you. When you�re feeling like your life is the inner wall of the tornado, check this out.

~ Cameron Ellison, YE Coordinator

The cool promise of winter flies in on the winds of fall. Our children sense the approach of the holidays, and all the fun that they bring. This summer, our Unity children have quested in many directions, learning about their own divinity and the wisdom traditions that are their legacy.

Our upper elementary children completed their �Happy Birthday Universe� unit, a cosmic curriculum for children. As we experienced the unfolding of the known Universe as a unified, interconnected, and interdependent whole, we saw ourselves as part of the whole, and our interdependent relationship with others and all there is. Never missing a chance to have fun, the unit culminated in a full-blown birthday party with cake, candles, ice cream, balloons and singing!

What�s next for our upper elementary children is the �School for the Magical & Mystical�, Lumindorf. This curriculum, created by Diane Venzera, licensed Unity teacher, is based on the Truth principles found in the Harry Potter book series by J.K. Rowling. We are extending invitations!

Dear Unity Truth Student,
We are pleased to inform you that, because of the bright Christ light shining from within you, you have been accepted at Lumindorf School for the Magical and Mystical. Join us for 10 weeks of discovering and exploring the magical powers within each one of us.
Sincerely,
Headmistress

Our Uniteens, the middle-schoolers, have completed a third banner! This one also graces our church hall, and is devoted to Mother Teresa. Our presentation of this banner is scheduled for Oct. 16, at the end of the second service. Don�t miss our special event! Who will be next from our wonderful book Ten Amazing People? The Uniteens have chosen Mahatma Gandhi four our next banner, so look for great things from them!

The Uniteens are also working hard to raise funds. There are three directions our funds are going: 1)Tsunami victims (over $900 sent last spring to Doctors Without Borders); 2)Armelina, our little girl in the Philippines that we sponsor; and 3)saving to pay for 6 of our Uniteens to go to Fall Rally this November, in Florida. We are excited!

Our precious Kindergarteners are busy learning about their bright Christ Light within! Each Sunday, they gather and learn about another Virtue through read-alouds, coloring, talking, playing and snacking. They participate in our group Circle at the start of our Sunday School, and their prayers are often the deepest and most tender.

What a blessing our children are! They range from pint size to adult size, and they are the future. We are in good hands. Blessed be!

If you would like to be part of this magic, there is room for you. Our two person teams sign up for a trimester, serving two Sundays a month. A tape or CD of the service will be provided free to you. We appreciate and support our teachers with luncheons, training opportunities, and special events.  We have a great time celebrating our Youth and we welcome your ideas & service. See me on Sunday or put a note in my box in Jana�s office. We await you! 

~ Cameron Ellison, YE Coordinator

~ Cameron Ellison, YE Coordinator

~Cameron Ellison, Youth Ed Coordinator

The Uniteens took on the quest to find it. The song "Where Is The Love?" from Black Eye Peas motivated the kids to look around and find who gave of themselves in a way that expresses love. As the words of this song (see below) reflect the world we live in, in language that kids relate to, they wanted to share it with their church family, to touch hearts of all ages, and share a part of themselves. I'm sure some folks had an opportunity to check out their preferences. Were you judging the music? Could you even listen to the words of the song? Our Uniteens gave of themselves and it came directly from their hearts.

This song taught them so much. It taught them that they have a voice, they have a right to be heard and it pushed them to investigate who has made a difference in this world. It made them questions why things are the way they are, to ask questions like: Why do people make choices that hurt others? What can we do? Do we even have any power to make changes? This is pretty important stuff for a 12 or 13 year old.

In their search they found ten amazing people and this has been amazing for them. They've seen how people show love and how they dedicate their lives to others. They have seen how the love was so strong in Jesus and how all of these people were similar. The ten people who have inspired them are: Black Elk, Dorothy Day, Mother Theresa, Thick Nhat Hanh, Janusz Korczak, Desmond Tutu, Martin Luther King Jr., Albert Schweitzer, Mahatma Gandhi, and Malcolm X.

They made banners of these inspirational people to share what they learned with our entire church family. You may have been inspired by the song, or you may have turned your cheek, but for these Uniteens it opened mind, eyes and heart, seeing compassion in progress and the making of heroes in their lifetime. What better heroes for your children! So, where is the love? We asked each other and here are our words:

• Ami Dunn, "Love is every where, we just have to find it."

• Trevor Hunter, "Love is in your heart; love is something you do, not just a feeling."

• Dustin Dobbs, "Love is in church."

• Matthew Ball, "Love is all around the world."

• Chase Girlach, "Love is between friends."

• Midette Steadman, "I don' know, maybe every where."

• Cinda Dobbs, "Love is in the kindness of the human race. We just forget to look."

• Cameron Ellison, "Love is in the children."

These responses were gathered from the congregation:

• - Love is everywhere.

• - In your heart, in compassion, in listening.

• - In a child�s laugh.

• - Surrounding us all.

• - In a poor person�s smile.

• - Love is blind, it is not seeing a body, but a spirit.

• - In each person�s smile

• - Unity

• - In the hearts of the soldiers that are protecting their country, family and friends.

• - In Brevard where we feed 300 homeless, low income people each week.

• - Love is all around me.

• - I just gave somebody a hug.

• - Love is everywhere. Know it! Feel it! Do it!

• - Love is everywhere. Just look and you will find it, better yet � be love!

• - The love is as God is � everywhere.

• - Surrounding us all

• - Inside each and every human heart! Always there, not always recognized. Our job is to look for it, see the divine reflection in all we meet from us to the other.

• - Love is in my heart, your hear, in everybody�s heart everywhere.

• - Taking care of animals, people and the planet.

• - In my children�s eyes and they are all my children.

• - In all of our hearts.

• - Lots of places.

• - In the bond between a father and a daughter.

Thank you for supporting our Uniteens!          ~ Cinda Dobbs and Cameron Ellison, Uniteen teachers

Where Is the Love? ~ song written by Black Eye Peas

What�s wrong with the world, mama?
People livin like they ain�t got no mamas
I think the whole world�s addicted to the drama
Only attracted to the things that�ll bring the trauma
Overseas yeah we trying to stop terrorism
But we still got terrorists here livin'
In the U.S.A., the big C.I.A.
The bloods & the crips, and the KKK
But if you only got love for your own ways
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And when you hate, then you�re bound to get irate
Madness is what you demonstrate
And that�s exactly how anger works and operates
Man ya gotta have love, this�ll set us straight
Take control of your mind and meditate
Let your soul gravitate, to the love ya�ll
It just ain�t the same
Old ways have changed
New days are strange, is the world insane?
If love and peace is so strong
Why are there pieces of love that don�t belong
Nations dropping bombs
Chemical gasses fillin' lungs of little ones
With on going sufferin', as the youth die young
So ask yourself, is the love really gone
So I can ask myself, really what is going wrong
With this world that we livin' in, people keep on givin in
Makin' wrong decisions, only visions of them dividends
Not respectin' each other, deny thy brother
A war is going on but the reasons under cover
The truth is kept secret, and swept under the rug
If you never know truth, then you never know love
Where�s the love ya�ll (I don�t know)
Where�s the truth ya�ll (I don�t know)
I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I�m getting older, ya�ll people gets colder
Most of us only care about money makin'
Selfishness got us following the wrong direction
Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images is the main criteria
Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria
Kids wanna act like what they see in the cinema
Whatever happened to the values of humanity?
Whatever happened to the fairness and equality?
Instead of spreading love we spreadin' animosity
Lack of understandin' leading us away from unity
That�s the reason why sometimes I�m feelin under
That�s the reason why sometimes I�m feelin down
It�s no wonder why sometimes I�m feelin under
Gotta keep my faith alive till love is found

People killin', People dyin'
Children hurt And women cryin'
When you practice what you preach
And you turn the other cheek
Father, father, father, help us
Send some guidance from above
These people got me questioning
Where is the love?

~ song written by Black Eye Peas

According to the Gallup polls of the last decade, over 85% of parents believe that the home is the most important influence in the religious and spiritual development of a child. Only 10% of the parents felt that the church was the most important and only 2% felt that the schools were most influential in their children�s spiritual development.

What transpires in our homes is critical to the needs of children, according to these parents. It appears that most parents are willing to acknowledge their responsibility to provide this training for their children. The holiday season is an opportunity to continue to give our children this gift.

Each Christmas season, the media presents a barrage of new products we can consider for our gift-giving on Christmas Day. On Saturday mornings, our children are deluged with new, electronic games and toys to make their lives more exciting. As parents, it is often difficult to choose which new item to give as a gift. Guilt often forces us into trying to keep up with our neighbors, to make sure our children are not left out in our efforts to provide all the material goods we can possibly afford to make their lives more meaningful. However, we might consider what it is our children need that will last for many years to come.

In our family setting, we can provide our children with gifts that will last, provide enjoyment and reflection in years to come, and allow them to know that during their growing years they were loved and valued as human beings. Have you considered a larger dose of a sense of family, tradition, security, and spirituality? The cost can be measured only in time spent to help them develop these senses, but the gift might last a lifetime and hopefully continue on to the next generation.

A sense of family is a strong tie that binds us to those we love. Yet today, we are faced with responsibilities as parents that divide us from our family life. We must hold jobs outside the home, provide for careers by becoming active in the workplace and community. We are constantly bombarded with tasks that keep us away from one another during the course of the week. It is the quality of time we spend with our family that gives us a strong sense of family. It is the holiday season that offers us the time to build on our sense of family.

Cherish this time together! Children must cope with so much more than we did when we were young and they need a sense of security. With so many choices and opportunities - but without guidance - they become confused and lost in the maze of growing into adulthood. Parents who can give their children a sense of security that helps them to make good choices and provides the knowledge that they will be there to help them unravel life�s puzzle, will raise children better equipped to handle life as adults.

This Christmas, we can expose our children to a spirit of giving and sharing that minimizes the commercial meaning of receiving. To give these gifts to our children takes a lot of patience, perseverance, and strong adherence to those beliefs of love and faith we know to be worthwhile as adults.

Christmas is a wonderful time to enjoy children, family, and the traditions we have shared in our families. When our children are grown, perhaps their gift will be to share with us that all their Christmas gifts were special to them as children, but that they sensed most our love, security, family, tradition, and faith.

Our Annual Christmas Pageant will include two special presentations and music. Our first play, God�s Little Snowflake, follows a tiny snowflake named Star-Flake as she falls from the sky and learns on her journey that she is a special part of God�s creation. Our second play, The Two Innkeepers, offers a traditional Christmas message with two neighboring innkeepers trying to keep one of their inn rooms available for the arrival of a king. Be sure to attend... 

~Leah King, YES Coordinator

Our most important endeavor as parents is to nurture our children�s spirituality. Children are spiritual beings & they naturally have what so many of us spend our adult years trying to get. If we recognize, honor and nurture the innate spiritual connection in our children they may never have to lose it.

We work so hard to give our children every material advantage that we may overlook the very basis from which comes their self-esteem, values and acceptance. We short change kids by thinking that they need fancy high-tech toys, video games and television, when in fact, these things can stifle a child's imagination, their natural creative spirit, the magic! As an adult, this loss of magic leads us on a search everywhere for happiness, peace and contentment.

For children, the magic is in the simple and the ordinary. We can catch some of this magic from our children when we engage with them in their magical journey. I cannot count the many times a "moment" in my day was transformed when Christopher invited an imaginary friend to lunch, or included me in his play!

Children share their joy without effort and making magic out of the ordinary is fun! A lot of fancy toys and a playroom do not necessarily equal joy. Children will play with sticks, boxes, pots & pans, a bed-sheet, and an assortment of other ordinary items. How many times have we seen children receive a large toy, only to gain more enjoyment out of the big box that it came in?

The ordinary becomes magical when a child is allowed to respond as he wishes to his environment. Try the following ideas to make some magic: 

• Take charge of your television. The research is overwhelming. TV deadens the spirit. It creates passive, unimaginative people who are fed gender and racial stereotypes to emulate. 
• Music is a great way to touch the spirit. Try different kinds - country, jazz, classical - your child will know what frees his soul. 
• Walk in the rain. Taste the rain. Jump in puddles. Do a rain dance. Sing in the rain. 
• Say "yes" to an inside fort made of blankets. A handmade, private place is pure joy! 
• Camp out in your homemade tent for a night.
• Have a picnic inside on the floor one night. 
• Look for fairies in soap bubbles during bath time, or while doing the dishes.

Enhance your child's joy, support it and catch it!

A lot of magic takes place in our Youth Ed department every Sunday morning. It�s a great place to experience a child�s joy and is it ever contagious!

Leah King, YES Coordinator

Autumn has always been my favorite time of the year... cooler days, the glorious colors, pumpkins and hay, apples, soups... the list goes on! Autumn also ushers in one of my favorite holidays - Thanksgiving! As I reflect upon the people in my life that I am thankful for, children always top the list (my own and those who make up our Unity family) and those who give of their time and talent to enhance the lives of our children. I want to express my personal note of gratitude and love to each and every one of you that have been a part of our YE experience. It is because of you that our Sunday morning program is a success, and each one of you brings such important and appreciated qualities and gifts to me and to our children. I am blessed because you are in my life! We have a great new team of REPs who are lighting up our Sunday mornings.  The children, as well as the adults, are really enjoying our new curriculum based on the Harry Potter books called Lumindorf. 

We began our Prayer Project - thank you to all the adults who have chosen to participate in this and pray with and for their child-prayer partner. The prayer we will use this month is the following by St. Francis. The children will be encouraged to memorize parts of it. 

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith
Where there is despair, hope
Where there is darkness, light
where there is sadness, joy
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Leah King, YES Coordinator

The Chinese Bamboo Tree & Youth Education 

You're probably wondering what a Chinese bamboo tree has to do with our Youth Education department! Actually, the bamboo tree is a wonderful example of life, patience, and responsibility. 

The Chinese bamboo tree is encased in an extremely hard seed. When planted, the seed must be watered and fertilized for five years before it ever breaks through the ground. At any time during those five years, if the water and fertilization stops, the tree will die in the ground. But, after its fifth year, the Chinese bamboo tree will grow ninety feet tall in six weeks!

So how is this tree an example of our Youth Ed program? In order for the bamboo tree, our lives, and yes, our youth, to become who and what they are capable of becoming, we must have the patience to know that all is in Divine order. We must accept our responsibility to nurture and fertilize, and be the role models for our youth. We must be the ones to show them personal responsibility by bringing them to their own spiritual fertilization every Sunday. 

Unity Center's Youth Education Department invites our Center's adult members to serve as role models and mentors for our youth, providing them with the opportunity to grow and experience their limitless potential. Whether we are parents or not, we adults are facilitating the growth of beings even more spectacular than a bamboo tree. Come join us as we plant the seeds, fertilize and nurture, and watch the love, the ideas, and the spirit of our youth grow!

Leah King, YES Coordinator

April, 2002

Y.E.S.= Youth Exploring Spirituality

Wanted: "Reasonably Enlightened Persons"! R.E.P.'s Make a Difference in the World! Opportunity for Fun & Love! 

We are looking for loving beings to share their time & energy with the children for a Semester, from Sept thru Jan and/or Feb thru June, as part of a Team of 3 REP's. Each REP teaches 2 weeks on and 1 week off. On the first Sunday of every month, right after service from 1-3, each team plans their program for the next four weeks. Training & Materials provided. You receive a free tape of the service on the days you teach, a 20% discount from the Bookstore, and you are treated to a Brunch at the end of the Semester. But honestly, the best perk is that you have a chance to be a meaningful part of a human being's life. Call the church.