NEWS YOU CAN USE
NEW CHAPLAINS DEDICATED IN MARCH
TAMPA UNITY IS FORTUNATE TO HAVE IN PLACE A
THRIVING CHAPLAIN PROGRAM, now in its third year.
Rev. Debbie has worked to provide intensive training
and support in the creation of this dedicated group of
people. Everyone at Tampa Unity has available to them
a Chaplain who will (upon request) call on a regular
basis and offer prayer support for life challenges or
joys. All calls and meetings with Chaplains are kept in
the strictest of confidence.
Being a Tampa Unity Chaplain is a large, though
spiritually uplifting, responsibility. Chaplains train during
a 20 hour course every Winter. They also have support
meetings once a month. Chaplains are available on
Sunday mornings. You will see them stand in the aisles
of the Sanctuary. They make monthly phone calls to
their assigned church members to offer prayer.
This year we are proud to introduce seven new
chaplains. They are Rev. Enrique Amoros, Aura Amoros,
Jim Atkins, Liana Badillo, Charleen Brown, Olga Florez,
and Mary Riley. Mary will serve as the Chaplain
Coordinator. Continuing from last year's program are
Luis Jansen, D. Collier, Laurie Collins and Pat Dunning.
This year's Chaplains Emeritus are Julene Gordon,
Joanne Rosano, Donna Tritt and Liz Velazquez.
The Chaplains will be dedicated in a special ceremony
on March 4, and presented to the congregation on
Sunday, March 6 during an In- Service Dedication at
the 9 am, 11 am and Noon Services.
WHAT IS A CHAPLAIN
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A Chaplain is someone who can pray with you.
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A Chaplain is someone who can listen to you and will
hold what they hear in confidence.
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A Chaplain is someone who can create and hold a
sacred space with you.
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Chaplains are here to support you in your spiritual
journey.
PRAYER IS JUST A PHONE CALL AWAY!
Chaplain Line, Request prayer or contact a Chaplain:
813-870-0731, Ext 301
Inspirational prayer message:
813-875-0102
SPRING PICNIC
THE ANNUAL CHURCH PICNIC HAS BEEN MOVED FROM
FALL TO SPRING. On March 13, immediately following
the 11 am Sunday Service proceed to Lowry Park
Shelter #120 for fun, food and games. Fellowship Hall
will be closed.
The intrepid members of the Youth of Unity have
volunteered to set up tables and chairs, etc. Everyone
is encouraged to bring a food or drink item to share.
Volunteers are needed to organize games, music and
decorations. Please see your Sunday Bulletins to sign
up.
2 WAYS TO MEMBERSHIP
WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT UNITY? Interested in
becoming a voting member of Tampa Unity? There are
now two options available. You can attend Rev.
Debbie's Development of Unity CEP class, which meets
on Sunday mornings at 10 o'clock in the Margaret Giles
Room or Rev. Allen will conduct a class covering Unity
Basics and Metaphysical Interpretations of the Bible for
new members the last two Thursdays in March: March
24 and 31, from 6:30 to 9:00 pm. Please sign up in
Fellowship Hall.
EASTER AT TAMPA UNITY
EASTER EGG HUNT on Sunday, March 20 during the 11
am service. The Y.O.U. will help hide eggs for the
Sunday School children. Cookie decorating follows.
GOOD FRIDAY, March 25, 8 pm, Reverend Allen Moss
will conduct a meditation service based on the last
seven words spoken by Jesus. Communion will be
offered to celebrate the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
EASTER MORNING, March 27, enjoy a pancake
breakfast courtesy of the Y.O.U. Breakfast will be
served in Fellowship Hall from 8 to 10:30 am. The menu
includes pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, coffee,
juice and milk. Your love offering helps to send our
Y.O.U.'ers to the International Youth of Unity
Conference at Unity Village.
EASTER SERVICES will include the traditional Living
Cross Ceremony. The placing of fresh flowers onto the
bare cross symbolizes new life, which is the deep
meaning of Easter and the Resurrection. The Living
Cross ceremony will take place at all Easter Sunday
services.
EASTER FLOWERS FOR SALE
After the 11 am Service on Easter Sunday:
Easter Lilies @ $7.50, Hyacinths @ $6.50
Please sign up in the bookstore to reserve yours!
EASTER BEAUTIFICATION
THE NEXT TAMPA UNITY GARDEN CLUB WORK DAY IS
SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, MARCH 12, at 9 am in the
Courtyard. This will be the major planting day for the
Easter Beautification Project.
The Garden Club met on February 19 to trim, weed and
remove the small landscaping rocks which had become
something of an attractive nuisance with our younger
members.
The Garden Club is a group of hard working volunteers
dedicated to improving and maintaining the church
courtyard and grounds. They meet as needed to prune
and plant. Many thanks go to them for their efforts.
Please call Fern at 813-908-1687 to see how you can
help keep Tampa Unity in bloom.
BOOKWORMS
PEARL S BUCK'S CLASSIC, THE GOOD EARTH was up for
discussion at the last Book Club Meeting It was
decided that we would choose books for the next 3
months. March's selection is Gift from the Sea by Anne
Morrow Lindbergh, regular price $8.95 - discount price
$7.15. April's selection is Abraham: A Journey of Three
Faiths by Bruce Feiler, regular price $12.95 - discount
price $10.35. May features The Great Failure by
Natalie Goldberg, regular price $23.95 - discount price
$19. 00.
We would love to have more readers join the Book Club
and encourage suggestions on how we can make it
easier for you. Just e-mail Clara at
bookstore@unitytampa.org
We have been meeting on the second Tuesday of the
month, but are open to other times. We are also
flexible on book choices, as everyone attending the
meetings helps pick future selections.
Books are offered in the Bookstore at a discounted
price but it isn't always necessary to purchase the
book. You can get the book or audiotape from the
library if you prefer. Or, if the book is something you
are not really interested in, just join us for the good
company and help decide what books will be chosen in
the future.
The next Book Club meeting is March 8 at 6:30 pm
in the Youth Ed Area.
SUPPORT A VISION OF PEACE
The 2005 Season for Nonviolence, which began January
30, continues through April 4. This period has been set
aside as a time to honor the idea of a world of peace in
our daily actions and thoughts.
Tampa Unity supports the effort with daily affirmations
from the Association for Global New Thought 's "64
Ways in 64 Days" appearing in our Sunday Bulletins.
Pledges for home, school and work place are also
available.
Your contributions to the Tampa Unity Newsletter are
welcome. See our Web Site: www.unitytampa.org or e-
mail: staff@unitytampa.org or contact Janet at 813-
870-0731 ext 208. All submissions are subject to
approval and editing!
Click Here To Veiw Upcoming Events
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SWEET TREATS DRAWING CELEBRATES WINNER AND REV. ALLEN'S BIRTHDAY!
THE SWEET TREATS DRAWING FOR CHANCE, held in
Fellowship Hall on January 28, was a grand event -
even for those who did not win the $10,000.00 cash
prize. An extra surprise - especially for Rev. Allen - was
that Debbie chose this evening to celebrate his 65th
Birthday. To be sure, if Allen had had his choice of
Birthday festivities, he could not have found a warmer
and more heart felt celebration than was provided by
the members of the congregation. It took four choruses
of Happy Birthday for him to make his way around the
room through the throng of well wishers, after which,
he was hoisted aloft in his 'birthday chair' by 6 strong
men. A highlight of the celebration was a serenade by a
pirate wench delivered from Strictly Entertainment.
Eight o'clock was the magic hour everyone had been
waiting for, the drawing of the winning ticket. Former
County Commissioner and Unity supporter, Jan Platt
was delegated to draw the lucky number, which turned
out to be # 112, which had been issued to Tampa
Unity's Dava Bronstein on behalf of her mother, Ann
Breerwood.
When she heard about the Drawing for Chance, Dava
thought about her family members and obtained tickets
for the two who she thought would benefit the most,
but could not afford to participate. One of them was
her mother, who resides in an assisted living home in
Columbia, Maryland. Anna is 80 years old and a on a
very limited income. Dava wants everyone to know how
grateful her mother and her family are for this
unexpected blessing.
After the drawing the evening continued with Frank
Ingo acting as Master of Ceremonies, a talent show by
the Uniteens, keyboard music and singing by John and
Tanya McEwen and impromptu singing from the
audience, including a birthday solo for Rev. Allen by
Maureen McCarthy's 5-year old daughter, Sara.
The Drawing for Chance raised over $18,000.00 for
Tampa Unity and everyone can feel satisfied knowing
that their donations have blessed not only the church,
but a truly deserving woman as well. Many thanks to
everyone who participated.
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| SACRED RITUALS | | | ON TWO OCCASIONS THIS PAST MONTH, I was
reminded of how important rituals and symbols are in
expressing a deeper meaning to our spiritual lives. I
was officiating at a wedding on the beach and the
traditional "Wedding" or "Unity" candle could not be
used due to the wind. So we used the natural
elements of the beach and sea to create a ritual that
symbolized the sacred union of marriage. The couple chose to use pink and blue environmentally
friendly colored sand and sea shells. Before the
ceremony, two small shells were filled, one with pink
and the other blue sand and given to the mothers. At
the appropriate time, the mother of the bride and the
mother of the groom, poured the sand into a larger shell
held by their child. I then asked the couple to pour
their sand into an even larger shell, which I held. As
the sand was mixed together in the pouring, I talked
about how the heritage of the groom and the heritage
of the bride were now mixed together in this new
relationship and just as the grains of sand could not be
separated, so it was with them. Just one day later, I officiated a funeral where an oak
tree was planted in memory of the deceased. After the
memorial service, I asked all in attendance to walk out
to the tree for a final symbolic releasing. Each
attendee was asked to take a handful of dirt and throw
it around the tree, symbolically planting the tree and
affirming life. This turned out to be far more meaningful
to those participating and to me, than I could have
imagined. Rituals help us to express more than the thinking and
rational parts of ourselves. They allow us to go beyond
words and make statements as to what we believe
about life and ourselves. They help us express who we
are as individuals and the ways we want our lives to
unfold. They express our belonging to a specific family,
ethnic group, nationality or religious tradition. Finally,
they remind us that we live as part of the entire
community of humanity who share this earth and that
God continues to be present with us. Each level of
ritual helps us express the mysterious side of life, to
acknowledge what we cannot explain or fully
understand. When we are starving for spiritual nourishment, rituals
help us make that connection to the inner wellspring.
When we enter into rituals with an open mind and
heart, they can enhance our spirituality and bring about
emotional healing. Easter is one of the most symbolic and meaningful times
of the year. On Good Friday, we will have a meditation
on the "Last Seven Words of Jesus." And, we will have
the highly spiritual, symbolic sacrament of Communion.
In the transformation cycle, the clothing of the old
must die before the new garment can be adorned. On
Easter Sunday, we celebrate the adornment of the new
with our living cross, which, together, we create with
flowers.
May your rituals be filled with sacred meaning,
Rev Allen Moss | | |
| LOOKING AT LENT | | | AS OF THIS WRITING, IT IS THE 9TH DAY OF LENT.
Frankly, I have never observed the Lenten Season. It
was not stressed in the Baptist church of my childhood,
so it has not been an important time for me personally.
I have always been surprised that it is a time that Unity
recognizes. Today seems like a good day to see what
it is all about. What is Lent? The Lenten season begins a season of
prayer and fasting that precedes Easter. Ash
Wednesday is day one of Lent and it ends on the
Saturday before Easter. Charles Fillmore, Co-founder of
Unity, said that the Christian world believes that the
Lenten period has to do with the events of the forty
days preceding the Resurrection. He also noted this is
an erroneous idea; Lent is a church institution, and
there is no authorization for it anywhere in the New
Testament. In Unity, we read the Bible metaphysically, looking for
the spiritual meaning behind the stories, so Charles also
said, "the idea of Lent has a sound spiritual basis". In
Charles Fillmore's book, Keep a True Lent, he further
justifies the season by declaring "Moses, Elijah and
Jesus all set a precedent for it. Each observed a forty-
day period of prayer and fasting as a preparation for
spiritual work." Metaphysically, the number forty means completion;
forty is used frequently in the Bible to indicate a
completed preparation for something to follow.
In Unity, we use this Lenten season as a time for soul
searching, for reflection and transformation. Now this
is a concept I can support and embrace. I don't need
to begin with ashes on my head to turn within, to
decide what do I need to release? What is standing in
my way of the good that God has waiting for me?
What erroneous beliefs have I buried that I need to
release? Daily prayer and meditation is our method of observing
Lent to honor the spirit of the season, letting go of all
criticism and condemnation and turn our thoughts to
love. This is the time to affirm the Christ Spirit
indwelling in ourselves and in all people, no matter their
beliefs. This is the season to see only the Christ Spirit
working in and through all of our human family. In
Unity's booklet of Spiritual Preparation for Easter, the
daily affirmation is: "I look to the presence of God
within and behold the sacred in myself" I love this and
like to expand by adding "I look to the presence of God
within and behold the sacred in myself and all of God's
creations." Have a very spiritual Lenten Season!
Love & Blessings,
Rev Debbie Moss | | |
| THE "MIMETIC" GOD | | | EVERY CONCEPT OF GOD THAT APPEARS IN THE GREAT
RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD IS INCLUDED IN THE JUDEO-
CHRISTIAN MYTH. Most often, the differences seem
contradictory only because one teaching places a
greater emphasis on a certain aspect of God than the
others do. If we can look beyond appearances and past
conditioning we can find a basis of agreement that
frees us to love and forgiveness. We can find and
understand what we all have in common, as well as
what is unique in each.
For instance, the Hindus symbolize God's infinity by
picturing a figure that may appear grotesque and
repulsive to western eyes, Mother Kali. She stands for
the Creative Source, the Mother of All that Is. She is
depicted as a frightening figure (to us) with many arms
sticking out from her body, each holding the material
symbols of all the good and bad things we encounter in
life. She represents all that is simultaneously divine and
human, all the good traits as well as the bad ones that
are included in human and divine nature. In our western
religion, where we are conditioned to think of God as a
father figure and a kind of absolute in human
perfection, it is difficult for us to relate to Kali. To be inclusive, we must double think. We must begin
to see our God as a mimetic God, a God that takes on a
different appearance at every level or dimension at
which we exist. Only in this way can we reconcile
duality and see that God is not only truly omnipotent
but that God is all.
If we take the words of the Bible at face value as
factual truth, we see only the face of God. However, if
we read our Scripture carefully, we will discover a God
in Genesis 1 who creates out of Spirit and says that
everything is good, including man and woman who are
made in His image. In the Second Chapter of Genesis,
however, a God with a different face appears - The
Lord God. This God doesn't create out of Spirit but out
of material effects. His approach is objective. He
creates Adam out of dirt and Eve from a rib. Instead of
conceiving of them made in the image of spiritual
perfection and two aspects of one being, this Lord God
misleads Adam and Eve. Then they are viciously tricked
out of their freedom and wholeness by being told not to
eat of the Tree of Good and Evil. This God does that
because he knows that if they do eat of it, they would
become God and go beyond both good and evil into
ascension consciousness. Nevertheless, the God of Genesis 1 and the God of
Genesis 2 are not contradictory. The first is the
subjective or spiritual way of looking at God; the
second is the objective or psychological interpretation
of how God works. It takes all kinds of concepts of God
to make up the One God or to see God as a "mimetic
God" who changes according to what concept is
appropriate at the moment. When we are tricked into thinking that every reference
in the Bible is to the One true God, the loving God, we
cannot help but be confused when God punishes or
slaughters. However, if we see God subjectively as the
one creative source or power behind all of life, we end
up with a Kali-type God. That is a God who is always
appearing as whatever there is in us that is necessary
for our evolution, though it appears to be pleasant and
loving at one moment, or hurtful and unpleasant at the
next. I say that God is a mimetic God because when we want
God to be handed to us as a complete package, tied
together with a pretty ribbon, we miss the exciting
blessing of eternal discovery and eternal growth. We
are ready for ascension when we become aware that
every experience we have in life is for the purpose of
birthing our souls. When we include all the faces of God
and no longer see God or ourselves as either good or
evil, we enter the Kingdom. The most important thing in life that we can do in order
to enter the Kingdom is to trust the process, which is
to say to trust our highest comprehension of God, and
allow ourselves to embrace an all-inclusive awareness
of God. In doing so, we will see how God expresses
Himself differently at different dimensions.
Rev Enrique Amoros
Congratulations to Reverend Enrique, who is an
Ordained Unity Minister as of February 27. | | |
| HOUSEBOUND MEMBERS APPRECIATE CARDS AND REMEMBRANCES | | | THE RESPONSE TO YOUR CARDS AND NOTES FOR OUR
HOUSEBOUND MEMBERS has been one of overwhelming
love and gratitude. Your thoughtfulness has raised the
spirits of many who cannot attend Sunday Services.
Lois Wells, who at almost 102 years of age is Tampa
Unity's oldest member, sent us a note back saying, "...I
know I am cared for in your thoughts as well as acts of
love and prayers." Jackie Smith, Lois Wells daughter,
called to express her thankfulness on her mother's
behalf. Vi Jeanetta, who recently moved to an assisted
living facility, was thrilled and delighted with the stack
of cards she received. It means so much to people to
know they are not forgotten by their Unity 'family'. Cards will continue to be made available Sunday
mornings on the table in Fellowship Hall, along with a
list of names and envelopes. Anyone wishing to donate
greeting cards can bring them in on Sunday or during
the week. Just pick a person, pick a card, and add your
signature and a quick note. Clara will mail the cards on
Mondays. It only takes a minute to show you care. | | |
| THE LIVING CROSS CEREMONY, AN EASTER TRADITION | | | MANY YEARS AGO, WHEN TAMPA UNITY WAS STILL
LOCATED AT B STREET AND BREVARD AVENUE, a family
tradition was started. Each Spring, on the Saturday
before Easter, Mary Wilson and Helen Crusoe gathered
greenery for the Easter crosses. The ferns were
collected from the home of a church member and
brought to the church in bags to be clipped and
cleaned. When Tampa Unity moved to it's present
location, Mary and her family continued trimming the
crosses every Easter. Jane Loche, her daughter, was
enlisted to assist before she even attended Tampa
Unity! When Mary was moved into assisted living at the age of
92, she passed what had become the family tradition to
Jane, who with the help of her son and daughter, Cliff
and Sherry Cabrera, has overseen the collection of the
greenery ever since. The ferns are combined with an abundance of flowers
to create a unique Easter experience known as the
Living Cross Ceremony.
For as long as anyone remembers, the Living Cross
Ceremony has been a part of the Tampa Unity Easter
Celebration. The day before Easter, flowers are
prepared and placed on trays. During the Easter
service, they will be distributed to the congregation to
be placed in the crosses, creating an inspirational
display. Originally the flowers for the crosses were brought in by
various members from their own homes. At some point,
it was decided to use wild flowers, particularly the
colorful flocks which used to be so plentiful in this area.
Eva Menendez, who has been involved with the
collection of the Easter flowers for many years, at one
time picked flocks from the fields of Brandon. The
Sunday School classes of Bernice Gross also went out
and gathered wild flowers. Today, flowers are ordered from a florist, but
volunteers still gather on the Saturday before Easter to
prepare them for Sunday Morning's Living Cross
Ceremony. The dedicated group usually includes
Kathryn Matras, who remembers the ceremony from her
childhood, Rose Suarez, Eva Menendez, Jan Caldwell,
Liana Badillo, and Rev. Debbie Moss. Since Jane Loche, who has decorated the Easter
Crosses for over 20 years, will be moving this Spring, it
is unknown who will keep up the tradition of the Easter
greenery. Anyone who is interested should see Clara in
the bookstore. | | |
| FUN AND FOOD FAMILY STYLE | | | THE PARENTS' SUPPER CLUB MET ON SATURDAY,
FEBRUARY 5 at the home of Joe and Carolyn Deese.
John and Pat Close attended with their sons, Zack and
Shane. The two boys had a great time playing with the
Deese twins, Ian and Karissa. They played ball in the
front yard while the parents watched and cheered. Richard and Andrea Barreto also came with their
toddler, Ben, who had received his first haircut that
very day! After lots of visiting and getting to know
each other, everyone sat down to say grace over
dinner. Joe had prepared chicken and shrimp jambalaya, a
favorite recipe from Carolyn's mother. Pat and John
contributed a wonderful salad and a bottle of wine and
Richard made his famous chocolate brownies! Oh, did
you parents miss a meal! The kids ate barbeque chicken, sweet potatoes...and
brownies. There was much sharing and laughter in the
house. We look forward to the next Parents' Supper
Club meeting , which will be some time in April.
Parents, please be watching your newsletter and
bulletin for the host name and date and plan to join us! The Parents' Supper Club is for parents who would like
to socialize with other parents and their children. Club
members meet at each other's homes for occasional pot
luck style dinners. It's fun and food for all ages! Anyone interested in participating in this new take on
the Tampa Unity Supper Club please contact Carolyn
Deese at 813-238-6692.
Carolyn Deese | | |
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