​Living in the Between

finding, creating and sharing brave and beautiful space in the midst of change

A Day Retreat about Living Well with Change
Saturday, March 2 • 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. • Unity Church 
Registration now open: https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=JfUCst

Have you ever noticed how exciting change can be when you embrace it instead of trying to avoid or resist it? Have you wondered about different ways to welcome it and work with it? This day retreat on Saturday, March 2, “Living in the Between,” is an invitation to tap into the creative possibilities present when change rocks the boat in our personal lives and communities. 

As Unity Church begins a series of staff transitions that will continue for the next few years, come explore the nature of change and some of the ways — practical, creative and soulful — to engage it with an open heart. Led by Consulting Literary Minister Karen Hering, Hallman Ministerial Intern Kathryn Jay, and others, the day will include workshops, music, conversation, creative activities, and good food and fellowship. Together we will consider how to find, create, and share brave and beautiful space in the midst of change.

[T]he transition zones in our lives are incredibly rich places. They should be honored, even savored. Yes, with all the pain and fear and feelings of being out of control that can (but not necessarily) accompany transitions, they are still the most alive, most growth-filled, passionate, expansive moments in our lives. — Danaan Parry

This will be a day of personal enrichment and connection with others, led by consulting literary minister Karen Hering and Hallman ministerial intern Kathryn Jay and others.Registration is $25, including lunch; scholarships available. Questions? Email Karen Hering at karen@unityunitarian.org.

Blood Drive at Unity Church

Monday, March 25 • 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Parish Hall
Unity Church will host a blood drive for the American Red Cross in March! Watch for information about scheduling a donation appointment online. Interested in volunteering or helping organize? Contact Kathryn Jay at kathryn@unityunitarian.org.

A New Better Angels Workshop
red and blue squares
​Depolarizing America: Starting with Yourself and People on Your Own Side 
Saturday, March 30 • 9:00 a.m.-noon • Unity Church
Presenter is Bill Doherty, Unity Church member, Co-founder of Better Angels,
and University of Minnesota Professor
​
Much of today’s epidemic of toxic polarization is driven by how we talk with like-minded people about those on the other side.  Too often we stereotype, dismiss, or ridicule our fellow citizens who support the other political party, its leaders, and its policies.  Political conflict and stereotyping have always been around but were less problematic when people interacted more outside their own silos. Nowadays, people on the other side have become not just strangers but enemies.  How we talk among ourselves about them fuels fires that threaten our democracy.

What if we learn the discipline of non-polarizing attitudes and words about the political “Other” with whom we share a national past and future?

This workshop will: 
  • Help you become more aware of polarization inside us and between us
  • Teach you skills for being critical—even sharply critical—without demonizing, dismissing, and stereotyping  
  • Help you learn how to intervene in a constructive way in social conversations that veer into contempt and ridicule for people who hold other political views. 

​Better Angels is a national nonprofit with a mission to depolarize America. Its leadership is half “red” and half “blue.”  Learn more at www.better-angels.org. 

    Better Angels RSVP

Boston Pilgrimage

October 16-21, 2019
Janne and Rob will lead a pilgrimage to the Unitarian Universalist homelands of New England. Visit Plimouth Plantation and wander the streets and back lanes of Boston and Concord. Explore the historical roots of our faith and our democracy and walk the paths that our religious ancestors walked.
If you are interested, please send a refundable $200 deposit to Song Thao, Financial Assistant, to hold your place. Balance is due June 15, 2019. Scholarships are available. The trip will cost between $1400-$1800, exclusive of airfare.

Child care for Church Events

Unity Church offers childcare for all church-sponsored events. The child care is free of charge but reservations are required. Please fill out the online form to request childcare for a church-sponsored event.

Wellspring Wednesday 

Wellspring Wednesday is a multi-generational opportunity to gather midweek at church for food, fellowship, and fun. All are welcome. This is a time to engage in religious community, a time to cultivate our values and beliefs. Click here for weekly programs details.

Wellspring Wednesday Yoga
  • First Wednesday: Meditative Movement
    ​    We will use gentle movement and yoga breathing techniques to activate and explore some of the 108 sacred sites within the body, called marma points (marmani). Activating marmani via yoga poses provides a healing connection for all of our internal systems.
  • Second Wednesday: Loving Kindness Meditation 
    Metta bhavana, or loving-kindness meditation, is a method of developing compassion. It comes from the Buddhist tradition, but it can be adapted and practiced by anyone, regardless of religious affiliation. This is a meditation of care, concern, tenderness, loving kindness, friendship–a feeling of warmth for oneself and others. 
  • Third Wednesday: Vinyasa Flow
    This class is for individuals seeking faster and more rigorous movement. Flowing from pose to pose is coordinated with regulated inhales and exhales to strengthen muscles and build balance.
  • Fourth Wednesday: Balancing the Chakras
    Our life force spins and rotates within seven energetic wheels, the chakras. We will use movement, mudra (hand gestures) and chanting to activate the chakras to provide exactly the right amount of energy for every part of the body, mind and spirit.

Embodied Spiritual Practice

Tuesday Meditation at Unity Church
A portion of the time in Unity Sangha’s Tuesday meditation meetings is devoted to teaching and discussion to deepen our understanding of the meditation path and its roots. Join us Tuesdays from 5:00-6:00 p.m., in Ames Chapel. Meditation instruction is offered at 4:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month. Please notify KP Hong at ​kp@unityunitarian.org if you plan to come for instruction.