Spiritual Practice

​Our hope is that you find Unity Church to be a place where you can find and keep your balance, where you can find support to lead a loving life of integrity, service, and joy. Spiritual practice is a primary means of moving toward that goal and Unity Church offers a variety of ways to develop and deepen your spiritual practice.

What is a spiritual practice? The UU College of Social Justice has a beautiful explanation on their website that begins “Spiritual practices are the habits in our lives that center us, open our attention more fully, and nurture our connections to something larger than ourselves. . .” Read more on their website about the three common elements of spiritual practice: attention, intention, and repetition. As they explain, “. . . walking on the beach can be very healthy and relaxing; it can even give you a deep spiritual experience of connection. But it will become a spiritual practice only when it is done with awareness and intention, and is repeated consistently over a period of time.”
 
Want more about spiritual practice? Our Anderson Library has the book Everyday Spiritual Practice available to check out.

Writing for Wellbeing Workshop

Saturday, April 25 | 9:00 a.m.-noon | Robbins Parlor | Registration
Grief is one of the most challenging and emotionally painful experiences all of us face. In living with grief, we often experience a fragmentation of our self and our understanding of the world. Integration of loss requires not only the expression of grief and meaning-making, but also the rebuilding of identity. 
Writing for Wellbeing is an effective and powerful research-based method to empower us to integrate and transform our grief. All who are grieving, who have experienced loss and are struggling, who want to explore new and different ways of writing their stories, are welcome to join Rev. Shay in a morning of reflection, writing, and sharing. 

APRIL ​SPIRITUAL
​PRACTICE PACKET:
JOYFUL VISIONS

Spiritual Practice Packets
​& Chalice Circles

Registration for Chalice Circles is now closed, but Spiritual Practice Packets are available for use by everyone! Please email [email protected] for more information.

Sangha Practice

Tuesdays | 4:30-6:00 p.m. | Ames Chapel
At the heart of Buddhist practice is the commitment to awaken –- to step into our doubts and predicaments and hear the roaring of life at the still point of a turning universe. Through weekly practice of meditation, we discover a clarity of mind attentive and accountable to each moment of life’s flow, and touch the mystery of our original face. This group is open to anyone interested, no experience is necessary, and instructions will be provided. For more information, please contact Rev. KP Hong at [email protected].

Between Heaven and Earth:
Embodied Practice Circle 

Wednesdays | 12:00-1:00 p.m. | Foote Room

“Between Heaven and Earth,” is a practice gathering for learning and sharing Tai Ji and Qigong, movement and stillness, poetry, song and silence.

​No registration or previous experience required. Come one time or weekly, or anything in between. Unity Church members Karen Hering and Kate Tucker will again be leading the group, teaching and sharing practices of guided Tai Ji movement rooted in Taoism — practices that awaken our awareness of energies within and around us, before and behind us, above and below us — energies that connect heaven and earth. Note: Our practices can be modified for sitting or standing. Wear comfortable clothing.
​
In a time when uncertainty, grief, anger and fear can disrupt our embodied awareness, our practices help bring us back into our bodies and help our emotions to flow. Together, in these challenging times, we make room for a sense of aliveness and joy. 

A Spiritual Practice to Feed Your Soul
Lectio Divina

Second Wednesday and Fourth Tuesday of Each Month | 7:10 p.m. | Zoom
Is it poetry? Is it meditation? It’s a bit of both — Lectio Divina! Come experience the alchemy that occurs through focused reflection on an inspirational text. Many people find Lectio Divina sessions to be a time of rejuvenation and insight. Led by Shelley Butler and Lisa Wersal; facilitated by your own heart. Register once and attend as often as you are able. Questions? Contact Shelley at [email protected].

​Active Hope for the New Now Practice Gathering

Monday, May 11 | 7:00-8:30 p.m. | Robbins Parlor
The intention is not a discussion of the issue but to move through the Active Hope Spiral of grounding in gratitude, touching into feelings, seeing with new and ancient eyes, and gathering our capacities for action in response to this issue. No RSVP required.

UU Wellspring Sources Program

Registration is closed for 2025-26
​UU Wellspring is a year-long program of spiritual deepening connected to the Six Sources of our living Unitarian Universalist faith tradition. Through reading and reflection, daily spiritual practice, spiritual companionship, and small group process that holds space to hear our deepest thoughts, the UU Wellspring Sources program is a deeply meaningful way to explore what Unitarian Universalism means to you and how you want your faith to guide your life and your work for justice. ​This class includes a capstone exercise to articulate your statement of faith. Questions? Email Philippa at [email protected].

Minister Messages

For the first year and a half of the Covid-19 pandemic, Unity Church ministers provided five messages a week about spiritual practice. Watch them on YouTube invite us into a wide variety of meaningful practice. 

Spiritual Direction

Unity Church-Unitarian has a deep commitment to each person’s spiritual growth. We encourage each member to cultivate their inner life, to pay attention to the spirit within which enables us to open ourselves to compassion, to develop reverent and nurturing spiritual practice, to embrace the world with curiosity, welcome, and love. In this spirit, we seek to offer resources to our members which will support them in this journey. We invite you to explore the gifts that spiritual direction might bring. For more information about Spiritual Direction opportunities, please visit Grow Soul or contact Sarah Cledwyn at [email protected].