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.

chalice surrounded by two circles and the word welcome belonging change tradition hope fear grace liberation

Chalice Circles and Spiritual Practice Packets

Chalice Circles bring together groups of 8-10 committed participants with a trained leader to listen—to each other, to the world, and to their deepest selves—and develop a more intentional and authentic life. Each month, a packet of spiritual practice content related to the monthly theme is published for use by circle participants, and anyone in the congregation interested in reflecting more deeply on the theme.

person jumping rope on a pier, looking at the ocean

APRIL SPIRITUAL PRACTICE PACKET
PRACTICE AND INSPIRATION

MARCH SPIRITUAL PRACTICE PACKET
COURAGE AND COURTESY

road leading into the distance with sun setting and the words

FEBRUARY SPIRITUAL PRACTICE PACKET
TRUTH AND LIES

tree jutting out of a rock on the edge of a lake

JANUARY SPIRITUAL PRACTICE PACKET
RESOLUTION AND IMPROVISATION

small rustic dwelling with lights in the window and a starry sky at night

DECEMBER SPIRITUAL PRACTICE PACKET HOPE AND FEAR

NOVEMBER SPIRITUAL PRACTICE PACKET
GRACE AND LIBERATION

small child, sitting as if reading, with a what appears to be an ancient sacred text in front of them.

OCTOBER SPIRITUAL PRACTICE PACKET
CHANGE AND TRADITION

people sharing a meal and toasting with their beverages

SEPTEMBER SPIRITUAL PRACTICE PACKET
WELCOME AND BELONGING

A Spiritual Practice to Feed Your Soul
Lectio Divina

Join us for a sacred experience of listening, contemplating, and responding to inspirational texts. Though the spiritual practice of Lectio Divina is centuries-old, typically utilizing Scripture, Unitarian Universalists use contemporary poetry. Participants report that Lectio Divina is “rejuvenating” and “insightful.” Each second Wednesday and fourth Tuesday of the month at 7:10 p.m. on Zoom; or Zoom from the Gannett Room at Unity on Wednesdays. All are welcome!

Register once and attend as often as you are able.

Led by Lisa Wersal or Shelley Butler. Questions? Contact Shelley at [email protected].

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].

UU Wellspring Sources Program

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.

Chalice with green and blue background and the words uu wellspring

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].