LAKE UNITY. at the. Letter From Our Ministers. Celebrating & Inspiring a Positive Spiritual Life. by Rev. Stew

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1 UNITY at the LAKE Celebrating & Inspiring a Positive Spiritual Life August - September 2018 Phone: (530) Location: 870 Emerald Bay Rd. Mailing address: P.O. Box South Lake Tahoe, CA unityatthelake@sbcglobal.net Website: unityatthelake.org Sunday Celebration 10 a.m. with Youth Program facebook.com/unityatthelake Open Hours: Tues, Wed & Fri 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. No Friday hours for the summer beginning June 1. Friday hours resume September 7th All activities and events, including services - held at 870 Emerald Bay Rd. Letter From Our Ministers by Rev. Stew UATL Newsletter On the first Sunday of July, I was flying through the air 120 mph without an airplane (but with a parachute, fortunately). On the second Sunday of July I was laid up in bed with back pain, with my only excursions being to the bathroom, getting there a heck of a lot slower than 120 mph. Both Sundays weren t planned and came as great surprises to me. A few weeks ago, I learned my daughter was coming up to visit, which brought great joy. Then later the same day I learned that a dear friend was diagnosed with cancer, which brought up other feelings. Life is just one surprise party after another, isn t it? And it s easy to get swept back and forth in the emotions...kind of like being a leaf in a hurricane. I m happy and grateful that I ve been talking a lot lately about being more in-dependent; about basing my state of consciousness on my inner resources, values and God Self rather than on circumstances and appearances. Talking about it helps me look for (and therefore see) opportunities to practice, and in the process, I ve noticed that life offers wonderful and frequent opportunities. It takes practice because for much of my life I was the leaf. It feels a lot better to be in the eye of the storm. After the gift of life itself, our ability to CHOOSE our state of consciousness might just be our next most precious gift. And our ability to choose it based on what is ALWAYS good, beautiful and true makes the gift even more special. This is my favorite thing about Unity s principles: they aren t just philosophical concepts, they are eminently practical and do indeed make our lives better when we practice embodying them. Life will undoubtedly continue to be a surprise party, some of which I ll like and some I won t like as much, and it feels good to know that whatever comes, being able to go within and allow my divinity to come forth can always remind me I am more than enough. And so are you!

2 FAITH IN ACTION DONATIONS Please note you can use a credit card to make any kind of donations and we can automatically charge your credit card monthly if you choose. You can also choose to have your bank send an automatic monthly donation. We joyfully affirmed and celebrated our abundance through tithing to the following from January to March 2018: [ Unity in the Community [ West Central Region [ Silent Unity [ Northern Nevada International Center Refugee Resettlement Program [ Rita McKeon [ Lake Tahoe Humane Society Total of outgoing tithes for this period was $1, Thank you, God! As of 7/18/18, our bank balances are as follows: [ Bank of the West Checking: $10, (covers everyday spending and bills) [ Bank of the West Savings (2018 Hands and Hearts for Christmas fund): $ [ Everbank Checking (general reserve fund): $8, HOSPITALITY You ve been doing a great job bringing small amounts of leftovers from your fridge, as well as plates of food made specifically for Sunday mornings. We bless all of you who bring food to share. Keep up the good work! LABYRINTH We regret to announce that due to circumstances beyond our control we will NOT be able to build a labyrinth on the property after all. Thanks to all who put love and energy into the project and please remember that love and energy is never wasted! FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITIES FOR UATL The recycling bin is ONLY for cans and bottles. Cups, silverware and plastics go in the sink to be re-washed. Thank for your attention to this. Did you know that you can take your recyclables in and ask them to assign the money to UATL? AMAZON RECYCLING! Before shopping at Amazon.com, go to our website first! There is a link to Amazon.com on our website, unityatthelake.org (on the left sidebar of each page right under our phone #). We will receive credit for any purchases you make from Amazon when you go through our website first! Or, sign up for Amazon Smile (free!), and designate UATL as a regular beneficiary of your purchases (then you don t have to go to our website first, but we do get a higher percentage through the website). THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! [ Gayle Bradshaw for keeping our Sanctuary decorated flower urns beautiful [ Karen & Brooks Martin for our quieter Sanctuary due to 2nd set of double pane windows [ Karen Morse for our new refrigerator [ Annie Davidson for getting UATL into the news [ Cindy Archer for our new Assistive Listening Device

3 From the Council by Cindy Archer, Member-At-Large I have loved being a part of Unity at the Lake for many years. I get spiritual support as well as practical ideas on an on-going basis for living a full and blessed life. I want to highlight here another unique and creative aspect of our Unity Community. Over the years Rev. Hillary has come up with ideas for interesting fun-raisers. Several years ago she conceived of Eat, Pray, Bid. It helps each of us get to know and appreciate the talents and gifts of others as well as helping our spiritual home financially. Eat, Pray, Bid was brought into being as a time and place where we can contribute to or benefit from the personal skill, service or talent of others. It seemed especially successful this year and I d like to reflect on my experience. To start off, we each put forth something we can do and share with others. Then we learned of everyone else s offerings and bid on them. This year, I feel very happy to have been the recipient of two very talented Unity at the Lake members. One service provided by Phyllis A. was to re-arrange our existing furniture and decorations in a particular room in our house. I chose to have her come review how our living room is set up. With the eye and intuition of an artist she suggested we move things around. It all made sense, and the result is wonderful. The room feels more open, and yet still reflects who we are. And my husband s immediate reaction was equally positive. There have been comments made by long-time friends about elements of the room they never noticed before! The second item was offered by Sue H. She offered a driving trip around Lake Tahoe, to highlight some history and end with delicious locally-made ice cream. With her at the wheel, we saw some classic Tahoe homes and buildings from eras gone by; and learned some tid-bits of history that only someone who has grown up here and appreciated all of the area could provide. We stopped to look at some unique aspects of Tahoe City and Incline Village areas, purchased delicious items at a well-known deli/bakery, and stood on hidden beaches to admire a different perspective on our beloved lake. And of course, to top it off, there was the ice cream treat that Sue provided at a local creamery. The drive home brought picture-perfect sights as if we were seeing it all of the first time. So thank you to Rev. Hillary for the idea of Eat, Pray, Bid, and to Phyllis and Sue for sharing of themselves and their talents this year. PRAYER CHAPLAIN TRAINING It is with great excitement that we announce a 2018 new Prayer Chaplain Training, the first in three years. If you are at all interested, please ask Rev. Hillary for a brochure with the actual training dates. Talk to her for more information & talk to our current Prayer Chaplains as well. An informational ½ hour Orientation will be Sunday, August 19th, following Celebration. The training involves 5 separate 2-hour sessions September-November and concludes with a weekend advance (AKA a retreat). This is simply one of the best ways we know of to help you be a blessing and to live a more spirit-filled and inspired life!

4 OFFICE HOURS: TUESDAYS, WEDNESDAYS & FRIDAYS 10 a.m. -2 p.m. No Friday hours for the summer beginning June1. Friday hours resume 9/7. PLEASE USE US WE ARE HERE FOR YOU Revs. Hillary & Stew are available for prayer, spiritual counseling, energy work, life coaching or just to chat. We are always very happy to make an appointment and meet with you at a different time and day if our office hours don t work for you. Our Reverends Hillary & Stew Bittman CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE! unityatthelake.org Our Sunday talks are available on our website, beginning shortly after each Sunday Celebration. The archives go back several years. Tell your friends! This is a wonderful way to introduce other folks to the Unity message. You can also use the website to make donations (for listening to talks online, regular tithes, building fund, Minister s Fund and Hands and Hearts) and to purchase all of OneVoice s CDs, Stew and Hillary s meditation CD Journeys to the Heart, plus CDs of Sunday celebration services, via PayPal or credit card. P.O. Box South Lake Tahoe, CA Sent with love to: If you no longer wish to receive this printed newsletter, no problem. Just send us and and let us know. unityatthelake@sbcglobal.net - Blessings! How very blessed we are to know this place called Lake Tahoe.

5 EVENTS INSPIRING FUN D RAISERS FOR UATL Saturday, September 15 th at 7p.m. Special Comedy Concert World-renowned Steve Bhaerman (AKA Swami Beyondananda) will be bringing his unique and inspiring brand of spiritual comedy to UATL. Swami Beyondananda is the cosmic comic alter ego of writer, humorist, performer and uncommon-tator Steve Bhaerman. The Swami, whose favorite yoga pose is tongue-in-cheek, is the spokesperson for a new non-religion, FUNdamentalism (accent on fun ). Says the Swami, I got struck by enlightening during a brainstorm. Swami has shared the stage with the likes of the Dalai Lama, Bruce Lipton and others. Tickets are now on sale: $20 in advance, $25 at the door. To purchase tickets: call or the office, or purchase online (extra $1.69 fee) at: brownpapertickets.com/event/ We hope to fill the place up so tell your friends and share the event from our FB page. Swami s website: wakeuplaughing.com. Sept 23rd & 30th at 1-4p.m. Mask Making A transformative workshop with Francesca Imperial, over 2 weekends. Come join this creative process of discovery, moving past the masks we wear as we journey within. Explore the ever-deepening respect of self in all its beauty strengths and wonder - bridging together the light of the unconscious - as a messenger to the ever-evolving sense of self. Francesca Imperial, a Licensed Psychotherapist, also holds a Master Degree in ~ Arts and Transformative Consciousness ~ Expressive Archetypal Art. Art is often incorporated as Healing Medicine in her practice and in all aspects of her life. For additional information contact Francesca: dolphindakini@yahoo.com. Attendance is mandatory both Sundays to participate! Limited Space- Early Registration Required Sliding Fee Available $60- $80 All proceeds will be donated to UATL!

6 EVENTS ONGOING UATL EVENTS Wednesdays, 12-12:40p.m Prayer/Meditation Circle In the Annex, every Wednesday we sit and meditate on the presence of Love and hold the high watch for ourselves and for everyone on our prayer slips please join us! Rev. Hillary will be speaking on Sunday August 5th Drum circles Continue the 2nd Sunday of each month after Celebration. Bring a lawn chair so we can take advantage of being outside for the next few months. NON-UATL EVENTS Saturday August 18th Ecstatic Dance NEW TIME FOR SUMMER: 7:30-9PM (also September 8th normally the 3rd Saturday of each month except in September). All ages welcome. $15. Check this out on FB: Ecstatic Dance South Lake Tahoe. SPECIAL UATL EVENTS & HAPPENINGS Thursday, September 13th Unity s World Day of Prayer To commemorate the 25th anniversary of this global event, we ll be having an all-day (9a.m. - 4p.m.) prayer vigil in the Martin Peace Chapel. It s not about knowing the right words, it s simply a matter of coming apart from the busyness of our lives & allowing ourselves to embrace Love Be as Love. Come sit for a few minutes or stay in the beautiful energy all day. This year s theme is, Courage to Heal and the affirmation is, As I heal in body, mind and spirit, I support healing in my family, my community, the earth and the world. Centered in Pure Being, I am a healing presence. We invite you to bring forth your own courage & meditate on what is yours to do for healing yourself, your relationships, your world. We will have special prayer flags available in the weeks leading up to the event for you to include your personal healing prayers. Sunday, September 21st Volunteer Appreciation Picnic At Tahoe Paradise Park (in Meyers), 1p.m. Join us as we fly kites and play games for peace, honor our volunteers (and all our congregants) and celebrate each other as well as UATL s 24th birthday. We ll provide the pizza, watermelon and cake...all you need is a bathing suit and a lawn chair/blanket.