GREAT MORNING!  

Let’s Talk about Mission & Vision

So, today and in two weeks, I thought we should review what we stand for…our Mission and Vision this week and our Values next.

We’ve been repeating them for that last month or so, during our Service, for two reasons, at least.

One is to remind us of what they are and two, to remind us of WHO we are.

Some of you were present when we had a Visioning workshop, to determine what our Mission, Vision and Values would be. And now, as we remind ourselves of what we determined they should be, we also review them to make sure they still fit.

Our Mission: We explore spiritual consciousness in a loving, accepting community through teaching and living universal spiritual principles.

What does that mean to you?  Not to our physical space, but to YOU?

Think about it for a moment…..

(RESPONSES)

Now let’s look at each part of the statement:

‘explore spiritual consciousness’

I would guess that we can all agree what ‘explore’ means: inquire into or discuss (a subject or issue) in detail,to examine or evaluate (an option or possibility)

We have all explored many times in our lives, and many different things. When talking about exploring here, we are attempting to discover who we are, what we identify with, what we believe.  And not to just BE that, but to actually see if it fits.

Consciousness is an Awareness to feel the presence of this physical existence and beyond. It’s an Awakening to a non-dualism. It is a dimension beyond the mind and physical body. It is a light within you nor any object as the light that shines within you. Light itself is a consciousness, which means there is no dualism, it is One. Consciousness is an Openness.

‘loving’; feeling or showing love or great care. Our Unity Community certainly does show great love for each other, for our greater community and our world. We do this by welcoming others into our Service and Community as they choose to check Unity out, to see what we are all about.

We do this by reaching out to our Unity family and, in turn to the greater family and community by helping each other, by holding space as we each encounter our personal ‘growth opportunities,’ and by our outreach to the greater community by our tithes, and collection of needed products, by our Clean-up crew caring for our environment outside as well as doing our part for the environment as much as possible inside our space.

‘accepting community’: tending to regard different types of people and ways of life with tolerance and acceptance:  the act of accepting something or someone

What does this mean to you?

Personally, I’m not wild about the word tolerance, I don’t wish to be tolerated. I don’t mean that everyone need meet me with open arms either, but know me as I am, not as others wish I was.

We in Unity try our hardest to be very accepting of all races and cultures, and orientations. That does not mean we do it all the time, but we sure do try our hardest AND we forgive ourselves and ask forgiveness of others when we miss the mark.

Unity traditionally, hasn’t done the best in this regard, historically, but they are making amends and I certainly try my hardest to follow through with this part of our Mission.

‘through teaching’: and how do we do this? By our Sunday Services, and our classes. By the books we promote and the messages we share online and in conversations.

• ‘living’: and by living our Truth, our 5^th Principle It is not enough to understand spiritual teachings. We must apply our learning in all areas of life, incorporating them into our thoughts, words, and actions.
• We show the world who we are, sometimes a moment at a time through our actions, toward ourselves and others, and the whole of the world.

‘universal’ of, affecting, or done by all people or things in the world or in a particular group; applicable to all cases. Universal Laws are all encompassing. They are not physical laws that we discover as we learn more, like finding out about Black Holes.

They are Spiritual and govern everything and everyone.

‘spiritual principles’; Spiritual principles are timeless Truths, not tied to any specific religious, philosophical, or spiritual tradition. Spiritual practices reflect how we live them and vary based on the specific religious and spiritual traditions we adhere to.

Our Spiritual Principles are:

God is everywhere and always present in every circumstance. This divine energy underlies and animates all of existence. 

• Human beings are innately good because they are connected to and an expression of Spirit. 
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• Our thoughts have creative power to influence events and determine our experiences. 
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• Prayer and meditation connect and align us to our own spiritual nature and to God. 
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• It is not enough to understand spiritual teachings. We must apply our learning in all areas of life, incorporating them into our thoughts, words, and actions. 

 

Here is the reading I choose for today…

My Mission

I give expression to the Christ Spirit within me in thought, word, and deed.

My mission, my calling in life, is to give expression to the Christ Spirit within me. Then whatever I do will be done from the wisdom of my soul, from divine love and understanding.

No matter what may be ahead this day, I will go about doing what I am called to do by the Christ of my being. Then I know the pure satisfaction of letting the divine within me become a part of my thoughts, conversations, and actions.

The Christ Spirit within me is unlimited wisdom, love, and life. As I open myself fully to giving expression to divine qualities, I relate well with those I know and those I am just getting to know. In answering the call of the Christ, I am also honoring the Christ

Next, let’s review our Vision Statement:  We embrace a positive path for spiritual living to create a kinder, more compassionate world.

As you read the statement are you following it?

Do you embrace a positive path for spiritual living?  Are you creating a kinder, more compassionate world?

In other words, are you doing your part to be part of the solution or have you missed the mark some, and are creating part of the problem?

We all miss the mark from time to time. We get caught up in our stories, our history. We forget that we only have NOW. No past, no future.

Oh, there is history. We all have memories. But are our memories dictating our lives or are they just reminiscences of some past day or person, and we can smile at the love we shared with them or recall the lesson we’ve learned from the past situation so we do not repeat it again and again.

And our future is not something we need to focus on, only prepare as needed, but live each day. Be present.

What happens if we are not in the NOW? WE may miss important happenings. May miss important lessons. May miss the beauty of each moment, each flower, each smile.