comm-unity communicator - Unity of Fort Wayne Spiritual Center

August—September 2012
COMM-UNITY COMMUNICATOR
U N I T Y
O F
F O R T
W A Y N E
C o m e
G a t h e r
Times are a changing,
are they not?
The good news and the bad
news is that things will
never be the same again.
Rev. Barry Vennard
S P I R I T U A L
The bad news is that no
matter how hard we try to
stabilize or institutionalize
the circumstances we have
loved, things will never
remain the same.
‘ r o u n d
I think that’s the Good
News Jesus demonstrated
and taught; and it is recognized by Unity. We know
it as “Practical Christianity.”
That’s what we are about
as we join together in the
“Creating Our Future,
Making Peace With Our
Past” workshop on
Saturday, August 18th
The good news is that we
(9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and
are divine agents of change Sunday, August 19th for
in a universe that celethe Sunday service, lunch
brates our capacity
and workshop conclusion.
(and insists that we use it)
to create novel expressions This workshop will be the
first major activity in Unity
of new good that will exof Fort Wayne’s Intenpand the blessings of the
past for us and others.
tional Transitional Process.
G r e a t
C E N T E R
p e o p l e
And, I believe that your
valuable participation in
this workshop will not only
support a successful transition (and possible transformation) for Unity of Fort
Wayne, but will also remind you, inspire you, and
support you in your own
continued journey of spiritual unfoldment that is
expressing as the blessed
story of your life.
So, in the words of those
who thought thinking and
living outside of the box
was good, “Be there or be
square.”
Blessings,
Barry
L a k e s U n i t y R e g i o n a l
C o n f e r e n c e
A Bold Look Forward
Tune In & Tune Up
If you are a Unity member,
Board member, or Unity minister, you’ll want to register
and make reservations now.
The GLURC begins Monday, September 17 and ends
on Thursday, September 20
at Potawatomi Inn on Lake
James in Angola, Indiana.
Aligned Purpose.” Singer &
Songwriter Jami Lula will be
there to inspire your soul,
touch your heart, and uplift
your spirit. Join Jami for an
Outdoor Fire Circle. Hear Dr.
Charlotte Shelton, President
& C.E.O. of Unity, along with
The Reverend Donna Johnson, President & C.E.O. of
Unity WorldWide Ministries.
reveal our core values. Community and meaningful ministry occurs when a spiritual
community know who they
are and how they choose to
reflect these ideals in the
world. Join the conference,
and be part of creating a God
inspired vision to lead us forward on a path of clarity and
divine expression.
This year’s conference highlights, The Reverend Toni
Boehm, Ph.D., will present,
“Moving Forward with
The GLURC community will
focus on a spiritually discerning process led by Rev. Toni
Boehm to experience and
Reservations: 877.563.4371
www.greatlakeunity.org
www.toniboehm.com
www.jamilula.com
P a g e
2
C O M M - U N I T Y
B l e s s e d b y B l e s s i n g
D o t & H e r m F i s c h e r
B y l a u r i e g r a y
Herm and Dot Fischer have
been a vibrant part of Unity
in Fort Wayne for decades.
They first came to Unity during the ministry of The Reverend Roger Tiffany (19711981), attended during the
ministry of The Reverend
Thelma Hembroff (19811983), and officially became
members during the first
year that The Reverend
Claudette Farone (19831988) served as minister.
Over the years they have
tithed their time and talents
freely, tending to details behind the scenes and making
sure nothing falls through
the cracks.
For many
“May you have years they
washed
happiness,
and may you find windows
and shovit making
eled snow
one another
from the
sidewalks.
happy.
May you have Once,
Herm
love, and may you painted
find it loving one the outside
of the
another!”
church.
~James Dillet
Herm
Freeman
served on
the board
from
for two
“Blessing for a
terms durMarriage”
ing the
Ministry
of The Reverend Barbara
Van (1988-1998) and operated the equipment to record
the services for years.
Today, Herm sits in the back
next to Bob Sollazzo, or
whoever is running the
sound equipment for the
service. Dot is in charge of
the ushers. They spend at
least an hour and a half at
the church every Thursday
morning folding the bulletins by hand, filling guest
packets, putting tags on
necklaces for first-time
visitors and making sure
everything is in order for
the Sunday morning celebration service.
Herm graduated from Fort
Wayne’s Central High
School in 1947. He got a
special permit to begin
working at Seyfert’s Potato
Chip Factory when he was
15, and also worked part
time at the A&P Supermarket on Maumee Avenue.
He ran track, often running
three solid hours for training in the afternoons. During meets he would compete in the mile, the half
mile, the quarter mile and
anchor the mile relay team,
all in the same meet! After
graduating from high
school, he tried to enlist in
the Selective Service to
avoid being drafted during
the Korean War. They
wouldn’t have him due to
poor vision in his left eye,
but later the Army drafted
him anyway. He trained
with the 101st Airborne in
Breckenridge, Kentucky,
before being stationed
with the Quartermaster
Corps in Giessen,
Germany.
C O MM U N I C A T O R
o t h e r s
After serving in the military from 1950-1952,
Herm returned to Fort
Wayne and worked at the
Indiana Service Corp.
which later became Indiana
Michigan Power. He met
Dot in 1954 at Gardner’s
Drive-In on Jefferson
Boulevard in downtown
Fort Wayne, where Dot
was a waitress. Dot had
moved to Fort Wayne from
Memphis, Tennessee. They
were married in 1955 and
raised three sons together:
Stan, Mike, and Mark. Dot
also worked at Hall’s Hollywood Drive-In on Lima
Road before going to work
in the cafeteria at Fort
Wayne Community
Schools. She was a “Lunch
Lady” at Northwood Middle School for 15 years and
at Kekionga Middle School
for 6 years. Like Jack
Benny, Herm continues to
celebrate his 39th birthday
each year, and Dot is just a
year younger. Nevertheless, she and Herm both
retired in 1992.
Although Herm was raised
Methodist and Dot was
raised Baptist, neither of
them were attending
church when they met. It
was Bob and Judy Lepley
who introduced them to
Unity. They felt at home
immediately, and Dot soon
realized that “The Daily
Word” was the publication
that her mother kept on the
table when Dot was
Dot & Herm Fischer
growing up came from
Unity. Dot and Herm
visited Unity Village
for the first time for their
25th wedding anniversary.
Unity’s poet laureate
James Dillet Freeman
gave them an autographed copy of his
poem entitled “Blessing
for a Marriage” which
they have framed and
hanging on the wall in
their home. They’ve
returned to Unity Village
two additional times
over the years. “If
you’ve never been there,
you really should go,”
they said. “It’s a wonderful experience.” Dot
and Herm feel blessed to
be a part of Unity of Fort
Wayne Spiritual Center,
and they certainly have
been a blessing to the
congregation for many
years.
P a g e
A
3
M a n i f e s t i n g s o u p !
J o h n n y a p p l e s e e d u p d a t e
B y a n d r e a b a l e s
Even though the temps in Fort
Wayne continue to breech 100 degrees, the Johnny Appleseed Committee has been thinking FALL and
vegetable beef soup. In addition to
monthly committee meetings,
countless hours have been devoted
to obtaining and preparing the kettles and cooking system, making
signs, costumes, and procuring
equipment and supplies.
On Sunday, June 10th the committee
held a “test-run” at the church.
The 75-gallon kettle was fired up
and the congregation was treated to
hot soup after the service. Comments from the crowd were positive
and most were some version of
“Great soup!” “The benefits of doing the test run were two-fold,” said
Amanda Eshelman, committee
chairperson. “First, we needed to be
sure that our equipment would function properly. Secondly we wanted to
test the recipe. We are now confident
that the biggest challenge associated
with the event has been overcome.”
Dye Small knew from the beginning
that if Unity principles were applied,
all would turn out positive. “Our biggest concern was finding the kettles
and recreating the cooking system.
Within weeks, kettles were
‘appearing’ everywhere, and so were
the people who were willing to help
us build fire boxes. We manifested
everything we needed very quickly.”
Bob and Marilyn Barth have devoted countless hours toward this project, and they believe our church will
be very proud of our booth this year.
Now is the time for the whole Unity
Community to join in the fun and excitement. Just imagine what the whole
congregation can manifest!
The Apple Tree is in the narthex. By
taking an apple and making a donation,
you can help offset the cost of the supplies.
Committee members will be asking for
volunteers to sign up to work shifts
during the festival.
Anyone wishing to help in any way
please contact: Amanda Eshelman,
Dye Small, Bob/Marilyn Barth, or
Andrea Bales.
Call 482.2477 or email:
[email protected]
Johnny Appleseed Festival
Saturday, September 15
Sunday, September 16
B y
Many of the themes we are focusing
on this year are interchangeable.
They all are a part of universal
knowledge and often depend upon
each other for success. During July,
we affirmed Success: With Spirit
as my guide, I am Successful.
Listening to that still voice within
means getting quiet with the intention of hearing other than our own
mind’s chatter. Meditation is good
for this purpose.
While in August, Prosperity:
God is my source for every need.
A good companion affirmation is:
“I graciously accept good into my
life. All of my needs are met in the
right time, the right way, with the
perfect people, property and particulars. With a grateful heart,
I give thanks for this truth that
liberates me from want, now and
forever.”
In September, Protection. We remember and affirm: The power of God protects me. The teacher asked, “Now, you
know a black belt does not give special
privileges, nor does it mean you won’t
have challenges. What I want to hear is,
what does the black belt mean to you?”
The young man said to his teacher,
“Before I became a black belt, if someone pushed me around, I would either
run away or fight because I was afraid.
Now that I am a black belt, if someone
wants to fight me, I can walk
away.” (Roger Teel, “Science of
Mind,” July 2011: 17.)
J u d y
L e t s o
This “shoe fits” many situations, one
of which is our continuing education
and study, including affirmations.
Knowledge is power wherever you go.
We cannot “go” far with closedminded attitudes. It depends on what
you want, what you decide on.
Stagnation may appear to be sleep or
sleep-walking, or “sticking to one’s
guns;” but it “doesn’t buy the baby
new shoes.”
Please excuse the clichés. They
seemed to be standing in line anxiously
awaiting my notice! I guess they want
to be teachers too.
U N I T Y
O F
F O R T
W A Y N E
S P I R I T U A L
C E N T E R
A Positive Path for Spiritual Living
3232 Crescent Avenue
Fort Wayne, IN 46805
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 260.482.2477
WE’RE ON THE
WEB!
WWW.UNITYFW.ORG
Please join us on Thursday, September 13
at 7:00 p.m. as we celebrate and connect with the
creative flow of God within us, tapping into infinite
wisdom and unlimited good.
The Universe Is Calling!
J a n
I t t a k e s a v i l l a g e
C r a r y , B o a r d P r e s i d e n t
As we welcome, Rev. Barry to his new
post as our transitional ministry specialist,
the African proverb, “It takes a village to
raise a child” comes to mind. This expression reminds me of what we at Unity of
Fort Wayne Spiritual Center accomplished
in the past six months.
Not only did our Sunday Service continue,
with the assistance of loving support from
our friends in the community who served
as speakers, we also unveiled our new
website: www.unityfw.org. And, after he
accomplished that feat, Bob Sollazzo, our
resident IT expert and entrepreneur installed a new computer in the office. We
implemented A Matching Fund Program
allowing us to replace the windows in Hardiek Fellowship Hall; and there are plans
for other building maintenance projects. At
this writing, we’ve received $5,360 combined with promised pledges means we’re
only $135 away from our goal of $7,500
which is then matched by $7,500!
Thank You!
Our ‘fun-draising’ continued with the
success of another Nelson’s Chicken
event. A new Johnny Appleseed Committee has been formed and is in full
operation readying for the September
Festival!
We were blessed when The Rev. Gregory Guice and The Rev. Steven
McAfee, presented a weekend workshop, The Word: Good Vibrations.
Unity minister, Marty Newman made
two trips from Ohio to offer a Healthy
Congregations workshop.
It was our privilege to host an event for
Center for Congregations which
brought ministers and lay leaders from
all over the state. We’ve opened our
doors to welcome other organizations to
use our beautiful facility: Healing
Touch Class, K9 Companion, Open
Door Chapel, Lesbian Social Group,
Ilene Satala, The ManKind Project, and
a Drumming Circle.
These past few months, for me, have been a
great learning experience. Even after being
on the board for more than 8 years, I truly
appreciate the ideas, the guidance, and the
varied feedback I heard from all of you.
Those words said, “I care.” I care about this
village, I care about my church, I care about
my spiritual center, and I care about my
spiritual growth.
It truly did take a village, and it is such a
pleasure to see us working together doing
what is ours to do. Everyone, each and everyone, did what they could to step in, step
up, and step forward to continue bringing
Unity of Fort Wayne to the community.
I want to personally thank Teresa Bucher
for all she did to assist the board during this
time; and I thank you, each and everyone of
you. Thank you for helping, guiding, listening, planting, and watering. We all play an
enormous part in the raising of Unity of Fort
Wayne. May this village become a place for
others to call home.