Coming Up
- Contemplative Prayer with Judie Nemeth – 12:15 p.m. Thursday via Zoom
- Tia Chi with Katie Cook – 4 p.m. Thursdays in the Great Room.
- Violet Flame – 7 p.m. Thursdays via Zoom. All are welcome.
- Sunday Meditation – 10:15-10:40 a.m. Sundays in the Chapel. Come early! Space limited.
- Sunday Service, 11 a.m. January 15 – ‘A Consciousness of Gratitude’ with Ardell McCoy. Join us in person or online via our website or Facebook page.
- Formal Meet & Greet with Board of Trustee Candidates after the service, Sunday, January 15
- Sisterhood Meeting – 1 p.m. Sunday, January 18 – Meyer Hall (after the Meet & Greet)
- Unity Yoga with Katie Cook – 4 p.m. Tuesdays in the Great Room
Details below.
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Tony Porten & Adriane Diggs,
Treasurers, Board of Trustees
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Happy Renew Year! As your Board Treasurers, we could not be more pleased to share with each of you our perspective on the current “State of Unity Renaissance”. Change is nothing new to Unity Renaissance. In fact, we embrace change with love, understanding, giving (of our time and resources) and active participation in our community.
In the years of our beloved Reverend Paula’s leadership, Unity Renaissance has grown dramatically in terms of the diversity of our congregational community, facilities expansion, and improvements (including solar) as well as our educational offerings and the improvement of our live streaming broadcast capabilities.
So, where does all this leave us headed into 2023? Unity Renaissance is truly blessed to be a growing and thriving community. We are blessed with contributors truly invested in our vision and mission. Your financial contributions (large and small), have made it possible for our Unity Renaissance family to continue to grow and thrive. We anticipate finishing 2022 in the black and with increased operating reserves in the bank. In our first year of a new mortgage, Unity Renaissance has been able to meet payments within our operating budget all the while maintaining our mortgage payment reserve. Our Balance sheet has gone from $1.9M in 2017 in total equity to $3.9M in 2022. Our 2023 Budget has been prepared with a conservative year in mind with specific targeted areas of growth.
We will be providing much greater detail in our Annual Meeting scheduled for 29 January, 2023. As your Board Treasurers, we are grateful for each of you and thank you for your ongoing and dedicated support.
Yours in service,
Adriane Diggs & Tony Porten
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Last Sunday’s message,
in case you missed it:
“What’s in a Name?”
With Rev. Ann DeMichael
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2023 Board of Trustee Candidates Meet and Greet
Sunday, January 15 after the service
Three candidates are running for three openings on our Board of Trustees come January. They are Christopher Naughton, Mary Williams, and Joleen Zackowski. Candidates will answer questions in an open forum. Make sure you come to the Annual Meeting on Sunday, January 29.
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Unity Yoga and Tai Chi with Katie Cook
Join in on yoga and tai chi classes in the Great Room beginning January 10. Tuesdays at 4 p.m. is Unity Yoga and Thursdays at 4 p.m. is Tai Chi. All levels are welcome to join. Walk-ins welcome. Bring a mat for yoga!
Katie Cook is a RYT® 200 Hour Yoga Alliance Certified Teacher, a Qigong practitioner (trained through the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi), Spiritual Director, Certified Integrative Health Coach (Duke Integrative Medicine trained), and Healing Touch Certified Practitioner. Katie is passionate about fostering communities that encourage harmony, vitality, and peace. She aims to empower abundant wellbeing through mind/body/spirit practices. Love Offering.
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Save the date for this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day to celebrate the impact his “I Have a Dream” speech continues to have 60 years later.
Rev. Jackie Hawkins will be hosting a discussion unlike any other as a panel joins her to discuss King’s legacy, his influence in the lives of so many people, and how his statements are made manifest during times of great challenge.
Rev. Hawkins will be joined by Revs. Eric Ovid Donaldson, Diana McDaniel, Sylvia Sumter, and James Trapp. You can also look forward to special guest appearances from Pat Baxter; Bukeka Blakemore; Revs. Sheila McKeithen, J.D.; Tawnicia Ferguson Rowan; Gaylon McDowell; and Edith Washington-Woods; and music with John Stringer.
This MLK celebration will be broadcast live on Facebook (@beunity) on Monday, January 16, 2023, at 4 p.m. (3 p.m. CT).
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Unlocking Your Spiritual Heart with Gail Boynton
7 p.m. Wednesdays for three weeks starting January 18
An interactive, engaging class on keys to understanding the connection between Spirit and your heart and how to listen to its intuitive guidance as a path to well-being, and meaningful connection with others. Recommended reading: Your Spiritual Heart, Unity Rev. David McArthur.
Zoom only $20 per class or $50 for all three classes. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link. Register here. Scholarships available. No one turned away.
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Unity Renaissance Annual Meeting
12:30 p.m. Sunday, January 29
Join us for our Annual Meeting Sunday, Jan. 29. The meeting will be held in person and online via Zoom. You will also be able to vote for Board of Trustee candidates in person or via Zoom. Below is the Zoom link for the Annual Meeting. Voting instructions will be provided during the meeting. All votes are confidential. Note: Only active members of Unity Renaissance may vote in the election, but all congregants are welcome and encouraged to attend the meeting.
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Recovery Group Announcement
Join Dawn Bennet and Sam Akompong for a new Recovery Support Group that will be meeting Tuesday evenings from 7 – 8:30 p.m. in Meyer Hall. We will be starting with Step 3 in the AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) process to focus on “taking a personal inventory”. We can share stories as we support each other in our recovery from past hurts and traumas.
Please reach out to Dawn Bennet at rdben865@gmail.com for more information and to RSVP. Feel free to leave a phone number and Dawn will call with more information.
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Help Feed the Homeless
Breakfast on the Streets
6:15-9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 4
Help feed the homeless through this program sponsored by Norfolk Catholic Worker. Meet at Sacred Heart Church, 520 Graydon Ave. in Norfolk. We will assist with food preparation, serving, and cleanup. Come dressed for the outdoors. We need 3-4 volunteers the first Saturday of each month. Sign up at church for just one Saturday or come every month. Young people old enough to help can come with a parent.
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Please submit news of your celebrations, milestones, needs, or challenges to Rev. Ann (revann@unityren.org) or Ellysia Flores (ellysia@unityren.org). Note: Items included only if the person involved (where possible) has given their permission.
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Please join us in sending prayers and healing energy to Joyce, Partner of beloved Unity Renaissance member Denise Brown. We affirm that you are restored and revitalized, dear Joyce, and pray for strength, comfort, wisdom, and assurance for both you and Denise.
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A Big Congratulations to Eli Rosequist, past Unity Renaissance Y.O.U.er, and son of longtime Unity Members Ed and Sondra Rosequist. Eli graduated with honors from James Madison University with a degree in International Business. He recently traveled to Taiwan to continue his language studies in Mandarin, returning in late February. Way to go Eli!
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Join Our “Virtual Family” Watching
Unity Renaissance Live at 11 a.m. Sundays
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Unity Renaissance (757) 420-5280
1120 Eden Way North, Chesapeake, VA 23320
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