Mark Wenz
I discovered Sun Lakes Unity Church shortly after I moved here through a series of serendipitous events. Now an active member who serves on the board, I attend services regularly and frequently participate in church activities. My father was a Protestant pastor for 40 years, and although I dutifully attended church with my family, the widespread Christian belief in an angry God who would send his own sinful creation to hell didn’t click for me. I wanted a spiritual connection with a God who loved and nurtured rather than punished His/Her creation.
If you’re like the many people who may have heard of Unity but know little or nothing about it, allow me to provide some basic information. Unity is rooted in the New Thought Movement of the 19th century and, according to Wikipedia, “offers positive, practical Christianity … for people who might call themselves spiritual but not religious,” which aptly describes my own experience.
One of Unity’s most attractive qualities for me is its lack of prescriptive dogma. Again, according to Wikipedia, “Unity describes itself as having no particular creed, set dogma, or required ritual … [and] maintains that there is good in every approach to God.” Unity is also an inclusive church that “welcomes all people” and “emphasizes healing by spiritual means but does not reject or resist medical treatments” like some other churches with roots in the New Thought Movement. The following are some of Unity’s basic teachings:
1. God is omnipresent and available to all people. According to Unity co-founder Charles Fillmore, “God is Spirit, infinite Mind, the imminent force, and intelligence everywhere manifest in nature.”
2. Human beings are innately good, because they are connected to and are an expression of Spirit.
3. Our thoughts have creative power to influence events and determine our experiences.
4. Prayer and meditation connect and align us to our own spiritual nature and to God.
5. We must apply our understanding of spiritual teachings in all areas of life, incorporating them into our thoughts, words, and actions.
6. Jesus was an enlightened soul whose life demonstrated what is possible when we live from our innate spiritual nature or divine consciousness.
Although services at Unity Church of Sun Lakes have been suspended during July and August, they will resume the Sunday after Labor Day in the Arts & Crafts Room at Sun Lakes Country Club. Here’s a list of this month’s upcoming events, occurring in the Mirror Room at Sun Lakes Country Club:
1. Nutrition class on Aug. 7th from 3 to 4 p.m.
2. Metaphysical class on Aug. 14 and 28 from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
3. A class on involvement in church presentations on Aug. 21 taught by Reverend Jeanne MacLaughlin, our pastor, from 1 to 4 p.m.
4. On Aug. 28 join a drumming circle from 1 to 2 p.m. before the Metaphysical class!
Please consider checking us out. You are always welcome at Unity Church of Sun Lakes!