Rev. Janie taught several classes this year, some of which are listed below. Some of the students in attendance are working toward their personnel goals of becoming a Licensed Unity Teacher accreditation, Ministerial studies or Certification as a Spiritual Educator.
At the start of the year, Rev. Janie taught the Chaplaincy Course which helped to reactivate that program and provided us with three Prayer Chaplains. Volunteers created the Prayer Room from a storage space so that anyone wishing to pray with a Prayer Chaplain could have privacy. The Fellowship Hall, Rev. Janie’s office, and the Harvest were repainted. The Book Store was moved to allow better supervision. A waiting/reception room was created outside of Rev. Janie’s office and an unused classroom was turned into the Secretary’s/Treasures workroom. A volunteer came forward and reformatted the webpage, and a team developed the template for the church newsletter.
In April, the congregation was introduced to the works of Ekhart Tolle: A New Earth and The Power of Now. Ms. Freddie Weber, a Broadway performer and spiritual teacher, came to San Angelo to give her one woman show based on her practice of Eckhart Tolle’s teachings. In conjunction, the Wednesday night class discussed the book A New Earth.
In June, we participated in our first Circulation Day, a day where we released items that no longer served us and let others take them for free. At the end of the month, the Youth Ministry held its week long Vacation Bible School. The Wednesday night class was suspended for the people to take summer vacations.
During the summer months, an angel donated the money which allowed us to extend and carpet the Sanctuary platform while another bought new audio equipment used to record our Sunday services and special events. The labyrinth area was cleaned up and a host of volunteers worked on the flower gardens and lawn areas. Two members setup a donation box for the New Bridge Family Shelter.
September was our busiest month as we participated in our first 11 Days of Peace, September 11 (Unity World Day of Prayer) through September 21 (United Nations International Day of Peace). The Youth Ministry, participated in this project by making Pin Wheels for Peace which were displayed initially displayed outside the San Angelo Court House then moved to our own grounds. The 11 Days of Peace generated a lot of interest in the community about other religions. As a result, members of this congregation participated in the citywide book study and discussion on The Faith Club. In addition, we were privileged to have Steven Lane Taylor, author of the Book, Row, Row, Row Your Boat, conducting our Sunday service and hosting a workshop on September 14.
October saw the start of the Youth Ministry's fundraiser. The children sold wall and pocket sized calendars, along with Christmas and greeting card sets. While the Wednesday night study group concluded its discussions on the book, Finding Yourself in Transition, which it had started in September. We hosted two parties during the month, one celebrating the start of a member’s book tour and the other celebrating Rev Janie’s birthday. An angel adopted the labyrinth area as a pet project and got busy building a rock garden and meditation area.
November saw our first Silent Retreat, hosted by Rev Janie. So popular was the event, plans were made for a second retreat. Additionally during this month, the 5-week class "Metaphysics and Truth: Part I” was started. We also saw the start of Choir practice for the participants in the Christmas ensemble music program.
December we gathered together for an evening of eating and singing to celebrate the start of the Christmas season. The Youth Ministry held a special ceremony, introducing us to the four weeks of Advent. In the sanctuary, volunteers decorated a Christmas tree while others decorated Fellowship Hall. We finished the Christmas season with a traditional candle lightening ceremony.