Letter from Paula

Hi Facilitators,

We are so glad that you have all agreed to facilitate our first Spiritual Gifts Study at UCT. Since our meeting time together went so fast we thought we should review some of the ideas presented.

First some history...We have been looking for a new approach to volunteering at church for a couple of years now. The old way of holding a recruitment Sunday and hoping people would sign up to help with the activities of the church did not seem to have as much appeal as before. I have been visiting various Unity churches on different trips that I’ve taken out of town. When I visited, I was always looking for new ways to get folks involved with their church. One church, Unity of Phoenix, seemed to have a great program that helped folks identify their Spiritual Gifts. So, I contacted their director and we purchased their program. Since then, a very committed and talented group of congregants, have been working with the staff, a Board member, and Neusom for the past couple months, modifying and adding things from other programs, to this one to make it work for us at UCT. It is the "beta" version, so to speak, so we are asking for your input on how it all works this first time we use it.

Our intention.... With the Spiritual Gifts program we hope to shift the consciousness of the church to a place where folks can go to practice their gifts. We will provide the opportunities at church that match with particular gifts. That way when people look for ways to use their gifts and volunteer, we have a better idea of what suits them best, or where their talents are best served. Our plan is to offer the study as a class at various other times during the year and also in conjunction with the new member classes so that we will all learn what each other’s gifts are. Spiritual Gifts are not skills that you learn as you grow but abilities that you are born with. The study has an assessment included to help folks identify their gifts. Then, as part of the discussion group, they will learn more about the gifts and how to use them in their home, at work, in the community and church and, hopefully, then take them into the world. So, we are not planning to hand out the assessment alone to individuals who do not participate in the study groups. We feel that the small group work is just as valuable as the identification of one's gifts. But, we encourage anyone interested to purchase the workbook to follow along with Neusom's talks on the Sundays during the study.

Some information about Andrew Harvey... Andrew Harvey is going to kickoff our study with a workshop on Oct. 11 from 9-5. His passion is Sacred Activism. The workshop will focus on finding your passion and sharing it in the world. Check him out at his website to learn more about his work. We hope that you and your group will plan to attend the workshop. The cost is $45 in advance and $50 the day of the event. Tickets are available in the bookstore and foyer this weekend and through the office during the week. 832-8324.

Information about the first class/week one.... The assessment and answer sheet are in everyone's workbook. Sorry that we printed the answer key on the back of the last page. We'll make sure to change that for our next printing. Everyone should take the assessment at or before the first class. Handout #6 has two sides to it. So, if you're making copies make sure you copy the back page, too. (Remember that you can make your copies at the church if you like.) We will unveil the week 2 church tie-in next week.

The key to making this study work for us at church is gathering this information. Mary Fulton has agreed to collect these from each group. So, she'll be contacting you soon. Please collect Handout #6 the first night--we do not need their copies of the assessment.

The first Sunday, Oct. 12, we will be "paying it forward" with a food drive at both services to help restock Raliegh food pantries that are running low at this time due to the financial/gas crisis. One of Andrew Harvey's themes this year on his speaking circuit is "paying it forward" so you may hear more about that during that weekend.

We are very excited by the infinite possibilities of this study. As you may have heard, we already have over 94 congregants signed up for the study groups and this is just the first Sunday! Our hope is that you will find this study personally rewarding by either affirming your gifts or discovering new ones and finding ways to share them in this spiritual community or the world.

If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me. You may also leave comments to these blog entries. If you would like to have something posted here, please email it to Mamie at MamiePotter@gmail.com and she will put it up.

Blessings and Many Thanks,

Paula Graff
Adult Education Unity Church of the Triangle
at the Long View Center
118 S. Person St.
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919)832-8324