We Are Back! Wednesday Evening Service In-Person

If the Creek Don't Rise

In American slang, "... the creek don't rise" implies that strong intentions have been frustrated by unforeseeable but uncommon events, like weather! We've been meeting in person for ou mid-week service since the end of 2022, interrupted only once by a downpour of rain that made it difficult to get around Santa Rosa.

Nevertheless, we continue to have a strong commitment to our Wednesday Evening Service and look forward to seeing you at 7 pm. We meet in the Social Hall, where we serve cookies and tea and sometimes home-baked bread! The service is casual, with some meditative music, a message, and sometimes a spiritual practice.

A New Series

We are starting a new series this week, January 25, reviewing a paraphrased, modern English version of the first four chapters of The Science of Mind by Ernest Holmes. Dr. Edward will provide handouts and conduct a fill-in-the-blank process as we go through the paraphrase together!

January 25, The Thing Itself - Dr. Edward

February 1, What It Does - Dr. Edward

February 8, The Way It Works - Rev. Russ

February 15, How To Use It - Dr. Edward

Why a Paraphrase?

The Living Bible, unlike most translations of the Bible, is a paraphrase by Kenneth N. Taylor, written to make the text accessible to younger readers who might have difficulty with the King James Version. Remembering how much I enjoyed reading The Living Bible and how it provided for me a stepping stone to look at other classic translations, I saw how valuable a paraphrase of Ernest Holmes’s classic, The Science of Mind, would be for those beginning their study of metaphysics.

As I began the task of paraphrasing the first four chapters of The Science of Mind and Spirit, it occurred to me that the text resembled language transcribed from a spoken recording. Frequently, I came across paragraphs or sections of the book that more logically belonged in different chapters, as well as phrases that were redundant or awkward in the written form. I went about paraphrasing the text, attempting to present the first four chapters in well-organized thoughts using simplified language.

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How To Be an Instrument for Peace - Wednesdays in July 2026

Peace rarely arrives as a single grand event. More my be built from small choices we make in how we listen, how we speak, and how we hold space for one another. This July, five voices from our community offer their own way into that practice, each bringing a different instrument to the symphony. We open the month with Discovering Your Peaceful Voice on July 1, with Dr. Edward Viljoen. Some obstacles to peaceful communication hide in plain sight, disguised as ordinary habits. This talk traces one path toward noticing them, and toward the voice that waits underneath. On July 8, Rev. Siota Belle leads us into Drumming To a Different Beat . There's a rhythm to peace that doesn't always match the pace the world moves at. This gathering explores what it means to find our own tempo, and to trust it even when it differs from the beat around us. July 15 brings Practicing Your Peace with Rev. Russ Legear. Peace as an idea can sound lovely. Peace as a daily practice asks something mo...

You Determine Your Welfare - Special Wednesday "Pulpit-Swap" Service with Dr. Edward and Rev. Russ

The idea that you determine your welfare speaks to the Science of Mind idea that well-being grows from the choices we make in thought, practice, and community. Using the book "Basic Ideas of Science of Mind" as our guide, our Wednesday evenings have been exploring the use of our mind, emotions, and actions, to contribute to our spiritual welfare. This Wednesday, join Dr. Edward Viljoen and Rev. Russ Legear at a special location to continue the exploration. Some context: Each year our community makes space for our neighbors at the local synagogue to gather more fully for the High Holy Days. In addition to being a gesture of hospitality, it carries a deeper reminder that our welfare is shaped by the choices we make together. We, in turn, hold our Wednesday Evening service in their beautiful synagogue and you're invited to join us. Science of Mind teaches that the Creative Power of Life responds to the quality of our consciousness, and through spiritual practice we ...

Ushering In a New Year - Special Wednesday Evening Service on January 7 with Rev. Russ

Every new year brings the opportunity to approach life with a fresh mind. That is exactly what we are going to do in this special Wednesday Evening Service--we are going to freshen our minds through the power of journaling. Pen and paper have the unique ability to take our thoughts and give them form. This is how the Creative Process works. We have a thought, it is acted upon by the Law of Mind according to our belief in that thought, and the thought then becomes tangible in our world. Join us on January 7 at 7 pm as we journal the night away, emptying the mental leftovers from 2025 and creating intentions to guide us through 2026. Best of all, you don't have to bring a journal if you don't have one, we will provide a mini-journal for you. Love, -Russ

Wednesday Evening Service

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