Wednesday Evening Service

As we move through the season of holidays, renewal, and powerful intention, know that your aspirations, your prayers, your yearnings, matter. Spirit is always present, responding to your thoughts, your feelings, your highest good.  Blessings in this time of Solstice, as days begin to lengthen, seeds sprout in the warming soil, and hearts fill with compassion for all. The New Year brings Wednesday Wisdom, free classes, facilitated evening meditation, occasional special evening programs. You can see more details on the tab "Topics and Presenters" or simply click  HERE.  Wednesdays in January, beginning January 8, join Dr. Edward for Lunchtime Learning, noon to 1 pm, in the social hall.  At 6 pm, every Wednesday, Rev. Siota Belle facilitates a meditation circle in Room 11, North Wing.

Photo by  Joanna Kosinska  on  Unsplash Having considered hope and peace, this Wednesday, we move into joy. This Divine quality has a sweetness and presence that is deeper and more lasting than our moments of happiness. Join with Rev. Joyce Kinzel as she explores how we open to and experience joy, in special moments and in everyday life. The conversation begins at 7 pm in Waggoner Hall, North Wing. Everyone is welcome. Love offerings are gratefully received.

Photo by  Deniz Altindas  on  Unsplash We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves. Dalai Lama This Wednesday we celebrate peace, beginning with the stillness of contemplation then moving into a conversation about the meaning of peace. Rev. Tara brings a simple phrase to the discussion, "Peace means no fighting." The gathering begins at 7 pm in Waggoner Hall. There is facilitated meditation in Room 11 at 6:15 to deepen your experience of stillness before we meet. All are welcome. Offerings for the love of our center are gratefully received.

  The Christian tradition celebrates the approach of Christmas with four qualities: hope, peace, joy, and love. As we look forward to the turn of the seasons and the return of the light, our Wednesday evening gatherings will explore how different faith traditions appreciate hope, peace, and joy. Join Rev. Joyce, Rev. Siota and Rev. Tara as they bring reflections from many sources to our Wednesday evening gatherings at 7 pm. We will meet in Waggoner Hall, North Wing. Please note that on Wednesday, December 25, there will be a Christmas morning service with Rev. Ruth Barnhart in Grinton Chapel. Love will abound that morning. There will not be an evening gathering.

Photo by Lukasz Szmigiel on Unsplash Please join us on Wednesday evening, November 27, to celebrate what we are grateful for, with music, words, and spiritual practice. Dr. Edward Viljoen will speak. Music is provided by the One Heart Choir, Christopher Fritzsche, Claire Victor and a circle of excellent musicians.  You will have a chance to consider what you want to be grateful for next year and jot it down on a notecard that we'll mail back to you in November 2020. Your bringing a pen or pencil along with a postage stamp for your envelope is appreciated.   Your friends and family are welcome to join in this lovely family-friendly service. It begins at 7 pm in the sanctuary. There will not be an evening class on Thanksgiving Eve. 

In our teaching, the Science of Mind, we describe Jesus as the Divine Example rather than the Divine Exception. We are invited to model our own lives after his example, as best we can. At this Wednesday's free one-hour class, Rev. Tara explores some of the teachings of Jesus and how we might embody them in our own lives. Rather than drop into a reactive "No way can I be like Him!"  perhaps there are teachings that are available to us, that we can express in our own unique ways. The class begins at 7 pm. Room 11 next to Waggoner Hall is available for quiet contemplation from 6:15 to 6:50 pm. All are welcome, and love offerings are gratefully received.

Curious about who Jesus was? Want to know more about his life and his teachings? How does Jesus fit in to the Science of Mind teachings? Those are just a few of the topics we'll explore at this Wednesday's free class with Rev. Tara. The conversation begins at 7 pm in Waggoner Hall, North Wing. Room 11 next door is open for those who wish to meditate from 6:15 to 6:50 pm. Everyone one is welcome to this free class. Love offerings are gratefully received.

On Wednesday, November 6, our community gathers for the annual Remembrance Service. Practitioners will read the names of loved ones listed by their friends and family in the Remembrance Book. The service is hosted by Rev. Joyce Duffala, Chris Fritzsche, and members of the Grief and Loss Support Ministry. You are welcome to bring flowers, photographs, or other mementos to the service to place on the community altar. The service begins at 7 pm in the Sanctuary. All are welcome.

Every now and then, we are blessed to share in Karen Drucker's spiritual practice that blends song, word, and stillness. Wednesday, October 30, at 7 pm, is one of those times.  In Karen's words, "I am a firm believer that positive music can uplift and inspire. I write my songs and chants with the hope that you will use them in your everyday life and that you will be singing and dancing along with me.”  Everyone is invited to this special devotional music program. The music begins at 7 pm, creating spiritual community for all, a mid-week boost. Love offerings are gratefully received.

After three rich weeks of exploration of immortality and eternality with Dr. Kim, this week Rev. Joyce Duffala joins him to respond to your questions. Is there something you've been wondering about all month, or perhaps for much longer? Here is your opportunity to find out more about the Science of Mind teachings on immortality. All are welcome. The conversation begins at 7 pm in Waggoner Hall, North Wing. Room 11, right next door, is available if you would like to sit in silence for a bit before the class begins. Offerings for love of our center are gratefully received.

3rd Wednesday WE BELIEVE the ultimate goal of life to be  a complete freedom from all discord of every nature,  and that this goal is sure to be attained by all. Life is a process of unfolding and expansion. As we learn and grow, the limitations of our previous experience and beliefs drop away and we remember and reveal more and more of who we really are and what we really belong to. Join Dr. Kim Kaiser as he leads a discussion of the unfolding of a life free from discord. All are welcome to this one-hour class in Waggoner Hall, North Wing. The class begins at 7 pm. Room 11 next door provides a quiet space for meditation from 6:15 to 6:50 pm. Love offerings are gratefully received.

2nd  Wednesday   WE BELIEVE  in the eternity, the immortality and the continuity of the individual soul, forever and ever expanding.  Immortality is not some divine far-off event - it is an ever-present reality.  Don’t wait for the experience of immortality to realize your own wholeness and live from a centered place. The masterpiece of your soul, expressing as you, truly expresses far beyond your physical self. Wednesday Night Wisdom free classes begin at 7 pm in Waggoner Hall, North Wing. All are welcome to these one-hour drop-in classes. Love offerings are gratefully received.

1st Wednesday   Eternal vs. Immortal The poet William Blake gave us a taste of eternity in this poem: He who binds to himself a joy           Does the winged life destroy;           But he who kisses the joy as it flies           Lives in eternity's sun rise. Come join the chase! This free one-hour class begins at 7 pm on Wednesday, October 2. We meet in Waggoner Hall, North Wing. Everyone is welcome. Love offerings are gratefully received.

Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a permanent attitude.   Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Once we commit to forgiveness work, what comes next? In week four of our series on forgiveness, we support each other in taking what we have learned and apply it even more deeply in our lives. As a spiritual community we can support each other to gain the courage and commitment to live a life of freedom.  All are welcome to this free, drop-in class on forgiveness. It begins at 7 pm in Waggoner Hall, North Wing. You may sit in meditation in Room 11, North Wing, from 6:15 to 6:50 pm. Love offerings are gratefully received.

                    " Forgiveness frees us to live in the present."  Greater Good Magazine It is likely that we all want to enjoy the state of freedom that comes with forgiveness but where do begin and  how do we keep steady on the path? In week three of our series on forgiveness, we will share some specific tools to help free us from the blame and resentment that can lead to un-forgiveness. We will have the opportunity to examine any area in our lives where we may be feeling stuck and see if shining the light of forgiveness can bring a greater sense of freedom.  All are welcome to this free, drop-in class on forgiveness. It begins at 7 pm in Waggoner Hall, North Wing. You may sit in meditation in Room 11, North Wing, from 6:15 to 6:50 pm.

To live the fulfilling life we desire, we must stay constantly aware of the love within us and all around us.  Ernest Holmes Do you sometimes wonder what gets in the way of living a life filled with love? In week two of our series on forgiveness we will explore the relationship between forgiveness and unconditional love. Forgiveness is a process more than a one time event. When we incorporate forgiveness into our daily lives, we can live a life more fully grounded in unconditional love. Join us for this deepening into what it means to forgive, 7 pm in Waggoner Hall. All are welcome.