Over the last 15 monthswe have held several meetings discussing how to reinvigorate Unity in Alexandria. Personally I have been asking/praying what is mine to do. The board and I have sought expert advice from Unity Worldwide Ministries Eastern Region. And we have prayed for guidance. Our prayers have been answered but not necessarily in the way that most of us were thinking. After months of personal prayer and spiritual discernment I have come to the conclusion that I no longer wished to serve as the Spiritual Leader of Unity in Alexandria. The time has come for me to step away from the full-time responsibility of running the church. I am now at a time in my life when I wish to work very part-time in ministry. I want to spend more with my husband and family, and to be freer to travel the world. This is not a decision that I came to easily.I feel a deep connection to Unity in Alexandria and to all the wonderful people I have met throughout the years. To serve as your Spiritual Leader since October 2009 been one of the greatest honors of my life. You have given so much more to me than I have given you. I have always said that Unity in Alexandria is the place where I grew wings and learned to fly. And for that I will always be grateful. As I follow the guidance of Spirit to a new way to use my gifts and talents, it was important to me that I find a place where I could serve in a very part-time position. It was also important for me to help members of our community find a Unity home nearby where they would feel welcome. With this in mind I began meeting with Cheryl Rose, the Spiritual Leader of Unity Spiritual Center of Springfield. We began discussing the possibility of merging our two churches, and my ability to serve in some capacity on a very part-time basis. Cheryl has been very open to both of these ideas. I know there are many Unity churches in our area, and not everyone will choose to move to the Springfield Unity. But for many at the community meeting on June 25 there was a strong desire to keep our group together in some way. With that is mind we decided that on Sunday July 16 many of us will attend Unity Springfield. There will be no serviced on the Mark Center Club on July 16. As I was coming to this conclusion, Terry Nicholetti who has served as Board President through these difficult months also felt that she could no longer continue to serve in that leadership role. I am most grateful to Terry who has brought her considerable experience in the business to help us organize, strategize, and plan for our future. She has been a wonderful asset to our community as we explored possibilities for our future. With Terry's resignation, that only leaves Sandra Jorgenson and Comfort Essel on the board. At our board meeting on June 21 the board voted to endorse the plan to merge our congregation with the Springfield Unity church. (See Next Steps for more details)I know this is a difficult time for many of you.Change is often tough for us to embrace, especially when we are not sure what our future will be. However, I know that change we must. And I also know that if we take the best of what Unity in Alexandria has been over the years, a caring, loving, and supportive community, which is a wonderful expression of the Christ Light, then we will move through this difficult time with ease and grace as we joyously embrace our transformation and rebirth. As the legendary Unity Minister Rev George Stone was fond of saying I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT GOOD WILL COME FROM THIS!
