Message from the Board President
Beloved Friends,
What a year 2020 has been! While it has challenged us to reinvent how we ‘do’ spiritual community, it has also brought out our greatest strengths as leaders and has given us reason to learn and grow.
As we reflect on the year, we are so grateful for all the ways this region has “risen to the occasion.” Here is a little overview of what Unity South Central Region accomplished in 2020:
We made a $20,000 donation to Unity Worldwide Ministries’ Hug Fund to create supplemental support for ministers who experienced financial difficulty due to the pandemic. UWM added to and grew that fund exponentially, creating the “Loaves and Fishes fund.” This was an awesome collaboration that allowed us to support not only our region but the entire Unity movement.
We provided 12 weeks of ministerial support (March to June) through online gatherings led by our regional consultant, Rev. Toni Boehm. The focus was to simply support ministers through this time of challenge. Not only did people from our region attend, we also had attendees from other regions across the Unity movement.
To support our children and youth leaders, we provided an 8-week summer fun series of recorded videos for our YFM members. This program included music, a lesson, and activity files. We hired Rev. Kelly Isola to create it, and she did an outstanding job! It was made available not only in our region, but to all Unity ministries, and very well received throughout the Unity movement. It remains available on our website.
With the help of Julie Core, our Y.O.U. consultant, we held an online rally and numerous gatherings for the teenagers in our region. Julie made such creative suggestions and has been an outstanding addition to our staff. She is actively supporting our Y.O.U. sponsors with ongoing conversation and training.
We held an online “Rolling Regional Convention” with six hand-selected speakers who offered information and exercises that were relevant to our current needs. Spreading this over several months allowed us to provide ongoing support to our regional ministries. We, again, opened up these events for attendance across the movement and had several people from other regions attend. All events were recorded and posted for those who could not attend the live sessions.
We gifted two scholarships—one to a ministry student and one to a student who is pursuing LUT status. We also provided several supplemental scholarships to Unity spiritual centers that needed financial assistance to acquire ministerial consulting.
And you did your part! Remember when I said we donated $20,000 to the UWM Hug Fund? Well, as we finalized the budget for this year, we recognized that Unity South Central Region will end 2020 with a little more than $20,000 in the black! Isn’t that the way our prosperity teachings tell us it works?! When generosity flows, there is no limit to the supply!
As we look toward 2021, we continue to collaborate and integrate our efforts with the efforts of the ministries in our region and with the efforts of UWM. We will kick off the year with a wonderful workshop in January/ February (see details here), and we’ll continue to live into our mission “To Consciously Cultivate Innovation in Ministry.”
It is your generosity, combined with a willingness to think outside the proverbial box, that has allowed us to accomplish so much in such a tumultuous time. We are so very grateful to you for all you have given and for all you do, and we look forward to your continued support in the New Year.
On behalf of the USCR Board of Trustees, I wish you a very Merry Christmas. We know and envision that 2021 brings us all health, prosperity, and peace.
Rev. Ahriana Platten, President
Unity South Central Region
