As I am nearing the end of my 4th and last year as a member of Unity Church in Albany’s Board of Trustees, I would like to use this opportunity to express my deep gratitude for the gift of being a member of this community and its Board of Trustees.
I am indebted to the members of the Board of Trustees with whom I served these past 4 years. I am particularly grateful to have been inspired by the leadership qualities, wisdom, compassion, and deep spiritual groundedness of John Frederick and Heather Diddel, the two Presidents with whom I served on the Board before I assumed that role. There’s a lot of room left in those shoes I’ve been walking in!
During these past four years, I have been blessed with increased joy, a new career that I love, and prosperity in many aspects of my life. But, from a Board member’s perspective, I have been even more blessed to witness prosperity in our Unity community. To cite only a few examples, I see prosperity in the increasing numbers of prayer chaplains, increased numbers of congregants attending seminary, a newly licensed Unity Teacher (Jane Bloom), the addition of the Sunday evening multi-faith devotional service, and the success of our music ministry with Roger Mock as a full time Music Minister. I see prosperity in the ever expanding vision for our Youth Education and for our Building and Grounds that resulted in new heating and air conditioning system and electrical system update, landscaping plan, and much needed building repairs/updates that are still in process. And of course, I see abundance in the generous bequest we received from the estate of Marian Hayner and the generous tithe from it that we were able to give back to Unity Institute and Unity School of Christianity and others.
Each year following the election of new Board members, as is the time honored tradition at Unity, Rev. Jim facilitates several creative orientation days, during which the members get to know each other on a more personal level. My Board experience was that with each passing month, the members became more connected to each other, more open to and receptive of spiritual guidance, and more committed to their own spiritual growth. Each Board group, which begins and closes each meeting with a prayer and goes into a time of prayer and quiet discernment before making important decisions, morphs into the container that holds the Vision and Consciousness for Unity Church in Albany. I am in awe of the expanding ripple effects that happen whenever one simply says “yes” to Spirit’s invitation to serve.
To me, it is validation of Spirit’s guiding hand on our church that such diverse, differently talented and ordinary people like you and me who offer to serve, can be used for such an extraordinary purpose as “Holder of Vision & Consciousness”.
Thank you all for your support of your Board of Trustees, and for your many acts of kindness, generosity, service, hospitality, and compassion that make this Unity community the place we love to call our home.
Dottie Frament