Rev. LeRoy Lowell
I believe I may have said a time or two that my heart was full… well this time I mean really full! This past weekend was rather magical, beginning with the celebration of Rev. LeRoy on Friday night. A special shout out to Jeff Dorn and Erin Conway for helping set up and Jeff for tending the fire. To Kim Cowperthwaite and Matt Purinton for attending to whatever was needed… and to Todd Glacy and all who were there drumming. I want to share a text from Todd…
Thanks so much for taking the time to be intentional about creating something meaningful and special. As the evening unfolded I got the sense that in addition to it being a celebration/remembrance of LeRoy, it was also a perfect time and opportunity to bring us all together after so long being isolated by the pandemic. I could feel a real energy and appreciation generated by everyone for LeRoy, and also this community and each other… and it made me smile knowing that is exactly what LeRoy would have wanted and helped to orchestrate (which he probably did).
Then I moved into Sunday and the energy was still flowing. As hot as it was, we had a good turnout for the service, which was then followed by an introduction to Sahaja Yoga with Jane Gagnier and Vamshi Gooje. It was a new type of yoga for most of us and the feedback was wonderful. They will be offering it ongoing in person on Tuesdays from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. starting on August 2.
To make the weekend even more special, I had a friend, Dana Walker, visiting from Virginia. She was one of the first members of Christ Unity Oceanside, the ministry Rev. LeRoy and I founded in Virginia Beach.
The message on Sunday was once again from the book The Third Coming by Rev. Jim Rosemergy. The focus was on the Third Coming and silence. Rosemergy says that silence is the first sign of the Third Coming.
In Lesson One of a Correspondence Course in early 1900s, Charles Fillmore said:
God is everywhere present, but it is within man that conscious union is made with God. This inner place of union Jesus refers to as “thy closet,” and the Psalmist calls it the “secret place of the Most High.”
“Enter into thy closet.” That is, turn your attention from the without to the within. “And when thou hast shut thy door, pray.”
To close the door is to still the five senses that connect one directly with the outer world.
In silence you will discover the Great Artist from whom you emerged; you will sense the pulse of creative energy through your being so that you slowly grow to recognize that creating is your birth-right, and that you join your work with this ultimate work. But the call is nourished by the silence. We continue to return to this open space to remember who we are. — Christine Valters Paintner from The Artist’s Rule: Nurturing Your Creative Soul with Monastic Wisdom
If you missed the service, you can watch it here.
Next week will be the conclusion to this series with a message of Oneness.
Have a wonder-filled week!
You are a blessing in my life,
Rev. Patricia Bessey
