The celebration of Easter, of Jesus overcoming death, is appropriately placed at the beginning of Spring when the Earth unfailingly demonstrates for us the fulfilled hope for eternal rebirth and new life. This promise of both Easter and Spring offer a powerful image to hold onto in the face of events occurring in our present world of appearances (which have come to pass).

As our nation and world experience this "Great Reformation," I am reminded of the number of times, over the past decade, that I have counseled individuals who were having financial challenges due to their spiritual choices (a situation with which I am all too familiar). Guided from within to give up various types of mainstream careers to follow less traditional, but more fulfilling paths, they were struggling with "appearances of lack." First motivated by promises like, Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow, or "Seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these things will be added as well...," most were now realizing that following "the still small voice within" more often required choices and trade-offs -- specifically withdrawal from the consumer-addicted, "more-is-better" mantra of our society.

I remember saying that I believed that we were blazing this path now, so that we could be a light for others in the future, when the gluttony of our society finally collapsed of its own weight. Having realized early that "we can never get enough of what we don't really want," we would be living proof that there is indeed LIGHT on the other side of every transformation; that there is purpose beyond materialism; and that there are blessings in every situation and challenge.

Well Ð that future is NOW, and we ARE the LIGHT of hope and transformation. We hold fast to our faith and so do not give in to fear, or be conformed to the world of appearances, but instead, we continue to be transformed by the renewing of our minds in the Truth that God is Good -- ALL the time.

I am grateful to walk this spiritual journey with such courageous companions!

Living Oceans Initiative Highway Clean-up
UMB has signed up to keep the 1 mile stretch of Hwy 156 as it meets Hwy 1 clean of litter and debris. Once a month, a trained crew fulfills this task (about 2-3 hours one Sunday after church). If you'd like to help, contact Team Leader Linda Fosler.

Bookstore Clerks
Needed Sundays before and after service. Our Sacred Grounds Bookstore has a rich supply of resources for the spiritual journey. By volunteering once a month, you can see first-hand all the latest treasures. Team Leader Kay Sharp

Support Teams
Help with mass mailings, hospitality events, building and grounds maintenance and other projects as needed. Contact Patty Waldin at the church office if you have time and are willing to help.

Children's Church
UMB has a commitment to create a safe and loving space for our children to learn about and experience God. We ask for volunteers to commit to one Sunday a quarter. Lesson plans and assistance are available. Be blessed by blessing our kids. Sign-up on Sunday or call Patty Waldin at the church office.

PowerPoint
Our Sunday services are enhanced by our PowerPoint presentations but to keep them going we need to expand our team. You can either just run the program one Sunday a month (training is available and it is quite easy); or, if you would like to enhance your computer skills, you can learn to create the shows. If you are interested, contact Team Leader Becka Sheranian.

If you spend much time on the Internet, chances are you find yourself using Google or Yahoo! or MSN to search for specific information and content that interests you. Studies show that over 70% of Web traffic involves searching.

You may not know that you can choose which search engine your Web broswser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari or other type) uses whenever you tell it to search the Web. But you can.

And by choosing to use GoodSearch after setting it up properly, you can make sure that Unity of Monterey Bay receives a penny or two every time you search.

Just follow these simple steps and you can be giving to the church every time you use your Web browser to search the Interent:

1. Go to the GoodSearch site (which you can do just by clicking on its blue text right in this step!)
2. In the box that says "enter your charity here...", just type Unity of Monterey Bay and then click on the small yellow Verify button to the right of that box.
3. Click on the blue text that says "Add GoodSearch to your IE, Firefox, or Mac toolbar" and follow the directions you're given for your system and browser.
4. In your browser, click on the little icon right next to the search box (it probably has a Google "G" in it at the moment) and select GoodSearch from the little menu that appears.

If you have any problems or questions, feel free to email Dan Shafer and he'll try to hellp you sort things out.

Happy searching!