to Page 11 >

Pam PetersonOpen Your Heart to Pure Joy by Working with Unity Youth

By Pam Petersen
President
Unity of Phoenix Board of Trustees


We asked our Uniteens recently to rate our Church on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest. The lowest rating in the class I was teaching was an 8, but the more common response was something along the lines of “10 bizillion!” Now remember, these are our 6th, 7th and 8th graders.

Did you know that each Sunday our ministry serves about 190 children, including 60 teens in our Uniteen (middle school) and Y.O.U. (high school) groups? I have a child in each of these fabulous teen programs and feel so blessed to have literally raised them at Unity of Phoenix. My 16-year-old daughter calls Unity her “second home” and has often stated she “can’t imagine life without my Church.”

So how do we get such glowing reviews from teenagers? Well, we start with making them feel safe with group agreements that are enforced. Then we don’t tell them what to think or believe. Instead, we invite them to examine what they do believe, why they believe it, and whether those beliefs truly serve them on their spiritual path. And we make it fun with meaningful retreats, summer camps, service projects and opportunities to bond, hang out and create their own community.

We have incredible youth ministry programs both here and in the South-west Unity Region in general. On the teen side, much of this credit goes to Rev. Mark Fisk, the only Unity minister in the entire movement dedicated exclusively to teen ministry. Employed by the Region with responsibility for teen programs in Arizona, Nevada and Southern California, we are so blessed to have Mark claim Unity of Phoenix as his home church. As a Uniteen sponsor myself, I have had the privilege of watching Mark work his magic at numerous teen events of high quality, high energy and high integrity (only “natural” highs, that’s one of our agreements!). Through these experiences, I’ve come to see teens, including my own, in a whole new beautiful light.

As for our little ones, thank you God for bringing our Y&FM Education Director Linda Depke back to us! Linda is such a gentle soul whose passion for kids and education is evident. Having served on the Govern-or’s task force of emergent leaders in early childhood development, Linda is a master at creating age-appropriate curriculum for our children that is positive, engaging, and spirit-centered.

But do you realize we need 53 volunteers each Sunday to make our youth ministry programs run smoothly, safely and with the excellence our families have come to expect? 53! We currently need 15 more co-teachers and have openings at virtually every grade level during both the 9:45 and 11:15 a.m. services. So what are you waiting for? Volunteer!

Linda and her youth ministry team make volunteering easy, fun and oh so rewarding (of course, the kids play a large part in that too!). You only need to commit to every other week and you’re given everything you need: complete lesson and activity plans; observation and training opportunities; and support, support, support. You’ll have co-teachers and never have to go it alone. I’m speaking from experience here. I’ve been a 4th and 5th grade Sunday school teacher, as well as the director of our summer youth drama program. Frankly, there’s no better way you can serve than by supporting our kids. So please step up and open your heart to pure joy!


Unity of Phoenix Statement of Activities Thru March 31, 2008

[Fiscal Year for Unity of Phoenix Starts October 1, 2007
and Ends September 30, 2008]

Income
Actual
Budget
Variance
Actual YTD
Budget YTD
Variance
for Actual
to YTD Budget
Worship Receipts
$192,507
$209,413
-$16,906
$922,389
$1,100,820
-$178,431
All Other Receipts
$52,445
$43,583
$8,861
$8,861
$203,500
-$76,349
Total Operating Income
$244,952
$252,996
-$8,045
$1,049,540
$1,304,320
-$254,781
Expenses
Total Operating Expenses
$171,827
$185,935
-$14,107
1,035,283
$1,139,463
-$104,179
Operating Income over/under
Expenses
$73,125
$67,062
$6,063
$14,256
$164,857
-$150,601

Unity of Phoenix Trend Chart

 
Attendance Trend
 
2006/2007
2007/2008
Oct.
5,424
4,361
Nov
4,435
4,441
Dec.
4,853
4,412
Jan.
4,894
5,140
Feb.
5,152
4,175
Mar.
5,174
7,836
Apr.
7,515
May
4,686
 
June
4,814
 
July
5,612
 
Aug
4,556
 
Sept
5,637
 
   
 
Worship Receipts
 
2006/2007
2007/2008
Oct.
$129,353
$106,008
Nov
$145,060
$104,338
Dec.
$132,190
$136,862
Jan.
$129,862
$99,735
Feb.
$161,343
$107,688
Mar.
$166,202
$163,181
Apr.
$183,768
 
May
$121,353
 
June
$117,127
 
July
$133,725
 
Aug
$100,177
 
Sept
$137,189
 
   
 
Per Person Giving
 
2006/2007
2007/2008
Oct.
$24.00
$24.00
Nov
$33.00
$23.00
Dec.
$27.00
$31.00
Jan.
$27.00
$19.00
Feb.
$31.00
$26.00
Mar.
$32.00
$21.00
Apr.
$24.00
 
May
$26.00
 
June
$24.00
 
July
$24.00
 
Aug
$22.00
 
Sept
$24.00
 
   
 
Net Income Comparison
 
2006/2007
2007/2008
Oct.
$40,821
($3,840)
Nov
($20,791)
($21,625)
Dec.
31,182
$56,728
Jan.
$16,305
($83,301)
Feb.
$53,092
(6,831)
Mar.
$58,913
$73,125
Apr.
$1,433
 
May
$27,569
 
June
$7,.310
 
July
$28,454
 
Aug
($50,191)
 
Sept
$44,949
 
 

to Page 11 >

Church Cash Reserves Update

Our cash reserve requirement for several years was set at $600,000, representing cash to cover three months worth of church expenses.

Since expenses have been
lowered in recent years, the reserve
has been lowered to $500,000. With
this amount, since our current
reserves are $336,000 then $164,000
will bring the church into compliance.

Thank you for your support!

Tithe Report

Unity of Phoenix is a tithing ministry. One-tenth of all we receive is given back to where we are spiritually fed. Fifty percent of our regular monthly tithe goes to support the greater Unity movement, including $1,500 for ministerial scholarships. The remaining portion of the Unity tithe is divided equally between the Association of Unity Churches International, Silent Unity, the Southwest Unity Region, and Unity Institute.

The other half of our monthly tithe is dedicated to community and global outreach. These tithes change each month based on where the ministry has been spiritually fed, as detailed below:

January  
Greater Unity Movement
(50% of Tithe)
$7,083
   
Discretionary Tithe (50% of Tithe)
Habitat for Humanity
$3,000
Alice Anderson
$1,750
Shannon Olesen
$1,750
Richard Levy
$583
Total January Tithes     
$14,166
February  
Greater Unity Movement
(50% of Tithe)
$8,061
 
Discretionary Tithe (50% of Tithe)
Southwest Unity Region
(Uniteen Retreat)
$5,000
Congregant Tithing
Program
$3,000
Mark Welch (Singer
at Uniteen Retreat)
$500
Katharine Halpin
(Working with Staff)
$561
•Orgena Rose (Singer at World Religion Class)
$500
Sallye Taylor $2,500
Arizona Interfaith
$1,000
Total February Tithes  
$16,122

 

 

Attendance Trends

Worship Receipt Trands

Per Person Giving Graph

Net Income Comparison