Unity of Vancouver’s Year of Transformation
2010 – 2011
Members of the Transformation Team:
Sophie Bartek (Chair)
Carolynne Colinn
Wendy Noel
Mary Toth
Jim Vollett
The work of the Transformation Team was guided by William Bridges’ three-stage model of consciously moving through significant change (Transitions: Making sense of life’s changes. 1980, Addison-Wesley).
1) The Ending
A transition begins with an ending. In our case it was the retirement of our long-time minister, Reverend Kathryn Anderson in October, 2010. Kathryn and her husband the late Reverend Marvin Anderson were the ministers of Unity of Vancouver for 16 years.
2) The Middle
The second stage is a neutral zone akin to “being in the wilderness,” similar to traditional rites of passage, where individuals determine their new identity and sense of direction. Our church worked intensively to address these issues through a series of workshops:
-
During the December 3-5, 2010 weekend Reverend Anna Shouse facilitated a watershed workshop (“Telling our Story, Co-creating our Future”), where we honoured the past by reviewing the church’s 50 year history, it’s leaders, and significant events (both positive and difficult), over this time. Members also identified and distilled the church’s 7 core values (Consciousness, Creativity, Practical Spirituality, Spiritual Leadership, Spiritual Community, Transformational, Thriving)
-
A follow-up workshop by the Transformation Team on January 16, 2011 reflected on what does spiritual community mean to us? Given our history, what do we value and who do we want to become going forward
-
A workshop led by the Transformation Team on January 30, 2011 gave members the opportunity to express and process their feelings about the news that Reverend Michael Maday would not become our new minister
-
The Transformation Team facilitated a visioning workshop on April 10, 2011 where members expressed their desires and concerns for what they wanted Unity of Vancouver to become
-
On May 1, 2011 the Transformation Team presented a proposed vision for the church, which was synthesized from perspectives shared at the last workshop. This proposed vision was revised further, agreed upon, and formally presented to the congregation at the Annual General Meeting on June 26, 2011
-
-
It was announced on October 2, 2011 that Reverend Glenn and Martha Mosley had accepted the offer to become our new ministers. At the workshop members expressed their level of readiness to receive the Mosley’s in early December, and what members needed to do in order to be ready to welcome them
Over the last year, our church has also successfully addressed the five developmental tasks recommended by Unity Worldwide Ministries:
-
honouring our past
-
opening to a new identity
-
facilitating a new vision of ministry
-
making room for new leadership
-
strengthening our relationship with the larger Unity movement
3) The Beginning
On Sunday December 4, 2011 the Transformation Team led a special “threshold” service:
-
Board President Mary Toth reflected on our journey over the last year, and lessons learned. E.g., when we made plans on how to “get through the wilderness,” God’s greater vision often moved us into new directions. We were regularly brought back to faith, letting go and letting God work through us
-
Members participated in a cleansing ritual of holding salt in their hands, reflecting on, and letting go of what still needed to be released from the last year
-
The Reverends Glenn and Martha Mosley were warmly welcomed, and started their new roles as the spiritual leaders of Unity of Vancouver
-
Unity of Vancouver is launching this next era with a revamped sense of community and identity, freshly articulated values, vision, and mission. (link to foundation document PDF: call it Unity of Vancouver’s Values, Vision, Mission) We are excited about forging new spiritual partnership with the Mosley’s – this is another outcome of a significant shift in our consciousness over the last year.
