You Are a Church, Individually

Dear friends and members of Unity Center of Christianity in Baltimore -

Last week I communicated my thoughts on the decision to not hold Sunday services until the health authorities say it is safe to do so.

This week I want to convey how we at Unity in Baltimore intend to provide provide spiritual support and nourishment at a time when Sunday services are not possible.

What I want to propose is based on a shallow look at what I believe to be a much deeper change that is occurring. I’ll get to a deeper look in future posts. But for now, know that the change is not about a shift to digital technology. It is rather a shift in how we perceive ourselves as church.

Traditional Christianity has always declared that we should go to church. A slightly more enlightened declaration is that we are the church. Metaphysical Christianity, however, does not only declare that we should go to church and that we are the church. Metaphysical Christianity also declares that we are a church, individually.

Here is a quote from lesson four of the Unity Correspondence School lesson, Body of Christ:

“The particular church, or the individual church, is the Christ consciousness in the individual. The one purpose or aim that unifies this church or body both individually and universally is that of making God manifest, bringing forth into actuality the oneness and the perfection which have been an ideal.”

What this means is that you and I, at this most difficult time, are called to function as a church individually. We are our own ministry. We are empowered to serve. Our ministry is not authorized by a minister, a church or a denomination. Our empowerment does not derive from credentials, education or social standing. Our service is to people who have unmet spiritual needs, regardless of membership or social attachment.

So our job over these next several weeks or months is not to assemble, but rather to make God manifest, to “bring forth into actuality the oneness and the perfection which we have been an ideal.” In short, we are now and in a sense we have always been, spiritually on our own. We must come to understand and embrace our calling as individual faith centers.

To support you in this process, we are having a daily call via Zoom, led by Rev. Judi Venturini. Last Tuesday I sent a letter to members and friends of our congregation in Baltimore about this new ministry we are launching, the Unity Center Daily Devotional. More information about that is given below.

For those of you who are not in Baltimore, you are welcome to join us. If you’re not interested, I will sign off this post now. Just know that YOU ARE A CHURCH AND YOU HAVE A MINISTRY. I heard a catchy phrase this week: we aren’t just about washing hands, we are also about washing feet. It’s fine that your church may be scrambling to provide a streaming service, but, at least in these times, we must all step up to functioning as ministers to one another.

Mark Hicks
Spiritual Leader of Unity Center of Christianity in Baltimore
Sunday, March 22, 2020

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