I am a replacement. Better said, I was asked to join the Unity in Naperville Board of Trustees as a replacement for someone that needed to resign, and I humbly agreed. Prior to being asked to join the Board, the team worked very hard to put together a new Mission Statement for UIN. Once it was agreed upon, they printed up bookmarks – this step made it real, tangible and PERMANENT. Enter the replacement; me. After all the hard work was completed, I got to be part of the reveal of this new mission statement. This was the easy part, the fun part. Easy, because the mission statement so perfectly reflects my experience of the 2+ years I have been attending Unity in Naperville. Fun…well…because I got to hear feedback from others like me, who did not write the words, and were asked to explain what they mean to them.
We are a vibrant, inclusive community
for personal growing and joyful knowing
of our oneness with Spirit and each other.
The feedback was quite interesting. Most people shared similar perspectives and reflected my experience of Unity in Naperville. Like them, I could feel the positive energy of everyone at Unity when I first attended (the energy that pulled me in to attend in the first place) and it did not take much of an effort to get included in things – I just needed to show up. Every sermon from Rev. Kitty hit the nail on the head for me AND gave me tools that helped to grow me into a better version of myself. Tools that I could use the following week and for my lifetime. Finally, the affirmation of what is so important to me, that we are in oneness with Spirit. Some time ago, I had walked away from the separation paradigm that made me feel as though I was not worthy and needed to beg God for any goodness that I was to experience. So here I am, ‘the replacement’ — a member of a vibrant, inclusive community where I continue to grow and know that I am one with Spirit and others.
Suzanne Case, Board Member
