Also, the Trustees have rented the entire office space from Luxie Gannon, Sharlene’s daughter, for $750 per month. When Sharlene opened her real estate office, Kandice, who was a realtor at the time, had her own office in that space. Kandice also served as Secretary of the Board and used her own computer for the church business. Later, the church paid $250 for use of that single office space. When Kandice left and Evelyn took over as Administrator, we rented another room there for classes and meetings for and additional $250 per month. The latest expansion allows us to occupy the entire office, which gives us space for a minister, administrator, library, classroom and storage.

The last thought comes from one of the congregational comments that were solicited last month. Someone suggested that the leadership (Board members and Practitioners) not wear shorts to church. That got me thinking about how church attire has changed through the years. When we started the first Religious Science Church in Grand Junction over 30 years ago, I always wore a suit and tie. I was working at the college at that time and that was the uniform of the day. Currently it is unusual to see a guy dressed like that in church. Speakers are the exception. As our standards have changed, have we lost anything in our quality of life? What do you think?

Namaste’
Dr. Carl Wahlberg,
Board President

                        A MESSAGE FROM REVEREND SHERYL ROGERS

Where has the summer gone? (I think that’s part of a song lyric that seems so appropriate at this time of year.) It seems like just yesterday that we had our two-year anniversary celebration with Rev. Barry Ebert, and then our 2nd annual membership meeting the following week. We have noticed a seasonal dip in our Sunday attendance (and giving), but nothing to be alarmed about. What we have not noticed is a dip in consciousness of our members. That is a good thing. We are committed to making our church grow in numbers and consciousness by attracting our right and perfect permanent minister, followed by our right and perfect permanent space.

How blessed we are to have dedicated individuals to continue affirming that spiritual truth of Divine Right Action and Timing for us, even if we can’t see it ourselves. That is what spiritual community is all about – loving and supporting each other.

Our Radical Forgiveness study group is under way, and we have had some great discussions about many of life’s challenges. It’s a great place to be loved and supported through the sometimes murky waters of daily living as a spiritual being having a very human experience, complete with a range of emotions. Practitioners are trained to look beyond the appearances and see the spiritual truth of wholeness. We sometimes forget that, so it is a great benefit when our fellow classmates can lovingly remind us of our true spiritual nature.

As we anticipate the arrival of our new full-time minister, let us stand firm in our faith and our knowing. We attract to us that which we focus our thoughts and energy on, so let’s continue the “high watch” and joyfully accept our good in gratitude.

Classes will be starting again in September, so now is a good time to think about committing to the next step along the path to a greater awareness of Spirit operating in all aspects of your life. Studying and applying the principles of Science of Mind and Spirit can lead to a greater expression of life. Are you willing to take the next step?

Blessings and Namaste’
Rev. Sheryl

                                                   PRACTITIONER MESSAGE

August is here – the “dog days” of summer, the six weeks between mid-July and early September, the sultry end of summer. Looking back at childhood memories of this time, I remember that it meant the end of summer’s freedom. Swimming was about to end and coincided with “polio season,” when children were cautioned to be less active, for in the pre-vaccine era, it was a dreaded and not uncommon disease.

The origin of the expression “dog days” is much more positive than any such association might suggest. This reference is to the starry constellation, Canis Major and Canis Minor. Canis Major contains Sirius, the Dog Star, or Greater Dog, which is the brightest star in the heavens and in its ascendancy this time of year.

Every now and then, each of us experiences what might be called dog days of the soul, periods of intense emotional discomfort, which seems to get the best of us – even to the point that we may begin to feel we have lost our spiritual bearings. At such times, more than any other, we need to take a moment to become still, turn within, and acknowledge that God is all there is; that despite our outer circumstances of seeming lack or loss or confusion, divine light shines in and through us, guiding and directing all our needs always.

Bobbie Knowles, RScP


                                                SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

I know that God is all there is, in and through everything. I am a part of God and am expressing love, peace, joy, beauty, happiness, and harmony in God’s world and mine. I am open and receptive to the good that is always present in and through my life. I let go of the negative and fill my mind with positive good each day. I know I am moving forward with complete faith in God as the light, power, and inspiration of my life. And so it is.

Bobbie Knowles, RScP

                                                             MEMBER PROFILE 

  Paula Waddington was born in Denver and raised in the historic little town
of Victor, Colo., famous as “The City of Mines,” located in the Cripple Creek Victor Mining District. She never knew her dad, and was shuffled between an alcoholic mother and her grandparents during her early childhood. She married young, had a daughter, and legally adopted her baby brother, who was 19 years her junior. Paula worked as a nurse’s aide off and on while living in both Victor and Hotchkiss during the late ‘70s and ‘80s. The family also lived in Grand Junction for a time. After moving to Delta, Colo., she accepted employment with the U.S. Post Office as a rural mail carrier. Her 20-year marriage eventually ended in divorce, and she has remained happily single ever since.

Paula attended a Baptist Sunday School class until she was 12 but felt she never really accepted the kind of God they talked about. “The incongruity and hypocrisy of it all made no sense to me,” she says, “so for me, God didn’t exist. I’ve always been an optimistic person, a positive thinker, and I didn’t buy into that sort of teaching.” The final straw came when she was informed in no uncertain terms that animals don’t go to heaven. “I decided that if animals don’t go to heaven, that’s not a place I want to be.” That marked the end of her Baptist Sunday School experience, although when she became a mother, she insisted that her two children attend, “just in case there was a God.”

Always a seeker, Paula began reading every book she could get her hands on, beginning with Wayne Dyer’s early classics. “He and I evolved together,” she says, laughing. She discovered Science of Mind about 10 years ago through a magazine called Light of Consciousness, which featured information about Mile Hi Church of Religious Science. She began listening to their sermons on the internet and soon after began attending Global Heart, taking the Foundation Class from Michael Torphy and becoming a member shortly thereafter. She felt that the teachings of Science and Mind resonated with her innate beliefs, and she was so grateful to find a philosophy that she intuitively knew was the truth. “It all finally made sense,” she says, “and
it opened my connection to spirit.”

Not only does she drive from Delta for services every Sunday, Paula is a member of the Board of Directors for our Two Rivers Center and has functioned as their very efficient secretary for the past two years. She is well known for her perceptive and frank discussions when it comes to church business, and her opinion is always valued. She is an asset to our church community, and we are so glad she has found a home with us!

By Pat Martin


                                                         TREASURER’S REPORT

Sunday collections plus miscellaneous income for the year June 2009 – July 2010 totaled $53,832.12. Expenses for the year June 2009 – July 2010 totaled $43,548.07. A net surplus for the year of income over expenses was $10,284.05. The checking account balance at the end of July 2010 was $10,131.21, with $20,000 in CDs. A full financial report is available in the church office.


                                                          CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Sunday Service

August
1 Practitioners, Music – Chuck & Jeannie Thomas
8 Ellen Staphenhorst – Speaker and Music
15 Kathy Jones, “Serendipity,” Music – Dr Arthur Houle
22 Robert Brzezenski, Music – Jim Smith
29 Rev. Sheryl Rogers, Music – Rob Wallace & Evelyn Billberg


Workshops and Special Events

August
1st Picnic after the service at Long’s Park
15 Visioning
29 Board Meeting – 11:45 in the office