The 2012 annual meeting will be held Sunday, Feb. 26, at 12:15 pm in the church sanctuary. Pizza will be served.

Unity of Madison by-laws require that church members renew their membership annually. Printed renewal forms can be found in the church foyer, or you may print your own by using this link (PDF).

Turn in completed forms any of the following ways:

• Drop it off in the church foyer on any Sunday by Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 3 pm
• Mail it in to the church office no later than Wednesday, Feb. 15, Unity of Madison, 601 Tompkins Drive, Madison, WI 53716, Attn: Membership Renewal
• Bring it with you to the Annual Meeting on Sunday, February 26.

Remember, all are invited to join us for the Annual Meeting, though only renewing members who have turned in their Renewal Forms on or before Feb. 26 will be able to vote for new Board of Trustees or other church business. Please contact the church office at 221-1376 if you have any questions.

January 3, 2012

Dear Members of Unity of Madison:

For the last couple of years, the Unity of Madison Board of Trustees has been looking at the current Unity of Madison Bylaws, adopted in 2004 and the revised bylaws published by the Unity Worldwide Ministries in 2007, considering whether a revision of the current bylaws was indicated. The Board felt that there were enough differences between the current and the revised versions that a revision and update was warranted.

Starting in spring of 2011, a committee of community and board members continued the previous work and started in very specifically to revise the Unity of Madison bylaws. By late summer a completed version of the revised Unity of Madison bylaws was sent to a committee of past board members for review and comment. Suggestions were taken from that group and more revisions were made. In October and November, members of the current Board of Trustees met and carefully reviewed the revised version of the bylaws and made more suggestions and changes. The Board of Trustees approved the final version of the proposed revised Unity of Madison bylaws in December 2011.

According to the Unity of Madison bylaws, the community must vote on and approve any revisions to the bylaws at a Membership meeting. In order for members to vote on the revisions, they must receive a copy of the revisions at least 10 days before the membership meeting. Unity of Madison’s annual membership meeting will be held on February 26, 2012 at 12:15 pm. One of the items on the agenda for the annual meeting will be the vote on the revisions to the Unity of Madison bylaws.

Please click to view:

• the proposed revised Unity of Madison bylaws
• a document outlining the major changes, additions and deletions
• an addendum to the major changes document
• the current (2004) version of the bylaws

All three documents are PDFs. To save a document to your computer, right-click the link and select "save as." A small supply of printed copies of the 2004 bylaws will be available in the Narthex, starting on January 8.

The Board of Trustees welcomes any questions, comments and concerns regarding the proposed changes. Please contact any of the current Board of Trustee members.

Thank you all for your commitment and involvement in the Unity of Madison community. Your involvement makes this the loving and blessed community that it is. Blessings to you and your family for the New Year.

Sincerely,
Unity of Madison Board of Trustees

From now though February, those interested in learning about possible membership in our church are invited to contact Rev. Marshall. He will be meeting with people as the need arises in
small groups or individually. Please know that membership is not required in order to come to worship services or volunteer. Rev. Marshall can be reached Monday-Wednesday in the church office or at marshall@unityofmadison.org.

The Porchlight fire on Jan. 13 left 16 people homeless again. Our community and the Porchlight team will be adopting one of the women and collecting items in order to provide her with all she
needs to move into her new room after it is remodeled. A collection container will be in the foyer along with a list. Thanks so much! For information, contact Janie Lynaugh, 608-215-5895.

During 2012, we will be changing most of the 5th Sunday of the month service times from one service at 10 am back to two services at 8:30 and 10:30 am. For clarity, this information will be posted online, in the
newsletter calendar and in the events page. On Sunday, Jan. 29, there will be two services: 8:30 and 10:30 am.

A presentation on SAIL (Supporting Active Independent Lives) will take place from 12:15-1:45 pm on Sunday, Jan. 29. Please bring a sack lunch.

By popular demand, Unity of Madison will be holding a good ol’ fashioned Sing-Along on the fourth Sundays between services in the sanctuary. We will be using music from the hymnal and the
white binder. The first one will be Feb. 26 at 9:45 am. Please join us!

“Loving Yourself Well: Transforming Your Relationship with Food and Body,” an 8-week women’s circle with Linda Tyllo, will be held Tuesdays, March 6-May 1, from 6:30-8:30 pm.

Are you ready to imagine a relationship with food and your body that leaves you nourished and fulfilled each day? Can you imagine having the confidence to relax and enjoy the foods you choose to eat? Imagine how good you’d feel if eating was a pure pleasure and exercise a delight. Imagine taking care of yourself with healthy, lifelong habits not because you should do them but because they actually feel good. What if living life from the inside out led to weight loss, not as the exclusive goal, but as a pleasurable side effect.

If any of this is ringing true for you, please consider this an invitation to the Loving Yourself Well Women’s Circle. We will explore some of the myths accepted as truth which actually hold us back, and choose to re-write the story in a way that empowers us as we manifest our greatest health. We will also explore eight little known practices that actually enhance our metabolism: relaxation, quality, awareness, rhythm, pleasure, thought, story and the Sacred.

This experience is lovingly facilitated by Linda Tyllo, certified in holistic health counseling and dynamic eating psychology. Group size will be limited to create a safe and sacred space. Cost is $77 for the eight-week series. If you are interested in giving yourself
this opportunity, please contact Linda for more information and registration materials. You can reach her by email or phone at lindatyllo@gmail.com or (608) 206-7610.

This small group would like to bring together others who are interested in deepening their spirituality. The group combines meditation which intention so one is in a focused state for healing and change to occur. If interested, please call Rita at 608-238-6874.

Reiki Master Teacher and Karuna Reiki® Practitioner, Patty Penner will be offering free 15-minute mini-Reiki chair sessions between services the first Sunday of every month starting on Feb. 5, in hospitality (lower level). For more information on Patty, Reiki or Karuna Reiki: www.RainbowWomanReiki.com. No appointment necessary.