Universal Life Church
Visionary Newsletter
With the end of May in sight, we want to reflect back on some of the important events that have transpired since our last newsletter. Our campaign to raise awareness for autism has come to a close, and we are so happy to report that with all the "likes" you have given to our Facebook page, we donated $1,000.00 to the
National Autism Association (N.A.A.) and that amount was matched by the Mayer-Johnson organization, making the total donated on behalf of ULC Monastery ministers $2,000.00! We are so grateful for your support, and we encourage you to get involved any way you can with the N.A.A. Just because Autism Awareness Month is over doesn't mean this great cause needs any less support!
We are proud of all our ministers - for information on more charities and how you can get involved, we invite you to join us on our
blog,
Twitter, and
Facebook pages.
Due to the success of our Autism Awareness campaign, the
Universal Life Church Monastery is launching a new campaign to raise awareness for the prevention of Domestic Violence and Bullying. We are partnering with the
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) which supports women and children’s shelters across the United States, serves to impact public policy and legislation which affect battered women and their children, and help community-based programs educate others about the impact of domestic violence.
The ULC Monastery has pledged to donate one dollar per “Share” of this Facebook post, up to $1,000. Our drive will be running until the 15th of June 2012. We encourage our friends and ministers to support the NCADV by making a donation to the organization directly. You can also help us raise awareness for this worthy cause by sharing our post on your Facebook pages!
For more information about the Universal Life Church Monastery and the charitable causes we support, visit our good works page at
/you-can-help
We also want to draw attention to changes in laws that could potentially affect ministers in Michigan. Freedom of religion is one of the founding principles of this great nation, but there are those who would take away this freedom when it challenges their own beliefs.
In the case of Michigan, some folks are wanting to codify their prejudices that only some churches deserve enjoyment of this right. This is blatantly against the First Amendment. As a
Universal Life Church minister, you should know your rights and know the law. We invite you to read more on our
blog.
How much of one's spirituality is determined by the function of his brain? Can someone's spirituality be dramatically altered if specific parts of their brain were damaged? What is spiritual experience in the biological sense?
We touch on many of these intriguing questions in our article,
Ministers Search for the Spiritual Brain.
 The day before U.S. president Barack Obama declared his support for gay marriage, North Carolina voters approved a constitutional ban on gay marriage and other legally recognized same-sex unions.
The
Universal Life Church Monastery strongly believes that all loving unions deserve legal recognition, and that we can achieve this by holding those who deny equal rights to their fellow man responsible for their intolerant and unacceptable actions. Our blog examines one possible application of this theory, calling upon corporations to use their considerable resources in support of marriage equality. This route has proved fruitful for some businesses and, by extension, US citizens. Read the plan
on our blog.
 A beautiful mass wedding ceremony performed in the style of the 2000 year old Han dynasty and involving 130 couples took place in Xi'an, China recently. It showcased how ancient China's rich culture can thrive today and sparked Chinese interest in nurturing their own, home-grown style of marriage ceremony.
Learn more about this amazing wedding ceremony.
A recent study by the University of California at Berkeley found that religious people tend to be less compassionate and generous than non-religious people. We trust our ministers frequently demonstrate their compassion and generosity and set a good example for others. One way to do so is by offering support to those in need through volunteering time or money, such as with our recent partnership with the National Autism Association.
Click here to read the article on compassion.
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May 2012
