Due to technical constraints, this outdoor service was not livestreamed.
The Catholic friar St. Francis was born nearly one thousand years ago in Assisi, a town in the Umbria Region of Central Italy. He grew up the son of a silk merchant in a family of wealth and privilege. Yet, as a young man in his twenties, he became disillusioned with his life of pleasure, and chose to forgo it to live as an impoverished itinerant preacher dedicated to serving the Spirit of God. His teachings centered on simplicity as the key to understanding the Creator. In other words, be simple, get your human side out of the way, and let God lead your life. A natural extension of this simple approach to God was St. Francis’ love of nature. For St. Francis, the natural world is a mirror of the heart of God and evidence that God is in all things. In this way, St Francis echoes one of Unity’s core principles “We are naturally good because God’s Divinity is in everyone.” St Francis put it this way, "Your God is of you. God lives in your nearest neighbor, and in every person. God is within.”
Join Reverend Dennis Ashley this Sunday, for a lesson about the mysticism and simplicity of the teachings of St. Francis of Assisi. This special service will take place outside by our Labyrinth. The lesson will conclude with a recital of an updated version of the Prayer of St. Francis.
Our featured ensemble is S.O.U.L. Our featured ensemble is S.O.U.L. aka Spiritual Oneness United (in) Love. They include Gwen Gathercoal, Paul Gathercoal, Jim Turner, Judith Pinkerton, and Patty Ashley.