Learning As We Go - Growing in Unity Group

In my first message as the interim associate minister here at Unity Columbine Spiritual Center, I talked about how I felt like I was learning a new language on my own and now I had finally come to a “country” where other people spoke that language. That continues to be my experience in my first weeks at Unity Columbine Spiritual Center. I can feel my old habit of telling myself, “Don’t say it that way. Say it this way.” trying to assert itself. But, I know that day by day that habit will lessen. For example, I was talking to a CSC member and was about to say, “Everything is in Divine order.” But, my old training tried to stop me. Then I remembered, “Oh yeah. This person is in Unity. I can talk like that with her.” Relief came quickly and then I just said it. And as would be expected, the person affirmed that statement. So, I am looking forward to more of that.

I have also noticed the same experience in pretty much everything I have read so far. When I began here, the community was already reading The 5 Questions by Dr. James Mellon. In the pages, I found stories that mirrored the tensions of my journey–a deep love for Christ even while being forced to confront that what the communities I had been a part of taught was incompatible with my soul’s knowledge. Just the questions alone felt like a homecoming. So much so that I felt really comfortable leaning in to the second service of November 9, trusting that the community that could read this book together would be able to hold whatever wanted to emerge in that time together. 

The second book that I am reading is The Five Principles by Ellen Debenport. This was available at the lending library downstairs at CSC. Like The 5 Questions, there is a lot that resonates with me. As I have been learning through my conversations with many people in the CSC community, in each of us, there is a subtle knowing that called us to this time and place. Some of us are attracted to “the vibes of the community”, some to the teachings, some to the freedom to discover on our own, etc. But at our core these principles, whether articulated or not, informed what drew us here they are:

1. God is absolute good, everywhere present.

2. Human beings have a spark of divinity within them, the Christ spirit within. Their very essence is of God, and therefore they are also inherently good.

3. Human beings create their experiences by the activity of their thinking. Everything in the manifest realm has its beginnings in thought.

4. Prayer is creative thinking that heightens the connection with God-Mind and therefore brings forth wisdom, healing, prosperity, and everything good.

5. Knowing and understanding the laws of life, also called Truth are not enough. A person must also live the Truth that he or she knows.

Before I ever heard of Unity, my soul’s questioning capacity began leading me to these principles. Like a word on the tip of my tongue, when I saw these statements expressed, I knew that we are all working to speak the “same language” in our own unique ways.

In the coming months, my intention is to share what I am learning through this engagement I’m calling “Learning as We Go”. Here is a brief overview of what I am hoping we can explore together. 

Overview

Learning as We Go is a new digital series for the Unity Columbine Spiritual Center (CSC) app (available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store) designed to create an open, engaging, and communal learning space for anyone exploring the Unity path. Developed and led by Rev. Pedro Senhorinha Silva (ordained UCC) in his first months as interim associate minister at UCSC, the series invites the community to walk alongside him as he studies, discovers, and integrates Unity teachings in real time.

Hosted within the Groups section of the UCSC app, Learning as We Go will provide a dynamic mix of:

• Short blogs & written reflections

• Videos & short-form clips

• Audio musings

• Guided meditations

• “Ponderings” for contemplation

• Occasional Q&A or check-in posts

The series is not presented as expert instruction, but rather as shared exploration—a space where Rev. Pedro and the community learn together, in the spirit of curiosity, compassion, and co-growth.

Whether you are new to Unity, been here for decades, or are someone who is “Unity Curious”, you are invited and welcomed to join these conversations. 

In closing, I want to thank Rev. Sue for extending the invitation for me to be a part of this community. And I would like to thank each of you for receiving my presence among you. I trust that everything is in Divine Order and I am grateful that we can communicate this way together.. 

Blessings, 

Rev. Pedro Senhorinha Silva (Ordained UCC)