Drs. Bil & Cher Holton Greetings
to our USLC Community!
We are thrilled and excited to share the news that we have been
accepted into the Unity Field Licensing Program! When we say
“we,” we mean all of us — the entire USLC
family! We
are on an incredible journey together as we move through this powerful
experience. We wanted to share just a little of what was involved in
our week at the Village, and what you can expect as we move forward. As
you know, this is a four-year commitment. At the end of our first year,
we will receive the designation of “Licensed Unity
Minister.” This will be renewed at the end of each year in
the
program, until the completion of our fourth year, at which time we
receive ordination as fully ordained Unity Ministers.
It was an intensive week, during which we were asked to take a
psychological test and a metaphysical test. We then interviewed with a
psychologist, who evidently deemed both of us to be sane and capable of
being ministers! Each of us then were interviewed by two different
teams of ministers from around the country. During each interview, we
presented a meditation and a Truth Talk, then participated in an
interview with the ministry team. This was the most intense day of the
week. On Thursday afternoon, it felt like we were on the final
Hollywood day of American Idol, as our group of twelve applicants sat
out in the lobby, waiting as each of us was called in separately to
hear the news. There was some sadness, as one of the candidates in our
group was redirected (which means he was not accepted into the program
at this time.) It was a poignant reminder of how serious this whole
process is, and that it is not an automatic acceptance by any means.
The rest of our team was all accepted, so we are a class of eleven,
from NJ, MI, IL, CA (2), OK, OH (2), AZ, and of course, the two of us
from NC. We have the distinction of being a couple of
“firsts”: first husband/wife team in the program at
the
same time, in the same class; and first couple from the same church at
the same time!
Since we are all in this together, we wanted to let you know a little
bit about what this program involves. We each were assigned a mentor,
who is an ordained Unity minister committed to guiding us through this
process. Because the Association wants each of us to be seen as an
individual with our own separate experience in this program, they
assigned each of us a different mentor. Bil’s mentor is Rev.
Sheryl Padgett, from Augusta, Georgia. Cher’s mentor is Rev.
Denese Schellink, from California. On Friday, we spend a good part of
the day working with the Association and our mentors, to understand the
4-year requirements and to create our first year contract. During this
first year in the program, we are each working on specific goals
focused on the areas of: Worship; Administration; Education; Pastoral;
and Self-Care. Each of us will also be expected to complete a
“Practicum,” involving 16 hours of training,
followed by a
Community Outreach experience related to that training. We are required
to attend all our UMMAS Sub-region, Southeast Regional, and National
Ministerial conferences each year, as well as attend a 10-day intensive
each March at the Village.
Other requirements include monthly phone conferences with our mentors,
and quarterly reports which include a series of questions we respond
to, along with the financials and Board Minutes. The Association also
receives our weekly newsletter through our email list. At the end of
each year, the Board completes an Annual Progress Report.
We as a Center are responsible for bringing our mentors here for
on-site visits twice during this experience (which means four visits,
since we have two mentors). One visit by each mentor will happen
sometime this year, and the other will occur during our third year in
the program. We also are asked to visit other Unity ministries during
this time period, and keep an on-going journal.
And in the midst of all of this, we have the incredible opportunity of
continuing our work as co-Spiritual Leaders of USLC! That’s
the
best part!
Because this is definitely a partnership opportunity for all of us, we
just want you all to know how much we appreciate your support, your
prayers, and your financial commitment. We are so blessed to be
surrounded by such an amazing group of loving people, with such high
Spiritual Consciousness, who are holding us up in light and
love
as we travel this journey together. Thank you for being a part of this
experience with us! We affirm that all of us will grow in remarkable
and powerful ways as we take this huge step forward. In fact, we
encourage each of you to begin keeping a journal of your experiences as
we move together on this Field Licensing Journey, so we can all share
our new insights, awarenesses, and spiritual growth together.
We love you, we bless you, we
appreciate you — and we behold the Christ AS you!
We look forward with tremendous anticipation and expectancy to a
wonderful experience!
Greetings
to our USLC Community!
