Welcome to the Seattle Unity Community - Seeds of Action with Compassion Blog.
Sunday, May 4
Rev. Richard Levy talked about the Spiritual Practice of Generosity
This talk is posted at www.seattleunity.org/talksandmessages
The Seeds Of Action is based on the Biblical parable of the talents. Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:12-28 In the story the master gives talents to 3 of his servants, for safe keeping, before he takes off to Hawaii. When the master returns and right after he shows his servants his tan and tells them a couple of whale stories 2 of his servants return twice as many talents to the master as he gave them. The third servant returns the original amount.
The exciting part: The Unity Community of Seattle gave each of the congregants who chose to participate, 10 James Monroe dollar coins. The intent of this “Seed Money” is to create a fun community building activity to experience the joy of generosity while raising a little money for the church. (Listen to Rev. Richard’s talk for the Spirit behind the Seeds.) The church was alive with chatter, possibilities and creative energy after the services.
Howard Langeveld, Jack and Jane Fecker hosted a brainstorming session Sunday, May 4, to spark and encourage creative ideas for how individuals might use their seed money to raise funds. A list of over 30 great ideas came out of this session and is provided below for your use and inspiration.
This blog will provide a space to share your stories, find collaborators and converse about these ideas. Do you want to find help? Perhaps offer to volunteer with someone’s project or maybe just get inspired by what you see others are doing. Share your Seeds of Action prosperity stories and see how the Spirit and flow happen.
Anything related can also be discussed or brought up. The comments will be monitored for spam etc. If you would like to volunteer for that role please let us know. We hope all of you will contribute your stories.
The end date for this “official” project is June 29. A celebration is planned to share the results. This blog may continue beyond that time if the input and usage continues. 
Brainstormed Ideas to get you started:
-
Bake cookies
-
Cater meals
-
Sell food services
-
Turkish coffee readings
-
Sell recipe
-
Sell custom/special paintings
-
Market place
-
Unity ebay space / ongoing
-
Library business resource for Unity Folks
-
Resources on the Unity Web
-
Vista Print business card
-
Sell personal music CD’s
-
Take someone to lunch pitch your project get an investor (produce 500 CD’s?)
-
Positive Cards for handing out/selling
-
Buy seeds/ sell plants
-
Basic of Seattle Unity cards / coupon on back
-
Buy a book new – used – half price/ learn a new skill / put it into practice
-
Greeting cards
-
Teach a skill you know
-
Raffle
-
Contest
-
Sing alongs / home concerts
-
Imports / granite statue /resale
-
Travel journal
-
Write articles
-
Teach a writing class
-
Sell your extra “stuff” group garage sale
-
Tip jar / sign for a cause
-
Condo’s have a need for a garage sale space
-
Freemont Market tables $45
-
Pass it forward – Pay for someone’s gas/lunch/groceries
-
Mini-grants / combine funds / support small businesses
-
Dog walking / pet sitting
-
Painting houses inside and out
-
Cleaning
-
Find a need and fill it
Click “Comments” below and type away!
Filed under: Big Picture | Tagged: generosity, Rev. Richard Levy, seattle unity, seed, Spiritual Principals, Talents
seedsofaction
This is so cool! Please email the address to anyone who chose to participate in this seeds adventure. Encourage them to post their stories or ask for someone to venture on this journey with!
http://www.seadsofaction.wordpress.com
Hi Terry
Thank you for setting this up.
Hi All
We are planning on have a Seeds of Action day on June 22 or 29th at church to help sell some of your products. It would be good to bring some of your products to the outside community as well. Let me know if you would be willing to commite half a day at a booth in Fremont Market. If we get enough people with time and products I would try to rent a space there. A couple of people per shift could sell a large variety of products. What are your ideas? I look forward to reading and sharing them
Best Regards and Blessings
Howard
Hi All
I asked Rymii some questions about where we could sell some of the products at church over the next month and a half also about possible class locations. See her answers below.
Blessings
Howard
“We can have a market place on Sundays in the back of the Fellowship Hall. We can set two six foot tables to start with. If people that want to be at the table can let Annie know what they are selling, she can put a brief announcement in the Sunday bulletin or email updates. The deadline for getting it in the weekly email updates or Sunday bulletin is Wednesday 12:00P. The tea leaf reader can also be at one of the round tables in the back of the Fellowship Hall. The market place can run until 6/29 when we have the closing celebration/festival.
For the belly dancing class, I need to know who wants to teach it, date, time, and then we can look for space available in the church. I also need the cost.
There seems to be some confusion about the money that is returned to the church. In the meeting I attended with you and Richard and Maureen, I understood we were asking that all the money earned be returned to the church.”
Blessings, All,
My original idea was to contact Ali Ghambari, who owns Cherry Street Coffee House (all five) and see about getting his postcards that he makes to resell. Since he sells them in his shop for $ .50, this seemed easy enough, and Ali had previously said they were available for fundraising. But Ali is very busy and hard to find time to sit down with. I also have access (at $5.00 each wholesale, to the Peace Planet Project’s Declaration of Peace, connected to the Department of Peace campaign. But this information I’ve passed along to Mia for the bookstore and potential youth fundraising.
Meanwhile, I wound up have to float the $10.00 just to survive until payday, and it already has come back as ten new coins and three dollars paid to me for other things, the three dollars finding their way into the offering. So Source provides.
All of this is connected to a plan for a metaphysical/peace/arts community center, described below. This is designed as a 501(c)3, but could start more readily on a profit basis, which would eliminate some people’s concerns about it being “taken over” and corrupted by a board of directors.
The main thing is that this is a collaborative process and most immediately needs either at least 100 to 200 square feet of public space, or a solid, lightweight card table/folding table for public events etc. If anyone knows of such a table, where one might be found, or can collaborate on space, this would be a great blessing to all.
Thank you, All
David
Oopps, I forgot the plan. Here it is.
David
———- ———-
MISSION: “Seattle Peace Centre” will function as an always-open community center and research/education facility for peace, metaphysics, and the arts. We combine these elements as metaphysical understanding is a solid basis for peace making; the arts are a dynamic tool for educating people to the possibilities of peace, whether through performance art, visual art, writing, or music; and research is where we will find the means to a healthier, more peaceful planet, be it through improved (compassionate) communications, and sustainable living.
By remaining always open, we will afford members of the community the opportunity to drop in any time in order to research, meet, collaborate, develop ideas, or just meditate and incubate what they already are working on, whenever the idea/need arises or when they are most able to coordinate schedules in an increasingly over-busy society. They may even find a way in this opportunity to make their own existences and society less busy. This all will serve to make the center a place of both ideas/development and respite for everyone, regardless of schedule, not just the stereotyped “disadvantaged” who too often are isolated in “community” centers, so that peace and compassion, not just non-violence can be pursued and practiced in very practical moment-to-moment ways.
Ultimately, through education and fundraising, “Seattle Peace Centre” seeks to additionally support work being done toward establishing a Peace Academy.
LONG-TERM GOALS: Our long-term include:
-A public computer bank of at least six high-end, internet-capable, flat-screen computers, plus a dedicated computer in the executive director’s office so that staff can pursue both community-generated and their own research on a 24/7 basis.
-A kitchen, so those at the center may eat at any time without interrupting any work in which they are involved, and so we can meet the needs of the community at large as called upon, both in the moment and for special public events.
-A library dedicated to peace, compassion, and non-violence; metaphysics, the arts, and sustainable living as these are the basis, methods, and tools of peace making mentioned above.
-At full operation, a staff of at least seven Full Time Equivalent Staff (FTEs), all metaphysics/arts/computer/research literate, including:
-Executive Director
-Full Time Kitchen Coordinator
-Librarian/Research Assistant
-Fundraiser
-Three Additional Staff to help keep the facility open 24/7 and serve as resources to the community
All staff will be paid equally at a livable level of at least $15.00 per hour, as all will be equally important to the center’s work.
IMMEDIATE GOALS: Our immediate needs include:
– 501(c)3 capability, so we can officially fundraise and have a place to channel funds, and to this ends the Charitable Partnership Fund (CPF) in Oregon has been contacted about acting as an umbrella 501(c)3 while we are developing our program. They require a brief statement of what we are seeking to accomplish (found in the Mission Statement above), a working team, and initial funding, if only $1000.00 to $2000.00. Once these three elements are in place, we can work with them to set up the umbrella structure.
-An operating Board of at least three people, thus covering CPF’s second requirement and the very practical necessity for a community mind. Four individuals are already under consideration for these positions, but the greater part of this need is to know who is interested in the project.
-At least two FTEs, including an Executive Director, further covering CPF’s second requirement and giving focused energy to the project. The Executive Director is currently proposed as David Trotter, as the originator of and most familiar with this plan, though at some point in the future he may prefer to sit on the Board rather than direct.
-Initial funding, if only $1000.00 to $2000.00, and an operating budget plan (which already exists for those with further interest), thus fulfilling CPF’s third requirement and making the practical work and initial staffing more feasible.
-A facility of at least 1500 to 2000 square feet and purchase or donation of at least two computers (one public and one for staff), and to this end the search for a facility has already begun in the Seattle area, though other areas are possible (see LOCATION below).
LOCATION: While “Seattle Peace Centre” is proposed for any central location in western Washington State, current facility search is being done in Seattle, as that is where the plan is originating, but input by those interested in this project and familiar with other areas is invited and welcomed