CHURCH PLANS TO PURGE BAD FEELINGS BY FLAME.

Byline: Holly J. Andres Daily News Staff Writer

Change is a scary word for many people. Those pesky New Year's resolutions present us with the challenges of changing our lifestyle, diet, relationships or job. We seek a fresh start every year. But how to begin when the weight of the past is still heavy upon us?

Unity Center Church is starting the year on Sunday with a ``burning bowl'' ceremony. The Rev. Irma Oestmann believes that for her congregation and others who come, ``peace for the past'' will bring the experience of God's healing energy.

In the burning bowl ceremony, the congregation, including children, will write down a feeling, a hurt, an attitude or angry experience they wish to put behind them. Each piece of paper will be dropped in a bowl. As the paper is lighted, the participants will see their negative thoughts go up in smoke.

``This is our way to let go of the past to make room for the future. God isn't able to make many changes unless we release these negatives. They stop us up and keep us from going forward,'' Oestmann said.

The ceremony, she said, is a way of ``beginning the healing.''

``It's also the start of forgiving the past. You will never find your potential unless you forgive,'' Oestmann said.

Dawn Sparks, a member of the fledgling Thousand Oaks church, believes that the burning bowl is a gentle and peaceful ceremony.

``It's a powerful ritual,'' Sparks said. ``It's very affecting to release the past. The ceremony helps me to intensify my resolve to let go of past issues.''

Exploring a positive approach to life is one of the principles of the 110-year-old Unity Church. Started in 1889 by Myrtle and Charles Fillmore in Kansas City, Mo., the Unity Church is nondenominational. The church emphasizes seeing the good in all things and stresses that God is love. Believing firmly in the power of prayer, Silent Unity, a ministry within the church, maintains a 24-hour prayer service.

Unity members believe in learning to effectively live in the present. They also believe that prayer transforms and changes lives and that the action of the mind affects the body. Meditation as a tool for prayer is a fundamental practice.

``When we meditate, we allow spirit to enter us. We actively let God work through us in a spiritual way. We also teach the teachings of Jesus, but we go beyond the literal. We strive to apply Jesus' teachings,'' Oestmann said.

Oestmann, who was ordained in 1982, had previously served as a minister in Unity churches in Pomona and San Gabriel. She believed there was a ``hunger for the principles'' of Unity in the Conejo Valley area.

Facing the challenge of how to tell others about Unity, Oestmann began the groundwork by offering Friday-night classes in Westlake Village. The classes focused on a variety of topics including nutrition, how to achieve your dreams, meditation and even a writer's workshop. Through these classes, Oestmann was able to introduce the principles of Unity.

Out of these classes, a core group of five decided last February that they wanted to form a church. Renting a room and a piano, the Unity Center Church held its first service on Easter Sunday in April.

Oestmann said Unity attracts the ``unchurched,'' those hungering for spiritual food, and people who have felt a void in traditional church services. A local substitute teacher with a background in art, Oestmann said that so far her congregation has attracted other teachers, artists and musicians, as well as other professional people.

Although members look forward to the day when they will have their own facility, the Unity Center Church continues its spiritual growth with the establishment of a prayer group and a Conversations With God book group. As a commitment to the community, they support With Love, Grandma, a local charity that provides clothing and toys for foster children.

What keeps members coming to Sunday services?

``There's a genuine love, a desire for people to come together. There's no dogma,'' Sparks said. ``Unity doesn't have the concept of earning your way into God's grace. God is not a punishing God, nor a condemning essence. We have a relationship to God without judgment. We are all his children.''

Sunday service with the ``burning bowl'' ceremony, 10 a.m. Unity Center Church meets at the Holiday Inn, Crystal Room, 495 N. Ventu Park Road, Thousand Oaks. [phone].

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PHOTO The Rev. Irma Oestmann, left, Andre DeVorss and Dawn Sparks demonstrate the Unity Center Church's ``burning bowl'' ceremony.

Evan Yee/Daily News