SENDING TROUBLES UP IN SMOKE UNITY CHURCH TO HAVE BURNING BOWL CEREMONY.

Byline: Holly Andres Staff Writer

THOUSAND OAKS - Out with the bad, in with the good is the purpose behind Sunday's annual Burning Bowl Ceremony at Unity Center Church.

Longtime church member Terri Chaney is eagerly looking forward to the ceremony, which requires participants to write down thoughts about negative behaviors, fears or other unhappy situations and put them to rest by burning the paper.

Chaney said the ceremony helped her with a difficult relationship when she first participated 3 1/2 years ago.

``I remember a sense of a load getting lifted the first time I did the Burning Bowl Ceremony,'' Chaney said. ``You write down something that has been bothering you, something that you've been carrying around the whole year or longer. This is the chance to let it go and let God have it. I look forward to the ceremony every year.''

During Sunday's 10 a.m. service, Chaney and others - children included - will take three to five minutes to write down their negative thoughts before setting them afire and watching them burn.

``It's an outer way to help us realize we're putting the negatives aside forever. We dip the word or phrase in the flame and watch it go up in smoke,'' the Rev. Irma Oestmann said. ``Once we've released the negatives, we've made room for what God can give us in the coming year.''

Oestmann said the ceremony, usually held during the last Sunday service of the year, is a tradition in Unity churches.

``I don't want people to dwell on the negativity by writing it down at home in a long letter. It's better to write it down quickly. After it's written they come up, put the paper to a candle and toss it into the bowl. They stay to watch it burn up,'' Oestmann said. ``It's just psychology. It's a way to catch your attention.''

The whole idea of taking up a pen and writing something down makes the exercise ``more true and memorable'' as opposed to writing it by computer, Oestmann said. The writing doesn't stop at the Sunday service. The next step is to write a letter of affirmation.

``This year I'll be asking them to start a letter: 'Thank you, God, for ...' They will write, sign and seal the letter up in an envelope. I'll collect them and mail it back a year from now,'' Oestmann said. ``Then they can check to see next year if they've made progress in some area of their life.''

Chaney just received her affirmation letter from the previous year. She said the congregation was asked to write letters that came to them from God.

``After I read it, it was: Wow, did I write this down? All these things happened. It was like goal-setting,'' Chaney said.

Taking a positive approach to life is one of the main principles of Unity churches. Started in 1889 by Myrtle and Charles Fillmore, Unity stresses that God is good and that his spirit resides within everyone.

Main teachings also instill the belief that individuals create life experiences through positive thinking and affirmative prayer. Silent Unity, a ministry within the church, maintains a 24-hour prayer service.

``Unity began because of the power of prayer. Myrtle Fillmore cured herself of tuberculosis and she lived into her 80s,'' Oestmann said. ``Prayer is important and we teach it. We are a Christian movement and we teach the teachings of Jesus. But we explore a deeper meaning than the literal meaning.''

Chaney was looking for the perfect place for her three children to have a spiritual home and to experience her faith.

``As a teen I received the Daily Word but I didn't know there was a church connected with the magazine. When I came to this church, it was like I was being formally introduced to God,'' said Chaney, a Unity Center Church member since its establishment 3 1/2 years ago.

``This church goes beyond the 'stand up and sit down' of traditional churches. It has been empowering. I came once and fell in love.''

The Rev. Irma Oestmann will deliver the message ``I Release and Let Go'' at the 10 a.m. Sunday service, which will include the Burning Bowl Ceremony. Unity Center Church, 1414 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Suite 109, Thousand Oaks. Call [phone].

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Photo:

The Rev. Irma Oestmann of Unity Center Church, left, looks on as 7-year-old Tyler Chaney participates in the traditional Burning Bowl Ceremony while his mother, Terri Chaney, watches. In the ceremony, participants write down negative thoughts or fears, light the paper and watch the negativity go up in smoke.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer