Unity to Launch 100 Days of Prayer for the Gulf

Unity School of Christianity, in conjunction with Unity churches across the country, is launching 100 days of prayer affirming the recovery of the Gulf of Mexico. The 100 days will begin Sunday, June 20, and will conclude Thursday, September 9, the date of Unity’s annual World Day of Prayer.

The initiative follows an announcement by Rev. Patricia Reiter, senior minister of Unity Church of Venice, Florida. Reiter will lead a blessing service for the Gulf at 3 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, June 20, at Manasota Beach, near Englewood, FL. The purpose of the prayer is to surround the water, people, plants and animals impacted by the oil spill in love and prayer.

Reiter is encouraging people everywhere to participate on Sunday in order to convert mass frustration over the spill into a positive force for good. Persons living in coastal areas along the Gulf are encouraged to pray at the shoreline. Persons in other areas are invited to offer the blessing over a ceremonial container of water. Reiter is also urging her congregation and others to participate in 100 days of positive prayer for the Gulf.

Unity Village, world headquarters of the Unity movement, will affirm the recovery of the Gulf at its regularly scheduled prayer services, at 11 a.m. central time Monday through Thursday.

“Rev. Reiter’s prayer for the Gulf will also be placed in our Prayer Vigil Chapel for 100 days,” said Rev. Lynne Brown, vice president of Silent Unity. The Silent Unity prayer ministry, celebrating its 120th anniversary this year, responds to nearly 2 million prayer requests annually. Lynne added that Silent Unity prayer associates are available by phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to pray for those affected by the Gulf oil spill or other situations. The phone number is 1-800-NOW-PRAY. Silent Unity prayer support is also available online at www.silentunity.org.

While there isn’t currently oil on the beaches in Venice, Florida, Reiter feels called to lead a blessing service for the entire Gulf. “A church member, Nancy Hart, mentioned to me a couple of weeks ago that she thought we should do a blessing for the Gulf,” Reiter said. “The next morning at 4 a.m., Spirit woke me with a clear message that I was to organize a big prayer event and involve as many ministries as possible.”

Reiter hopes the blessing service will help and support all those affected by the oil spill.  “These prayers are a way to channel positive energy into this environmental crisis. I was feeling such anger, frustration and sadness, as I know many others are. What we know and teach in Unity is that our thoughts, words and feelings are creative. Negative energies will only channel more negativity. I believe this prayer event will give everyone involved a chance to feel they are doing something positive to make a difference for the Gulf and all its inhabitants.”

In addition to prayers composed by Reiter, the blessing service will include a prayer written by Dr. Masaru Emoto, a Japanese researcher and author best known for his experiments with water crystals. Through high-speed photography of water at the moment of freezing, Emoto claims to show the direct consequences of destructive thoughts on the crystals and the positive effects of thoughts of love and appreciation on their formation. Emoto’s findings suggest that thoughts can influence water.

Reiter learned of Emoto’s work through the documentary What the Bleep Do We Know? “I was very impressed that the energy of love was being used to clear polluted bodies of water,” she explains. “We know that the energy of love is the most powerful force on the planet for healing everything.”

Unity encourages spiritual leaders of all faiths to use these prayers with their congregations:

Prayer for the Gulf
by Rev. Patricia Reiter

In a state of divine union with God, I open my heart to allow the energy of pure love and appreciation to flow from me to everyone and everything. In the pure love of God, I am one with the earth, the air, the water, the soil, the trees, the plants and all their life-giving organisms.

In the pure love of God, I am one with all beings on the earth. I honor, respect and cherish all living things.

In the pure love of God, I release all thoughts, behaviors, beliefs and ideas that are not in harmony with the highest and best good for all.

In the pure love of God, I make wise choices and take right actions to preserve our planet for ourselves and all future generations.

In the pure love of God, I hold all countries, corporations, businesses, organizations, institutions and their leaders in prayer for harmony, peace, collaboration, wisdom and smart decisions for the highest and best good of our planet and its peoples.

In the pure love of God, I am united with all spiritually conscious beings. Together we hold the high watch for positive change for our world.  In the name of all that is sacred, we daily lift our world family in prayer for health, peace, love, joy, wisdom, prosperity and safety.

Prayer for the Gulf
by Dr. Masaru Emoto

To whales, dolphins, manatees, pelicans, seagulls and all aquatic bird species, fishes, shellfish, planktons, coral, algae and all creatures in the Gulf of Mexico, I am sorry.

Please forgive me.

Thank you.

I love you.

Unity offers practical spiritual teachings that empower abundant and meaningful living. The organization, founded in 1889, touches millions of people each year through a non-denominational prayer ministry called Silent Unity, publications such as Daily Word and Unity Magazine, and a variety of online and onsite classes and retreat programs. Unity Village, the World Headquarters of Unity, is located near Lee’s Summit, MO. Unity can be found online at www.unity.org.