Hollywood pastor offers lesson in giving by passing out $5 bills
By Sandra Hernandez Staff Writer
Florida (Ft. Lauiderdale) Sun-Sentinel; Monday, June 14 2004
When Annie Chambers arrived at Unity Church of Hollywood for the Sunday service, she expected to hear words of inspiration, hope and perhaps a plea for donations.
Instead, she got $5 and instructions to go out and put the money to good use.
“I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it yet, but I think it’s a good idea to donate the money,” said Chambers, of Sunrise.
Chambers was among the 130-plus parishioners who got an unusual lesson on tithing, the practice of donating 10 percent of one’s income to a charity or church. In this case, it was the church paying 10 percent to the congregation.
“I’m deputizing all of you to go and give it to someone or some place that inspires you,” the Rev. Bob Uhlar told the congregation. “What I want you to do is write us a note and tell us where you gave and how it turned out.”
While most in the church smiled and nodded as ushers walked down the aisle passing out crisp $5 bills, the gesture left others asking for a little help from above.
“I’m not sure what I will do with it yet,” said Tony Vizzone, an Aventura real estate broker. “I’ll have to give it some thought, but maybe I’ll give it to a homeless person. You often see people at the side of the highway with signs asking for help. ... I’m kind of waiting for divine inspiration.”
In fact, inspiration is Uhlar’s message.
“What I’m hoping to do is get people thinking about where they get inspiration in their lives,” said the pastor, who came up with the idea after hearing about a church in Overland Park, Kansas. “The pastor at one of our churches near Kansas City did it, and it turned out very well. People responded well to the idea and put a lot of thought into it, so I decided to try it here.”
The lesson will cost Unity Church about $660, or about 10 percent of its income, according to Uhlar. But he insists the benefits will be far-reaching and, hopefully, long lasting.
“This is kind of like that movie 'Pay it Forward,' where the boy comes up with the idea of helping three strangers and asks them to each help three other people,” said Uhlar.
For some, such as Shirley Scott of Weston, the money will help her say thank you.
“I’ve decided I’ll send the money to a Chicago radio program because I listen to it every morning,” said Scott, a native of Jamaica. “I think this is about learning that you get what you give.”
Unity is a denomination started in 1889 in Kansas City. It came to Hollywood in 1965. The church focuses on the teachings of Jesus, calling it “practical Christianity.” Current weeknight classes included principles of healing and problem solving, and prosperity as well.
(This story led to Bob being interviewed on WKIS-FM that morning at 8:40 a.m. The morning disk jockeys talked about the story four times between 7 a.m and 9 a.m.)
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Pastor adds a little kick to sermon.
by Marcia Freidenreich
Miami Herald; Sunday, September 21, 2003; page 11
``If life were a game, would Jesus be throwing a penalty flag at you or would he be signaling a touchdown?''
Comparisons between religion and football were tossed like well-aimed passes in the sermon presented recently by the Rev. Bob Uhlar at a Friendship Sunday service at Unity Church of Hollywood. The title of Uhlar's discussion: ``What Does Football Have to Do With God?''
Uhlar, an avid football fan, deadpanned at the beginning of his speech: ``People from all over the country are coming together today in a common focus - the beginning of the NFL football season.''
Uhlar grew up a football fanatic in Chicago, then became a Unity minister. As his faith grew, his fondness for the game never waned.
``I find there is a divinity in true passion, whether it be football or something else,'' he said.
The congregation chuckled through Uhlar's sermon, but there were just as many thoughtful pauses as they considered his words.
Unity Church is a nondenominational Christian-based organization with more than 1,000 congregations worldwide.
The church promotes positive thinking, affirmations and respect and love for yourself and others. Uhlar and his wife, the Rev. Carla Golden, are co-ministers to the congregation.
Intermittently during the service, soloist Jon Roi Vega, who trained with the Miami Opera Guild, sang original devotional songs. He ended the service with a country song titled "Drop Kick Me, Jesus (Through the Goal Posts of Life)."
Some of the likenesses between football and faith that Uhlar elaborated on:
* The Apostles were philosophically guided by Jesus. The team is guided in the same way by their coach.
* At the end of each quarter, the teams face the opposite end of the field. In life, such a change of direction offers a totally different perspective. ``You learn to walk in someone else's shoes.''
* ``If you violate the rules of football, you get a setback, a penalty. If we violate God's commandments, we get a setback in our spiritual life.''
At one point in the sermon, Uhlar used visual aids, projecting a picture of a famous mural on the wall of the altar behind him.
``Archaeologists have discovered proof that Jesus liked football,'' he said with tongue firmly planted in his cheek. ``They discovered a mural, 134 feet tall and 68 feet wide. The mural shows Jesus ministering to the masses, His arms raised in an upright position.
"It overlooks the stadium at Notre Dame. Any student will tell you, `That's Touchdown Jesus.' ''
Uhlar ended his sermon with biblical flair: ``We've all heard it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game,'' he said. ``Love your neighbor as yourself. Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. These things sound so simple. But how many people follow them?''
The Unity Curch of Hollywood is at 2750 Van Buren St. Sunday worship services are at 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. All are welcome. Call 954-922-5521.
(Included Photo of Bob Uhlar delivering sermon)
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Husband-and-wife team leads Hollywood Church
by Beth Feinstein-Bartl
Miami Herald; November 24, 2002; Page 1, "Local" Section
Grieving and in shock after the unexpected death of their beloved minister, members of the Unity Church of Hollywood spent two years looking for a replacement.
Their nationwide search ended with the arrival of the Rev. Bob Uhlar and his wife, the Rev. Carla Golden, at the end of September.
The couple is the second husband-and-wife team to take over the pulpit.
The last full-time ministers at the congregation were the Revs. Gay Lynn and David Williamson. David Williamson died of a heart attack in July 2000. He was 65. His wife left the congregation three months later.
The Williamsons had been spiritual leaders at Unity since 1995. The loss stunned church members.
The church, once very active, lost its focus, said Hollywood resident Jon Wesley, board president of Unity Church of Hollywood, 2740 Van Buren St.
“We still carried on our programs, but it just wasn’t to the extent that it was in the past,” Wesley said. “There was a total change in leadership. We no longer had a minister to bring the cohesiveness that the congregation needs.”
Interim ministers and Licensed Unity Teachers filled the void while a search was underway for a full-time replacement.
“It wasn’t until this spring that most of the members have been able to let go of their grieving process,” Wesley said.
The search committee wasn’t looking for another husband-and-wife team to replace the Williamsons. But when Uhlar and Golden came for their interview, the choice was clear, Wesley said.
“Bob and Carla had the closest match to our vision,” he said. “The one thing we liked about them is that they are very down-to-earth people and easy to get along with.”
Unity of Hollywood is the couple’s first pulpit. Uhlar and Golden were ordained this summer after graduating from the Unity School of Religious Studies in Unity Village, Mo.
Accepting the job at Unity of Hollywood was divine guidance, Uhlar said.
“We didn’t see ourselves coming to Florida,” Golden said. “We are both Midwesterners and we thought we would stay in the Midwest. But God had other plans.”
Before becoming a minister, Uhlar spent 15 years in radio and television news as a reporter and producer in various cities throughout the Midwest. Golden was employed for 13 years in training and human resources.
The couple, who married in 1989 and lived in Chicago before entering ministry school, became active in the Unity Church shortly after they started dating in 1987.
Their involvement included a public-speaking tour of some 240 Unity congregations to give seminars on prosperity and spirituality, from 1990 to 1997.
Uhlar, who grew up Catholic, and Golden, a Methodist, were introduced to the denomination after Golden’s hairdresser invited them to a service.
They were drawn to Unity because of its practical approach to applying Christianity to daily life, Uhlar said.
Since arriving at Unity of Hollywood, the couple said they have been focusing on getting to know members of the congregation personally.
“We’ve invited people to set up appointments and have been meeting one-on-one with each person,” Uhlar said. “We’ve had about three dozen meetings, so far. It’s been wonderful. We’re getting a sense of what each person wants in the church and what each one needs from the church.”
The couple, who live in Hollywood, also intend to establish a program this summer where lay people will be trained as ministerial assistants and called Unity Chaplains.
The program is already successful at several Unity churches elsewhere, Uhlar said.
Other goals that the couple and church leaders expect to achieve are a well-rounded music program and adding more activities for youth, Wesley said.
“We want to have the church grow and become a more integral part of the community,” Wesley said.
Caption on color photo:
The Rev. Bob Uhlar and his wife, the Rev. Carla Golden, new co-pastors of Unity Church of Hollywood, read a spiritual work in the labyrinth in the church's meditation garden. Uhlar and Golden were ordained this summer after graduating from the Unity School of Religious Studies in Unity Village, Mo
