SUNDAY LIVESTREAM SERVICE: Join us and many other friends of Unity live at 10:30 a.m. each Sunday at https://www.facebook.com/unityofthevalley (you don’t have to be a Facebook member). Other links and news are posted after the message. Last Sunday’s (4/20/25) service can be watched at https://www.facebook.com/unityofthevalley/videos/4-20-25-easter-service-balancing-personal-peace-action/657519273737464.

IN HONOR OF A MESSENGER OF PEACE
by Rev. Sherry Lady

On this day, April 21, 2025, the world said goodbye to a man of peace. A man who chose to express his God-self in the way that seemed best to him and the way in which he was called to serve the Spirit that lived in his heart. A man, called by that Spirit at a time when, once again, the world is being threatened by forces and things that would prevent peace from becoming the reality that is so longed for by so many. And, that was so longed for in his heart. Some thoughts, gathered from a beautiful children’s book titled Peace Begins with You by Katherine Scholes came to mind. Here are some of those thoughts, especially poignant as day-to-day reminders for the children and young people who are taking their place in the stream of life in which we have placed them – and for all of us. May the sharing in some way be a universal and unconditional expression of what is in the hearts of the many who followed him, the many who mourn him, and the few who are still bewildered by it all.

“Peace is not a gap between ties of fighting, or a space where nothing is happening. Peace is something that lives, grows, spreads – and needs to be looked after. Along the way there are always choices that can be made. Some choices threated peace; some choices protect it. Every day, people make choices about peace at home, at school, at work. The choices affect others as well as themselves.

The same kind of choices are made when there are problems between one country and another. But through people talking, listening, and working things out together, peace can be protected. It’s not always easy. It takes two to work together. Just the way it always takes two to fight. And often it only takes one to begin the first step toward a peaceful solution. Working for peace may be harder than using force. You may have to be braver and stronger. You may have to learn new skills, new ways of thinking and planning. If you believe something is wrong, or unfair, you may have to speak up, and you may have to act.

All through history there have been peacemakers – people who have worked for peace by trying to make life better for others. They have worked to have laws changed and things shared more fairly so that everyone – whoever and wherever they are – can have the chance of a good life. There are many different ways to speak and act, and some are more likely to bring change for peace than others.

Caring about problems in the world – and having problems of your own doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t feel peace anymore. There is a special kind of peace that lives inside you…Many different philosophies and religious faiths teach about this “inside” peace.... Learn about different ways of living and thinking…Learn how to listen and see things from another point of view. But, first of all, learn about yourself, about why you think, feel and act as you do. Then learn how to solve problems in your own life because peace begins with you—in your own backyard.

Our world is full of change. Ideas and beliefs change, ways of living change, the natural world itself changes – in our lifetimes and across whole chapters of history. All living things are a part of one giant web of life. And – in the end—they all depend on one another. Be a peacemaker first within yourself. Then with love and respect, share your peace unconditionally. The world needs you now.”

Thank you, Katherine Scholes for your beautiful book for our children. Thank you, Robert Ingpen for the beautiful illustrations. Thank you, Pope Francis for the legacy of caring for all the world and the people in it – even those who might have disagreed with how you chose to express your light and love. You made a difference. May we all do the same, in our own way. Well done, thou good and faithful servant.

In awe of it all. 
Sherry  

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THIS WEEK AT UNITY, APRIL 23-26

WEDNESDAY
- 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – Journey of the Soul. Join Kaiven in the Garden Room for a small group meeting where we share our light, life, and love with others in an open, loving, and trusting unfoldment of our emotional and spiritual journey of our own truth and meaning. For more information, contact Kaiven at 541-933-2588. (Meets on the 2nd & 4th Wednesday of each month.)

- 2:00-3:00 p.m. via Zoom – Community Connect moderated by Rev. Dick Everts. This is a one hour, drop in, chatting session for discussing topics of spiritual interest, personal growth, etc. There is a new topic each Wednesday. To take part, send an email request to Rev. Dick at richard.everts@comcast.net.

- 4:30-5:30 p.m. - Unity Grief Support Group facilitated by Rev. Inge Tarantola meets in the Garden Room. Confidentiality observed. For more information, contact Rev. Inge Tarantola at 541-968-5540 or ingetarantola@gmail.com.

THURSDAY
- 1:00-2:30 p.m. – Unity’s Elder Council meets in the upstairs Fillmore Room. If you are 60 or older and would like to explore the journey and wisdom of elderhood, please join us. For more information, contact Julia Linebarger-Taylor at jlinebargertaylor@yahoo.com or 541-968-5896.

- 5:30-6:45 p.m. – Passage Meditation in the Fillmore Wing. This group practices “Passage Meditation” as taught by Eknath Easwaran. For more information, contact Laurie Cracraft at 541-554-5434.

THIS SUNDAY – APRIL 27

- 10:30 a.m. Livestream & In-Person Service – “Smile! Staying Lighthearted in Heavy Times” with Jon West.

NOTE TRAFFIC DETOUR: The City of Eugene is holding their annual marathon on Sunday, April 27 starting at 7:00 a.m. Please visit https://www.eugenemarathon.com/roads for more information on route detours in our area.

NEXT WEEK, APRIL 28- MAY 3

TUESDAY
- 7:00 p.m. – The New Behind the Lens film series begins with Rebel Without a Cause, directed by Nicholas Ray, followed by a Q&A session with Tom Blank. Registration forms in the Fellowship Hall. Cost is $30 for series (12 movies) or $5 per time.

WEDNESDAY
- 5:30-7:00 p.m. – Congregational Fun Night. We open the event at 5:30 p.m. with a singalong with our own Katie Sontag. We will have food at 5:50 p.m., crafts for adults and kids, skit, photo ops, and more.

THURSDAY
 - 5:30-6:30 p.m. – Parents Empowered by Connecting group. This group meets on the 1st Thursday of each month in the Garden Room. For more information, contact Alice Sparks at 541-729-3817.

- 7:30 p.m. – Tracy Grammer & Katie Henry concert. Tracy Grammer is one of contemporary folk music's most beloved artists, and Katie Henry has returned to Eugene after a successful solo career and years with supergroup Babes with Axes. Tickets at Tsunami Books: $21.50 /$24 at door.

SATURDAY
- 10:30 a.m.-Noon – Sacred Women’s Circle meets in the upstairs Fillmore Wing for a time of connecting, meditating, and doing a fun project. May’s theme is “The Magic of You.”

NEXT SUNDAY – MAY 4

- 10:30 a.m. Livestream & In-Person Service – Our May theme of Expanding Our Reach starts off with a message about “Expanding Our Consciousness Here and Now” with Jon West.

- After the service – First-Sunday Potluck. Join us in the Fellowship Hall. Bring a main dish or salad, and invite your friends and family! Unity will provide coffee, tea, and dessert.

- 12:15-1:30 p.m. – Empathetic Presence & Nonviolent Communication (NVC): A Monthly Primer and Practice Group with Michael Dreiling. This group meets on the first Sunday of each month in the upstairs Fillmore Wing. Sessions offer an overview and Q&A about NVC followed by small group sessions to practice NVC and cultivate empathetic presence. Donations welcome.

UPCOMING

Wednesday, May 7 (7:00-8:00 p.m.) - Chanting & Meditation in the sanctuary. Join Jon West and Donna O'Neil on the first Wednesday of each month and open to the Infinite Spirit within through the timeless practice of chanting our way into deep meditation. For more info., contact Jon West at 541-683-7664 or jwest97405@gmail.com.

Sunday, May 11 (Mother’s Day) – YFM Bake Sale. Please consider donating a baked goodie for the sale. Signup in the Fellowship Hall.

Saturday & Sunday, June 27 & 28 – YFM Yard, Plant & Tree Sale. Do you have items you are looking to get rid of? Donate them to YFM and help support them at the same time! Drop off of your donated items starts June 15th. Contact Alice at 541-729-3817 to set up a time to drop off your items.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES/NEEDS

POTS OF SOUP: Each Sunday we serve 2-3 pots of soup. We are looking for 1 person who can bring a pot of soup on a Sunday. Please sign up in the Fellowship Hall if you can help out.

PLASTICS RECYCLING ONGOING OPPORTUNITY: Every Second Sunday, join the EAT team to recycle your plastics! You can recycle a lot more this way, as our local waste haulers don't take much plastic recycling. But they do take #2 jugs and bottles that are larger than a tennis ball. So, separate your clean plastic containers into bags for #2 tubs (and bottles smaller than a tennis ball), #4 and #5 plastics and their lids (All lids must be separate). Bring your clean, sorted, and dry #2, #4, and #5 plastics to the Garden Room at 11:45 a.m. on the second Sunday of the month. We can help you help the environment by recycling them! Clean them well and save them up for us! Important: Do not drop off your items.

PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY: We are looking for volunteers to help make prayer shawls either by knitting or crocheting that are then given away to people in our community who are going through a difficult time. No experience necessary. To become part of the team, contact Rev. Inge at 541-968-5540 or ingetarantola@gmail.com. 

UNITY COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS/OPPORTUNITIES

Our May Bulletin has been posted. You can check it out at http://unityofthevalley.org/May2025/May2025Bulletin.pdf.

The Youth & Family Ministry Winter 2025 Newsletter can be found at http://unityofthevalley.org/Feb2025/YFMnewsletter2025.pdf.

UNITY FOOD DRIVE – Please help us to fill the food barrel in the foyer with shelf-stable food (i.e., canned or no refrigeration needed) for Food For Lane County. Together, We Are Making a Difference!

SUNDAY GATHERING & NEWS FOR YOUTH

Nursery (Infant-4 years old) Nursery care is offered during the service in the Harmony Room.

Unikids (4 years old-2nd Grade) meet on Sundays in the Garden Room 10:20-11:25 a.m.

Galileans (Grades 3- 5) meet on Sundays from 10:25 to 11:25 a.m. in the Rainbow Room.

Uniteens (Grades 6-8) meet in the upstairs Treehouse room from 10:25 to 11:25 a.m.

Unity Teen Group (Grades 9-12). meet on Sundays from 10:25 to 11:25 a.m. in the Treehouse room.

UNITY’S SIMPLE GIVING PROGRAM

Unity of the Valley’s Simple Giving Program is an easy, automatic means by which you can give gifts or tithes to the church in the amount you specify at the frequency you select. To sign up and for more information, click http://www.unityofthevalley.org/pdfs/simplegivingform.pdf. If you have any questions, contact our Administrator, Géna, at 541-345-9913, ext. 11.

FACEBOOK USERS

Did you know that you can help spread the word about Unity of the Valley and its events? By Liking the Facebook page and then clicking "Like" or "Share" on individual posts, you can let Facebook know that these posts are important and make sure that the posts are seen by MANY more people. Please take a moment now to Like the page (if you haven't already) and share a Unity post with your friends. Unity’s Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/unityofthevalley.

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Your Prayer Team is Here for You!
Do you have a prayer request? Contact Julia Linebarger-Taylor via phone or text at 541-968-5896.

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Unity of the Valley’s Music Releases can be found at
https://www.facebook.com/unityofthevalley/videos/368369060857899/

 

"Connecting from the Heart" is now an independent nonprofit organization, working closely with Unity of the Valley. To enjoy their music, meditation and mental wellness videos, please click on this link: cfth.us.org.  

We also post Unity videos, when possible, at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqUL3d7-JjO_45Bo3vLfrWQ/videos

You can visit Unity Online at:
Website: http://www.unityofthevalley.org

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OUR SPIRITUAL COMMUNITY SUPPORT FUND

The Unity Board has approved the creation of Our Spiritual Community Support Fund. This fund was inspired by a Unity member who offered her government stimulus funds to assist individuals in our spiritual community who need it most. 

WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE FINANCIALLY

·     Send a check to Unity of the Valley, 3912 Dillard Rd., Eugene, OR 97405 with a note designating if it’s for OSCSF or general Unity finances.

·     Send a donation through PayPal using the yellow DONATE button on the home page of our website: unityofthevalley.org. This can be a one-time donation, repeated as often as you wish for different amounts, or a monthly recurring donation for a set amount. Make sure you designate whether you want your donation to be applied to OSCSF or to general Unity finances.

·     Send an email to unityval@riousa.com stating that you wish to pledge a certain amount, possibly from your government stimulus check to the OSCSF or to general Unity finances. Give your phone number so Géna can contact you to arrange how and when you wish to donate.

·     You can write a letter stating you wish to join our Simple Giving Fund to contribute a set amount (state the amount) on a regular basis (state how often) with your bank account routing and account number. Just designate what portion should be used for OSCSF or general Unity finances. Géna, our Office Administrator, opens all our mail in private. So, it is safe to include your account information in a letter, but not in an email.

IF YOU NEED MONETARY ASSISTANCE
To request monetary help, you can write a letter or an email (unityval@riousa.com) directed to the Ministerial Team. Please include the following information:
1. Your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address.
2. Your association with Unity of the Valley.
3. Name of reference at Unity of the Valley (someone who knows you).
4. Brief description of your financial need.
5. How much you are requesting.
6. Do you think your financial needs will require monthly support? 

Requests for monetary help will be reviewed by our Ministerial Team. If a request is approved, the amount granted will be dependent on how many requests we receive and how much money is available in the OSCSF.

Thank you all for being an integral part of our loving and supportive community.