Upcoming Services and Special Events!

Sunday January 26th

Pre-Service Meditation from 10:00-10:15 a.m.  

10:30 a.m. Service – “The Power of Expecting Your Highest Good” will be Jon West’s focus with performances by our Unity choir under the direction of Mo Robeson.

Sunday Februry 2nd

— Before and after the service – Sign-ups for HOSTS for the Circle Suppers being held in March and April are happening in the foyer on Sundays, February 2 and 9.  We need about 8 to 10 hosts! Sign-ups for GUESTS will take place on Sundays, February 9, 16, and 23. If you are unable to sign up on Sundays or need more information, contact Doriandra Smith at crowscloth@gmail.com  or 626-627-2505.

– Pre-Service Meditation from 10:00-10:15 a.m.  

– 10:30 a.m. – Under the title “The Practical Medicine of a Spiritual Community," Jon West will explore what we can realistically do to support those around us facing medical and other physical challenges.

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

WHAT DO YOU VALUE?

A Message from Reverend Sherry Lady

Monday, January 20th we, as a nation, will celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. – our radical human rights revolutionary, our American Gandhi, who had a dream and shared it with not only “us,” but the world as a whole through his words and deeds. Until he was violently removed from our presence, he never wavered from his goal of challenging the values being expressed in our country during those years of the late 1960’s. So much has been written about him and his quest for change in our understanding and expression of human rights, not just for what has been referred to as “his people,” but for all people everywhere. These statements from one of his speeches caught my interest:

“If we are going to get on the right side of the world…we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society…There is nothing to prevent us from reordering our priorities so that the pursuit of peace will take precedence over the pursuit of war.” – MLK, NYC, 1967. He then shared what he values: Equality, Faith, Nonviolence, Education, Love, Leadership, and Selflessness.

I have recently been involved in conversations with friends about what we have come to value over the years of our lives. We agreed that though our basic values have not changed, many very meaningful ones have been added as we have journeyed through Earth School. One set of values expressed by a good friend, who is also one of our congregants, was especially meaningful because of the inclusion of so many expansive things. With his permission, I share these with you. No doubt you will have some of your own, as well.

Alan Reeder Values:
· Love, Love, Love and Respect
· Integrity and Honoring the Truth
· Beauty and Uniqueness
· Inclusion and Honoring Differences
· Community and Belonging
· Humor, Playfulness and Friendliness
· Peace – “Peace is My Middle Name”
· Worship and Contemplation
· Learning, Imagination and Creativity
· Spiritual Exploration
· Prayer and Meditation
· Companionship, Commitment and Being Sentimental
· Family and Friends
· Being Productive and Wise
· Healing and Forgiveness
· Letting Go
· Patience and Hope
· Gratitude and Positive Thinking
· Service, Support, Helping and Sharing
· Joy and Happiness
And - Valuing the Sacredness of all Life.

“What we Think, Feel, Believe and Want determines much of what we experience.” – A.R. 1/20

The act of writing down the things I value – including everything on Alan’s list, which will no doubt continue to expand – has made me also aware of many other little things in each and every day that may not be “list-worthy” but have become shining valued moments in my thoughts.

For example: I value the mind that created drive-up mail box drops so I don’t have to get out of the car in the rain; the person who pumps my gas and always smiles; my traveling teddy bear because he is such a good non-judgmental listener; I also have come to value what may seem like silly things perhaps – toothpaste in a tube because I grew up having to use baking soda and salt and did not like it; fish oil in capsules so I don’t have to take cod-liver oil by spoon; my neighbor’s cat because it stops by to check on me almost every day. I have said to these things out loud (but softly): “Toothpaste tube, by golly I value you… Mailbox, I appreciate your position in life, etc. I have become a constant user of the word “value” and it has been such fun, especially when I remember to tell other people how much they are valued.

The list made by our mutual congregant-friend includes things of Heart, Mind, Soul and Spirit, all of which, when acknowledged, and held with Love and Respect, can make such a difference in our lives and the lives of others. When we live from these values, then who we are, what we do and how we respond can bring about the peaceful revolution so longed for by us all. What would you add to the list? What do you value deep in your heart?

I value you – more than you may know. Thank you for being here, with me, at this time in my life and in our spiritual community.

Sherry

Week of January 20th to January 25th

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Week of January 27th to February 1st

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