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 (3/10/24) service can be watched at https://www.facebook.com/unityofthevalley/videos/1947203512403672.
ANT POWER
from Rev. Sherry Lady
As I laid the soup spoon on the counter, I noticed something very small moving across the corner heading toward the dish rack. It was a very small sized triangular shaped piece of spinach and it was moving at a fairly steady pace. Then all of a sudden it teetered, stopped moving, and out from under it came a very small ant. Fascinated by the apparent strength of such a small creature, I decided to see what it would do next.
Much to my surprise it re-entered where it had come from and began to try to move the piece of spinach once again. It looked like it might succeed, but it didn’t. So it crawled back on again and went about one third of the way around and tried again – twice. That attempt failed as well, but not the determination of the little determined ant I named Jimmy, in honor of an ant story I have on tape told by Garrison Keillor. So I spoke to Jimmy, encouraging him to not give up. I don’t know if he understood, but with all the determination of a child who sees a dish of ice cream within reach, Jimmy went to another corner of the leaf fragment and tried again. He was able to push it a tiny bit forward.
I assumed he was about to give up his prize, which he might have been trying to take back to his family. Then I realized he had another plan in mind. Out from under the tray of my dish rack, came two other ants heading in Jimmy’s direction. Evidently he had called out for help, or maybe they were watching to see if they were needed. In any case, they all took positions around the leaf and slowly the bit of leaf began to move in a direction that seemed to be determined by these plucky three.
At that point my phone rang. I had to leave the scene and go into the living room to answer it where it lay on my coffee table. I made a hurried conversation and said I needed to take care of something. I had to find out what happened with Jimmy and his friends, but I refrained from sharing with the office manager on the phone what I was up to – for obvious reasons. When I got back into the kitchen, Jimmy, friends, and the bit of spinach leaf were gone. I looked everywhere I could think of, but it was definitely not in my sight. I will never know where they all ended up, but the perhaps silly little event did give me something to think about, besides the Frank Sinatra song that has lyrics referring to an ant and a rubber tree plant.
First of all, it seemed to me that Jimmy’s heart was really into his task. He had a purpose, and he stuck with his goal. Secondly, when he got into a difficult place with that task, he either called on friends to help, or they cared enough about him and his challenge to offer their services. Thirdly, the task was completed because of both the ability to stay with a task, and to ask for help, or be willing to receive it, when offered. What a beautiful visual example for our lives.
We can accomplish anything if we have the heart to do it, and if we really believe in ourselves, we can reach out to friends to help us along the way, or accept their caring if they are one step ahead of us and offer it. Our church is full of very kind, creative people and there are a lot of opportunities to be of service in the interest of the “ant nest” and all its occupants.
To this end we have our “Love in Action” sign-ups and our rejuvenated “Angel Network” that are open to having us be there for each other in any way that interests us, or even just if we are needed. In fact, all of our wonderful ministries offer ideas, guidance, support, caring and so much love that we as “Jimmys” have no need to feel alone or unsupported. If we do, and we all do at some time or another – remember to reach out and ask. We can move anything when we walk together in Spirit. How blessed we are. (No matter how you feel about little ants, all creatures can teach us about life, can’t they?)
Happy to be on the planet.
Love,
Sherry
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THIS WEEK AT UNITY, MARCH 13-16
WEDNESDAY
- 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.
- 4:00-5:00 p.m. - Unity Grief Support Group facilitated by Rev. Inge Tarantola meets in the Garden Room and via Zoom. Confidentiality observed. For more information, contact Rev. Inge Tarantola at 541-968-5540 or ingetarantola@gmail.com.
THURSDAY
- 12:00-1:00 p.m. – Prayer Shawl Ministry potluck gathering in the Fellowship Hall. Come and knit or crochet a prayer shawl that will bless people who are going through a difficult time. No experience necessary!
- 1:00-2:30 p.m. – Unity’s Elder Council meets in the Garden 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.
- 3:30-5:00 p.m. – Therapeutic Touch in the upstairs Fillmore Wing. The NW Therapeutic Touch Institute is offering Therapeutic Touch (TT) sessions for those who have taken the classes, those interested in TT, and for those who would simply like to experience a calming, healing TT session. For more information, contact Bev Forster, RN, QTTT, at 541-520-9358.
- 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.
SATURDAY
- 10:30 a.m.-Noon – Piece of the Puzzle, Part of the Whole Volunteer Appreciation Brunch. Your Shared Leadership Team would like to honor you and express our appreciation for your gifts of time, talent, generosity, love, and service to this community. R.S.V.P. to Géna at 541-345-9913, ext. 11 to join us for food, frivolity, and festivity!
THIS SUNDAY, MARCH 17
- 9:00-10:20 a.m. – Sunday Morning Book Study Group. Join Cynthia Fulton-Tinawi in the Rainbow Room for the study of the book Spiritual Awakenings by Barbara Harris Whitfield. For more information, contact Cynthia at 216-466-1897.
- 10:30 a.m. Livestream & In-Person Service – Lessons from St. Paddy” with Rev. Sherry Lady.
- After the Service – Love-in-Action signups in the Fellowship Hall. Representatives from each volunteer ministry will be in the Fellowship Hall after the service to provide information and to help volunteers sign up. Come see how your volunteering can make a difference!
- 12:15-1:00 p.m. – Youth Choir meets in the Garden Room. Ages 6 years to young adult. Led by our wonderful Music Director, Laura DuBois.
NEXT WEEK, MARCH 18-23
MONDAY
- 7:00-8:30 p.m. – Choir Practice in the Sanctuary. If you would like to be a part of the choir, contact Mo Robeson at 541-520-8489.
TUESDAY
- 6:30 p.m. – Board of Trustees Meeting will be held via Zoom this month. All are welcome to attend. If you would like to attend or speak at the meeting, please contact Serenee Smith at sereneeheart@yahoo.com.
- 7:00 The March 19th Behind the Lens film is Harvey, directed by Henry Koster, followed by a Q&A session with Tom Blank. Cost is $30 for series or $5 per time. Registration forms in the Fellowship Hall.
- 7:00-9:00 p.m. – Unity Open Men’s Circle in the upstairs Fillmore Wing. The Men’s Circle is a safe container where a man can openly and authentically share about his life, with the support and in the company of other men. Meets on the 1st & 3rd Tuesday of each month. For more information, contact Raymond Albano at 541-285-3943 / ralbano.tmlp@gmail.com or Jim Drews at 541-731-8492 / drewsjim@yahoo.com.
NEXT SUNDAY, MARCH 24
- 10:30 a.m. Livestream & In-Person Service – Palm Sunday: Lessons from the Joy & Heartbreak of Jesus’ Journey” with Laura DuBois.
UPCOMING
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27 (6:30-8:00 p.m.) - Youth & Family Fun Night in the Garden Room. Calling all adults with children to join us in the Garden Room for an evening of Easter Bingo, a visit from the Easter bunny, and food too. Free, but donations welcome. R.S.V.P. to Alice Sparks at 541-729-3817.
SATURDAY, APRIL 6 (10:30 a.m.-Noon) – Sacred Women’s Circle in the upstairs Fillmore Wing. Join Géna on the first Saturday of each month for a time of connecting, meditating, and doing a fun project that incorporates the theme for that month’s gathering. April’s theme is Enhancing Our Sacred Journey.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES/NEEDS
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.
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.
UNITY COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS/OPPORTUNITIES
Our March Bulletin has been posted. You can check it out at http://unityofthevalley.org/pdfs/March2024.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 (KINDERGARTEN-5th GRADE) We currently offer fun and inspiration for the kids. There is a puppet show each Sunday for the first 10 minutes. Parents are asked to drop off their children starting at 10:20 a.m.
UNITEENS (GRADES 6-8) meets in the upstairs Treehouse room from 10:25 to 11:25 a.m.
UNITY TEEN GROUP (GRADES 9-12). The Unity Teen Group meets from 10:25 to 11:25 a.m. in the Rainbow Room with guidance from Jim Drews.
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.