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 (4/13/25) service can be watched at https://www.facebook.com/unityofthevalley/videos/4-13-25-strengthening-our-spiritual-foundation/693588770017173/.

THINGS TO BE REMEMBERED
by Rev. Sherry Lady

As we approach the special holiday celebration known in the Christian world as Easter, I went in search of a special message that can be shared with all the world, all people everywhere, regardless of cultural expectations, religious affiliation, or life experiences because that is part of the message of Easter – to celebrate the potential resurrection of the human soul and spirit as demonstrated by the story and teachings inherent in the story that has been shared through over 2,000 years of time. I found one located in a magazine called Weekly Unity, written in October 1936, by Lowell Fillmore, one of the sons of Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, co-founders of Unity. Here are some excerpts from his article titled:

“Things to Be Remembered.”

“Remember that we often find the good in ourselves by searching for it in others. Many of us are inclined to think too much and too seriously about ourselves. This practice causes us to grow lop-sided because it limits our range of thoughts to our own limited viewpoint. To forget yourself by becoming interested in the well-being and aspirations of others will bring rest to your soul. One who thinks continuously about themselves cannot be thoroughly relaxed and rested in mind and body.

Devote a little time each day to resting your soul. During this period put personal problems aside while you enter into the inner Christ presence. Rest a while in the realization of your oneness with universal good. Then go out with your loving thoughts among the multitude, meaning your friends and neighbors and generously ‘preach’ the gospel by giving of yourself. Not your money or your possessions, but your love, your time, your appreciation, your inspiration, your best thoughts, your patience, and your kindness. Forget yourself enough so that you can find and appreciate the other person’s viewpoint. They may have found a better way to do something or to be in the world. If their idea seems better than yours, then they can help you. Maybe yours, on the other hand, can help them….Good thoughts are helpful, but good thoughts put into action are even more helpful. Be free as a bird; rise above all fear...When you have freed yourself of fear, and learned to trust the spirit of the Christ within, you will be more free to help others…We are all one in spirit.

It is so easy to get into the habit of comparing yourself to others. Don’t do this. Just give yourself a little rest once in a while and think of the Christ spirit and of the others’ good. Going into the spirit within allows the love of the Christ to refresh you. Then when you come back you will find you have a newer and clearer insight into the true meaning of how you can be present for the others in the world, and things will not be so difficult to solve as you had thought they would be…You can go into the thick of reality and find a much greater thrill in your faculties of love, appreciation, and good will. As these faculties are exercised by proper use, they will bring happiness and fulfillment to your whole being. From there you can hold good thoughts for others.”

So, what does this have to do with Easter? The Easter story is one of good intentions and love met with fear, mistrust, anger, and eventually violence that came from a state of consciousness attempting to negate the message of love, acceptance, understanding, compassion, hope, peace, and life eternal that could have changed the world forever by placing power, control, and greed above all else in life.  However, 2000+ years later, in spite of it all, the message of love and the desire for the happiness of a people, everywhere, still stands the test of time and speaks to the hearts and souls of those living in the now. As Lowell Fillmore pointed out, it continues to be our role, responsibility, privilege, and joy, to continue to carry forth that message while honoring the messenger for not giving up on what the spirit within called Him to do. We are asked, to do the same, to not give up, to be the voice that has spoken through the ages.

Happy Easter!    

Love,
Sherry 

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THIS WEEK AT UNITY, APRIL 16-19

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.

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 – EASTER, APRIL 20

- 10:30 a.m. Livestream & In-Person Service – “Easter Service: Balancing Personal Peace & Action” with reflections from our Ministerial Team of Sherry, Inge, and Jon. The Unity Easter Choir will perform under the direction of Mo Robeson.

NEXT WEEK, APRIL 21-26

MONDAY
- 5:30-7:00 p.m. – Caring from the Heart, a LGBTQIA++ Support Group. Join Shawn, Erik, and Jalon in the Garden Room on the 1st & 3rd Monday of each month for an opportunity to gather in a safe place to be open and to share, express, and support each other in the LGBTQIA++ community. No judgement and no fear. For more information, contact Erik 541-556-0228.

TUESDAY
- 7:00 p.m. – The April 22nd Behind the Lens film is Rear Window, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, 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. New series starts April 29th.

- 7:00 p.m. – Blessings for the Earth. An Interfaith Earth Day gathering at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 1685 W. 13th Avenue, Eugene. An interactive evening of word, art, music, and movement from different traditions to bless the Earth that gives us life.

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.)

- 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.

NEXT 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.

UPCOMING

Wednesday, April 30 (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, May 1

• (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, May 3 (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 that incorporates May’s theme of “The Magic of You.”

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 April Bulletin has been posted. You can check it out at http://unityofthevalley.org/April2025/April2025.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.