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 (5/11/25) service can be watched at https://www.facebook.com/unityofthevalley/videos/5-11-25-expanding-our-connections-in-unity/1892382998240767/.

Thinking We Know What's Wrong With Each Other
A message from Jon West

While it may be hard to see right now, our world is gradually moving toward recognizing the common humanity and worth of every person. But even we who believe in our essential unity can still carry seeds of division and discord, often planted in childhood.

If I had one overarching fear during my early school years, it was being seen as flawed and therefore not acceptable to my peers. Sometimes the issue was my clothes, like when a lack of clean laundry led me to wear a pair of my sister’s bell-bottoms to my second-grade class. I had no idea my fellow students would notice the gender switch so easily! I also felt flawed when I was picked next-to-last for kickball. And when students were told to pair up, and I was left without a partner...and feeling two feet tall.

Stored in our memory banks are every time we were criticized, ridiculed, bullied, or even just ignored. Having been stung countless times this way, no wonder we humans tend to criticize and find fault with others. That’s how we’ve been trained! Wouldn’t it be informative to see a tally of all the criticizing we've done in the past month? I’m not referring to voicing our views about national issues, but something closer to home: our personal critiques of those around us.

One of my favorite quotes from Jesus is in Matthew 7:3-5: “Why look at the speck in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” Similarly, in the Bhagavad Gita, chapter 16, "restraint from fault-finding" is listed as one of the saintly virtues.

Within our Unity community, we have a strong respect for the differences that make us unique. But that doesn’t make us immune to quibbling about defects we think we’ve detected in others, even when it’s none of our business or based on a lack of in-depth knowledge. Underlying our resistance to accepting people as they are is a belief in our own superiority. Yet that is likely a defense for something deeper: the stored-up fear and insecurity from when we first got the message, we were less than whole ourselves.

Clearly, this is a common mental trap. So it may seem unrealistic to think we can escape it simply by practicing Unity principles like seeing the Divine in ourselves and everyone around us. Perhaps we need to address some mental health issues, like unresolved trauma. But along with any inner work we do, don’t discount the power of Truth, affirmed on a daily basis, to transform our outlook.

In fact, if you are ever disturbed by seeing me in bell-bottoms, try affirming: “It’s all Spirit. It's all Spirit.” And remember that includes you, me, and the pants as well!

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THIS WEEK AT UNITY, MAY 14-17

WEDNESDAY
- 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – Journey of the Soul. Join Kaiven in the Garden Room on the 2nd & 4th Wednesday of each month for a small group meeting where we share our light, life, and love on our spiritual journey. For more info., contact Kaiven at 541-933-2588.

- 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 - 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.

SATURDAY
– 7:30 p.m. – Tannahill Weavers Concert. Tickets: $27.50 or $30 at door. Tickets at: https://turningtidesmusic.ticketspice.com/tanahill-weavers-from-scotland.

THIS SUNDAY – MAY 18

- 10:30 a.m. Livestream & In-Person Service – “Reaching Out to the Larger Community” with Laura DuBois. We will also be welcoming New Members during the service.

NEXT WEEK, MAY 19-24

MONDAY
- 5:30-7:00 p.m. – Caring from the Heart, a LGBTQIA++ Support Group. Join Shawn, Erik, Alice, 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
- 6:30 p.m. – Board of Trustees Meeting will be held in the Garden Room and via Zoom. All are welcome to attend. If you would like to attend via Zoom or speak at the meeting, please contact Bonnie Paquin at 541-556-9669 or blpaquin2@gmail.com.

- 7:00 p.m. – The May 20th Behind the Lens film is Ordet, directed by Carl Theodor Dryer, 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.

- 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.

WEDNESDAY
- 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 – MAY 25

- 10:30 a.m. Livestream & In-Person Service – “Reaching Out to the World” with guest speaker Dr. Michael Dreiling. 

UPCOMING

Thursday, May 29 (7:30 p.m.) – Oasis Ensemble Concert – An evening of beautiful chamber music. Suggested donation: $20 adults, $10 students.

Wednesday, June 4 (7:00-9:00 p.m.) – Rhythms of the Soul, a night of Enchanting Kirtan with Ananda Das. Tickets $25 advance/$35 at door. Tickets at https://app.brightstarevents.com/event/7abe15d7-eac7-4fdf-bebb-dfbf598eca84.

Friday & Saturday, 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, dry, and sorted into separate bags, #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://www.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

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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.