by John Daubney
There are those among us who are naturally inclined to be “out front” or to be drawn to leadership positions and we welcome and embrace and are enriched by those men and women. There are also, however, as Glyne Griffith points out, men and women who are by nature more reserved and with a tendency to observe rather than to become more involved. What his story points out, however, is that they too, can be attracted to service as they allow themselves to be touched by the Unity message and the genuine friendliness and acceptance they experience from the congregation. When that happens Spirit may naturally move them to want to contribute in a way that is in line with their talents and gifts and sometimes stretch beyond self-imposed limits.
I first came to Unity of Albany about three years ago, and did so as a result of helping a friend of a friend. My friend, Mary, from Barbados called me and said that her closest friend, Sonia, had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She indicated that her friend wanted a second opinion and so I got in touch with an oncologist here in Albany. Mary and Sonia then travelled from Barbados to Albany and spent three weeks at my home. Sonia was then able to receive the second opinion she desired and the medical treatment that made a difference in the overall outcome of her early diagnosis and successful treatment.
The three weeks that my two friends from Barbados spent with me coincided with the Easter period and so on Good Friday we all attended a Catholic mass and the Stations of the Cross. Sonia then searched online for a Unity Church and located this church, where we all attended Easter Service. So, on that Easter Sunday three years ago, I attended Unity church in Albany for the very first time. I recall that we were all moved by Reverend Jim’s message and by the way he delivered it. After the service, my friends decided to go downstairs for extended fellowship and I followed them. I was intrigued by how relaxed and friendly everyone was. Nobody approached us to pressure us to join Unity or any such thing. I remember appreciating that very much.
What attracted me to Reverend Jim’s delivery that Sunday was that he embraced other religious traditions and he also invited the congregation to go into a meditative mindset during the service. His approach to Christian practice seemed to me to invite the questioning mind; even the skeptical mind. I absolutely loved this approach and found myself returning to Unity in Albany, Sunday after Sunday, long after my two friends had returned to Barbados. I also realized that part of what I found so fulfilling about each Sunday service at Unity was the spiritual message and connection and comfort I experienced through the music. The songs were always lively and contemporary and they engendered a contemplative mood.
For many weeks I attended service and felt the warmth and movement of Spirit throughout the congregation, but I was reluctant to actively participate. By nature, I’m not a joiner, but more of a spectator who likes to stay on the sidelines for as long as I can and observe and contemplate. Eventually, however, after speaking with Geri Ann Laiacona and Debbie Singer I decided to volunteer in the Unity bookstore. This was my first active involvement in terms of service, and I volunteered in the bookstore every third Sunday for several months. Many months later, when Heather Diddel phoned me and indicated that, through its process of discernment, the Board of Trustees was asking me to consider serving as a member of the Search and Find team to select our new minister, I immediately agreed to serve. It’s true that I still don’t think of myself as a joiner, and I still prefer to be an observer on the sidelines, but the feeling of being called to act in service and to be responsible can take me out of myself.
Because of my tendency to “remain on the sidelines” I can’t honestly say that I’m a role model for participation and service. There are so many others folks like Patricia Hunt-Perry, Rob Geyer, Orissa Skipper, John Frederick, and many others, here at Unity, who consistently model service. What I can say about my own experience of service at Unity is that sometimes I feel as though I’m becoming involved despite myself, and despite my tendency to hang back and be an observer.
I would therefore say to anyone who, like me, has been hesitant to actively serve, to pay attention to what you feel called and moved to do. If someone like me can learn to serve, then indeed anyone can heed the call to service. The benefits and rewards are that you will move beyond yourself and your own feelings of limitation. You will feel part of something that is so much more than yourself and your own personal, daily concerns. That experience is a most freeing and deeply spiritual experience, and has helped me to feel the warmth and embrace of that Spirit that is Unity.
Namaste.