OK, see if you can follow my logic this week. Unity makes me think of the only church I have ever attended with any regularity in my adult life. I picked it in the beginning as a reaction to the oppressive and emotionally blackmailing religious upbringing I had survived. When I first found it, Unity of Bellevue seemed like the place where all the peacenik, flower children had landed.
So I stayed…well, off and on, for more than 40 years now.
I stayed for the open mindedness. I stayed because they had the Galaxy painted on the ceiling of the kids Sunday School area. I stayed because they had a class called The Joy of Sects….go ahead…say it out loud. I stayed because there were these beautiful banners hanging all over the sanctuary, banners of Jewish symbols, because Unity of Bellevue shared it’s building with a local, slightly rebellious Jewish community leaving their main synagogue. I stayed for the workshops and guest speakers, like The Three Amigos (a Unity Pastor, Jewish Rabbi and Muslim Sheikh…Listen at your leisure for a wonderful talk.)
But mostly I kept returning to the Unity church for the music. Every summer in August, they had a service that was a great celebration of music from 40 years before. My favorites were the years 1967 and 1968. It was just music and congregation members standing up and speaking about what that music or year meant to them. I totally regressed and stayed up all night making “love Beads”. Then during the service that Sunday, I wandered through the audience putting necklaces around people’s necks! (Flashbacks of Woodstock!)
Many incredible musicians at this little church but my favorite was these two women named Garnett Hundley and Beverly Daugherty. http://www.garnettandbeverly.com/
Just about anything they sang (and they had a spectacular variety) was fun or beautiful or inspirational.
This is a long way to get to my song for this week, but the following is one of my favorites songs by those two women I would hear at the Unity church. Maybe not their most beautiful or modern piece, but the message for me is the thing!!
Wish I’d heard this as a squashed kid!!!
Couldn’t find the lyrics but again, their website is http://www.garnettandbeverly.com/
Thought I’d include info about this weekly challenge.
Here are the “rules”:
- Post the lyrics to the song of your choice, whether it fits the theme or not
- Please try to include the songwriter(s) – it’s a good idea to give credit where credit is due and it’s honestly just a simple Google search
- Make sure you also credit the singer/band and provide a link to where you found the lyrics
- Link to the YouTube video, or pull it into your post so others can listen to the song
- Ping back to this post or my own Song Lyric Sunday post
- Read at least one other person’s blog so we can all share new and fantastic music and create amazing new blogging friends in the process
Feel free to use the Song Lyric Sunday badge by copying it into your post or add it to your site to show you are participating.
https://helenswordsoflife.com/2018/03/10/song-lyric-sunday-theme-for-3-11-18/
I’m not much of a church person. I love the community of church, the people, the feelings shared, but I find the dogma of religious belief unhelpful and more a distraction than support. Having said that, I, like Kathie, found the Unity Church of Bellevue (for the most part) refreshing in its acceptance and the music the best part. These ladies are special and listening to them sing was always a great pleasure. Even my curmudgeonly ways fell aside when I listened to them sing. And there were so many other great musicians who shared their talent at this church. But, like all political organizations (and I think religion in the final analysis ends up being political) the changing leadership overcame what attracted me to attending, and I stopped going. Even the fabulous music wasn’t enough to offset the limited mindset of the new ministers. I’ve heard things have changed since I stopped going so maybe I’ll check them out again. For sure, though, I’d love to hear these ladies sing anytime.
The way you describe your church upbringing pretty much describes my own, which is why I went off in never-land and found my own spiritual beliefs. I don’t think my dad will ever quite forgive me. I’m betting he’ll change his tune once he moves on and finds that perhaps things aren’t quite as he believed. You never really know, though, do you?
Anyway, I loved how you arrived at your pick and the choice itself. I was prepared for a ballad, so I was surprised when it started playing. I love the message! I could listen to this all day!!
Thanks so much for sharing! (I apologize for my long-winded response)
Not to long winded for me! So glad you liked the song. To hear some amazingly complimentaey voices and a variety of music treat yourself to more of their music. Laughter all the way to goosebumps and a lump in the throat!
Lovely. Thanks again!!
Very interesting talk video. I liked hearing the Three Amigos. The song by the ladies is really fun! 🙂
As the granddaughter of a Methodist pastor, I spent MORE than my share of time in church growing up. But I can honestly say the best and most influential messages FOR ME were always full of lively, uptempo music. These ladies are great! 💯
If only going to church were like sitting in a room with those 3! Australia doesn’t have a great relationship with the Catholic Church right now. Probably fair to say not just the Catholics either. And 9 years of catholic school proved to be enough. Cheers,H