Weeklies – Text Only

WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS – text only

Sunday Services

Sunday Worship Service: Deep Listening

July 12, 2026 at 10:00 AM

Humans can have profound transformation when another person offers focused, non-judgmental listening. Thea Hart and Alex McGee will explore what groups in UU life can offer this experience, and how we integrate it into other parts of our lives.

Services This Month

Sunday Worship Service: The Meaning of Freedom?

July 5, 2026 at 10:00 AM

What does Freedom mean to you, especially as you ponder the July 4 holiday? Rev. Alex will explore the many meanings of freedom.

Sunday Worship Service: Deep Listening

July 12, 2026 at 10:00 AM

Humans can have profound transformation when another person offers focused, non-judgmental listening. Thea Hart and Alex McGee will explore what groups in UU life can offer this experience, and how we integrate it into other parts of our lives.

Sunday Worship Service: A Release Service

July 19, 2026 at 10:00 AM

Summer in our society can be a time of transitions: such as graduations and preparing for new schools, or moving for new jobs. It’s been a year since Rev. Jill’s last service on July 13, 2025. Perhaps doors have opened or closed in your life. Such milestones are a good time to have a ritual of release, and we will experiment with dissolving paper to acknowledge and let go of things that are past, celebrating blessings and releasing burdens. Rev. Alex will lead.

From the Minister

  • June 19, 2026
    Rev. Alex McGee, serving as Interim Minister

    Dear Congregation:

    I am writing to lift up three things right now in the life of your UU Fellowship:  history, right relations, and UU connections beyond this town.

    First, please take seriously the responsibility as a member to reflect on the history of UUFC.  You have a wonderful opportunity coming up on June 28 or July 16 to hear and see a thoughtful and informative presentation from the Transitions Team.  The Transitions Team is tasked with aiding in the interim process, which includes considering what pressures, opportunities and crossroads affected the Fellowship that you are in today.  I have been impressed over the past six months to see the hundreds of hours that this team has put into gathering UUFC to offer you.  Please look for a chance to talk about UUFC history with the Team members:  Russ Anderson, Laurie Reed, Sheryl Stuart, Rachel Houtman, and Robin Lancaster.

    Second, this congregation has utilized a Right Relations Team in the past to help with certain situations.  Last Winter, the Board activated a Right Relations Team to be maintained as a regular resource for listening and facilitating, as well as sharing tools with the congregation.  Right now, the members are Susan Christie, Claudia Hall, Joyce Marvel-Benoist, and Mark Aron, working in conjunction with the Minister.  All are skilled in interpersonal relations, and in addition, are looking at UUA resources designed to strengthen Right Relations Teams.  If you would like to access their assistance, please let me know and I will make the connection, or reach out to one of them and they will circle me in.

    Third, I am so rejuvenated by attending General Assembly and UU Ministry Days online this week!  I see such amazingly thoughtful processes, such as having five GA support teams:

    • Covenant Team to help when relations are ruptured
    • Systemic Justice Team to track structural improvements for future events
    • Accessibility Team to reduce barriers to participation
    • Chaplaincy Team to hold spiritual space for individuals
    • Process Team to report at the end of each session how they observed inclusion, lack of inclusion, or other variations from the democratic goals 

    So, I wonder…what if UUFC had all five of these teams?  Is that a dream you share?  Do you already achieve some of these in other ways?  I think you do.

    Please mark your calendar for June 23-27, 2027 to attend General Assembly in San Jose, CA, or online from here in Corvallis.

    My heart is bolstered by a sermon given on Wednesday by the Rev. Joseph Santos-Lyons, who said “belonging means staying in relationship despite disappointment.”  He defined accountability as “mutual and liberating relationship with one another.”  He reflected on times when he was frustrated and let down by Unitarian Universalism.  He observed:  “the most important part of the story is not that I stayed, but the people who helped me stay.”  And so I ask you in the UU Fellowship of Corvallis: how are you practicing belonging, accountability, and helping others stay?

    With care,
    Rev. Alex McGee
    June 2026

This Week at UUFC

Announcements

  • Email Scam Alert

    If you receive an email inviting you to a special event and asking you to click a link to view the invite or view the card, DO NOT CLICK THE LINK. The invite will probably come from an email address you recognize, belonging to another person at the Fellowship who fell victim to the scam. Please delete the email and inform Cameron at comms@uucorvallis.org that you were targeted.

  • Outreach Offerings for July

    Our July Monthly Outreach offering will support Authentic Hope.

    Authentic Hope is a non-profit counseling center located in Corvallis, Oregon. They provide individual therapy for adults, children, teens, young adults, including the LGBTQ+ community, and support clients and their families who struggle with anxiety, grief, and trauma recovery.

    Read more at authentichopeoregon.org.

  • New Board Secretary, John Bailey!

    The new Board of Directors has begun their service! John Bailey is now serving as Secretary of the Board, and so has taken ownership of the email address secretary@uucorvallis.org. Priscilla Galasso will no longer be checking the Secretary email. If you wish to reach Priscilla, please look up her contact info in our online member directory.

    You can see the entire Board of Directors, and the contact info for the Officers, at uucorvallis.org/about/board/.

  • 2025-26 Services Auction Feedback Request

    In 2026, for the first time, the Services Auction was held off-campus. This was an experiment, and we ask for feedback using the linked form https://forms.gle/XerdBHzwPQmj2MZ2A to share their views on the Scout Lodge and their preferences with respect to hosting future auctions at UUFC, the Scout Lodge, or, potentially, other off-campus sites. Responses will be used by the fundraising team in making its recommendation to the Finance Council and Board on the venue for future Auctions.

    If more than one adult in your household attended the Auction at the Scout Lodge, please ask them to also complete the form https://forms.gle/XerdBHzwPQmj2MZ2A.

    Questions: Michael Hughes treasurer@uucorvallis.org.

  • Jam, Cookie, Peanut Butter, and Fudge Hutch Open

    The goodie hutch operated by Nora C., Donn A., and Holley L. is open at 2921 NW Ashwood Drive in NW Corvallis! All money collected goes to Linn-Benton Food Share. Please help feed hungry people!

    The stand is at the top of the driveway. The house is surrounded by a high deer fence, so you can’t miss it. Ashwood is one block from Elmwood, heading towards Walnut.

    One jar of jam is $7. Two or more are $6 each.

      To go with jam, there is homemade peanut butter, 100% peanuts at $4 per jar, made by Donn Z. He also makes the amazing oatmeal-chocolate chip-raisin cookies $1 each or 6 for $5.

      Holley L. makes old-fashioned chocolate fudge, grainy dark chocolate like your grandma used to make from a 1946 recipe. It’s $1 per square, 6 for $5.

      The stand is always open and works on the honor system. Take your goodies (put in a bag if you like in bottom right cubby) and put cash or check to LeoNora Cohen in the envelope in upper right cubby.

      THANK YOU FOR HELPING LINN-BENTON FOOD SHARE!

    Plan Ahead

    • UUA Common Read: Social Change Now!, 7/14

      Join the Justice Council and RE Council for a group exploration of this year’s UUA Common Read. The book this year is Social Change Now: A Guide for Reflection and Connection by Deepa Iyer (Skinner House). This book provides tools for Unitarian Universalists to grow more authentic, connected, and effective as individuals and communities as we pursue transformative justice together.

      If you have questions or need assistance purchasing the book, contact Robin Lancaster.
      Please register using this form: https://uufc.breezechms.com/form/CommonRead2026

      Deadline to register is July 6!

      Childcare is available!

      Free childcare can usually be arranged for any Fellowship event by using this link 1-2 weeks prior to the event.

    • Transitions Team History Presentation (Zoom), 7/16

      The Transitions team is responsible for supporting and advising our interim minister during this time of transition. Generally speaking, the work of interim ministry can be expressed in five areas of emphasis: History, Mission, Leadership, Connections, and Future.

      This presentation will focus on the first area: History. Join us for an exploration of what the Transitions team has learned about the history of the Fellowship and how it has changed through time.

      Thursday, July 16 at 7 PM on Zoom. Link here: https://zoom.us/j/98559780585?pwd=Ztv0hVfYM7mLH26zXxzH9gXPXApPyt.1

    • Pollinator Garden Celebration, 7/19

      This event celebrates completion of the new Pollinator Garden! There will be a cake after the service and tours of the new garden.

      Sunday, July 19 at 11:30 AM outside the Social Hall.

    Connect Up/Affinity Groups this Week