WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS – text only
Sunday Services
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This Week:
January 25, 2026 – Why Church?
“Why Church?” Community, exploration, redemption, forgiveness, exchange, justice – what the heck is church for? Let’s talk about why church matters.
Guest speaker Rev. Mitra Rahnema is a lifelong Unitarian Universalist and graduate of Starr King School for the Ministry. She has offered ministry to congregations in Missouri, Michigan, and California. Mitra is editor of the 2017 book and UUA Common Read, “Centering: Navigating Race, Authenticity, and Power in Ministry.” She is dedicated to building vibrant and engaged anti-oppressive communities. Mitra lives in Portland, OR.
Services This Month
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January 25: Why Church?
“Why Church?” Community, exploration, redemption, forgiveness, exchange, justice – what the heck is church for? Let’s talk about why church matters.
Guest speaker Rev. Mitra Rahnema is a lifelong Unitarian Universalist and graduate of Starr King School for the Ministry. She has offered ministry to congregations in Missouri, Michigan, and California. Mitra is editor of the 2017 book and UUA Common Read, “Centering: Navigating Race, Authenticity, and Power in Ministry.” She is dedicated to building vibrant and engaged anti-oppressive communities. Mitra lives in Portland, OR.
February 1: Forgiveness
Forgiveness can sometimes feel elusive or confusing. But humans throughout the ages continue to grapple with forgiveness. Let us consider what is ready to be heard in our hearts and put into action now.
Rev. Alex McGee will preach
February 8: Reconciliation
Cheap forgiveness may be falsely labeled as reconciliation — but the risks are great. So, today, let us consider the many steps of accountability that are often necessary before true reconciliation is possible. Because around the world and in the home, true reconciliation allows fresh possibilities in life.
Rev. Alex McGee will preach
February 15: Love
What do we need to talk about in our Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on the day after Valentine’s Day? Come find out!
Rev. Alex McGee will preach
February 22: Shelter and Community Care
For several decades, Corvallis has grappled with challenges of what it means to have safe housing for all and shelter accessible to those in need. This UU Fellowship has played a role in many ways. Come reflect on the history of the congregation’s collaboration with Unity Shelter, current local issues, and what might be possible in the future.
Shawn Collins, Executive Director of Unity Shelter, will be our guest speaker. Shawn got his first look at the realities of homelessness and poverty in the Willamette Valley through his volunteer experiences at the South Corvallis Food Bank. After leaving HP in 2016, Shawn worked at United Way of Benton & Lincoln Counties, as the Program Manager for the Housing Opportunities Action Council (HOAC) through 2019. He was instrumental in securing the site that would become the Corvallis Men’s Shelter in 2017.
March 1: Inspiration from our Partner Church in Transylvania
Last Fall, several members of UUFC went to visit our Partner Church in Transylvania. Today they will share information, illumination, and inspiration: history of partner churches at UUFC; how they observed resilience in action; how Unitarianism there reflects Christian roots; and rituals that were transformative.
Janet Throop, Linda Bruslind, Scott Bruslind, and Patricia Parcells will speak.
From the Minister
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Responding to Painful Times
Dear Friends:
What painful times we are living in. What has prepared us to respond to this? Perhaps we are ill prepared in some ways, but in other ways, we can learn. Our Unitarian siblings in Romania lived under a dictator and learned to be sly in preserving their heritage and to teach their children carefully and quietly. We can do that, too.
Those among us who are accustomed to living with oppression know about keeping humor close at hand and not letting an oppressor take away one’s inner dignity, even while confined. Let us follow that model. When the pressure is on, hate is too easy. Those who have lived in a police state remind us to be kind to those living through this horror alongside us.
Build up the songs that uplift you so you can lead the singing in the prison cell.
Memorize the words that strengthen you so you can silently recite them while others would torment you.
Like many black people in this country, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. navigated a government that sought to dehumanize his people. Let us learn from his life experience and others who are not famous, yet whose steady non-violent training gave them great influence.
On Monday, in honor of that struggle and hope, may you find a way to deepen your spiritual muscles for our justice work, and for sustaining neighborly care.
With respect and tenderness,
Rev. AlexSomewhere we must come to see that human progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and the persistent work of dedicated individuals who are willing to be co-workers with God.
From “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution” By Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Delivered at the National Cathedral, Washington, D.C., on 31 March 1968.
