Timeline for UUFC Elections and Annual Meeting 2026

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The UUFC Annual Meeting is coming up on Sunday, May 17, 2026 after worship service. Many things happen at our annual meeting, including voting on who will fill various leadership roles. For exact details, please read the UUFC Bylaws, shown at the bottom of this page.

Here is the timeline of events leading up to this year’s annual meeting.

  • Friday, January 16, 2026: The date of the Annual Meeting is announced
  • Friday, April 17, 2026: Slate of candidates nominated by the Nominating Committee is published
  • Saturday, May 2, 2026: Deadline for any candidates to be nominated by petition (see Bylaws Article III Section 1)
  • Saturday, May 9, 2026: Finalized slate of all nominated candidates is published
  • Sunday, May 17, 2026: Annual Meeting!

Matters Up For Vote

Elected Fellowship Lay Leaders

The Nominating Committee will present a slate of candidates to fill the following roles:

  • Members of the Board of Directors
  • Members of the Nominating Committee
  • Chair of the Personnel Committee
  • Chair of the Financial Oversight Council

Note that the Chair of the Committee on Ministry would normally also be elected at the Annual Meeting, but the work of the Committee on Ministry is paused during our time of Interim Ministry.

Ministerial Search Committee

The Board of Directors will present a slate of candidates to serve as the Ministerial Search Committee, which will be tasked with conducting a search for our next settled minister.

Ways of Voting

Motions are passed by majority vote of those present, which is determined through a verbal Yea/Nay vote.

Voting Members

Voting at the Annual Meeting is only open to people who are signed, active members of the Fellowship. In other words, those who have signed the membership book and maintained active membership. See Bylaws Article II.

There is still time for new members to join before the Annual Meeting! Prospective members are required to attend three of the Inquirers Series sessions before signing the book: #1 Our Shared Values, #2 Transitions Q&A, #8 Membership 101 (or #9 UU Roots). These sessions will be offered before the Annual Meeting, on these dates:

  • Membership 101: April 26
  • Our Shared Values: May 3
  • Transitions Q&A: May 10

If you have already completed any of these sessions, you only need to attend the others. You do not need to repeat a session you’ve already attended, though you are welcome to!

The membership book will be available for signing after the Inquirers Series on May 10, for those who have completed the prerequisites. This will be the last opportunity to sign the membership book before the Annual Meeting. To learn more about membership at the UUFC, see our Path to Membership page.

UUFC Bylaws

The Path to Membership

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Is membership right for you?

We highly encourage all newcomers who are interested in membership to attend all sessions of the Inquirers Series, a series of classes offered every Sunday after worship in a 9-week rotation. The sessions are not just for newcomers and do not need to be completed in a specific order. Sessions begin at 11:45 AM on Sundays in Room 7. 

Attending Our Shared Values, Transitions Q&A, and Membership 101 (or UU Roots) are required before requesting to become a member of the Fellowship. 

  1. Our Shared Values
  2. Transitions Q&A
  3. Building & Grounds Tour
  4. Lifespan Faith Formation
  5. Chalice Circles
  6. Care and Support
  7. Justice and Community Action
  8. Membership 101
  9. Our UU Roots and Q&A

We introduce and welcome new members to the Fellowship during a Sunday morning service. New members will be offered the opportunity to participate but are not required to do so. A short biography to introduce each new member along with a headshot photo for the directory may be requested. More information will be shared during the Membership 101 class.

Final steps to membership

After attending the Inquirers Series, you become a member by signing the Membership Book. This signifies that you choose to align yourself with our mission and values, undertaking the rights and responsibilities of membership.

The Membership Welcome ceremony is offered each quarter; new members are invited to sign the Membership Book and be introduced to the congregation. You may also
arrange to sign the Membership Book in private with the Minister.

New members are invited and encouraged to make a pledge of financial and volunteer support to the Fellowship. This is what stewardship means. Detailed stewardship information is available on the UUFC website under the Donate button.

Seeking highly committed members

Generations of highly committed members have worked to create what you experience at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis today: a dynamic, liberal community of faith devoted to religious learning and growth and to justice, compassion, and peace.

Carefully consider the responsibilities of membership before you make the commitment. Members readily and generously give their time, talents, and financial resources to support the life and mission of the Fellowship. This spirit of generosity and commitment develops over time and is the result of active participation in our programs.

Membership represents a deeper connection to your faith community. Are you prepared to make this kind of commitment by becoming a member?

Why does membership matter?

Membership means taking your religious life seriously, participating in the life of the Fellowship, and supporting the Fellowship with time, talent, and resources according to your means.

Membership means being present and participating in this vital, dynamic congregation, joining hundreds of others as we work for justice, nurture freedom of thought and religious expression, advocate for the worth and dignity of every person, and dedicate ourselves to environmental stewardship.

Membership is required to participate in the governance of the Fellowship: electing and serving on the Board of Directors, who oversee policies and finances. Membership is also required to be eligible to vote at official congregational meetings. In addition, you’ll receive UUWorld, which is the journal of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

Our Mission

Explore. Love. Act.

We gather as an inclusive religious community to search for meaning, build deep connections, and inspire action toward a better world for all.

Cooperative Egg Hunt

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We know many egg hunts are all about gathering as many eggs as you can, as fast as you can. Ours is a little different, and that difference really matters for your child’s experience. Please take a moment to look over the plan so you can help them understand what to expect: a cooperative, shared activity where every child gets one of each color and leaves with a full set of meaningful treasures. When children know ahead of time that this isn’t about collecting as many eggs as possible, they are much more likely to relax, enjoy the process, and feel proud of what they’ve gathered. Your guidance helps make the experience joyful and fair for everyone.

🌈 The Plan

This is a cooperative hunt, not a race.
Everyone helps make sure all children can collect one egg of each of the 7 colors.
Each color corresponds with a value, and each value has a station at one of the tables.

🥚 How It Works

  1. Find one egg of a new color
    • Only take an egg if you haven’t already had that color.
    • If you accidentally get one twice. It’s okay. Just put it back in the grass.
  2. Trade it in right away
    • Bring the one egg to the table that matches its color/value.
    • Trade the egg for a prize that helps you remember that value.
  3. Leave the egg behind
    • Eggs stay at the tables. Only prizes go home.
  4. Repeat
    • Go find a different color and trade it in, until you have visited all 7 value stations.
    • If you’ve found all you need, look around and see who needs help!

🎯 Important Guidelines

  • ✔️ One egg per color per child
  • ✔️ Trade each egg before finding another
  • ✔️ Collect one prize from each station (7 total)
  • ✔️ Most tables have two values, one has one value
  • ✔️ Things run more smoothly if everyone doesn’t go to the same table at the same time, so no need to go in order.

🚧 Safety & Boundaries

  • Stay inside the cones at all times
  • Parents, Guardians, and Grown-ups who brought participants are responsible for supervising their children
  • Volunteers are here to staff tables and answer questions, but their focus is not on monitoring safety boundaries

💛 Remember

We are sharing, helping, and making sure everyone gets what they need.

Take your time. Help each other. Have lots of fun!

Behind the Music: I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now

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Growth and perspective are beautiful parts of any life – and of any community. Today’s piano selections all hold meaning that fit into this Sunday’s theme of spring cleaning and transformation. Growth sometimes asks us to let things go but it also invites us to look more closely at what can be deepened, reshaped, or carried forward.

Today’s service started with a solo piano version of Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing as the prelude. While this classic hymn might have been familiar to anyone who has ever attended a Christian church, I wanted the melody to be in the ears and minds of those for whom it was new. Renowned church composer and arranger Joseph Martin created an ethereal arrangement that turns the musically square tune – referring to its very vertical sense of rhythm, like a slow march – into something flowing and flexible, letting us hear the song immediately before singing without getting tired of it. This hymn was composed in 1758, by Robert Robinson, whose teenage years were spent engaging in frivolities and debauchery. However, upon hearing a sermon on divine grace from preacher/orator George Whitefield (one of the fathers of the Methodist church), Robertson converted and became a pastor himself by the age of twenty-two. The original lyrics were explicitly Christian, but when creating a new Unitarian Universalist hymnal (which we now know as Singing the Living Tradition), the strong bones of this hymn were recognized, and once portions of the original lyrics were rewritten, a beautiful hybrid of traditional and new became part of the UU repertoire.

Turn! Turn! Turn! may be the only example I can think of of an unaltered Bible verse that’s been adapted into a wildly popular hit pop song. The Byrds’ performance of Pete Seeger’s composition became a chart topper in the middle of the Vietnam War and the formation of the 1960’s counterculture. Whether interpreted as a protest song or voicing the idea that change happens, it’s a catchy reminder that transformation unfolds within a larger rhythm. The form and layout of the music mirror the song’s meaning: the repetition of “To everything, turn, turn, turn…” creates a cyclical pattern, echoing the changing of seasons.

Turn! Turn! Turn! was originally meant to be an accompanied vocal solo today, but due to a cold – or perhaps the Willamette Valley’s allergy triggers! – it became a solo piano reflection instead. David Lanz’s rendition (performed here by the arranger) is a particularly lovely way to experience this old favorite.

Both Sides Now is universally loved for so many reasons: its poignant melody and harmonies, its poetic lyrics, and its themes of vulnerability, uncertainty, and perspective. What once seemed simple becomes more complicated upon closer inspection. Our views and beliefs evolve the more we learn. Earlier experiences are not erased, but broadened with greater understanding. When placed in the context of Rev. Alex’s sermon, it begs the questions “When is it time to let something go? And what are we holding on to – and why does it matter?”

The arrangement of Both Sides Now that I played today is from the 2021 film CODA [the acronym for Children of Deaf Adults – swept industry awards a few years ago with its moving portrayal of a gifted singer born to deaf parents. Any and all times that Joni Mitchell has sung Both Sides Now will always be the gold standard against which all other performances are measured against…but I challenge you to not tear up when watching this video of Emilia Jones singing and signing Both Sides Now for her deaf family during her conservatory audition. They can’t hear her gorgeous voice, but they can appreciate the deep meaning behind the words she sings, and understand the weight they carry as her character grows up.

I had a different postlude planned for today, but after the Time for All Ages included the messages that today was Palm Sunday and that being Unitarian Universalist and Christian (or any other religion) need not be mutually exclusive, I had two immediate thoughts. The first was that I would have to play “Hosanna” from Jesus Christ Superstar for the postlude, which was immediately followed by my asking myself question “the UUFC community will know this song…right?” Sometimes I play selections pulled from the musical theatre world that aren’t as well known, but I made a little bet with myself that if I played “Hosanna” today, it would be recognized. I was delighted to see a number of congregants gathered by the piano who not only were familiar with the song but who were joyfully singing along!

April 5, 2026 – Easter: The Story of an Ancient Teacher through Our Current Values

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Easter comes from the Christian tradition, which is part of the UU heritage. The story of the famous teacher, Jesus, contains all the elements of our shared JETPIG values, if we know where to look. This All Ages service, designed by our Director of Religious Exploration, will engage us in surprising ways. Easter Egg hunt after the Service!

Led by DRE Skyla King-Christison and others

Jack’s advice on getting to No Kings III

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The NO KINGS demonstration rally is TOMORROW, March 28, noon to 3 pm.  We obviously have a national crisis and this is our chance as regular citizens to do something about it.  How many people from UUFC will be there?  Let’s help make Corvallis contribute in a big way to making the nationwide attendance far exceed the 7 million that were at the previous NO KINGS in October.

As for transportation to the demonstration, which begins at noon, I recommend taking the bus to avoid hunting for parking near the courthouse.  If you just go to the rally at the courthouse, all the bus routes end at the transit station just a block away from there.  If you want to join the march, which starts at noon at 11th and Monroe, several of the bus routes go right by that intersection.  Check the route maps on the Corvallis Transit System website to find the route that applies to you.  

The march will include songs of resistance, other music, and speeches, not only at the beginning but also at a second half-hour stop at Central Park.  It is scheduled to arrive at the 4th-street rally at 2 pm, just 1 hour before the rally ends.  Personally, I think the rally is the most important part, so I intend to skip the march, or at least part of it, and spend most of my time on 4th Street.  Either way, I strongly encourage everyone one to participate.

Jack Elder

March 27, 2026, by Rev. Alex McGee

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Dear UUFC:

This coming Tuesday, March 31, is International Transgender Day of Visibility.  Here at UU Fellowship of Corvallis, what can that mean?  To begin to explore an answer, I offer these words from Nat Esparza, who serves on the staff of the Unitarian Universalist Association in the Southern Region:

If our communities are acts of creation—who are we imagining into them? 
And who are we leaving out?

If that question makes you uncomfortable—good. Discomfort is where change begins.

Whatever you do next, let it be real. 
Let it be rooted in love. 
Let it be imperfect, human, and ongoing.

Because that’s what true community care looks like. 
That’s what liberation demands.

We’ve been visible. Now it’s time to be heard, to be trusted, and to shape what comes next.

In the end, we all want the same thing— 
To feel less alone. 
To be seen. 
To know that our stories, our lives, and our futures truly matter.

I encourage you to read Nat’s whole article here.

And let’s keep seeing, listening, feeling, living…together.

In peace,
Rev. Alex

Lessons Learned Thus Far in our 2026-27 Stewardship Drive

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Thanks to you all for pondering your commitment to the UUFC as part of our 2026-27 Stewardship Drive and to those who have already completed your stewardship forms. You are appreciated!
As with any activity like this, we are learning new things and reinforcing old lessons as we go. These are some of our discoveries thus far:

  • We all have stories about how the UUFC and its members have had sometimes profound impacts on our lives. We have heard some of these stories as part of our town halls. The next time you have a chance, ask another UUFC member or friend about their favorite Fellowship memories. Community building is part of who we are.
  • We are in the transition time between settled ministers. This is a time to remember the past, explore the present and ponder the future. How have you been, how are you now, and how will you be a UUFC member or friend?
  • Personal information is a concern in today’s world. Your UUFC leadership and staff are aware of the need to keep personal information secure and have instituted new policies and procedures to aid in such.
  • If you want to just have your current year pledge and pledge payment method “rolled” into the coming year, this can be done for you, but you need to give specific permission to have this happen. Talk with Michael Hughes (our treasurer), Scott Bruslind (our Financial Oversight Council Chair) or Stephanie Haines (our operations and business manager) about such.
  • Yes, you can make a pledge by simply writing a check today and including it along with a note that it is your 2026-27 pledge in an envelope that is put in the donation basket on Sunday, in the donation box outside the fellowship hall or mailed to the UUFC. We can deal with prepaid pledges.
  • There is great joy in being part of the UUFC as we face our ever-worrisome world together with those of similar mind. Together we can accomplish great things that none of us can accomplish alone.

If you have any questions at all, please reach out to me or Michael Hughes and we will answer your question or pass you on to someone else on the Stewardship Team.
Scott Bruslind, FOC Chair