Cameron

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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

Inquirers Series swap this week, 6/21

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The Inquirers Series class this week (June 21, 2026) will be Membership 101. The Care & Support class will now be on June 28. This swap is temporary; the regular class sequence will continue after June 28.

Membership 101 is one of the three classes required before signing the membership book. If you’re interested in becoming a signed member of the Fellowship, you can read more on our Path to Membership page.

Democracy Action Team “Get Out the Vote” letters, 6/21

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Let’s Get Writing to GET OUT THE VOTE in the 2026 midterm elections!

Join us to write, ask questions, and share good company – in person on Sunday, June 21, 11:45 am, in the Library or on Zoom on Tuesdays, every week, at 4pm (ZOOM LINK – https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89739152521?pwd=ICCRN0wITf7Ws78wycvpXQckt0iChc.1)

Check out Vote Forward letter writing, get addresses and letter templates, at (https://votefwd.org/get-involved)

Contact Claire Montgomery for information.

A Weekend of Kirtan and Yoga with Saul David Raye, 6/26, 6/27

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Join us for a special set of Kirtan and Yoga! There will be 2 events.

Friday night (June 26, 2026, 7 PM in the Sanctuary) will be a beautiful devotional Heart Medicine Kirtan Concert.

Saturday morning (June 27, 2026, 9:30 AM in the Sanctuary) will be an all levels healing yoga, qi gong and meditation practice with live music called ‘Evolutionary Heart.’

We are looking forward to connecting with friends old & new and sharing some community connection & heart medicine.

Tickets are available at https://ritamhealingarts.com/corvallis-2026/.

Transitions Team History Presentation (Zoom), 7/16

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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

To Be Seen

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From the Minister, June 12, 2026
by Rev. Alex McGee

One of the greatest gifts one human can give another is the recognition of being seen.  This is why babies thrive under attention from parents and community.  This is why you, or I, under duress, do better when we can share vulnerably with another person and feel “seen.”

As Unitarian Universalists, we can offer this gift to each other and people in society who often have to make trade-offs about being seen.  In June, for Pride month, we seek to make space in which people can bring their whole LGBTQ selves to UUFC.  

Further, the Juneteenth acknowledgement reminds us of how many people lived enslaved lives, and then had to wait to be seen as free.

This matter of “being seen” has arisen in a new form in the past week in our country.  The Department of Defense changed the forms that people fill out when enlisting in the military.  No longer can a person check a box to claim the identity of “Unitarian Universalist.”  Now, they are categorized as “Other.”  

Let us not let this pass unnoticed.  Please reach out to the military that you know who are also UU.  Tell them that you see them!  And read more in this statement from the UUA: https://www.uua.org/pressroom/press-releases/uu-military-chaplains-2026

The Right Relations Team is available

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The Right Relations Team is available for conversations about covenant and to support brave spaces where people can move from defensiveness toward resolution.  For the first step, reach out to rev.alex.mcgee@uucorvallis.org.

Members of the Right Relations Team

Mark Aron

Mark has attended the UUFC since 1986.  He has taught in the RE program for nearly all of those 40 years, including working with the teen-age youth group over the past twenty-five plus years.  In 2012-13, he served on a successful search committee that was tasked with finding a new settled minister.  In 2013, he was appointed to the Committee on Ministry, and became its chair several years later.  He chaired this committee until it completed its work in 2025.  He chaired the team that wrote our most recent congregational covenant.

Mark has particular interests in aiding groups to work in constructive patterns.  Specifically, he is committed to helping folks engage in respectful interactions, deep listening, and healthy means of dealing with conflict.  To these ends, he has served on the Right Relations Team since its inception in late 2025.

Susan Christie

Susan Christie and her husband Matt Mathews joined the Fellowship in November 1999. Since then, Susan has sung in the choir, served as secretary of the Board of Directors, led the Climate Action Team, and been a member of the Justice Council, the Democracy Action Team, the Right Relations Team, and the Fellowship Care and Support Team, which provided extensive training on deep listening. Her strength is understanding differing perspectives on social justice and other issues.

Susan is a retired scientific/technical writer and still does pro bono work in support of climate science. She is a strong advocate of bicycle transportation.

Joyce Marvel-Benoist 

With an orientation to helping people communicate and an ability to suspend judgement, Joyce has served as community mediator, life coach, holistic addiction treatment center director, child care center director and special interventions trainer, as well as group facilitator utilizing a mix of NVC (Non Violent Communication), the Option Process, and others.    Program developer and facilitator for trainings focusing on communication, parenting, couples, self care, staff collaboration, emergency procedures, and creative arts.

Joyce and her husband JF Benoist have attended UUFC since 2023 and have assisted with women’s and men’s retreats, offered an empowerment workshop, and enjoyed supporting justice work, as well as groups such as Queerly Beloved and Neuro Diversity Support.  A longtime activist, her approach is open hearted and minded with respect for differing perspectives.

Global Partners Team, 6/14

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With gratitude, the Global Partners Team acknowledges the “countless gifts that have been given – gifts of life and love and sustenance” – and what that brings to our work to deepen our relationships with partners around the world.

Please join us on Sunday, June 14 at 11:30 AM in the Library for our regularly scheduled Team meeting. We will discuss and develop a plan for distribution of funds in the new fiscal year.

Contact GPT lead, Heather E, at this link for more information.