The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis
david The future is a mystery, no matter how much we try to imagine it. How the week ahead will unfold is a mystery! It’s always good to help ourselves manage our fears and anxieties, to try limit the ways we pass them on to others and wear ourselves out in the process. We can support each other; we can practice together.
with Rev. Jill McAllister
Don’t forget: Daylight Savings Time ends early on Nov. 3 – which means an extra hour of sleep or relaxing before coming to the Fellowship.
Nov. 3 “Shine Your Light” Rev. Jill McAllister
Nov. 10 “The Great Mystery” Rev. Jill McAllister
Nov. 17 “Who Is My Neighbor” Rev. Jill McAllister
Nov. 24 “Thanksgiving or Gratitude” Rev. Jill McAllister
Our November Justice Outreach offering will support the Corvallis Daytime Drop-in Center (CDDC). CDDC is a community-based resource hub providing information, referral, and direct services for people experiencing homelessness and poverty in Benton County and beyond.
To learn more about their work, visit the CDDC website.
Donations can be made in person on Sundays, or on the UUFC website, uucorvallis.org/donate
For all of us who wish so deeply that the world might soon become less chaotic, less confusing, more comfortable for us, the world itself is the answer. It is nothing but complexity – the intertwining of every living thing – the interbeing of everything. It is not just a game of winners and losers, of “sides,” unless we accept that the sides are infinite in number. In this enormous and mostly incomprehensible complexity, we are still given our breath every day. An invitation to be alive, to keep going.
A few years ago, as I considered the world the way it was then – so much seemed so horrifying – I shared this poem from Mark Nepo as a prayer to begin a day.
“Every day, we are challenged to love what we’re given as much as what we want. We don’t have to like the things we’re given, but we need to find a way to accept them. And love is the surest way to deepen our acceptance. And so, we must stay devoted to getting up one more time than we fall down. To waking up one more time than we fall asleep. To being sensitive one more time than we are blunt and cumbersome. To listen one more time than we speak. To hold one more time than we drop what we’re holding. To aspire to be clear one more time than we are confused. To open one more time than we close. And to lean into life one more time than we are pushed away.”
Once again, may this be a prayer for us. To love complexity, plurality, intricacy, to not reduce life to what we want, but to find contentment in being part of its complex wholeness. The invitation is as huge, and as present today as in any time in our lives so far. May we have the courage, the humility and the boldness to accept its gifts, and our breath, and let the best Life has to offer find its way to live through us. See you Sunday!
For the third year, we are offering table-top size live holiday trees for sale as a UUFC fundraiser. After the holidays you can return your tree for us to plant, or you can plant it yourself. Trees are $20 each, and we are offering Grand Fir, Ponderosa Pine, Doug Fir, and Sitka Spruce, all in #2 pots. Trees will be available after service, starting Sun 24 Nov.
Questions:
Please join us at 7 PM in the Sanctuary for a special kirtan for Dawali with Johanna Beekman.
The Wheel of the Year arrives at Samhain, which is closely related to Halloween. It is a time for honoring connections between the living and the dead, for telling stories which have lasted for generations. Who are our ancestors – related or not? What did they brave or endure or dream or build? How do their lives affect our own? All are invited to bring a photo or picture of a beloved ancestor – related or not – to help create an altar which honors both the season and those who came before us.
All ages are welcome to come in costume, if Halloween nurtures you in that way.
(The service is not totally intergenerational – children and youth will go to their RE sessions as usual).
Following the service, all are invited to “trick or treat” at tables hosted by Fellowship Justice teams, and to think about which of those areas of Fellowship life you might want to join and work with for the coming year.
Jamie Petts’ husband is having major surgery on October 30. In response to the Care and Support team’s offer to help Jamie (UUFC Operations Manager) negotiate caring for Dave and their four children plus work and home responsibilities, she suggested breakfasts for the children (delivered the day before) that would be easy for them to help themselves. She has provided a list of suggestions and has an easy way to deliver. Dates are MWF Nov.4- Dec. 6. Please contact Sandy Piper for details if you would like to support Jamie in this way.
The annual UUFC Holiday Fair is coming soon, and a favorite of many attendees is the Café. This year we’ll be serving soups, breads, and beverages.
Do you like to make soup, or bake scones or sweet breads? If so, please sign up at the Fellowship on Sundays, beginning on Oct. 27, or here:
Holiday Fair Soup Makers and Bakers Sign Up
Join us for an election evening gathering at the Fellowship beginning at 7 PM on Tuesday Nov. 5. Bring snacks to share if you can. We’ll listen to incoming election reports and mull it over together as we begin to get an idea of where things are heading.
Tentative plans are in place for more gatherings through the week. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10 am – 1 PM will be open-house style gatherings – bring snacks or lunch if you like. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings will be hosted for various activities – a potluck supper on Wednesday, and at the very least shared conversation on Thursday and Friday.
And, on Sunday, Nov. 10 after the service, the Democracy Action Team will host a gathering to celebrate and strategize. All are welcome to any and all of these gatherings.