david

Sip & Snack Wine Tasting, Apr-Nov

A way to get to know each other in a smaller group.

Twice per month – April through November – join UUFC friends for an afternoon of sharing food, building relationships, and tasting wines*.

A calendar of outings will be emailed to those who are interested. Leave UUFC Parking lot at 11:45 on Sundays; leave from your home on Fridays.** Visits are ~ 12 to about 2 p.m. depending on drive time.

Please contact Heather E for more information.

*Note – Many people purchased the Heart of Willamette Valley Wine Passport. For $45 you get either a free wine flight, a “buy 1 get 1” (BOGO) flight, or some % off wines. Not all Sip & Snack destinations are passport eligible.

**Carpooling is arranged by individuals, not by UUFC nor this organizer.

Queerly Beloved, 4/21/24

Queerly Beloved meets Sunday April 21st, from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Join LGBTQ+ folx and allies for social gatherings centered on queer issues and themes. We understand the importance of queer community, and our goal is to provide a safe space where people can find that sense of belonging right here in Corvallis.

UUFC Library Has a New Coordinator

Christine Robins is our new Coordinator for the UUFC Library. Please contact her with any questions, suggestions, requests, or complaints about the Library. 

Contact Christine Robbins

Checking out children’s’ books can be done electronically, using a scanned QR code, or physically, using the yellow check-out book in the southeast corner. Adult books can only be checked out via the physical check-out book.

We welcome donations. We’re focusing on books which may not be in the public library, and which support the congregation’s missions.

“To Live With Integrity” 4/21/2024

In this year of building new ways, our Earth Day Sunday will focus on needed and possible changes in habits and assumptions about our relationships with ourselves, others and the Earth. Members of our Climate Action Team will share insights and facilitate conversations among us beginning with this perspective: that our actions affect our own health, the health of those we love, and the health of Earth.

Following the service, all are encouraged to attend the preparation Town Hall for our May 19 Annual Meeting.

Between Us, 4/21/2024

Some decades ago, a well-known and seasoned UU minister wrote a sermon about joining a UU congregation. His summary was this: There is only one reason to join a UU congregation; you join in order to support it! That perspective has fostered lots of conversation over many years, and the longer I consider it, the more I agree with it. Since our approach to religion is both liberal and free, since there is no prescribed creed or test of belief, our highest goals are about creating true community. Learning to not only live together and be together, but to be good with and for each other and for all living things (for all the Earth!).

This is a very high aim, and often we lose sight of it. Support includes many things. For example our presence, our participation, our time and money. Our care and concern for specific people and programs and for the congregation as a whole (which is what shared ministry means). Our willingness to seek more than personal satisfaction, more than mere comfort, more than confirmation of our biases. All of these are why we engage in religious learning and growth, spiritual practices, shared ceremonies and rituals – we do these things to help us support the constant creation and care of a community. (And not just “community” as an abstract idea; this very real and very specific community, with all its unique and particular characters and characteristics.)

The annual stewardship pledge drive is one specific way we support the Fellowship – by making a pledge of annual financial support. This week the stewardship team is still waiting to hear from most members of the Fellowship – are you one of them? Our annual meeting is another important way we support the Fellowship, by taking part in the annual discussion of Fellowship business, by being an active part of this specific democratic process which belongs wholly to us.

The Fellowship has been a vibrant, welcoming and consequential religious congregation for nearly 70 years because of the support of so many people who have shared a commitment to its wellbeing. All of us who are here now a recipients of that long and beautiful tradition. Though our support, may we do our best to keep it healthy, moving and growing, for ourselves, for each other and for all those who will come after us.

“Who Needs Equity?” – April 14, 2024

We started with Love, and we’ve considered Justice, Generosity, Transformation, Interdependence and Pluralism – the stated shared values in the proposed changes to the UUA bylaws, Article II. This week we finish with Equity – “We declare that every person has the right to flourish with inherent dignity and worthiness. We covenant to use our time, wisdom, attention, and money to build and sustain fully accessible and inclusive communities.” Sounds great, right? But who needs it? With Jill McAllister

Between Us – 4/14/2024

Last week I mentioned a musician who often reminds their audiences that “This is not entertainment – this is a spiritual practice.” It’s a beautiful ideal for a UU congregation such as the Fellowship. At our best we are a community of practice, aiming at high ideals! So much more than interesting conversation and fun ways to spend time together (although those things are included – they are simply not our highest aims.)

Here are several ways to enter into the practice:

~Plan to be part of the worship review which begins on May 3 (6:30 pm) and May 4 (9 am) to help discover our common needs and goals for worship (in various forms) at the Fellowship

~Make your pledge of financial support to the Fellowship for 2024-25 as soon as possible

~ Join in one of the Town Halls (April 21, May 5, 11:45 AM) to prepare for the Annual Meeting (May 19) to help the discussions we have and the decisions we need to make be caring, thoughtful and well-informed.

In other words – be serious about your part of the life of this congregation. Bring your best intentions and your best self, for the good of the whole!

Also, for those who have asked about the readings in the Easter Sunday service on March 31, here are the references:

~Two articles by Rev. Myke Johnson: “Radical Love” (April 2023) and “Sacred Trees and Resurrection” (July 2019) at UUA.org

~”Saving Paradise: How Christianity Traded Love of This World for Crucifixion and Empire” by Rebecca Ann Parker and Rita Nakashima Brock, Beacon Press, 2009.

Town Halls for Annual Meeting Prep April 21, May 5

Town Halls for Annual Meeting Prep April 21, May 5 At the annual meeting on May 19, we’ll elect new board members and committee chairs, affirm an annual budget, discuss changes to the UUFC bylaws, and more. At the Fellowship, we think it makes sense to have discussions of all of these things BEFORE the meeting, as a form of participatory democracy where we speak and listen and improve our understanding of all the business. All are invited to stay for at least one of these meetings, after the Sunday services on April 21 and May 5, 11:45 AM in the Sanctuary. This also gives us more time for discussion about the proposed changes to the UUA Bylaws – Article II – which our delegates to the General Assembly will vote on in June. Please join us!

Secure Housing and Food for All meeting 4/14

The Secure Housing and Food for All team will be meeting in the UUFC Library at 11:30 on Sunday 4/14. Please join us to learn how how you can be involved in helping our unhoused and hungry neighbors.

I/DD and You–Open Forum (Zoom) 4/22

Do you have, or do you care for someone, with intellectual or developmental challenges (I/DD)? Join us to learn more about advocacy for I/DD individuals, especially within the criminal justice system. A meaningful follow-up for those who attended the Sprout film Festival on March 29th. Missed the Festival? You’re welcome to join the conversation. Questions? Contact Elona Meyer: elonameyer@icloud.com for the Zoom link and additional information.