The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis
Jamie Petts 
Each month, the Fellowship’s Social Concerns team selects a nonprofit organization to support. Then, Sunday offerings for the month support that organization.
Thanks for your Sunday contributions that help our larger community!
Here are some thank you letters we have received from nonprofit organizations we have supported through our monthly Social Concerns.
Faith, Hope, and Politics – an historical overview of how the U.S. got to where we are today, what our national and local potential futures are, and what we can do – individually and collectively – to make a difference, now. There is no more urgent time than now to understand the churning forces we are experiencing. The speaker, Dr. Ruth Miller, www.ruthlmillerphd.com, serves as a minister to UU and Unity congregations on the Oregon coast. She has written over 25 books and is committed to helping us see our way through this current political dilemma. Presented at UUFC on Oct 23, 2022.
kjosephson67@gmail.com
clairemtg@comcast.net
February 2022
In these times of necessary distancing, strong emotions lie unexpectedly closer to the surface, and many of us have become more vulnerable in community than is comfortable. Even in the best of times, upset and hurt can be caused despite our best intentions, even when we are in agreement. Meaningful dialogue when true differences or disagreements are present often can be difficult, and in these times has become particularly fraught. It’s become easier and less painful to simply withdraw than to stay engaged, hoping that things will somehow magically change.
And yet. Religious community is where we practice the art of belonging, helping each other to grow and deepen our spiritual lives, understanding that all thriving must be mutual. In that spirit, UUFC is offering this practical, skills-based training, which focuses on helping to increase our collective ability to compassionately navigate disagreement and strong emotions. We’ll consider “group dynamics,” especially ways to respond skillfully and with care when emotions start to run high and hard stuff begins to happen. These situations are always possible — perhaps even more so now as everything we do carries more worry for the world and adds to our personal burdens.
Come, let us learn more about how to thrive, together.
If you missed this workshop, you can watch the RECORDING here.
Some of our neighbors and some members of our UUFC community have asked about the Black Lives Matter banner that hangs outside on our building. What does support for Black Lives Matter mean for a faith with “Universalist” in our very name?
“To proclaim that Black Lives Matter is not to say that other lives do not. In this church we celebrate the inherent value of every life. Each life matters, but not all lives are equally at risk. Black Lives Matter is an attempt to spotlight and interrupt the persistent patterns of institutional racism which always leave persons of color on the margins, more vulnerable, with less protection. Black Lives Matter insists that the Beloved Community will not be achieved while these differences persist. Black Lives Matter calls us to solidarity in the service of justice. Black Lives Matter is an affirmation that we have not…yet…given up on the American Dream.”
-Rev. Bill Sinkford
Rev. Jill McAllister’s response to controversy with the UU Minister’s Association.
A daily blog by Nicole Cardoza where you can sign up to receive a daily email on a variety of topics aimed at addressing systemic and interpersonal practices that uphold white supremacy and systems of oppression; resources to support your education; and
action you can take to practice anti-racism.
Black Lives Matter initiative working for policy change to address police killings, excessive force, profiling and racial discrimination, and other problems in law enforcement.
Developed by Metropolitan Congregations United in St. Louis Missouri with the Gamaliel Network.
A national network of groups and individuals organizing white people for racial justice.
A Resource List compiled by our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Team.
A book by Michelle Alexander, the 2012-2013 UUA Common Read
A sermon by Rev. Marlin Lavanhar from All Souls Unitarian Church, Tulsa, OK
A powerful true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to fix our broken system of justice—from one of the most brilliant and influential lawyers of our time. UUA Common Read 2015-2016.
An NPR podcast “hosted by journalists of color, [which] tackles the subject of race head-on. We explore how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to
history, sports and everything in between.”
The racial profiling, police brutality, voting restrictions, and mass imprisonment of African Americans and other people of color in the United States (dubbed the “New Jim Crow” by civil rights advocate and scholar Dr. Michelle Alexander) is a moral outrage.
“As Unitarian Universalists (UUs), our dedication to global justice, equity, and dignity leads us to join hands across lines of race, class, age, and geography and work for an end to the injustices faced by black people in our communities, so that every person is treated equally under the law and has a fair chance at life.”
UUA
on Black Lives Matter