October Services

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October 1 – “Love As Spaciousness” with Rev. Jill McAllister. A new generation of UUs suggests articulating our values in new ways, beginning with Love at the Center  

October 8  – “Not So Like-Minded After All” with Rev. Jill McAllister. We’re learning a lot about the real differences in how brains work – neurodiversity. Turns out we’re more different than we imagine.

October 15  – “What is Transformation?” with Rev. Jill McAllister. Have you ever experienced transformation? How is it part of religious and spiritual growth?

October 22  – “God Is Not One, Neither are We” with Rev. Jill McAllister. One of the unique characteristics of our religious movement is pluralism – the willingness to be different and be  together at the same time.

October 29  – Wheel of the Year – All Ages – Samhain / Halloween

Men’s Retreat, 10/3-5

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Two things are brand new for the annual Men’s Retreat this fall – 1) it’s in a new location – Camp Harlow, just north of Eugene (barely an hour’s drive!); and 2) it’s earlier than in past years – OCTOBER 3-5. So mark your calendar now!

Our theme this year is “Sharing the Story of Your Life Journey.” Your story shapes you through your challenges, successes, regrets, and lessons learned. It affects how you look at yourself in the mirror, prepare for the day ahead, and engage in your community. Your story connects you with your deepest self and with others. It gives you meaning, purpose, and direction. At this year’s Men’s Retreat we will explore our stories, listen to one another, and consider what our stories teach us about ourselves, our life journeys, and our connections to the wider community.

Registration information will be available in August. For more information, contact one of the Retreat Planning Team: Alan Kirk, Jeff Martin, Nick Houtman, John Swanson, Mike Jager.

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Another huge blow to the health and well-being of Americans – and others, and the Earth — this week.  With the approval in Congress of this terrible bill –  called ‘Beautiful’ as an indicator of cultural insanity — an era of cruelty,  greed, exclusion, vengeance, inequity and injustice is re-affirmed. These are clearly the values of those who dominate the power structure of our country right now.  But dominant values are not the only values, and never have been.  We must take some time to feel the pain and the fear, we must take time to grieve and lament, and then we must find our footing again and return to love.  

To return to love is to be ever more clear about our values of justice and compassion, inclusion and generosity, reason and wisdom and peace.  To examine our own lives ever more closely and deeply to discover our own contradictions, our own edges for growth.  To take risks for our values, to join voices with others for our values, to practice and teach and embody our values without ceasing. 

As a good next step, tomorrow, Monday July 7, you’re invited to join in a workshop on Creative Lament – a form of medicine for these times – offered by our Religious Exploration (RE) department.   Registration is required.  See This Week At UUFC for more information.

Greeter Team is Ready!

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It’s summer time and the Greeter Team is ready for action! If you would like to join this up-beat team, please contact anyone at the Greeter desk, or contact the team lead via the button below. We can all use a helping hand.

Beyond the mechanics of opening the door or preparing a name tag, greeters provide a friendly face, a warm handshake, and a welcoming greeting. We may offer guidance to the sanctuary, distribute bulletins, answer questions, and help with any immediate needs.

See you Sunday!

Contact Greeter Team Lead

Women’s Retreat Workshop Proposals

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The Women’s Retreat Planning Team is looking for women who would volunteer to lead a 50-minute workshop on a practice that brings them peace. Workshops will be offered at the UUFC on Saturday, October 18 at 11 am, 3pm, or 4pm. We hope to be able to offer a variety of different things, such as:

  1. Spiritual practices – e.g. ritual, music, meditation
  2. Body practices – e.g. breathwork, yoga, walking
  3. Creativity practices – e.g. arts, words, crafts
  4. Climate practices – e.g. sustainability in home & consumer habits, gardening & land work
  5. Economic practices – e.g. data and dollar practices that support agency and peace
  6. Relationship practices – e.g. healthy boundaries, generosity, interaction games

If you’ve got a proposal to offer our retreat community, please submit it before Sept. 21 by clicking the button below and filling out the form.

Proposal Form

You can contact the Women’s Retreat Team at womensretreat@uucorvallis.org.

Outreach Offerings for July

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Our Sunday Outreach offerings in July support DRUUMM – Diverse & Revolutionary UU Multicultural  Ministries – which is a Unitarian Universalist People of Color Ministry and anti-racist collective.  As an all-volunteer ministry, DRUUMM continues to  lead efforts to fulfill the aims of becoming an anti-racist, anti oppressive, multicultural UUA, creating space for youth, young adult and our families of color to heal and  work collectively, and steward an effective organization that develops new leadership and manages  consistent communication with members. DRUUMM is a collective of people who identify as People of  Color. Allies are welcome and organized as Allies for Racial Equity. Together we are open to all people.  At the Fellowship, our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Justice Team works in partnership with DRUUMM.

Outreach Offering for July

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Our Sunday Outreach offerings in July support DRUUMM – Diverse & Revolutionary UU Multicultural  Ministries – which is a Unitarian Universalist People of Color Ministry and anti-racist collective.  As an all-volunteer ministry, DRUUMM continues to  lead efforts to fulfill the aims of becoming an anti-racist, anti oppressive, multicultural UUA, creating space for youth, young adult and our families of color to heal and  work collectively, and steward an effective organization that develops new leadership and manages  consistent communication with members. DRUUMM is a collective of people who identify as People of  Color. Allies are welcome and organized as Allies for Racial Equity. Together we are open to all people.  At the Fellowship, our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Justice Team works in partnership with DRUUMM.

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July 6 –   “Between Us”  Rev. Jill McAllister

July 13 – Celebration of Shared Ministry      Rev. Jill McAllister

July 20 – “Change Happens”  Rev. Leslie Chartier

July 27   “Not Soap Box Sunday”      Susan Sanford and others

“Between Us” 7/6/2025

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In the end, all the elements of a religious and spiritual life – the practices and beliefs, the things we learn, the ways in which we change, what we yearn for and need, and more – lead into how we exist in relation to ourselves, others and Life.  What we do, think and feel, affect what occurs between us.   For thirteen years this has been my framework, shared in writing and preaching.  This morning let’s think about interdependence, and I’ll aim to summarize what I’ve learned with you and from you.    

We’ll also take time to reflect on the huge project of renovation of our classroom wing, now almost finished.  We’ll extend our thanks and appreciation to the volunteers who made it possible, and invite all to have a tour of the renewed spaces after the service. 

With Rev. Jill McAllister

Meeting on the Landscape Planning Process, 7/6

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We are people with ideas.  In a congregation-wide series of meetings held last August and September, many of us shared our ideas about what our landscape should look like, the elements it should contain, the purposes it should support and the values it should uphold.  A small group (Joyce Federiuk, Mona Hotchkiss and Ginger Chatfield) has taken the group input and put it into a form that we can more easily consider and prioritize.  

Jill is convening a group meeting on Sunday, July 6 at 4pm at the UUFC to complete this process.  Our goal is to identify our most important priorities so that ultimately, they can be shared with a professional landscape architect to use in creating a master plan for the property.  This will be done in tandem with any building expansion that we may undertake.  

Please plan to attend this meeting if you had interest and input in the prior meetings.  The intention is to vote on the priorities previously identified – rather than add in new elements or lobby for favorite items.  Hope to see you there!

Classroom Wing July update

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We did it! The volunteer work of painting the interior of the classroom wing is complete!

A HUGE THANK YOU to the ~50 volunteers who helped paint the Classroom Wing – some multiple times! It looks great and you saved the UUFC a huge amount of money! Another thank you to those who lent equipment and materials for this work. Please pick up the items you lent from the counter in Room 6C. If something is broken or missing, contact Wolfgang.

Here’s the plan for upcoming activities:
Professional painters the week of July 7 – 11 to paint the black fire-sprinkler pipes and external siding.

Deep cleaning every room July 12 – 18
Some cleaning by Felicia Torres, our custodian
Other cleaning by volunteers (look for signup forms in July!)

July 19 Move stored items from rental space and Wolfgang’s shed to UUFC

July 20 Move stored items from private homes to UUFC

July 21-30 Restore blinds, bulletin boards, shelf units, cover plates

The preschool will move back into the classroom wing some time in August. Exact dates to be determined.