Consider attending the “Workers Over Billionaires” protest rally on 4th street, taking place from noon to 3 PM on September 1. Just before our Tuna Roast!
Traveling to and from the protest (and parking nearby) is an obstacle for many people. To alleviate that problem some kind people at the Fellowship are offering a shuttle service to the protest. Those who would like to use this service should show up at the UUFC parking lot to get rides to and from the front of the Corvallis Library. We will be available, as needed, to pick up at half-hour intervals, leaving UUFC at 12:00, 12:30, 1:00, 1:30, and 2:00; and doing return trips from the Library at 1:00, 1:30, 2:00, 2:30, and 3:00.
For any who are interested in using the shuttle service, please contact Jack Elder by email, phone, or text, and give him your name and the times you would like get rides in both directions.
We could also use a few more volunteer drivers. With more drivers, each individual will need to drive fewer trips, and can spend more time at the protest!
Want to experience what a Chalice Circle session is like? We’re trying a different format this year that will hopefully lower the barrier to make it easier for YOU to check out if joining a Chalice Circle is for you.
Chalice Circles are an opportunity to deepen your ties to others in this community. We do this by meeting on a regular basis with the same small group of people to share how we each navigate the journey of being human. This is done via thoughtfully designed “topics” that offer ideas and questions for reflection. Through authentic sharing and listening, we learn how to voice what deeply matters to us.
Never been in a chalice group? “Test the waters” by signing up for a Chalice Circle Pop-up Session offered this Fall. If you want to continue, we’ll help set up new groups that will continue through the upcoming liturgical year (through June). You’re also welcome to sign up if you’ve been in a group in the past or even if you’re already in a group! Come see what’s changed or just experience chalice with a different group of people.
Three sessions will be offered (2 hours each), and you can choose to attend 1, 2 or all 3 (different topic, different people but same format). Sign-ups are online via this Google Form (https://bit.ly/fall25chalice). The dates of each session are specified in the form.
If “work” is the body exerting physical and/or mental effort to affect change in one’s environment, and if “labor” is work that we are paid to do, how can we live our lives so that work is sacred and labor is just? These are questions that Rev. Alex posed to us, and below are the piano selections from today’s service connected to the dignity of work. These pieces hail from different eras and genres, but all speak in their own way of finding meaning, wellness, or peace in our work and labor.
While many of us are familiar with Fields of Gold, Sting’s pop/rock song about love and the passing of time, I find myself drawn to Eva Cassidy’s stripped down and vulnerable folk rendition rather than the original. Regardless of which version is preferred, once one looks past the surface ideas of love and the passing of time, this song is rooted in imagery of scenes from a certain type of work: fields, laboring outdoors, harvests. When listening to Sting croon about the shared time and effort of a romantic relationship, parallels can be found with the meaning in collaboration and valuing others within our work and labor. And of course, the lyrical melody and lovely harmonies of Fields of Gold are a gentle, lovely way to welcome our community into the sanctuary on a Sunday morning.
Coldplay’s “The Scientist” is filled with a number of poignant lyrics, but the most crucial words of all are “Nobody said it was easy”. We encounter this concept every day, in both our personal and professional lives. Even if the task at hand is “easy”, there are always challenges and struggles that can arise, be it with work or labor, practical or creative endeavors, large tasks or small. The song’s message to persevere, be accountable for our mistakes and pursue growth is an important one.
Normally a buoyant, upbeat song from Pete Seeger, If I Had a Hammer is a piece of music that inspires us to clap our hands, tap our toes, and sing along – but it’s also a call to action. As we sing about a hammer, a bell, a song, we are really singing about standing for justice, fairness, and hope, and our singing serves as a reminder that what we do matters most when it builds equity and uplifts others. (David Servias was originally slated to play the piano today, and If I Had a Hammer was originally his idea for the offertory!)
Let the River Run was not the planned postlude for today – some of the options I considered was to play the more traditional version of If I Had a Hammer or perhaps the Beatles’ Come Together! But after hearing Rev. Alex’s sermon, a different song came to mind, a song that represents possibility, dealing with disappointment and injustice, striving for change, and the hope for personal peace. While a lively finale of “If I Had a Hammer” would have been fun, “Let the River Run” just seemed very right for the end of today’s service.
The Chalice Circle session of the Inquirers Series will be offered on 8/24/2025 instead of the regularly scheduled Membership 101 session.
We encourage all Inquirers Series participants who wish to attend each session to check the Fellowship calendar for updates. Our facilitators occasionally experience calendar conflicts and swap dates with another session. These updates will always show in the primary Fellowship calendar, under the “programs and events” calendar. Thank you for your understanding!
Time to register for the annual Men’s Retreat, this year at Camp Harlow near Eugene (only an hour’s drive from Corvallis). The retreat will be held from 5 PM Friday October 3 to 2 PM Sunday October 5. For those who identify as men, this is an opportunity to get to know each other and build connections with other men at UUFC. Our theme this year is “Sharing the Story of Your Life Journey.” Check out the flyer with details at this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1f6YJIxzCbjXZdWaI45a5bDxtDZsJoCsv/view?usp=sharing
There are new doorstops on the entry doors. Use your foot to lower the doorstop in position. To release it, step on the metal tab and the doorstop pops back into the open position. No more bending to unlock the hook latch!
There are also new window blinds in the classroom wing rooms which are operated by lifting up slowly from the bottom with two hands. This stacks the blind as you open it (no cords to pull). To close these blinds, pull down gently/firmly/evenly. A plastic rod on the left can be rotated to tilt the blinds into varying degrees of light entering.
The art hanging team needs some additional hands for our next art installation. The artist and his wife will also be on hand with Isabel Prusinski to hang their art on Friday, August 29 at 1 pm. One volunteer is needed. Ability to climb up and down a ladder is a must. This is a great opportunity to get a sneak peak at the art which will enhance our space AND talk with the presenting artist. Please contact Isabel Prusinski if you are interested.
Looking to increase your resilience during trying times?
OSU research suggests that cultivating a sense of openness and fun even though things may be challenging (lemonading) helps. There is no greater place to create a moment of joy than serving on the Greeter Team.
Don’t wait! Join the Greeter Team and experience the joy of providing valuable human connection to those seeking reassurance (especially newcomers).
Speak with anyone at the Greeter desk or contact the Team lead via this form for more information. Cheers!
A blood drive will be hosted in our Social Hall from 9:30 am until 2:30 pm on Wednesday 9/10. You can sign up to donate on the American Red Cross Donate Blood website.
The contract I signed to serve you includes an agreement that the Board and I will work to support the congregation in multicultural understanding. I am so excited that Skyla, the Fellowship’s Director of Religious Education, has arranged for you to be able to participate in Mosaic, which is a new UUA program inviting us to reflect on anti-racism, UU culture, and how to transform our best intentions into better understanding. This is core to the congregation’s acknowledgement (published at the bottom of the order of service each week), saying that we are committed to dismantling oppression and continually learning more. I look forward to seeing you there on Monday nights in the fall: https://uucorvallis.org/mosaic-antiracism-workshop-for-adults-register-by-9-1/.
I said in last week’s sermon that I would give you the links to creative campaigns that are working to stop deportations. Even if this isn’t how you will choose to take action, please read about them so you can learn from their strategies. Perhaps you would like to commit to share the links with three other people?
Ground Avelo is a campaign to stop and disincentivize this airline from secretly deporting people using tax dollars.
Signs of Solidarity provides a toolkit to talk to local business owners about worker safety in case of ICE presence.
I want to offer you a spiritual music video from time to time in this weekly email. So, here is one related to this coming Sunday’s sermon on “Dignity of Labor.” During the sermon I will describe a group of Christian songwriters who felt that more songs were needed to honor not just Sundays, but also the workweek. Therefore, a few years ago they created an album. One song particularly moves me, as it describes feelings of never being able to get ahead despite hard work. The YouTube video of the song is embedded below. If you listen to it, I hope you will tell me how it made you feel. If you don’t see the video, click this link to watch it: https://youtu.be/IsoCkFqai8k.
This week included my first board meeting. I admire the Board’s ability to handle both the macro and micro. The board members bring a rich variety of skills and insight. I am excited about how they are tending to the justice work, spiritual work, and financial stability of the congregation.
As I come into the end of my third week with you, I continue to observe your hospitality, sense of community, and service work. I loved being outside in the fresh air together on Sunday evening at the grounds work party and enjoying Joyce’s peach rhubarb crisp! And thank you to everyone who answered the survey that greeted me when I came. I have already used those tips to make an appointment for an oil change in my car, to find great gluten free food and local produce, and to slip away for quiet time in nature. And thank you to everyone who helped me get the office set up here for my use.
In a few weeks, college students will be returning. Please look for ways to reach out, tell them why you value this Fellowship, and offer them a ride, or offer to bike or walk together.
