From the Minister

Making up after a fight, repairing a relationship after rupture — these can be some of the toughest learning curves for humans.

I will preach on Reconciliation on Sunday.  One tool I will use is a seven-step model from Dr. Hizkias Assefa, who is a Professor in the Conflict Transformation Programme, at Eastern Mennonite University. He works from his base in Nairobi as a mediator and facilitator in civil war situations in many parts of Africa.

But, I believe his seven steps can apply to situations right in your home, your family, this congregation, and this town.

Here are the seven steps that he has found necessary:

1. Honest acknowledgment of the harm/injury each party has inflicted on the other;
2. Sincere regrets and remorse for the injury done:
3. Readiness to apologize for one’s role in inflicting the injury;
4. Readiness of the conflicting parties to ‘let go’ of the anger and bitterness caused by the conflict and the injury;
5. Commitment by the offender not to repeat the injury;
6. Sincere effort to redress past grievances that caused the conflict and compensate the damage caused to the extent possible;
7. Entering into a new mutually enriching relationship.

(Source: The Meaning of Reconciliation by Hizkias Assefa. Published in People Building Peace- 35 Inspiring Stories from Around the World (by European Centre for Conflict Prevention, 1999)

I look forward to hearing from you about how these work for you.  Feel free to make an appointment to talk.  My email is rev.alex.mcgee@uucorvallis.org.

With care,
Rev. Alex

Alex is serving UUFC in the role of Interim Minister and began in August 2025.

Dear Friends and Members of UU Fellowship of Corvallis:

I am sharing lyrics and a video with you, below.  The phrases have nourished me all week, sliding in and out of my awareness, enveloping me like an occasional hug.  

What I see in my mind’s eye with them is this memory from last Friday, January 23 in Minneapolis:  the tall, slender, long-brown-haired woman who is a rabbi, standing at the pulpit of a Lutheran church, with Swedish words in the stained glass above her, and Spanish posters on the altar.  

What I sense in that environment in my memory are coats, more coats, hats, mittens, and backpacks all around me on wooden pews as tired clergy colleagues sing together.  The words sound muddy at first.  But with repetition, and the rabbi’s patient smile and steady voice, we get clearer about the lyrics.  The meaning begins to sink into my heart, and I feel relief and courage.  

She taught us this song when we arrived at 9 am.  Later, at 11:30 am, after hearing that someone had been abducted three blocks away, she leads us again.  There is less space for horror to grab us when we sing this song together.   

“We will not underestimate
our power any longer—
we know that together, we are strong.
Like drops of water shape the rocks
as they rush down the falls,
we know that together,
we are strong.”

To give proper credit, I looked up the composer and share this background with you:  Rena Branson is a Jewish composer, ritual leader, and educator who uplifts personal and collective healing through song. Rena founded A Queer Nigun Project (aqueernigunproject.org), which organizes community singing events for LGBTQIA+ folks and sends Jewish spiritual audio content to people who are incarcerated in NYC jails.

My wish for all of us at UUFC is that power of song continues to hold you in the coming days, weeks, months, and years.

—Rev. Alex

Dear Friends:

What painful times we are living in. What has prepared us to respond to this?  Perhaps we are ill prepared in some ways, but in other ways, we can learn. Our Unitarian siblings in Romania lived under a dictator and learned to be sly in preserving their heritage and to teach their children carefully and quietly. We can do that, too. 

Those among us who are accustomed to living with oppression know about keeping humor close at hand and not letting an oppressor take away one’s inner dignity, even while confined.  Let us follow that model. When the pressure is on, hate is too easy.  Those who have lived in a police state remind us to be kind to those living through this horror alongside us.  

Build up the songs that uplift you so you can lead the singing in the prison cell.

Memorize the words that strengthen you so you can silently recite them while others would torment you.

Like many black people in this country, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. navigated a government that sought to dehumanize his people. Let us learn from his life experience and others who are not famous, yet whose steady non-violent training gave them great influence.

On Monday, in honor of that struggle and hope, may you find a way to deepen your spiritual muscles for our justice work, and for sustaining neighborly care. 

With respect and tenderness,
Rev. Alex

Somewhere we must come to see that human progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and the persistent work of dedicated individuals who are willing to be co-workers with God.

From “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution” By Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Delivered at the National Cathedral, Washington, D.C., on 31 March 1968.

Dear congregation:

Since arriving here in August, I have been impressed with the steady care that goes in to the finances of this Fellowship.  I already knew, from studying the congregation before I came, that it was fiscally sound.  But now, I have met the leaders and staff who daily are tending to the details, the long range, and the values that guide us.

Please know that this congregation works on a fiscal year running from July through June.  That means it is off-set from the U.S. tax year and many other non-profits.  So, as you plan your annual giving and budget for the year, please anticipate that UUFC pledge drive will occur in the Spring.  At that time, a budget will be made based in part on the pledges we receive from you.  This shared planning helps us all be stewards together.

Respectfully,

Rev. Alex
Interim Minister

One of the cool things about a community like UUFC, where there is a shared building, and scheduled activities, is that you can invite people.  Its not like inviting them to your house, where maybe you want to clean up, or prepare food.  Its not like inviting them to a restaurant or movie, where you need to pay.  Its not like asking them to go for a walk or a dance, where they need to do something.  Its a place where you can offer the hospitality of an invitation, and then some kind of magic may happen, because perhaps that person really needed to be in a place like UUFC.  

Just imagine…if everyone at UUFC invited one person during this holiday season…how many lives would be touched.  Perhaps you have a co-worker who might be in need of some uplifting music?  Or you have a neighbor who needs to hear a message of love?  Maybe the person at the bus stop strikes up a conversation and you tell them about the Solstice Pageant and the Christmas Eve service.  

What is your favorite holiday activity at UUFC?  Who can you invite?

All you have to do is state some facts.  The time, date, and place.  And tell that person one reason that you find it worth your while to go.  Its pretty easy and quick.  And it may end up being the highlight of that person’s winter.  

Our light is meant to touch the world.  Let’s help it shine brighter.  

With care,
Rev. Alex

Dear congregation:

We are approaching holidays. This means different things to different people. But what it likely means for all of us is memories of years gone past.

The memories may take a very sensory form: the scents of special foods, the sights of special lights, the sounds of special songs.

But sometimes the holidays can be tender if things have changed in painful ways.

It likely means memories with people who may not be here anymore. That could be family members. Friends. A beloved clergy person.

Part of our spiritual life is to honor our grief. In the midst of holiday festivities, I hope you can find time for quiet moments, for tears, for talking about the people you are missing right now.

Surely this Fellowship itself will have a different tenor because the minister of 11 years is not here. People are finding new ways to do things and stepping into new roles. It will look different, feel different, sound different. This is all a natural part of a grief and change process. I honor that.

May all of us find wholeness as we live into the fullness of all our emotions in all the chapters of our lives.

In peace
Alex

Rev. Alex McGee is serving this Fellowship as Interim Minister and is available to be contacted at rev.alex.mcgee@uucorvallis.org.

This past week at the Fellowship has continued our focus on safety as a way to care for each other.  Our fire drill on Sunday showed many learning opportunities.  If you are interested in helping carry this foward, please be in touch with Wolfgang Dengler.  On Monday, 20 UUFC leaders spent three hours learning about how to respond if ICE comes to the building.  This was emotionally draining but gives us concrete information to begin to implement plans.  

The interim ministry process of reviewing history and clarifying identity continues to show up in many ares of Fellowship life.  In many conversations, new members are learning from long term members about the dreams, efforts, and successes in this congregation.  One example is the congregation’s strong work to get volunteers to help with staffing programs for people who are unhoused.  Another example is the strong history of supporting food access programs.  And now, even more, these programs are being bolstered.  If you would like to help, please be in touch with Mike Jager, Roberta Smith, and Roz Keeney.

A wonderful book called In the Interim has been created by the Unitarian Universalist Association for congregations to understand more about the opportunities to use this time well — after a Settled minister leaves and before another arrives.  Three copies of the book are in our library – please check one out and see what insights you gain.  Staff, board, and the Transitions Team each have a copy and report they are getting relief from seeing how other congregations have thrived in their interim time.  A wonderful conversation starter!

Also, in the past week, I have seen the many quiet ways members of this congregation care for each other during hospitalizations and in nursing homes.  These connections happen through cards, phone calls, texts, and visits.  Much sweetness is exchanged in these supportive moments.  This is one more way the spiritual life shows up and nourishes us, as we give and as we receive.  

Looking forward to more joy, connection, and justice,
Looking forward to more listening, learning, and growing,
Looking forward to more history and honoring the past,
With gratitude for the marvel of this amazing Fellowship — how it touches inward and outward,
In peace
Rev. Alex McGee

From Interim Minister Rev. Alex McGee October 31, 2025

Dear Fellowship:

This week I have been learning history of the congregation through one-on-one conversations.  John Bailey gave me a tour of the memorial gardens and memorial plaques.  Rich Brainerd shared about the tradition of the Thanksgiving dinner.  Russ Karow described his children attending RE before the two buildings were connected. In Fellowship Care and Support meeting, I learned about long term members who receive visits from other members.  In the Facilities Council, we sorted keys that go to doors that reflect various chapters from the past decades. In all these stories, I hear dates going back to the 1970s and 80s.

Through these conversations, I hear about leadership in the form of stewarding our facilities, stewarding connections, stewarding the next generation.  I observe this congregation’s rich history of shared ministry.

I encourage you to find conversation partners who will share with you about their history in this place and what they celebrate.  

What I know is that the history of this congregation reveals the many gifts of leadership and shared ministry.  One of my goals in the coming time of interim ministry is to help you celebrate these gifts.  Another goal is to help you look together at what needs are current today.  And ask each other what history you want to create in the coming decades — with love and courage that builds a future that is relevant and risks new life.

Let us all listen for how leadership and shared ministry needs to look in the coming years.  In fifty years, what will members say about how the congregation stepped boldly into the future in 2025?

And:  this Sunday we will practice evacuating the building at the end of service.  This is important, caring work so that parents and kids can practice our plan for connecting up at the evacuation site, and so that we can identify ways to improve accessibility for all types of mobility.

Peace and love,
Rev. Alex 

Rev. Alex McGee is serving as Interim Minister and can be reached at rev.alex.mcgee@uucorvallis.org.

From Rev. Alex McGee Oct 18, 2025

Dear Fellowship:
As we live out our values of caring, one way we show that is by caring for each other and our building in physical ways.  And part of that is to be prepared for events in which we might need to think quickly about safety.  

In the next month, several events will occur at UUFC to help us strengthen our preparedness muscles.  Next weekend, staff and leaders who are responsible for others will spend a morning to train in fire safety and evacuation skills.  Then, on Sunday, November 2, at the end of worship, all present will all have an opportunity to practice evacuating the building.  This will help us see all the great work that has already been done to keep a safe egress, communicate between parents and RE guides, and signage for where to gather after evacuation.  Also, practicing evacuation can help us learn ways we could improve even more.  Next, the week after, staff and leaders will receive a three-hour Know Your Rights training and Human Rights Observer training, so that we can respond quickly and effectively if ICE comes to the building.  

Finally, the Facilities Committee has been reviewing exterior locks and keys.  This is very important for the safety of those who work in the building — we need to provide a workplace that is as secure as possible, while still being welcoming.  Of course, the balance between having an open door and protecting against harm is a dynamic to hold with wise attention.   Toward that end, I ask that all members and friends remember to avoid propping the doors open, and if you must, to assign someone to watch the door.  Please give gentle reminders to those who have overlooked this.  

If you are entrusted with a key code, please hold that in a covenant of accountability.  People who know the key code are responsible for the safety and well-being of the building and people in our community.   Not everyone needs a keycode: we provide times of welcome when the office is staffed from 10 – 12 noon on Tuesday through Friday so someone is here to let you in. 

I invite all of us to reflect joyfully and thoughtfully about the many ways we steward this building and its safety.

In peace,
Rev. Alex

Dear Fellowship:

First: I am so grateful for all the work by Ginny, Joyce, and Bobbi to make meeting rooms in this Fellowship so hospitable.  I genuinely enjoy relaxing into meetings there and feel I can focus on our relationships and work.  The couches in room 7 are comfortable and the plants bring vitality.  The tablecloth in room 3 brings softness and the UU banners show heritage.  And this week the library carpet was cleaned!

Why does this matter?  Because when a community cares for its spaces, it is showing care for the people in it.  Hospitality and welcome are spiritual practices that often involve unseen work.  And this is just one example.  All over the Fellowship, people quietly, and sometimes alone, do work that makes a nicer space for all of us.  Although I have named three people specifically in this note, there are so many more!  Hurray.

Second: On Sunday I plan to read a poem by a poet named Robert Monson.  I think some of you might like to learn more about his perspectives, so I am including a link to an article here:  https://sojo.net/articles/interview/reconstruct/theologian-robert-monson-wants-softer-social-justice.

The article discusses “masculinity and softness, Blackness and disability, crying, and why you should love yourself.”  I have a hunch that taps into things that some of you have on your minds and hearts!  If you read it and have insights that you want to share with me, I would love to hear.  I can be reached at rev.alex.mcgee@uucorvallis.org.

Peace,
Rev. Alex