weekly announcements

Post-Poetry Popsicles on Sunday 12/28!

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Post-Poetry Popsicles is a playful, positively purposeful, pleasantly pointless (but practically prudent), pastor-approved party, providing perfectly preserved, previously purchased popsicles for parishioners, participants, poets, performers, parents, and pals.

Please proceed post-program to the pleasantly populated social hall where plentiful popsicle provisions will be proudly presented as a peaceful, playful, palate-cooling payoff for pondering profound poems, processing powerful prayers, and participating patiently in a purposeful, poetic production.

This people-pleasing, pseudo-picnic promotes personal presence and proper popsicle purging while preventing permafrosted freezer paralysis. Please participate!

In plain language, the RE Council has a popsicle surplus, and we need the freezer space for other things, so we’ll be giving away free popsicles after the poetry service on Sunday. Everything must go, so please come enjoy a cold treat on a cold day, and if you’re a popsicle fan who would like to take home any leftovers, please let Skyla know!

Visibility Brigade Bannering Event, 1/2

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Visibility Brigade Bannering for Women’s Basketball Pre-game Traffic

Friday, January 2, 2026
5 – 6pm PST

Gill Coliseum at OSU
660 SW 26th St
Corvallis, OR 97331

Join us to deploy our first banner of the New Year before the January 2 Beaver home game from 5-6 pm. Our banner will read “RESIST ICE” and since there will be a lot of foot traffic, we also will provide a QR code or small flyer for those who want more information. We will be test driving our new banner with lights. Each person will hold a letter shaped from Xmas string lights to spell out the message. Help spread the message of ICE resistance!

The Benton County Visibility Brigade was sourced from the UUFC Democracy Action Team and is now also a part of Benton County Indivisible. The Brigade broadcasts messages in support of democracy by carrying out high visibility actions, including bannering from I-5 overpasses and in high traffic locations in Corvallis. We are totally committed to non-violence in word and deed and very safety conscious. Best of all, we have lots of fun! If you experience despair over the current state of democracy, check us out as a great antidote. For more information, email visibilitybrigadebc@gmail.com.

2025-2026 Pledge Drive Feedback Survey

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We are collecting feedback on the 2025-2026 pledge drive! Fill out the survey to share your thoughts by clicking the button below.

Survey

Your feedback will used to make improvements in how we communicate about pledging, record key pledging information, and share the importance of pledging with the congregation. Survey responses are anonymous so please share what is on your mind and how we can make this process better in the coming years. Contact Rachel McGrath (who is helping to support the stewardship team) with any questions regarding the survey.

Special Christmas Eve Service, 12/24

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Invite friends and family to this gentle, reflective service in which we honor the gifts in the age-old message of people travelling with hope. We will enjoy the lighting of candles, with appropriate candle options for all ages!

Rev. Alex McGee will preach

This service will be broadcast on Zoom using the same link as the Sunday Worship Services.

UUA Scholarships for College

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Do you know any UUs attending or considering college? The UUA offers scholarships to help fund college degrees in certain fields! You can read about the available scholarships and their requirements here: https://www.uua.org/lifespan/re-sources/college-scholarships/legal-art.

Finding available scholarships can be a daunting task for students. If you think someone may benefit from knowing about these options, please share this with them!

Join a Friendly Team: The Greeters!

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No matter what season, the Greeter Team is there to welcome you to the Fellowship. We are a hearty group of people who enjoy getting to know new people and spreading the cheer no matter the time of year.

If you would like to be part of this friendly Team, drop by the Greeter Team desk and let your wishes be know to a team member or send Heather E an email using this link. You won’t regret it. Happy Holiday to you from all of us!

Harvest the Power, Leadership Enrichment Workshop 2/5-4/16, register by 1/25

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WHAT: Workshop series to help current and future Fellowship leaders step more fully and successfully into their roles.

WHEN: 1st and 3rd Thursdays in February, March, and April, from 6:30-8:30 PM

WHERE: Social Hall

WHO: Anyone with an interest in leadership in any area of the Fellowship. From small groups or single events to joining the Board of Directors, if you think you might ever like to be one of the people who shape the direction of this congregation, this workshop is for you!

REGISTER: HERE by 1/25. Free childcare is available! When filling out the registration form, indicate if you will need childcare.

This offering will be co-facilitated by Michael Hughes (Treasurer) and Skyla King-Christison (Director of Religious Exploration). Please contact either of us with questions.

This program will:

  • Affirm the spiritual and emotional gifts and the skills that each person brings to a leadership position
  • Encourage understanding that holding a leadership position is an opportunity to enrich and deepen one’s own faith
  • Strengthen understanding of covenant and the practice of keeping covenant within the leadership team and in the congregation
  • Guide leaders to center relationships as a faithful practice, thinking of the congregation as a “we” rather than a collection of individuals
  • Lead participants to develop an understanding of the importance of personal spiritual practice and integrity to healthy leadership
  • Guide participants to consider which voices and perspectives were marginalized in the past and need to be part of congregational or leadership decision-making
  • Introduce systems thinking, and provide some practice with exploring congregational issues through a systems lens
  • Encourage participants to consider that conflict can indicate questions needing attention in the larger congregational system and invite them to respond accordingly
  • Deepen and enrich the experience of congregational leaders and, by extension, the ability of congregations to live out their missions and values, both in congregational life and in the wider world

If any of the ideas above spark your interest and make your heart go, “Oh!” you should register and join us! What we learn together today will help ensure a healthy and vibrant Fellowship for generations to come!

Gardening with Easy to Grow Native Plants, 2/1

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Native plants can add beauty to your yard, while attracting butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators. They often need less water too. Come learn more about plants that are easy to grow and attractive to look at from Jessie Wilson, Master Gardener.

Sunday, February 1, 2026 at 1:00 PM in the Social Hall.

Childcare is available!

Free childcare can usually be arranged for any Fellowship event by using this link 1-2 weeks prior to the event.

The Aging Brain – A Healthy Approach, 1/14

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Elders Thriving in Community, in collaboration with Lumina Hospice, present Dr. Helen Kao, speaking on common questions about our brain health as we age – are my cognitive changes normal/abnormal? What’s known about lithium and estrogen? What role might CBD/THC play? How important are sleep, exercise, socialization, and “brain games”?

Wednesday, January 14, 2026 3-4:30 PM in the Sanctuary.

RSVP helpful but not required; email Alison M.

Childcare is available!

Free childcare can usually be arranged for any Fellowship event by using this link 1-2 weeks prior to the event.