weekly announcements

Classroom Wing Renovation Begins in January!

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Our builders are scheduled to begin their work the third week of January. Between now and then we have LOTS to do – including packing and moving everything out of that part of the building, and doing some removal and demolition.

You can help! Here’s how:

SPACE — Do you have unused, dry, rodent-free attic space, garage space, shed space with easy access to store boxes for 5-7 months?

PACKING MATERIALS needed (donations) — Medium-sized cardboard boxes, Medium-sized plastic tubs with sealing lids, large-size bubble wrap HELP MOVE – Can you loan the use of a pickup truck or open trailer? ~Move boxes and load vehicles in parking lot Saturdays January 4th and January 11th ~Move furniture and load vehicles in parking lot : end of December, Saturdays January 4th and January 11 ~Transport boxes and furniture from parking lot to private and commercial storage locations

VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP SHEETS will be in the foyer under the bulletin board, or click the button below to sign up online:

Volunteer to Help

Stay tuned for more information about this big project.

You Can Help Our Families Engage!

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You’ve probably noticed that there are more and more families in our midst each week. Hooray! We love seeing faces of all ages in our sanctuary. With this uptick in family participation, we are experiencing a higher demand for childcare. At the same time, our list of able Grandfolks is dwindling due to illness and factors such as night driving.

A parent’s ability to engage in small group ministry and special events plays a large role in determining whether the family unit as a whole can continue to participate in the life of the Fellowship. If you are an adult of any age who has been with the Fellowship for more than 6 months, please take a moment to consider whether you would be able to give even one hour a month to care for children so that parents can have that time to commit to their own spiritual enrichment.

All Grandfolks will be interviewed, trained, and complete a background check before service.

If you want to help families stay engaged, please contact Skyla at dre@uucorvallis.org for more information.

Adult OWL, Comprehensive Sexuality Education for 18+, 1/5-3/9

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Using values, communication skills, and spirituality as starting points, this program explores sexuality issues for adults of all ages. OWL(Our Whole Lives) builds an understanding of healthy sexual relationships, affirms diversity, and helps participants accept and affirm their own sexuality throughout their lives.

It’s not too late to experience the healing and healthy sex ed you wish you’d had back then!

This series is facilitated by trained guides. Dawn Dirks is trained for all ages of OWL, and Skyla King-Christison is trained for adult OWL with an emphasis on older adults.

Join us on Sundays 1/5- 3/9 from 2:30 to 4 in the social hall.

Pre-registration is required for this series, and space is limited.

Contact Skyla at dre@uucorvallis with questions.

Stoic Art Journaling for the New Year, 12/27

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We are living in strange times, and strange times call for more art and more dedication to doing our part to keep that arc of the moral universe bending toward justice!

Join Skyla on December 27th from 6-8 PM in the social hall, where we will cast our vision across 2025 through a Stoic lens known for its capacity to galvanize hope. Then, each participant will create a mini art journal to document concrete actions they can take to foster peace, justice, and self-care in the year ahead. No art skills needed!

Preregistration HERE is requested for this event!

Bring a snack to share, and I’ll put the kettle on for tea.

All supplies will be provided, but you are more than welcome to bring your favorite scrapbook paper, pens, markers, stencils, etc.

Below are two examples of the style of pocket-sized art journal you will create. They are perfect for exploring bite-sized concepts, so you may find yourself making more once you know how. Yours will be completely unique and on a different topic from the ones pictured.   

December Holiday Services and Events

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December is a busy month, with a wide variety of services and gatherings. You can begin to plan ahead now – more details will come soon.

Annual Holiday Fair – Saturday Dec. 7, 9 am – 3 PM
Sunday Services: Dec. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 – 10 AM
Blue Holidays Vespers – Monday, Dec. 16, 6 PM
Winter Solstice Service Dec. 20 – 7 PM
Christmas Eve Services – Tuesday, Dec. 24 5:30 PM Family Centered Service
9 PM Meditative Service
Fail Fest 2024 – Friday, Dec. 27 6 PM
Christmas Sing-a-Long – date TBD

Giving Tuesday, 12/3

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Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement. It was created in 2012 as counterpoint to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, days of immense commercialism. Its founding and guiding idea is simple: a day that encourages people to do good.

On Tuesday December 3 we ask you to consider making a donation, large or small, to the UUFC. Giving Tuesday donation will specifically be used to help the Perla family with citizenship application- related legal fees. The UUFC has supported the Perla family since their arrival in March 2021 (during the height of the pandemic) from El Salvador. As you may have heard, we were successful recently in helping the family once again obtain affordable housing in Corvallis. We are now looking for additional funds to help them obtain legal status. Nancy Kyle has been and continues to be the Perla’s UUFC sponsor and guardian angel. Nancy or other members of the UUFC Immigrant and Refuge Support Team can give you more information about the Perlas.

To donate, click on the button below. When the form opens click on the arrow next to “Give to …” and select “Give to Giving Tuesday” from the drop-down menu. Enter your donation amount, whether the gift is recurring or one-time, and then choose debit/credit or ACH payment.

Give to Giving Tuesday Now

Alternatively, you can mail a check to the UUFC (2945 NW Circle Blvd, Corvallis OR 97330) or drop a check in the Sunday collection basket. Please write “Giving Tuesday” on the memo line of all checks. Your gift can make a real difference in the lives of the Perla family and their immigrant success story – which it truly has been over time – in the US.

Please ponder this affirmation we make each Sunday – together we can do more than any of us can accomplish alone – and give generously.

Live Holiday Trees Sale, 11/24 to 12/9

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After-service sale of live Holiday Trees and runs from Sun 24 Nov through Sun 9 Dec. Trees will also be available during the Holiday Fair on Sat 7 Dec. Trees are $20 each, and we’re offering Grand Fir, Willamette Valley Ponderosa Pine, Doug Fir, and Sitka Spruce, all in #2 pots. i.e. Table-top size. After the holidays, you can plant your tree yourself, or return it for us to plant. We’ll accept returns on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings in January.

You can reserve a tree by clicking the button below:

Reserve a Tree Now

Drop-in purchases also welcome.

“Tea, Cookies, and More,” 12/11

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Join “Aging Successfully in Community” team members & friends to enjoy tea, coffee, cookies & snacks in the social hall 2-4 pm, 12/11.

Bring a plate of cookies or other snacks to share, if you like.

November Connect Up Hike, 11/30

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Meet Saturday, Nov. 30 at 9:45 am at the Midge Cramer trailhead to Bald Hill at the west end of the Fairgrounds parking lot. We’ll start hiking at 10:00 am. This will be a “lollipop” trail with different ability options. Join us for all or part of the journey. We’ll head west on the paved path, then north to the barn, and around the west trail to the top of the hill. Then we’ll make our way back downhill to the barn via whatever trail is less like a mudslide. Then back to the parking lot via the paved path. This is an easy to moderate hike of about 4 miles with about 300 ft. elevation gain. Dress for the weather, bring water, shoes with traction, poles if you like, but NO DOGS PLEASE.

From the Minister — The Coming Holiday

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This week a letter from the UUA General Assembly Office included this reflection, below. It is a beautifully compact and eloquent statement of the coming holiday weekend, so I share it here with you, to help us enter in:

“A Thanksgiving Reflection: Honoring Connection, Gratitude, and Responsibility

As we approach Thanksgiving, we pause to reflect on the complexity of this holiday and its varied meanings. For many, it is a time to gather in gratitude with loved ones. For others, it is a somber reminder of the painful history and ongoing impact of colonization on Indigenous peoples and their lands.

This season invites us to hold these truths together: the need for gratitude and connection, and the imperative to honor justice and repair. We encourage you to take time to learn about the histories and cultures of the Indigenous peoples who stewarded the lands we now call home. Consider how your gratitude can inspire actions that support equity, solidarity, and healing.”

May we enter into this week, and our plans, with consideration. With openness to learning, with willingness to understand ourselves, our ancestors, and our abilities to contribute to needed justice and repair, in our own homes, families and communities.

See you Sunday!