The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis
All are invited to a reception for Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt, President of Starr King School for the Ministry, a UU seminary. Come for refreshments and conversation, to learn about what’s happening in theological education for UU minister, and to help us welcome and thank her for joining us.
2 PM Sunday, March 24
On February 2nd, 2024, the Justice Council gathered for a summit to present their current work and goals. This PDF newsletter contains updates about each team’s accomplishments and vision for the year ahead. Your pledges directly support the work of the Justice Council, allowing us to live out our mission of “inspiring action toward a better world for all.” Check it out, and consider how you can get involved!
Café Justo is the coop in Mexico where we buy the coffee that we serve in the Social Hall. It is also for sale after Sunday services. Not only do the growers get a fair price for their beans, but they own the roasting facility which enables them to have health insurance and a retirement program.
FRONTERA DE CRISTO AND CAFÉ JUSTO created the “Love Mercy, Do Justice” (Amar Misericordia, Hacer Justicia) initiative to provide coffee for migrant shelters across the southern border. Thousands of women and men each week are greeted with a cup of coffee, a meal, and vital medical attention when they are repatriated into Mexico. You can help support this effort with a donation to Love Mercy, Do Justice.
2,170 pounds of Café Justo were provided to migrant shelters through Love Mercy, Do Justice in 2023 and 2024.
It’s that time of year again when we wrestle with what to do with the kids for Easter. As Unitarian Universalist, this can be a most complicated occasion.
For the new to UU, here’s an overview of the scene.
First, as a pluralistic congregation, we’re not universally aligned with the Christian Easter narrative, so it doesn’t always feel like our holiday to celebrate. We’re certainly a religion of Christian lineage and we’re by no means anti-Easter. It’s just…delicate. And yet, parents and children alike have expressed a desire for an Easter egg hunt every year that I’ve been on staff, and by golly, we like to give our families what they desire when we can!
We aim to be good stewards of the Earth, so there’s also the question of how to host the desired egg hunt in a way that aligns with our larger values, so without contributing more plastic eggs to the landfill. Add to that the amazing education Rachel Kohler provided around fair trade chocolate, and suddenly, even if we do have an egg hunt, what would we put in the eggs? Have I mentioned that it’s tricky? We want to live our values and host a joyous occasion at the same time!
So where have we landed? I’m so glad you asked!
We’ll be sharing the story of Ostara and the Hare in Spirit Play on Easter Sunday, and exploring some of the theories around how the Pagan and Christian cultures mingled in such a way that in modern America, we associate multicolored eggs with the Jesus story.
Then, we’ll have an egg hunt on the playground during what is usually our “work time.” We’ve found colorful wooden eggs that we can use year after year. The children can keep what’s inside, and leave the eggs for next year, as a practice in reusing to lessen our environmental impact.
It’s worth mentioning that there will be some plastic trinkets involved. Why? Because I’m not pulled toward the kind of performative environmentalism that might motivate us to send the perfectly usable trinkets we’ve inherited from previous generations to the landfill simply to look like we’re living our values. We have a fair amount of spring-related plastic items that our children will delight in, so we’re passing them out! We’re not planning on purchasing more when these are gone, but let’s give what we already own a full life before the landfill, shall we? We’ve also purchased some earth-friendly treasures to go in the eggs instead of chocolate.
TL;DR We will learn about the Pagan and Christian origins of the occasion and enjoy an informed egg hunt that aligns with our larger UU values by decentering plastics, using up what we already have, and opting out of the chocolate.
Hooray!
If you’re the parent of a Spirit Play kiddo, you are most welcome to send them to RE with their Easter baskets for the activity, and paper sacks will be provided for those who arrive basket-free.
Camp Blue Boat registration is open!
NEW WEEK: June 30-July 5
NEW LOCATION: Get ready for an unforgettable summer experience at Camp Blue Boat at Camp N-Side-Sen in Harrison, Idaho!
This year, registration includes a bus from Seattle, so no need for a second registration. Don’t forget to look for the discount if you’re not taking the bus. And the Sibling and Early Bird (by 3/15) Discounts return.
This summer camp is perfect for youth from rising 6th-grade to 12th-grade graduates. It offers age-specific housing and programming, where campers, counselors, and staff will explore being in relationship with oneself, others, and the wider world. The camp is based on four basic pillars, including community, spirituality, justice, and equality. After attending, youth will be able to articulate beliefs grounded in UU theology and values, develop spiritual discipline, engage in social change, and build personal and religious resilience. There are plenty of fun activities such as field games, crafts, hikes, swimming, bonfires, and more. Come join us
Why are we moving? Because our old site wants to use their camp for their campers, so we get to go back to N-Sid-Sen, where Camp Blue Boat started.
Tuesday, March 26 from 6-7 pm in Room 7
Migraines are a neurological disorder that affect our lives in so many ways. Let’s get together and discuss our strategies and experiences with migraine. Please remember that UUFC is a fragrance-free facility.
Hosted by Kris Egan. This is a Connect-Up Activity! How to host a Connect Up.
The UUFC Nominating Committee is working on a slate of candidates for the Board of Directors to be presented at the Annual Meeting on May 19. If you would like to know more about this process, and/or if you are interested in serving your Fellowship as a Director, we now have all the information and a response form in one handy document! Here is the link to that document: To Serve On The UUFC Board
Thank you for considering this opportunity! Please respond by Thursday, March 21. The 2024 Nominating Committee: Ann Marchant, Bonnie Morihara, Jed Irvine, and Priscilla Galasso.
We send love and good wishes to the family of Owen Bentley, a long-time Fellowship member, who died on March 5 in Portland. A Celebration of Life for Owen will be held at the Fellowship on Saturday March 23. And we send love and good wishes to the Spain family, on the death of Joyce Spain on February 28. A gathering in honor and memory of Joyce will take place later in the Spring or Summer.
To help with the reception following Owen Bentley’s Celebration of Life on March 23, please contact Sandy Piper. Needed are volunteers to bring finger foods and to set-up and or clean up.
April will be Stewardship Season at the Fellowship. “Stewardship” is a word for the shared effort of nurturing and sustaining this amazing and needed UU congregation. It’s the time of year when we review our commitments and make new pledges of support – in terms of time, talent and treasure – for the next year. It’s a time for conversation, for sharing what the Fellowship means in our lives, for working together to improve the ways we work together!
Several Town Halls are planned, with refreshments or supper and childcare provided. Note – these dates are slightly different from those published last week – this is the updated schedule:
Monday April 1 (for newest members) 7 PM – with wine, cheese and charcuterie
Tuesday April 2 – Zoom Town Hall (bring your own treats?)
Thursday April 4 – 6 PM – with Indian Buffet supper
Sunday April 7, after the Sunday service – with light lunch TBD
Please plan now to attend at least one of these gatherings. Sign up forms will be available soon. The Pledge Drive will begin with a special Sunday service on April 7. The town halls will also include discussions of proposed bylaw changes (from the Board) at the Annual Meeting on May 19. All Fellowship members are responsible for helping to make those changes.
Our world is increasingly becoming despotic. War, violence, and oppression is rampant; and the human condition continues to justify denying others agency. It is fitting then during the ‘Ides of March’ to analyze how people of faith can respond during times of such ‘Caesarism.’ As Shakespearean wisdom states: “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.”
Jacob King (He/Him) is a UU Candidate for Ministry and longtime friend of the UUFC. He started his ministry journey five years ago after witnessing UU’s engaging in Social Justice activities. Jacob identifies as neurodivergent and bisexual. Jacob is married to his partner Karmen and lives in Albany NY with her, three cats, and a dog.
*A note on readings from last Sunday: folks have asked for information about the article mentioned in the sermon last week, a conversation between Rabbi Nathan DeGroot and Philospher/Theologian Bayo Akomlafe. Here is a link to the article: An Invitation to Shapeshift: A Talmudo-Poetic Conversation on Post-Activism with Báyò Akómoláfé