TIME EXTENDED! EDI, the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion team invites you! Love a good adventure story you just can’t put down? While engrossed in the events unfolding in “James,” by Percival Everett, you’ll explore the many risks facing James and Huck who somehow muster the courage to prevail in a perilous time of our shared history. It’s a compelling tale! Cozy up in comfort and join the conversation, 7:15 PM, Monday, MARCH 10th when we’ll share our experiences and responses reading “James.” Email Elona Meyer through Breeze for details and the Zoom link.
weekly announcements
Freedom Fund Banquet, 2/22
NAACP’s Freedom Fund Banquet is SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22nd 5-9 PM at the CH2M-Hill Alumni Center, OSU campus. Join the festivities or donate to support the work of our local, Linn-Benton NAACP. The theme is “Persistence is Power.” The keynote speaker is Shelly Seacrest, who has received the NAACP’s National Presidents Award for her work. Contact Linn-Benton NAACP Branch for details and the link to register for the Banquet, or to donate.
Questions? Email Elona Meyer through Breeze.
UUA Joins Lawsuit Against Immigration Enforcement in Churches
A note to UU congregations from UUA President Rev. Dr. Sofia Betancourt, February 12, 2025:
“I am proud to share with you that the Unitarian Universalist Association has joined with a multifaith coalition and the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection to bring a lawsuit challenging Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s (ICE) “sensitive locations policy.”
The case, Mennonite Church USA et al. v. United States Department of Homeland Security et al., was filed in federal district court in Washington, DC. Churches, as well as schools and hospitals, had previously been protected from ICE enforcement actions, but a Department of Homeland Security memo rescinded that protection on January 20.
We join this multifaith coalition, representing millions of Americans across dozens of denominations, to challenge the ending of ICE’s sensitive locations policy and oppose any interpretation of law which would allow immigration raids in houses of worship and religious ceremonies.
We believe, and the lawsuit asserts, that subjecting places of worship to ICE enforcement actions without a judicial warrant substantially burdens our religious exercise in violation of the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
We know that many of our congregations include members who are immigrants, both documented and undocumented, and many of you carry out important ministries that serve immigrant communities in church spaces.
The UUA is committed to supporting and protecting your ability to continue this vital and life-saving work. Learn more about the lawsuit in the UUA World magazine (uuworld.org)”
New UUFC Communication Coordinator
We welcome Cameron McGrath as the Fellowship’s new Communication Coordinator. In this role, Cameron will be managing multiple forms of communication within the Fellowship, such as the Weekly Announcements, Monthly Journal, and updates to the content of the UUFC website. Cameron’s background is in engineering and technology development. He has built his communication skills through college courses, corporate experience, and ad-hoc engineering project management. He is grateful to have the opportunity to apply these skills in service to the Fellowship, and is looking forward to learning the intricacies of communication within a religious community. Cameron can be reached via email at comms@uucorvallis.org. If you have questions, concerns, or suggestions about how we communicate within the Fellowship, Cameron would love to hear them.
Justice Council Gathering, 2/16
All justice team leaders, any and all team justice team members, and any /all other Fellowship members and friends are invited to the Justice Council gathering, Sunday Feb. 16 following the service, in the Sanctuary, to share information, perspectives and needs. How is our justice work being affected by changes in the country? Does our work need to expand, or change? Are there new projects we need to take on? All who are interested in the ongoing living of our mission to “ACT: We inspire action toward a better world for all” are invited to join this gathering.
Blaise Ntakarutimana at the Fellowship, 2/16
Join us at the Sunday Service on Feb. 16 to hear Blaise Ntakarutimana tell about his journey from being a UU refugee from Burundi, to his life as a new US citizen, to his hopes for what his experience can offer to others. Blaise is a member of the Fellowship. He and his wife Gisele live in Portland with their three children.
Building Renovation Project Update
Due to many walls needing to be opened for asbestos abatement, we can now add more electrical outlets and cut down on the use of extension cords. Small wall-heaters are being removed, and will be replaced by mini-split air handlers making our HVAC system more efficient overall. The large dumpster in the parking lot will be replaced by a smaller dumpster next week, taking up fewer parking spaces. Extraneous and outdated land-line phone cables are being removed, and a new more efficient water heater has been installed. Our project liasons, Brian Egan and Nick Houtman are very pleased with the care being taking by the Gerding crew, to communicate with us and to contain costs!
Green Apple Award: Support Sustainability Learning in the Corvallis School District
In January, UUFC Climate Action Team member John Swanson gave a brief presentation about an opportunity for UUFC members and friends to support sustainability learning in the Corvallis School District by helping to establish the Green Apple Award. Presented annually, this award will celebrate and reward staff members who make significant contributions to implementing sustainability learning in the district. In addition, it will shine a spotlight on sustainability initiatives each year, and help integrate sustainability into the ongoing district culture.
Through sustainability learning *“students become lifelong stewards of their environment and community, willing and able to exercise the rights and responsibilities of environmentally literate citizenship, and choose to interact frequently with the outdoor environment.” * Last spring the Corvallis School Board included sustainability learning in its five-year goals. As one step to meet this goal, the district adopted science curricula for grades K-5 and 6-8 grades that include sustainability concepts, making this learning a part of the regular science program.
In addition, through school Green Teams, students are engaged in a variety of hands-on projects like carrying out waste audits; growing and maintaining school gardens; composting; planting native species on school grounds; researching and “adopting” endangered species through the World Wildlife Fund; and learning about the impact of plastics on the environment and encouraging others to reduce its use.
The Green Apple Award Project was developed through a partnership between the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition’s Education Action Team and the Corvallis Public Schools Foundation. Modeled after the district’s Golden Apple Awards, which were established by Mario Pastega in 1996 to recognize outstanding educators, the Green Apple Award will be funded through an endowment managed by the Corvallis Public Schools Foundation and will include a cash award to the recipient. To establish the award in perpetuity we only need to raise $20,000 dollars one time.
We are over halfway to the goal of $20,000. Help us cross the finish line by donating now! As a special incentive, John Swanson will gift a homemade apple pie for donations of $1000 or more!
Donate online to the Corvallis Public Schools Foundation at cpsfoundation.org. In the drop-down list, indicate that you are donating to a “Specific school, program or fund,” and type “Green Apple Award” in the box that appears.
Donate via check to the Corvallis Public Schools Foundation, 1555 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333. Make your check payable to CPSF, and write “Green Apple Award” in the memo line to ensure that your donation is directed.
Let’s show our support for the district’s commitment to sustainability learning while at the same time creating a lasting legacy by establishing the Green Apple Award!
Kirtan on Zoom, 2/7
Please join us for a relaxing set of Kirtan music on Zoom first and third Fridays at 7-8:30 PM.
A Zoom kirtan allows us to gather, share conversations about the good and bad happenings in our lives, and then listen to a relaxing set of kirtan music, usually ending with a meditation. It’s an opportunity to snooze, sing, or listen as you do other things. We gather at the end for a prayer and good wishes for the week ahead. I look forward to every Zoom kirtan, as it ends my week on a positive note.
We hope you’ll join us on the 1st and 3rd Friday of the month from 7-8:30 PM on Zoom.
Queerly Beloved, 2/9
Join us on Sunday afternoon, February 9, 4:00-6:00 in the Social Hall to paint rocks and create our own “I am from” poems. All Queerly Beloveds and allies welcome. See you there!