weekly announcements

Greeters are Lemonaders!

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Looking to increase your resilience during trying times?

OSU research suggests that cultivating a sense of openness and fun even though things may be challenging (lemonading) helps. There is no greater place to create a moment of joy than serving on the Greeter Team.

Don’t wait! Join the Greeter Team and experience the joy of providing valuable human connection to those seeking reassurance (especially newcomers).

Speak with anyone at the Greeter desk or contact the Team lead via this form for more information. Cheers!

Volunteers needed to hang art

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The art hanging team needs some additional hands for our next art installation.  The artist and his wife will also be on hand with Isabel Prusinski to hang their art on Friday, August 29 at 1 pm.  One volunteer is needed.  Ability to climb up and down a ladder is a must. This is a great opportunity to get a sneak peak at the art which will enhance our space AND talk with the presenting artist. Please contact Isabel Prusinski if you are interested.

Register for Fall RE!

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Parents and guardians, it’s to register your children for the new year of Sunday morning Religious Exploration!

CHILDREN WHO WERE REGISTERED AT ANY POINT LAST YEAR MUST STILL BE REGISTERED Anew BEFORE ATTENDING RE THIS YEAR.

Please read the following descriptions carefully and register each child for the appropriate space. We acknowledge that school grades are not a perfect proxy for age or development. Nonetheless, we find them useful for determining the most appropriate group for most children. If you feel your child would benefit from being in a different group than the one designated below, please reach out to the Director of Religious Exploration, Skyla King-Christison.

THE RAINBOW ROOM

This space is for new walkers through preschool. We may occasionally be able to accommodate infants if the caregiver-to-child ratio allows; however, your infant may be returned to you in the service if more children arrive and it can no longer be safely accommodated. Children in this space may be dropped off in Room 4 of the classroom wing no earlier than 9:50, and should be picked up before their guardians attend coffee hour.

Please register for the Rainbow Room HERE prior to dropping your child off.

SPIRIT PLAY

This space is designed to meet the approximate developmental needs of beloved children in grades K through three. Children in this space begin in the service with their families, and will depart for room 6c as a group after the time for all ages. Guardians should pick them up before attending coffee hour. This group may occasionally be on the playground, through 6c, at pickup time.

Please register for Spirit Play HERE prior to their first Sunday.

SEEKER SPACE

This space is designed to meet the approximate developmental needs of beloved children in grades four through six. Children in this space begin in the service with their families, and will depart for room 9 (upstairs) as a group after the time for all ages. This group will prioritize outdoor time and project-based exploration, so please ensure that they are dress for the weather all year round. This group must be picked up before attending coffee hour.

Please register for Seeker Space HERE prior to their first Sunday.

OPEN MINDS GROUP (OMG!)

This space is designed to meet the approximate developmental needs of beloved children in grades seven through twelve. Youth in this space will be released to come join the adults in the social hall. They do not need to be checked out by guardian, but they are not permitted to linger in the classroom wing unattended. Please discuss expectations with your youth prior to their attendance.

Please register youth for OMG! HERE before their first Sunday

If you have questions about any of our Sunday morning offerings for children and youth, don’t hesitate to contact the Director of Religious Exploration, Skyla King-Christison at dre@uucorvallis.org.

And don’t forget that we have a variety of Religious Exploration offerings for adults this year, and can often provide free childcare with appropriate notice. Check it out and get the whole family engaged in RE!

Connect Up Hike, 8/30

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We will hike the Takena Landing lollipop trail in Albany. Meet at the UUFC parking lot at 8:30 a.m. if you would like to carpool. We’ll gather at the trailhead under the bridge at 8:45 and begin hiking at 9:00. This 3.6 mile riverside hike in North Albany has little elevation gain. There are opportunities for wading and for agate hunting and blackberry picking.

DRIVING DIRECTIONS FROM CORVALLIS: Take Highway 20 to North Albany. When you come to the stoplight/intersection with NW North Albany Rd, turn RIGHT into Takena Landing and proceed to the parking lot under the bridge.

RSVP here

Mosaic Antiracism Workshop for Adults! Register by 9/1

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Registration is requested HERE.

WHAT: A fun and connecting communal exploration of radical inclusion through the lens of race and culture.

WHEN: Monday evenings, 9/8 – 10/20 from 6:30-8PM

WHERE: Room 7 @ uufc

WHY: Because the social and political landscape is ever-evolving, there will always be more to learn about how to be inclusive, and this will never be a topic we can check off the old to-do list and call it done. In 2020, the Commission on Institutional Change’s report, “Widening the Circle of Concern” (UUA), the commission recommended that we “hold conversations across generations about issues of inclusion, with the goal of recognizing the evolution in our Living Tradition and that spiritual development needs change over time.” Let’s answer that call in Corvallis!

More details:

Each session will include the following elements:

  • Opening: chalice lighting and check-in
  • Read: audio or video of a book or an article to explore together
  • Watch: video
  • Do: craft, game, or other activity
  • Close: chalice extinguishing words and other classroom rituals to close the circle
  • Take Home: suggested activity and/or conversation starter to encourage further faith development at home

We want to see a majority of our adults engaging with this material. We want to see teams and councils putting this learning to work in all we do in every corner of Fellowship life and beyond. We want to do whatever is needed to help you engage deeply, share bravely, and welcome wildly, so if you want to be included and can’t figure out how, or if you have questions or concerns, please reach out to Skyla King-Christison at dre@uucorvallis.org .

PS Our children will be engaging with Mosaic across the year, too! Below are some pictures of our leaders of the children and youth programs getting ready for the juicy and community-building year ahead!

Kirtan With Girish, 8/17

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Girish, an accomplished musician of many genres, former monk infused in spiritual practice, loving wordsmith linking lyrics and rhythm in a blissful musical event, sings traditional Sanskrit mantras with a modern, funky, yet deeply devotional twist. Accompanied by his amazing band, Girish invites his audience at his kirtan concert to participate by singing along, call and response chanting, and dancing. Girish has been recommended and featured in “O, The Oprah Magazine”, “Yoga Journal”, “Spirituality and Health Magazine”, “LA Yoga Magazine”, “Common Ground” and “Yogi Times.” Girish’s original music catalog of seven albums is popular in yoga studios and music festivals all over the world, and his “Music and Mantras” book was published in 2016.

Parking Lot Garage Sale, 9/20

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Do you have stuff you no longer need and want to get rid of? Are you willing to donate all the proceeds to UUFC? We’ll be holding our annual Parking Lot Garage Sale on Saturday, September 20 from 10 AM – 2 PM.

Here’s the procedure:

  1. Price your items (whole dollar thrift store prices or less)
  2. Bring your items to our parking lot and “sell” them, sending buyers to the cashier with their items. You don’t have to collect any money.
  3. At 2 PM take all unsold items home or deliver them to your favorite thrift store.

Unhoused Persons task force meeting, 8/17

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A task force has been formed to address the impact of unhoused people living on the Fellowship’s grounds. This Unhoused Persons task force will be meeting after service on the first and third Sundays of each month. The next meeting will be in the Sanctuary on Sunday, August 17 at 11:40 AM.

The task force’s goal is to provide the Board of Directors with:

  1. A plan for the ongoing management of unhoused persons already residing on Fellowship grounds.
  2. Elements of a policy to guide management of future residents, either on the ground or in cars.

Labor Day Tuna Roast, 9/1

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tuna roast

End the summer with a party! Specifically, a Tuna Roast on Labor Day from 4 – 7 PM at the Lions Shelter in Avery Park.

Since 1997; always on Labor Day, always at Avery Park, Lions Kitchen; a party for all UUFC members and friends, old and new. This event marks the beginning of the new church year and a welcome to our new interim minister Alex. It is a good place to bring kids as it is next to the swings, the old train, and the dinosaur bones. Teens can “hang out” or help with the barbecue. To cover costs we ask for a donation of $7.00 per adult and whatever you think is appropriate for your kids. Sliding scale because we want everyone to come, so no one will be turned away for lack of funds. This is about being in community, not a fund raiser. If there is any leftover money, Rev. Alex can direct it to an appropriate place.

We provide barbecued tuna, sweet corn on the cob, lemonade and sheet cakes. For vegetarians there will be veggie burgers and barbecued eggplant and zucchini. For picky kids there will be hot dogs. We ask you to bring your own plates and silverware and $$$.

A folding chair might be helpful. Especially, bring a potluck dish such as dessert, salad, bread, chips, dips, veggies, fruit, pickles, and lots more desserts.

This is a community event and it takes a community to run it, especially if you are able bodied and not herding little kids. We always need help setting up at 3:00 PM and cleaning up around 7:00 PM. We’re hoping that many people will take turns barbecuing. For these things just show up and jump in.

We do need someone to obtain the corn from WINCO, early arrivals can shuck the corn, and a couple of quiet people can cook it. We need a drink master, to make the lemonade and keep the jugs refilled. We need 2-3 people to help me prep the tuna on Monday morning. Finally we need someone to pick up seven rented tables at Special Occasions on Friday, and return them on Tuesday. If you have a truck with a bed long enough for 8-foot tables, that would be excellent. Otherwise we can borrow Lee Holt’s truck, but a driver is needed. Special occasions does all the loading and unloading so you don’t need to be muscular.

Contact Rich if you can help on these several jobs.

Grounds Work Party, 8/17

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We have a big stash of cardboard piling up at the UU and time permitting, we can begin to cardboard and woodchip the Elmwood and Firwood areas near the street. This area of scraggly grass which is not a lawn is a drag to have to mow. Wood chips will reap big improvements both in aesthetics and ease of maintenance. Our mowing team volunteers will thank us!

Thank you for your attention and desire to help. We need many hands to make this effort sustainable! We hope to see you soon.