weekly announcements

Our experiment of new lighting along the entry pathway has been a success. Now we will install permanent lighting on both sides of the path to enhance the safety and security of UUFC members, staff and friends. We plan to install those lights on Monday, March 2nd starting at 9am.

With a few more helpers we can get this done in one day. Tasks include digging a ditch for the PVC conduit, installing the conduit, running the wires, connecting the fixtures and backfilling the ditch. So there is work for many skill levels (no experience necessary). If you are interested in helping (and learning how to install a lighting system at your own home), please contact Brian Egan by filling out this form.

After several months of poor harvests, the Café Justo cooperative has finally had a good harvest and we received both dark and regular roast in whole bean and ground. Sorry, no decaf yet, but we are hopeful! Unfortunately, like the rest of the world, the price has increased to $15 for a pound. Coffee will be for sale after the service most Sundays in the Social Hall. Cash and checks are accepted.

Café Justo is a coop of indigenous growers who not only get a fair price for their beans, but they own the roaster (made here in Corvallis!) Owning this value added step enables them to have health insurance and a retirement plan.
Enjoy your cup of coffee knowing you are helping folks to remain on their ancestral lands.

It has been four years since Ukraine was invaded by Russia.

Come help show support for Ukraine with a Candlelight Vigil on Tuesday, February 24 , 4:00 to 5:30 PM at the Benton County Courthouse.

Sponsored by Ukraine Assistance Network
www.ukraineassistancenetwork.org

The Kitchen team donates an assortment of sweet and savory refreshments, including gluten-free and vegan choices, for our enjoyment at the social hour following Sunday worship. These items are purchased and prepared by the team to encourage donations to the Outreach Offering. Collection baskets are always found at the ends of the refreshments table. The next time you’re eyeing something tasty on the table, consider putting a donation in the basket first to show how much you appreciate having that treat ready and waiting for you!

The Endowment Committee is dedicating funds this year to help families and individuals attend an Eliot Institute summer camp. Eliot offers two 7-night camps – July 11-18 and August 1-8 – with a featured speaker & small group discussions for adults, and full programming for infants to young adults. There are generous incentives available from both the UUFC and Eliot Institute to help cover registration fees, and both are easy to apply for.

The UUFC scholarship applications are due Monday, March 9, and can be downloaded by clicking the button below. You can submit your paper form to DRE Skyla King-Christison, or via email to dre@uucorvallis.org.

For more information contact Linda Hardison, or visit the info table in the Classroom wing after the service this Sunday. Learn more about Eliot at https://eliotinstitute.org.

Your UUFC lawn mowing team needs one more person to complete our eight-person team for 2026. We have quiet (relatively) state-of-the-art electric lawn mowers and associated lawn trimmers and blowers. You can listen to the radio or your favorite podcast while you mow. While mowing takes time (1-2 hours, once per month on your own schedule), it is a pleasant workout experience (1.5 to 2 mi of walking). The UUFC lawns are divided into front and back sections. We need a mower for the front section – less lawn but more maneuvering. If you have interest, please contact the team lead by filling out this form and we can arrange to talk further about this opportunity to be a member of the UUFC’s elite mowing team – a future summer Olympic sport? Thanks for your consideration!

The UUFC Endowment team is offering scholarships to help individuals and families attend an Eliot Institute summer camp this year. See the Eliot website https://www.eliotinstitute.org for more information, or contact Linda Hardison. The UUFC scholarship form is available to download below; deadline for submitting your application is Monday, March 9.

Within the past few days there have been multiple attempts by thieves to steal the UUFC’s membership directory and/or the credentials necessary to access our Breeze site. These types of attacks are not new, and are not unique to our Fellowship. But the frequency of these attacks is increasing, and it’s always worth reviewing active security risks. Membership information for religious institutions is extremely valuable for thieves, as it contains many forms of contact information that can be used in further scams. Below is more information about these types of attacks so you know what to be looking out for.

The attempts took the form of email messages requesting assistance accessing our membership directory and claiming that the sender could not currently log into Breeze. Some emails also asked for credentials with which to login to Breeze. These messages were sent from email addresses configured to impersonate people at the Fellowship by displaying the name of a Fellowship leader or Staff member in the ‘From:’ field. The actual email addresses used to send the messages do not belong to anyone at the Fellowship, and the person whose name was used can do nothing to prevent this.

If you receive a request like this, do not reply to it or send any information. Instead, please forward it to comms@uucorvallis.org and then delete the original email message.

Thank you for working to keep the Fellowship safe.

Did you know OSU offers a Peace Studies Certificate and that there is a Peace Literacy Institute with coordinators in Corvallis? Friendship Force of Oregon’s Mid-Willamette Valley and the UUFC are cosponsoring an event at which we can all learn more. The meeting will be on Saturday March 21, 10 am to noon in the Sanctuary of the UUFC. OSU’s Dr. Linda Richards will tell us about the OSU Peace Studies Program and Certificate. OSU’s Dr. Shari Clough will tell us about the Peace Literacy Institute. Following these background presentations, we will explore ideas for how interested local people can engage and support these programs. All are invited to this exploratory meeting. Bring your own beverage and a snack to share if able to do so.