weekly announcements

Gauging Interest in a Puerto Rican Dinner, 2/24

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If there’s enough interest, I’m thinking of preparing Puerto Rican meal for 30 to 50 as a fundraiser for the Fellowship on February 24, 2024 at 1 PM. My family emigrated from Puerto Rico to the mainland in 1926 and there are rich food traditions in our culture that I’d like to share. Should be fun and delicious.

Menu:

~Arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas, which is considered the national dish of Puerto Rico);
~Papas con chorizo (potatoes with chorizo), served with tortillas like my grandma used to do;
~Pollo guisado (chicken stew);
~Ensalada verde (simple green salad);
~Habichuelas negras (spiced black beans);
~Tres leches cake, Puerto Rican style (adding coconut milk and whipped cream with toasted coconut sprinkled on top);
~Agua de Jamaica (sweetened hibiscus flower tea, served cold).
~Might also include platanos maduros (fried ripe plaintains, which are naturally sweet).

Cost: $15.00 per person, paid in advance. I will donate all of my time and some of the food so we can donate the maximum. Volunteers welcome.

Unfortunately, due to the traditional menu I won’t be able to accommodate special diets, gluten free, vegan, or vegetarian requests. I’ll prepare a meal that meets these needs at a later date.

Please let me know if this interests you so I’ll know how many people I might expect to serve. Thanks a lot and I hope to see all of you sometime soon.

Ernest Cardona

Chalice Circle Samplers: A New Series

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Chalice Circles are an opportunity to deepen your ties to others in this community. We do this by meeting on a regular basis with the same small group of people to share how we each navigate the journey of being human. This is done via thoughtfully designed “topics” that offer ideas and questions for reflection. Through authentic sharing and listening, we learn how to voice what deeply matters to us.

Never been in a chalice group? “Test the waters” by signing up for the sampler series which will meet 4 times (once a week for the month). You’re under NO obligation to come to more than these sessions but our hope is that if this experience is something you find of value, you’ll continue with a longer term group that will meet twice monthly.

Any questions? Read our FAQ or contact us at chalicecircles@uucorvallis.org

Thank you, Shikha Ghosh Gottfried and Nancy Sowdon

Blooming Bulb Sale, 2/25

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Yikes! Spring is already springing. The Immigrant and Refugee Support Team brings you the Blooming Bulb sale on Sunday, February 25 after the service. Treat yourself to a pot full of beautiful blooms. Proceeds will be used to buy stamps for the Democracy Action Team’s letter writing campaign. Nancy Kyle n.kyle12@gmail.com

Secure Housing and Food for All

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The Secure Housing and Food for All team appreciates and thanks everyone who contributed money to We Care last month. If you are interested in working with We Care, please take a look at their job announcement below. Also, a big thank you to those who brought in food, coats and blanks for Southtown Food Bank and the Corvallis daytime Drop-in Center.

January 2024: We Care is now hiring for a part-time Intake Coordinator! See the Intake Coordinator job announcement for more information.

Fill out the and the Intake Coordinator Job application to apply, or email Kate@wecarecorvallis.org.

We look forward to seeing you at the Social Justice gathering on Friday February 2nd. Roz Keeney

Emergency Preparedness

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UUFC has a new fire management tool for kitchen stove fires, a Fire Blanket. The red bag with black release straps will be prominently mounted in both kitchens for use with any flaming fire. This 3-layer laminated fiberglass Fire Blanket will smother the flames within 15 seconds. Also a person can wrap it around themselves to protect against flames. This method is faster and much less messy than chemical fire extinguisher foam., which is another option especially if flames are wider than the 3 foot by 3 foot blanket Never spray water on such a fire. Please look for the red bag next time you are in the kitchens.

Board Report, 1/16/2024

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The UUFC Board of Directors held its regular monthly meeting on January 16th via Zoom following the amazing ice storm from the previous weekend. Discussions focused on three main topics:
1) Planning for our upcoming Board Retreat on February 23-24, when we’ll participate in training together, work on current goals, and generally get to know each other better to facilitate our work;
2) Disaster Response Evacuation Plan – training for leaders is scheduled for February 10th, and the Board approved a request for the associated purchase of emergency supplies/materials for our buildings;
3) Green Sanctuary Status – the Climate Action Team is planning to re-engage that UUA process since our status has expired;
4) We adjusted the current (2023-24) Fellowship budget based on new, mid-year information and year-end giving, ensuring that the Fellowship remains in a strong financial position for the second half of the year; and
5) The Committee on Ministry is fully staffed to support Jill’s ministry to us and our ministry to each other – shared ministry – a topic that will form a core part of the upcoming retreat and church year. Committee on Ministry members are: Mark Aron, Gary Barnes, Nancy Kyle, Virgil Agnew, Alice Lyman.

UUA Annual Membership Certification

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Each year we review our database of UUFC members in order to report our official membership to the UUA in February. About membership, our bylaws state: “A member may voluntarily resign membership by officially notifying the Board Secretary or the Fellowship office or by no longer participating in the fellowship for the period of 12 consecutive months.” Evidence of participation includes attendance at Sunday services or other Fellowship activities, and/or participation on a team or task force, and/or making and fulfilling a pledge of financial support. If your membership status has changed please contact Operations Manager Jamie Petts at office@uucorvallis.org.

Justice Theatre Auditions

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Justice Theatre auditions are this Monday and Tuesday, January 29th and 30th, at 7pm in the social hall. No acting experience necessary! LGBTQ+ performers are particularly invited to audition.

Justice Theatre at UUFC presents Thomas Middleton and Thomas Dekker's "The Roaring Girl," adapted and directed by Britt Urey. Open Auditions January 29th and 30th.