weekly announcements

Imagine Peace – Upcoming Sunday Service

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What does PEACE mean to you? no war? Good relations with your neighbors? a life with enough for everyone? Would you like to be part of a Sunday service on July 14 to talk about what peace means to us now? The objective is to explore what might a world at peace look like in 2050? Whatever you think, your opinion is welcome to the conversation. Please let Rev. Jill McA know.

And an invitation to action: The prime minister of Israel, “an obstacle to peace”*, will speak to the US Congress on Wednesday July 24. As a sanction against that honor, a UU peace group invites you to join in continuing the discussion “IMAGINE PEACE” at the same time as the speech to Congress. UUFC member Bill Glassmire has more information.

*Win Without War says that Senator Chuck Schumer has called Benjamin Netanyahu “an obstacle to peace”.

Vegan Potluck, 6/23

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5:30 pm. in the Social Hall

Whole Food Plant Based Potluck (4th Sundays)

Join us for a potluck exploring how to eat more Whole Foods Plant Based meals. It’s new! It’s confusing! It’s good for our health and our planet. No experience needed, and No Food Shaming!

Whether you are a long-time plant-based eater, or have never heard of this before, you are welcome here. Let’s eat, laugh, and learn together. Children welcome.

Bring a dish to share, in which all ingredients are plants:  Plants: Grains, Beans, Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts & Seeds, Herbs & Spices. Not Plants: Animal flesh, fluids, and unborn young.

Need ideas for recipes?

https://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/ Hosted by Ann Marchant.

San Miguel Social Justice Foundation, 6/23

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Many of us know a little about the UU congregation of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, because of our connections there through Nora Cohen and Donn Zellet, who are members of that congregation as well as the UUFC. The San Miguel congregation supports a Social Justice Foundation which is involved in a wide variety of justice projects in and around San Miguel. Would you like to know more about this work? Donn Zellet will present a video about it on Sunday, June 23, after the Sunday service, with time for questions and discussion. All are welcome.

Support Groups for Parents and Parents of Adult Children

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Parenting is hard, no matter your stage in life. It can be made needlessly harder if you’re doing it without a village. In an effort to create a scaffolding of support for families of every age, we would like to gauge interest in two distinct support spaces:

  1. A peer support group for parents of children and youth (with the possibility of breaking into sub groups by age) and
  2. a peer support group for parents of adult children.

If there is sufficient interest in either of these groups, we will start with a 3 month initial commitment. At the end of that time, we can assess whether the group would like to continue through the church year or consider making this a regular summer support group. These groups are intended to help parents in all phases of life strengthen their web of mutual support, not as a substitute for qualified mental health care. 

If you are interested in a parent support group, or a group for parents with adult children, please fill out one of the following surveys.

Fill out a Parent Support Group Interest Survey

Fill out a Parents With Adult Children Group Interest Survey

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Skyla King-Christison if you have any questions!

Family Night at the Ballpark! 7/28

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5:00 PM at Goss Stadium (on OSU Campus)

Bring the whole family to the ballpark on July 28th and sit with your UU friends! This is a fun, laid-back place to get to know the other families in our community while your kids scream-sing along with Journey at the top of their lungs. If you’re not a family, but you want to get to know our families, come sit with us! All are welcome! 

The game starts at 5 at Goss Stadium (on OSU campus). Purchase your General Admission tickets in advance or at the ticket booth, and we will meet inside in section 2. PLEASE REGISTER to let us know how much space we should save and to receive a text if our seating location necessarily changes at the last minute. If fewer than 3 families register, we will cancel this event via text.

If you have children or youth who would like to attend, but the cost is an obstacle, please contact Skyla (dre@uucorvallis.org) and we’ll get you taken care of. 

Between Us

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The 63rd UUA General Assembly will take place virtually this week, from Thursday June 20 to Sunday June 24. GA is the annual meeting of the Unitarian Universalist Association in which participants worship, witness, learn, connect, and make policy for the Association through democratic process. It is also an opportunity to explore the theological underpinnings of our faith, and lean into our mission and principles. Anyone may register to attend; all certified congregations also send delegates to vote on Association business.

Representing UUFC as delegates this year are: Susan Christie, Karishma Gottfried, Diane Conrad, John Bailey, Mary Craven and Priscilla Galasso, plus Skyla King-Christison and Rev. Jill McAllister. As voting delegates, we will attend the General Sessions (the business sessions) and we’ll “spread out” virtually to attend a wide variety of workshops, presentations, discussions and worship services along with several thousand other UUs from congregations across the country.

I attended my first General Assembly as a young member of this Fellowship almost forty years ago (!) – when it was held on a college campus. I took my 9 month old baby, and shared a room (in a dormitory) with a beloved elder from the congregation, who helped me navigate the meetings and the parenting. The feeling of being part of a huge community of religious liberals while being supported by my own congregation was a new and exhilarating experience, and was a big part of the inspiration I gathered as I began to consider the UU ministry. Looking back now over the more than thirty GA’s I’ve attended, I am so grateful for this living, changing tradition and for the several generations of UUs who have continually inspired me.

For anyone interested, the General Sessions and the Sunday Worship will be live-streamed publicly. Find out more at uua.org / General Assembly.

Protect Yourself Against Phishing Scams

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There has been a recent uptick again in phishing scams across the United States, particularly targeting churches. This is a reminder that the UUFC (and our leadership/members) WILL NEVER ASK FOR YOU TO BUY GIFT CARDS OR SEND MONEY IN AN EMAIL OR IN A TEXT. We only encourage donations sent directly to the Fellowship address or contributed via our https://uucorvallis.org/donate/ page.

We encourage you to double-check with us if you are unsure of a request. Please visit this helpful website from another congregation to familiarize yourself with how these scams work and how to protect yourself!

More Info About Email Scams

April Social Concerns Collection

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In April, Earth Month, members and friends donated $2,441 to the social concerns collection. Thank you! This will provide $250 each to Seeds for the Sol, the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition, UU Ministry for Earth, and UUA Side with Love. The remaining $1,441 will go to the UUFC Carbon Reduction and Responsibility Fund, adding to the proposed $4,000 allocation in the 2024-25 budget. For 2024-25, the Fund will be used to help pay to switch from gas heat to heat pumps in the renovation of the classroom wing.