The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis
GREENERY MATERIALS NEEDED! Do you have some nice evergreen shrubs with berries or flowers that could be trimmed and donated to the Holiday Fair Swag Making? Also beauty berry, teasel, lavender, dried hydrangea flowers, as well as small holiday decorations to add to the swags. We’ll make the swags on 12/5, but we need the materials sooner.
Contact Laura Uhler ASAP.
Our neighbors at the UU Congregation of Salem (UUCS) have invited members of our congregation to join them in a Pilgrimage Tour of Transylvania in 2025. The itinerary, arranged through the Transylvanian/Hungarian Unitarian Church, would include a guided visit to all the major Unitarian historical sites and several days in our partner village, for a total of 10 days. Cost would be in the range of $2,500 to $3,000 depending on the number of participants, plus your airfare. The committed group of travelers is leaning toward August/September but dates are not yet set. If you would be at all interested in joining the group, now is your chance to have a say in the timing.
Please contact Patricia Parcells.
Best wishes and congratulations to Joan Rose and Wendy Rudeen, who were married on November 15.
How should we eat as we age to achieve the best health possible for the longest time? How do needs change with advancing years, and how can we navigate the confusing world of highly processed foods? Particular attention will be given to the 2024 published research by Dr Elizabeth Blackburn and Dr Dean Ornish on the ACTUAL reversal of early Alzheimer’s with intensive lifestyle interventions. What can we do ourselves with diet and supplements, and wider lifestyle changes?
Presented by Ann Marchant, MS, RDN (Master of Science, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist)
Queerly Beloved gathering on November 17th from 4 pm to 6 pm at the UU Fellowship Hall.
Join us on Sunday for our regular QB meetup. Conversation and crafts!
Kids are welcome to hang out; if you need childcare for smaller children, please contact the Grandfolks Squad.
As always, snacks are welcome, but don’t feel like you have to bring anything.
December: Craft Day hosted by Joyce
January: Movie hosted by Patricia
This month’s Dance Planet is happening 7 to 8:30 on Saturday, November 16 in the Sanctuary.
Dance Planet is an opportunity to move in your own way to a rhythmic mix of music from around the world and across the decades. It features special live warmup music by Lauren Servias and George Beekman flowing into a DJ set by George.
Admission to this family-friendly event is a suggested donation of $5—15. One hundred percent of the proceeds will be donated to local environmental organizations.
Good news! The Perla family finally got their apartment. After over 2 months of staying first with Jean Townes and Tom Smith, and then with another generous friend, they were approved for a low income unit at Rivergreen Landing.
Their journey began when they left their home in El Salvador to escape gang violence. Then a long trek through Guatemala and Mexico, and 2 years in Tijuana waiting for permission to enter the US. They were fortunate enough to be found by One Story at a Time, the foundation founded by Linda Carroll of our congregation. Linda reached out to our Immigrant and Refugee Support Team looking for a sponsor for the family. Nancy Kyle agreed to be that person and they arrived in Corvallis in March 2021, but decided this June to join Aracely’s sister in Texas because the cost of living is so high here. Turns out rent is high there, too and wages much lower, so they came back here, and are trying to get reestablished.
As the first residents of Rivergreen Landing, they moved into their new apartment Thursday with the help of Mike Jager and Rich Brainerd and donations of household goods by many people.
Funds are still needed for legal fees and their asylum hearing which is scheduled for 2027.
To donate, click the button below and choose the fund “IRST (the Immigrant and Refugee Support Team)”.
We are blessed to have this warm and loving family in our community.
It seems I have shifted from feeling overwhelmed by the possibilities next week might bring, to feeling focused on what good I can do. Even if it is a little bit, I’m going to keep doing what I can. Besides, I was exhausting myself. I’ve been buoyed by beautiful words from others this week, which I’m happy to share with you here.
From Buddhist teacher Tara Brach: “Dear Friends– For anyone who follows the news, this political season is filled with the animosity of war. And yet it’s possible for each of us to hold our participation as citizens in a different light. As Reverend Warnock said, we can consider our vote as a kind of prayer, and our encouragement of others to vote in the same spirit. When I voted early, it felt like the most poignant and important vote of my lifetime. I brought my palms together after sealing the envelope and whispered a prayer. It was a prayer to protect our imperfect democracy, a prayer to protect the most vulnerable among us, a prayer to heal the divides, a prayer for our earth and all living beings. Far from being separate from spirituality, voting was a very real and direct expression of heart.”
And from Clarissa Pinkola Estes: “In any dark time, there is a tendency to veer toward fainting over how much is wrong or unmended in the world. Do not focus on that… We are needed, that is all we can know. And though we meet resistance, we more so will meet great souls who will hail us, love us and guide us, and we will know them when they appear.. Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach.”
Let us remember all the convictions which guide and steady us, and let us be grounded in them now. May we be what the world needs, in whatever ways we can. See you Sunday!
Learn to attract butterflies, bees, and other pollinators to your yard or even a container garden. Jessie WIlson, certified Master Gardener, will tell you how at 2:00 p.m, November 9th at UUFC, in the Social Hall. This activity was offered at the June Services Auction and is now open to all who are interested.
It’s so gratifying to come together to make our annual fundraising Holiday Fair a success! Do you have 2 hours to help out our UUFC Holiday Fair? Our biggest need is for furniture movers before and after, bakers, and café servers. Click on the “Sign Up” button below and add your name to the task you can help with.
Saturday, December 7th, 2024
9 AM – 3 PM
2945 NW Circle Blvd, Corvallis
Arts and crafts, home decor, jewelry, greenery, baked goods, and so much more!