weekly announcements

At our February meeting, the Board: Discussed

• 2024-25 Stewardship season which will begin on Sunday, April 7, with a sermon and three subsequent after-service discussions on pledging as a vital component of our shared ministry. Pledging will commence on Sunday April 7.
• Treasurer’s report, which shows the Fellowship to be in good financial shape
• Questions and issues related to a potential new policy related to payments to Fellowship members and friends for tasks otherwise covered by volunteers
• Fellowship justice commitments and related next steps
• Anticipated internship of a Eugene-based candidate for the UU ministry
• Upcoming reboot of the UUcorvallis.org website
• User-problems on Breeze, of which Breeze is aware and working on
• Agenda and logistics of the upcoming Board retreat Approved
• Changes to the policy related to the Care of Shared Ministry
• Reaffirmation of the Fellowship’s commitments to divestment and climate justice
• Removal of two dangerously and increasingly leaning incense-cedars

Join us to launch our letter writing campaign for 2024 with snacks and coffee in the Social Hall on Sunday March 10 at 1:45pm after the Social Action Lunch. We’ll write letters together, help you get started, and answer questions. You can get started on your own by signing up with Vote Forward (https://votefwd.org/). They’ll provide addresses and letter templates. Critical elections are decided by tiny margins and our letters can make a difference!

This Saturday, March 2, we’ll come together for a special Dance Planet at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis. From 7:30 to about 8:45 we’ll move, each in our own way, to a rhythmic flow of music from around the world and across the decades.

But starting at 7 we’ll have a special treat: a 30-minute musical soundscape provided by our own amazing pianist Lauren Servias with a little help from George Beekman. Feel free to bring a yoga mat if you’d like to stretch, breathe, or roll while you warm up.Admission to this family-friendly event is a suggested donation of $5—15. 100 percent of the proceeds will be donated to local environmental organizations.

Faith-based climate action this week

Good News

Climate-action Opportunities

Of Note

Save the Date Vote Forward: Solving the climate crisis requires a functioning democracy!  The UUFC Democracy Action Team is partnering with Vote Forward volunteers, who encourage fellow citizens to participate in our democracy by sending handwritten letters to unregistered and low-propensity voters.  Letter writing will begin early March with Zoom and in-person writing events!

CAT sign-ons: CAT worked with the Board to establish criteria for Justice Teams sign-on to and/or endorse justice causes. Applying those criteria, CAT has signed-on to and/or endorsed:

> Support Fossil Fuel Non Proliferation Treaty (11/1/23), 

> Support Overnight Cooling Center at OSU (11/4/23), 

> Oppose GTN Xpress Pipeline (12/14/23), 

> Oppose  Removal of Councillor Chalynn Ellis (2/2/24), and  

> Support  Pause on LNG exports (2/13/24). 

CAT’s notifications to the Board of these sign-ons are in this folder.

Bottle Drop:  Support the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition by using its blue Bottle Drop bags. These are in the lime-green bucket on the window-ledge behind the snack table in the social hall. The Corvallis Bottle Drop is behind the WaFa bank on 9th St.

Citizens’ Climate Lobby: Short video describing CCL’s success with respect to advancing the PROVE IT Act.

TED Talk:  Executive director Jonathan Foley presents the Drawdown Roadmap, a science-based framework for identifying the best solutions to use at the right time and in the right place to address climate change while improving human well-being, equity, and justice.  This talk is sure to inform and inspire you as much as it did the live audience of hundreds. 

Oregon Treasurer’s Net-Zero Plan: Divest Oregon response (generally positive) to this plan

We are hosting a Red Cross Blood Drive from 9.30am to 3.30 pm in the Social Hall. See https://www.redcrossblood.org/ for more info.

Thank-you, thank-you to the Emergency Preparedness team: Craig Olbrich, Wolfgang Dengler and Denis White, for providing training for leaders, Sunday volunteers and more last Saturday Feb. 10, focusing on how to help evacuate the building especially in case of fire. (And how interesting that our fire alarm system began to malfunction the following day — we’re looking now at a system upgrade). Here’s a take-away for everyone: if a building evactuation is needed, everyone head out toward the parking lot to the gathering point at the corner of Firwood and Elmwood.

An After Service Continued Conversation on February 18: Treat yourself refreshments at the Coffee Hour, then join Rev. Darrick Jackson and Rev. Jill McAllister at 11:45 AM in the Sanctuary for an hour of further conversation about improvisation for congregational life and life in the world. All are welcome.

We are helping to furnish homes for those in need ~ CreatingHousing.org is in the midst of building 27 permanent tiny homes and a community center in Albany for those without secure housing and who are interested in being part of a cooperative community. To sponsor the completion of a tiny home, an organization can supply a list of household items like dishes, sheets, etc and then deliver that full set upon the home’s completion, projected at May/June 2024.

UUFC Member Joyce Marvel-Benoist is coordinating the sponsorship program and has asked the UU congregation to participate in bringing items to sponsor a home. She will be at a table in the foyer after the service on Sunday to share the list of needed items and answer questions. Additionally fabric and curtains are being collected for the making of curtains for all the homes (home sewing or April 16 sewing work party.)

Thank you,

Joyce

Contact Joyce Marvel-Benoist