The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis
Get ready for a wonderful time at our annual UUFC HOLIDAY FAIR! Tell all your friends and neighbors. You don’t want to miss this. On Saturday, December 7 from 9:00 to 3:00, you’ll be able to buy:
* Beautiful handmade arts and crafts for yourself or as presents for others
* Tasty baked goods donated by UUFC bakers
* Lovely greenery swags and table centerpieces
* And, until they sell out, coffee, tea, snacks, and a light lunch
Each Sunday during the pandemic lock-down, when we worshipped together online, I began each service with a short reflection on “where are we this week?” more or less. Here at the beginning of October, a few days into the Jewish observance of Rosh Hashanah, I’m beginning in a similar way. What do we need to know, what can we know, how shall we live given the currents states of affairs – floods, elections, wars, and more.
Rev. Jill McAllister
Our Justice Outreach Offerings for October will support our Partner Church in Transylvania, except for this first Sunday of the month, Oct. 6. This week our offerings will support the UUA Disaster Relief Fund, which is raising funds for communities recently ravaged by flooding.
Dear Friends, I am writing today to invite you to a community meeting where we will talk about how we can connect around issues of climate change. This meeting will bring together folks from all walks of life here in Corvallis. It will be at the Church of the Good Samaritan on October 12th 9am and 13th 1:30pm (for two half-days). Details are in the photo. I hope you can make it. And feel free to spread the word. Thank you.
Take care,
Melissa Bird
Rev. Jill McAllister is one of the principal organizers of this community meeting which is supported by a grant from the Justice Outreach Fund.
Rev. Melissa Bird of the Episcopal Church of the Good Samaritan issues this invitation.
Our Justice Outreach Offerings in October will primarily support our Partner Congregation in Bozod Korispatak, Transylvania. For several decades we have given financial support to these partners for scholarships for students, a grant for the minister, and support of care of elderly members of the congregation. We are continuing these forms of support.
On the first Sunday, Oct. 6, our offerings will be sent to the UUA Disaster Fund, for direct aid to congregations in North Carolina and other areas hard-hit by recent flooding.
Connect with other families while enjoying a chat and a warm breakfast together. Bring your friends and a breakfast item to share if you like! Or just come as you are and recharge.
A big thank you to the Pollinder Family for pulling this event together!
WHERE: Room 6C
WHEN: 2nd Sunday of the month (no breakfast September, December, or June) 8:45-9:45 AM
WHO: Anyone with children or youth who wants to connect with other families!
Registration is appreciated to help with planning how much food to make, but drop-ins are welcome.
In September 2020, a few months into the pandemic shut-down, a week or so after forest fires had turned the air orange around us for days, I went out into a clear morning, and was greeted by the day. I wrote this:
“In the cool breeze this morning, something caught my eye that I didn’t recognize at first – and then I remembered: my neighbor has prayer flags hanging on the porch, and there they were, moving in the breeze, sending prayers out in all directions. I stood in my garden, considering the brown stalks of lavender, the squash suddenly thriving, the apples bulging on their branches – and I felt those prayers coming my way. I felt surrounded by prayers, as they moved around me, as they grew up from the ground and the trees and somewhere inside me. For a moment everything was a prayer – a point of attention, a reprieve, a deep breath in, a knowing that I was held – by the world, by the air, by the garden, by the morning.”
There’s a song we sometimes sing on Sundays: “There is a love holding us, there is a love holding all that we love, there is a love holding all, may we rest in that love.” That’s what it felt like to me that morning in the garden – a knowing, once again, that I am held by a life and love much bigger than me, bigger than a day, bigger than anything I can imagine. I am part of the great progression of Life, moving and moved. Each morning, as I remember the gift of breath, I am grateful for more than I can name. Including this circle of community we share, and this practice which holds us together.
Tickets On Sale Now! Join us on SUNDAY EVENING, Oct. 13, at the UUFC to welcome singer /songwriter Roy Zimmerman back to Corvallis and the Fellowship.
Especially in these pre-election weeks, we need his wit and wisdom to strengthen and encourage us.
~Roy Zimmerman writes funny, socially conscious songs. He’s sung these songs on stages, screens and airwaves for over thirty years, bringing laughter and encouragement to progressive-minded people across the nation.
~Roy’s songs, at turns heartfelt and hilarious, turn our hearts, minds and ears toward the social justice battles yet to be won. His motto: “Sing. Laugh. Defend Democracy.”
~He’s putting the finishing touches on a new album – his 11th as a solo artist. ROADMAP is a collection of classic social justice songs re-imagined for this fraught moment in our history.
~“He simultaneously inspires me and makes me laugh my ass off,” said Paul Krassner. ~”Roy’s lyrics move beyond poetry and achieve perfection,” said Joni Mitchell.
Get your pumpkins, jams, jellies, salsa and more! Sunday, October 13 after the service in the parking lot. Proceeds to benefit the Perla family’s quest for asylum. Brought to you by the Immigrant and Refugee Support Team.
For those among us with a traditional IRA and a need to take a required minimum distribution, please read on. There may be an easy and tax savvy way to support programs you cherish such as the UFFC.
Through a qualified charitable distribution (QCD), you can transfer funds directly from your IRA to a qualified charity like the UUFC. The gift may count against your required minimum distribution, and you won’t pay income tax on the amount transferred. Be sure to check with your advisor to learn if you are eligible, and if a QCD is a good fit for your financial goals.
Now is the perfect time to start planning, as QCD gifts must be received by December 31 to count against your required minimum distribution for 2024.
Thanks for your consideration.
Your UUFC Financial Oversight Council
(Our thanks to Jennifer Milburn and the OSU Foundation from whom we have “borrowed” much of this message wording.)
Please join us for an evening of devotional chanting with Seattle’s Rob & Melissa. Friday October 4 7-8:30 PM