UUFC Family Camping at Cascadia State Park, 6/19 – 6/22

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group camping at cascadia

Come and join in fun and fellowship while camping at Cascadia State Park June 19 – 22, 2025. Group Site ‘A’ has been reserved with a limit of 25 campers. Plans include group meals on Friday and Saturday evening, time for hiking, exploring, building community, games, and much more. Bring your own tent, personal gear, and food. Parking is very limited (6 cars and 2 RVs – no hook-ups) so carpools are encouraged. Come out for all or part of the event.

The registration fee for the whole weekend is $25 per person (a family with children rate will apply). A minimum of 12 adult registrations must be received by May 1st for this event to take place.

Cascadia Camping Reservation

If you have specific questions, please contact Julie Halter and Nancy Gill using this Breeze form.

Book Discussion, 4/14

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The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion team invites you in exploring “Mountains Beyond Mountains” written by the award-winning literary journalist Tracy Kidder about the life and work of Dr. Paul Farmer. This is a not-to-be-missed story, especially for us today.


Join the conversation 7:15 PM, Monday, April 14th when we’ll share our reading experiences and responses. Contact Elona Meyer using the Breeze form below for more details and the Zoom link.

Contact Elona Meyer

Connect Up: Laughter Yoga – Breathe Deeply and Have Fun, 4/26

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Join Joyce Marvel-Benoist for Laughter Yoga: inclusive and accessible simple exercises to increase endorphins, connect with others, breathe more deeply and lighten up! This is not traditional yoga, but was named yoga by Dr. Madan Kataria of Mumbai, India. Joyce was trained and certified by Dr. Kataria. All ages welcome. Adaptations will be made for physical abilities. Wear comfy clothing, bring your water bottle ~ come as you are!

Saturday, April 26, 2025 9:00 – 10:30 AM in the Sanctuary. RSVP using the Breeze form below.

Breeze RSVP Form

Affirmative Nondiscrimination Statement!

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To update our Welcoming Congregation status, we need an affirmative nondiscrimination statement in our bylaws. The Sexuality and Gender Diversity Team proposed and the Board endorsed the following to the introduction to Article II. Membership:

Existing:
The Fellowship offers membership to all people who support its purposes, principles, and programs.

Proposed:
The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis is committed to establishing, supporting, and maintaining a welcoming congregation that lives up to its highest ideals, a place where all can thrive. We strive to be a congregation that affirms all persons, including but not limited to those embracing differences in racial and cultural identity or background, sexual orientation, gender and its expression, religious background, marital status, family structure, age, mental and physical health and ability, political affiliation, and educational and socioeconomic status. We welcome all who accept our Congregational Covenant to share in the leadership, ministry, fellowship, worship, responsibilities, blessings, and joys of our congregation’s life.

The Fellowship offers membership to all people who support its purposes, principles, values and programs.

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Love it? Hate it? Somewhere in between? E-mail comments for the board’s consideration to secretary@uucorvallis.org by April 13, 2025, and plan to attend the annual meeting on May 18, 2025. A bylaw change requires a 3/4 majority vote of the members in attendance at the meeting.

Local Resources for Seniors, 4/2

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Aging Successfully in community

Please join the Aging Successfully in Community team for a presentation on local resources for seniors and people with disabilities.
April 2, 3-4:30 PM
UUFC Sanctuary

Representatives from the Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments will share information about Aging & Disability Resource Connection, Rideline, Options Counseling, and volunteering.

They will provide a brief overview of services available, where to find more information, and share opportunities to volunteer.

Hands Off Rally, 4/5

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Hands Off Rally
Saturday, April 5, at noon
Benton County Courthouse
120 NW 4th St., Corvallis

We want our government to govern democratically so let’s make our voices heard again and again. Our message: Defy Autocracy! Defend the rule of law! Oppose executive overreach! Many groups are collaborating to make this happen and make it BIG: Indivisible, 50501, Third Act, Women’s March, and more. Click HERE for the Corvallis event. This will be a peaceful protest.

For more information, contact Claire Montgomery and Karen Josephson using this Breeze form.

All are welcome. Bring signs!
Submitted by the Democracy Action Team

Sign-Making Party, 3/30

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Sign-Making Party!
Sunday, March 30, 1:30-3:00 PM
Westminster House, McLean Room, 101 NW 23rd St, Corvallis.

To make signs for the Hands Off Rally on April 5.

We’ll make signs for the rally and for your yards and windows. Bring any supplies that you can share and lots of ideas for slogans! Let’s let the world know we’ve had enough! For more information, contact Claire Montgomery and Karen Josephson using this Breeze form.

All are welcome! Submitted by the Democracy Action Team.

Weekly men’s lunch group(s) starting up

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The ROMEOs (Retired Old Men Eating Out) are looking for more men to start one or more new lunch groups. Each group will meet weekly as a social gathering to talk about whatever comes up. As the name implies, ROMEOs are predominantly older men and are inclined to discuss topics that interest older men.

One or more YAMEO (Younger but-still-Available-for-lunch Men Eating Out) groups are also forming for men who aren’t retired but still have the flexibility to attend a weekly lunch. Conversation topics will probably differ from the ROMEOs and be of more interest to not-yet-old men.

Attendance isn’t mandatory for all lunches, though there is certainly value in attending regularly! If you’re interested in joining one of these groups, contact Jed Irvine using the form linked below by March 30th and tell him which group interests you. Jed will set up a scheduling poll for each group to determine how many folks are available on which days, and thus how many new groups will form.

Contact form: https://uufc.breezechms.com/form/8b1ec9534943196692348281583519237151

Here and Now

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I am more and more at a loss for what to say about where things are in our country.  The age-old needs for power and control, for creating enemies, the greed – these have been standard human activities forever.  A colleague related a story this week: in their congregation at joys and sorrows someone shared that it was “a good thing in the long run that the British Empire declined, but it is extremely hard to be living through the decline of THIS empire.”  We live among people for whom these are glory days – and that is extremely difficult. 

I try to stay focused on the Fellowship, on our togetherness, our mission and goals, what we mean to each other and need from each other.  At the very least, we can, maybe for the first time, take our ideals and values very seriously, instead of as topics for casual conversation.  These ideals are worth keeping alive – that’s our work now.  Love and respect, inclusion and generosity, compassion and peace – there is more than enough to be dedicated to.  Do we know how to be dedicated?  

Here’s a way.  Last week I noted this about our Stewardship events, which are happening now.  I’m sharing it again, because I’m afraid some folks missed it. “ I imagine a big, beautiful, wide and deep conversation – with several hundred people taking part!  (There are more than several hundred of us, you know.)  Will you enter in?  Will you be part of the wealth of resources we share?  Will you offer you time and perspectives, and your presence?  Here is the only thing you need to know in order to take part:  You are needed and you are invited.”