Your 2026-27 Stewardship Drive Update

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As you are likely aware, our 2026 Stewardship Drive is underway. As of Friday, April 10, 86 members and friends have made pledges totaling $191,000. These numbers are comparable to last year’s drive at this same time. The dollar amount is 38% of our anticipated pledge need of $500,000.

Sunday, April 12 will be the beginning of the third week of the drive. Sunday, April 19 will be the “soft close” to the drive. After April 19, your stewardship team will reach out on an individual basis to all members from whom we have not yet heard as well as friends who have contributed in the past but not made a commitment in this drive.

As stated before, our goal is to have all members and friends complete a stewardship form, even if they are unable to make a dollar or time commitment in the coming year.

Click here to go to the stewardship online form. Click here to learn more about the stewardship drive and to access a frequently asked questions (FAQ) website. Paper copies of the stewardship form are also available in the foyer outside our fellowship hall. An email to Stephanie Haines (our office/business manager) at businessmgr@uucorvallis.org that includes your name, dollar amount you would like to pledge, and your plan for method of payment can also get you into the system.

Please act now. Opportunities await. Open yourself to them!

Dance Planet featuring Lauren Servias, 4/18

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Join us for Dance Planet on Saturday, April 18 at 7 PM. We’ll come together to celebrate Earth Week at the Fellowship.

At 7 PM sharp beloved pianist Lauren Servias returns to provide 30 minutes of gorgeous opening warmup music. When she’s played for us in the past we’ve had people come just to hear her heart-opening music. I’ll be providing some light percussion during part of her set before we transition into an hour of DJed global grooves (with an Earth Week flavor) for dancing, moving, or just listening. We’ll wind down to a peaceful closing at 8:30 PM.

Admission to this family-friendly event is a suggested donation of $5 – $20. One hundred percent of the proceeds will be donated to local environmental organizations.

Please help us spread the word and bring your friends so we can move together and raise lots of funds for our planet.

Childcare is available!

Free childcare can usually be arranged for any Fellowship event by using this link 1-2 weeks prior to the event.

There’s Time to Become a Member!

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If you’ve been thinking about becoming a member, now is the time.

Our Annual Meeting is coming up soon on May 17th, and signing the membership book allows you to vote on important decisions that shape the life of this congregation. There’s still time to complete the required Inquirers Series sessions:

  • April 19 – Transitions Q&A (formerly Care & Support; that session is now May 10)
  • April 26 – Membership 101
  • May 3 – Our Shared Values
    📍 All sessions meet in Room 7 at 11:45 AM

We would love to welcome you into membership before the meeting. If that’s been on your heart, this is your moment.

Please contact Skyla King-Christison (dre@uucorvallis.org) for questions about the Inquirer Series and Joyce Standing (membership@uucorvallis.org) for questions about signing the Membership Book.

April 12, 2026 – When Our Ideals are Challenged

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When we work hard to make this world more just, but seem to face betrayal and despair instead, what can we do?  Alex will bring lessons from Unitarian and Universalist forebears as well as current activist theologians.  Renewed inner spirituality, sharing our lessons, and resting may surprise us on our way.

Rev. Alexandra McGee will preach.  Special guest musician Nancy Snowden will play cello.

Next Community Music Circle, 5/4

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May 4th, 7:00 to 8:30 in the sanctuary.

The next Community Music Circle is scheduled for May the 4th. Join others in the community in singing familiar songs together.

Singing or play your instrument, or both!

If you came last time, we’ll sing some of the same songs we sang last time, and some new ones, and see what happens. You are invited to bring a song from childhood to teach to the group!

We can’t distribute copies of copyrighted materials, so songs that can be taught be rote are strongly encouraged. If you have an idea but are not sure if it will work, feel free to ask and we’ll see what we can come up with.

If you have a song to share with the group, please email music@uucorvallis.org with your song idea so that we can try to have some chords for the instrumentalists to play along.

Open to all ages and all levels of musical ability! Bring voices and instruments if you have them.

Outreach Offerings for April

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Our April Justice Outreach offering will support the Community Services Consortium Weatherization Program. The program targets lower income housing for basic energy efficiency repairs and upgrades.  These involve energy assessments, insulation, weather stripping, ducts, furnace safety, and more, in a planned, organized process by local workers.  This is free for qualified residents of Linn, Benton, and Lincoln counties.  The program relies heavily on Federal funding which has become more difficult, while the waitlist for program services lengthens.  Your donations will allow more local households to be served and help those with sub-marginal incomes to save on energy costs. For more information, visit https://communityservices.us/weatherization/.

How to donate to the monthly Outreach Offering

Each month, the Fellowship gathers donations for a certain charitable cause. These are our Outreach Offerings. You can contribute to this month’s offering in a few ways:

  1. Give to the Sunday collection basket
  2. Donate online
  3. Donate to the refreshments during the social hour

The Kitchen team donates an assortment of sweet and savory refreshments, including gluten-free and vegan choices, for our enjoyment at the social hour following Sunday worship. These items are purchased and prepared by the team to encourage donations to the Outreach Offering. Collection baskets are always found at the ends of the refreshments table. The next time you’re eyeing something tasty on the table, consider putting a donation in the basket first to show how much you appreciate having that treat ready and waiting for you!

Grounds Work Parties in April

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Happy Spring!  Time to get outdoors and get our grounds looking great.  Joyce has scheduled 4 work parties for April, and will plan additional work parties weekly in May.  Please come help out when you can – let Joyce know if you plan to attend. 

April Work Parties
Mondays:    April 6 and April 20     3-5pm
Saturdays:   April 4 and April 18     3-5pm  

If you can’t make those times and would prefer to come when you can, there are specific tasks you can work on individually or with a buddy (a potentially new friend?).  Specific tasks include things like: 

  1. cardboarding and mulching the areas adjacent to Firwood and Elmwood to get rid of the scraggly grass and weeds that are unsightly and difficult to mow. 
  2. weeding a specific area (lots to choose from!) 
  3. repotting potted plants

Our group efforts will involve completing work on the pollinator garden, which will mean planting annuals, mulching, setting up a watering system and woodchipping the path.  And other misc. pruning and wood chipping the paths. 

We are having the large oak trees pruned on April 16th by Peak Tree Care.  After their work, we should have some high quality wood chips to use for the paths.  

Childcare is available!

Free childcare can usually be arranged for any Fellowship event by using this link 1-2 weeks prior to the event.