Tickets are now available for the 2024 Justice Theatre production at the UUFC! All proceeds benefit the Mid-Willamette Trans Support Network. Reserve tickets
![Thomas Middleton and Thomas Dekker's "Roaring Girl"
Adapted and Directed by Britt Urey
March 29 and 30](https://uucorvallis.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/roaringgirl_performance_facebookbanner-Rachel-Kohler-1024x536.jpg)
The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis
Tickets are now available for the 2024 Justice Theatre production at the UUFC! All proceeds benefit the Mid-Willamette Trans Support Network. Reserve tickets
Have you seen Origin, the new Ava DuVernay film, now showing in theaters near us? This outstanding movie centers on Pulitzer Prize winning author, Isabel Wilkerson. EDI, your Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion team invites you to join us, 7-8:30 PM, Thursday, February 29th, when we’ll explore our responses to Origin and the work of Isabel Wilkerson. Contact Elona Meyer for more information and the Zoom link.
Don’t miss out! The First Unitarian Church of Portland is offering a Zoom link for viewing the Academy Award nominated documentary, “A Stranger at the Gate,” to be shown 7-8:30 PM, Tuesday, February 20th. RSVP to First Unitarian Church and let them know you are a UUFC congregant requesting the link to register for “A Stranger at the Gate:” arjag@firstunitarianportland.org. If you would like to be included in a view and discuss activity, contact Elona Meyer and we will fill you in on dates, times, and the Zoom link.
Is religion dying out? Some say it is – others say it should. Since I consider religion to be an innate human process, I doubt it will disappear, but there’s no question in my mind that its forms will continue to change – as has been true forever.
To understand why the Fellowship is so important to so many people and will continue to be so requires recognizing the unique characteristics of a liberal religious community. I remember some of my mentors describing this: we are like a school because we offer educational opportunities, we are like a hospital because we offer care and support for healing, we are like club because we offer social stimulation and connection, we are like a charity because we do charitable works (we call it justice work now.) But we are not merely any of these: not a school, or hospital or club or charity. We are a religious community. First and foremost we are a worshiping community; worship is at the heart of our congregational life.
I know – the terminology can be challenging. What do we mean by worship? It’s easy to get hung up there. What’s much more important than the word is the act, or acts of worship. Here’s a way to think about it: to join with others around a commitment to values in order to support one another in living up to those values. To not participate regularly in worship is to miss some very important things. For example, to not be present in a Sunday service is to not enter into the shared effort of support for others, especially for dealing with hard things. The courage it takes for many of us to name our fears and troubles is made possible, is called forth, by the compassionate listening presence of others. And to be present in that process is to be part of bringing forth truth and working to understand more of it. To be part of worship is to be part of considering life and living, together, including the parts that words cannot express.
The religious life is not merely an intellectual exercise, not limited to discussion of religious, theological or political ideas. The religious community is more than a club or a school or a shared project of justice-making. Religious life, and especially shared worship, are practices which turn us ever closer to living in right relations. Both depend on learning more about the truths of our own minds and thoughts, more about the truths of our relatedness to all others, more about the truths of how we are part of Life. To be part of this religious life is a choice, which is offered to us daily, weekly, and more. May we choose to be present, intentional and committed, that our lives may be blessings to each other.
I am a friend of Steve Strauss and am looking for a one- or two-bedroom rental property in or near Corvallis (space to garden is a plus!). I work from home as an editor for an educational publisher. I have one sweet kitty and am hoping to move in March. I can pay up to $1,800/month. Thanks so much for any tips you might have! Contact DeeDee Hughes
With thanks to Art Wall team coordinator Isabel Prusinski, the Sanctuary is currently hosting a collection of pictures from local amateur (!) photographers Larry and Sharon Rosenkoetter. Both are retired from OSU; photographing wildlife is one of their loves. About their photos they say: ” The US and Canada are richly blessed with public spaces where wildlife can thrive, thanks to our ancestors who had the foresight to save lands for wildlife as well a for nature-loving people. We emphatically believe that in this time of climate change our generation must continue to combat forces that would destroy the essential habitats for vunerable creatures.” The photographs are for sale for $150 each. From more information about purchasing, see the information posted in the Sanctuary just inside the door from the foyer.
They were two men of small physical stature, but Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh were both giants: religious giants, spiritual giants, moral giants. They met twice – both brief meetings – but the effects of their meetings were and are profound. Between them they gave a depth and breadth to the idea of “Beloved Community” which few since have been able to fully grasp or commit to. What might we learn from the stories of their meeting?
with Jill McAllister
They were two men of small physical stature, but Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh were both giants: religious giants, spiritual giants, moral giants. They met twice – both brief meetings – but the effects of their meetings were and are profound. Between them they gave a depth and breadth to the idea of “Beloved Community” which few since have been able to fully grasp or commit to. What might we learn from the stories of their meeting?
with Jill McAllister
This week: Community Action & Connect Up with Karen Josephson. Inquirer’s Series is a series of 9 hour-long sessions designed especially for newcomers seeking more information about UUism and the Fellowship AND open to all others who are interested. Sessions take place every Sunday at 11:45 AM Room 8.
Upcoming session dates:
2024
If your group, team, or council would like to add something to the Weekly Announcements, there is a new form! Look for it at uucorvallis.org/news.
The Weekly Announcements are updated on Friday each week. The Weekly Announcements are meant keep everyone informed about what is happening at the Fellowship. If you would like to include something, please fill out the form by Wednesday of the week before the announcement should be published. Announcements may be edited for length and clarity.