Past Services

We enter into the traditional “Christmas Season” in the Christian tradition, with the first Sunday in Advent, Dec. 1. Part of that story, of Mary the mother of Jesus, is a common teaching that is mostly overlooked – the encouragement to “be not afraid.” It’s an old encouragement, part of many other stories, archetypal in many ways, given how much we humans tend to be afraid, and what we tend to do with that fear. So let’s start there this season, and see what we can learn.

With Rev. Jill McAllister Special music from Tim Hardin.

The coming season is always a challenge, more and more each year. We find ourselves in-between in so many ways – between proclamations of peace and ongoing war, between holy days and (often mindless) accumulation, between stories of freedom and realities of oppression, between giving thanks and perpetuating pain. And this year, with heightened fear.

How do we begin to enter in, to be part of nourishing and helping, of both gratitude and responsibility? There are no easy answers, but we can enter in nevertheless.

With Rev. Jill McAllister

One of the great teachings, of Jesus and others, is to try to love your neighbor as yourself. And as soon as it was taught, the questions began. Does that mean all my neighbors? Even the ones I think are strange? And the ones that scare me? And the ones I don’t like, don’t know, don’t want to know, don’t care about? Even the ones who are dangerous? The teaching remains, and so do all the questions. How might we approach them now? Especially from our aim to be a welcoming congregation?

with Rev. Jill McAllister

Let’s just say it has been an historic week. And we are still living. And we are wondering. And so much more. Many of us are devastated, are trying to make sense, are trying to find courage, are trying to find our footing.
We can do this together – begin to balance ourselves in order to keep going in the service of Love.
Join with us on Sunday to start anew, and to continue the journey.

Following the service our Democracy Action Team invites all who are interested to meet together at 11:45 in the Sanctuary, to begin to strategize next steps.

These are hard days for most of us, and yet we are still here, we are still connected. It is a time to center ourselves, to remember our sources of courage and strength, to  remember our ideals, and to rest in all the ways we can.  We will be able to keep going, even if the path feels unknowable right now. You are invited and welcome to join with others at the Fellowship in the coming days, for connection, for mutual support. 

Here’s the schedule:

Thursday, Nov. 7, 7- 8:30 PM  – Open House gathering in Room 7.

Friday, Nov. 8, 7 PM – Community Kirtan (chanting and singing)  Room 7

Sunday, Nov. 10,  10 AM Sunday Service

The future is a mystery, no matter how much we try to imagine it. How the week ahead will unfold is a mystery! It’s always good to help ourselves manage our fears and anxieties, to try limit the ways we pass them on to others and wear ourselves out in the process. We can support each other; we can practice together.

with Rev. Jill McAllister

Don’t forget: Daylight Savings Time ends early on Nov. 3 – which means an extra hour of sleep or relaxing before coming to the Fellowship.

The Wheel of the Year arrives at Samhain, which is closely related to Halloween. It is a time for honoring connections between the living and the dead, for telling stories which have lasted for generations. Who are our ancestors – related or not? What did they brave or endure or dream or build? How do their lives affect our own? All are invited to bring a photo or picture of a beloved ancestor – related or not – to help create an altar which honors both the season and those who came before us.
All ages are welcome to come in costume, if Halloween nurtures you in that way.

(The service is not totally intergenerational – children and youth will go to their RE sessions as usual).

Following the service, all are invited to “trick or treat” at tables hosted by Fellowship Justice teams, and to think about which of those areas of Fellowship life you might want to join and work with for the coming year.

Our religious tradition set out on a unique path several hundred years ago by beginning to incorporate democratic principles. If, as according to a description of UUism from several generations ago, “our method is our message,” then what do those democratic principles look like and mean for us now, especially in these times of danger? To begin with, this is far more than merely voting. Rev. Jill McAllister

Don’t forget Roy Zimmerman in concert, 7 PM tonight at the Fellowship — songs of encouragement and hope! $25 online or at the door. Come at 6:30 for refreshments and libations before the concert.

Our visiting Partner Church minister, Rev. Katalin Szasz-Cserey has served two village congregations in Transylvania – Bozod Korispatak and Firtosmartonos – for 23 years. She also teaches religion in a Unitarian High School in a nearby city. She’ll preach from her tradition on what it means to be a Transylvanian Unitarian. Following the service, all are invited to share in the ceremonial moving of our Memorial Garden. We’ll gather around the current garden, to remember those came before us, then we’ll move some of that soil around the building to the new Memorial Garden. Rev. Szazs-Cserey will help us dedicate the new garden and the Corvallis version of a traditional Transylvanian Szekely Gate we are building there, in honor of our long congregational partnership.

‘Transylvania’ generally conjures images of werewolves and campy movies, but it’s a real and beautiful place with an incredible history, especially for Unitarians around the world. For it was in Transylvania (now part of Romania) that the concept of religious freedom made a bold and courageous entry into European Christianity, and helped inform ideas about freedom that seem obvious to us today. We welcome our partner church minister, Rev. Katalin Szasz-Cserey to Corvallis, and begin her visit by learning more about our Transylvanian roots.