Weekly Announcements (Printable)

Sunday Services

This Week:

February 1, 2026 – Forgiveness

Forgiveness can sometimes feel elusive or confusing. But humans throughout the ages continue to grapple with forgiveness. Let us consider what is ready to be heard in our hearts and put into action now.

Rev. Alex McGee will preach

Services This Month:

February 8: Reconciliation

Cheap forgiveness may be falsely labeled as reconciliation — but the risks are great. So, today, let us consider the many steps of accountability that are often necessary before true reconciliation is possible. Because around the world and in the home, true reconciliation allows fresh possibilities in life.

Rev. Alex McGee will preach

February 15: Love

What do we need to talk about in our Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on the day after Valentine’s Day? Come find out!

Rev. Alex McGee will preach

February 22: Shelter and Community Care

For several decades, Corvallis has grappled with challenges of what it means to have safe housing for all and shelter accessible to those in need. This UU Fellowship has played a role in many ways. Come reflect on the history of the congregation’s collaboration with Unity Shelter, current local issues, and what might be possible in the future.

Shawn Collins, Executive Director of Unity Shelter, will be our guest speaker. Shawn got his first look at the realities of homelessness and poverty in the Willamette Valley through his volunteer experiences at the South Corvallis Food Bank. After leaving HP in 2016, Shawn worked at United Way of Benton & Lincoln Counties, as the Program Manager for the Housing Opportunities Action Council (HOAC) through 2019. He was instrumental in securing the site that would become the Corvallis Men’s Shelter in 2017.

March 1: Inspiration from our Partner Church in Transylvania

Last Fall, several members of UUFC went to visit our Partner Church in Transylvania. Today they will share information, illumination, and inspiration: history of partner churches at UUFC; how they observed resilience in action; how Unitarianism there reflects Christian roots; and rituals that were transformative.

Janet Throop, Linda Bruslind, Scott Bruslind, and Patricia Parcells will speak.

From the Minister

Between Us (December 2023)

December arrives, with its unique forms of busy-ness and expectations, and I invite you to give yourself time to contemplate this season from as many perspectives as you can. To contemplate means to observe deeply, with focused attention. Perhaps what I’m suggesting is something different – not merely to think about in order to categorize, but to feel – to know by feeling. Maybe ponder is a better word than contemplate. What is this season, for you? What makes a difference? Winter, darkness, lights, Christmas, Solstice, rain or snow, fog, solitude, celebrations, rest?

It is a season of holidays / holy days – each with particular insights to offer – Hannukah, Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Divali, and others. It is a season on this particular part of the earth – of rain and fog, sometimes of cold and ice, of geese and owls, of bare trees and mud, of creeks full and running fast. It is sadly, still, a season of struggle and strife, here and in so many other places. Of all these insights and occurrences, what nurtures you? What is hard for you? What helps you remember what you are part of?

There’s lots of talk about giving, of course – especially from those who depend on this season to make as much money as they can. “Give our things” they say, and we too easily believe that consumerism is a source of happiness. We know the limits of that habit. What if we could make this a season of generosity more than just of “giving”?

Events and Activities

News and Announcements
- Outreach Offerings for February
  Our February Justice Outreach Offering will support the Linn Benton NAACP. The NAACP works to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination.
  
  Learn more at the Linn Benton NAACP Website.
  
  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:
  
  Give to the Sunday collection basket
  
  Donate online
  
  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!
- Resources learned from Minnesota
  
  The recent woes in Minnesota have taught many lessons and opened many eyes. Those who have learned and seen have wisdom to share, and we have the luxury of learning – and offering our support – from relative comfort. Here are some resources worth looking at, learning from, and sharing.
  
  FreedomTrainers.net
  
  Information and training about Collective Noncooperation and preparing for action before it’s needed.
  
  Signal.org
  
  An encrypted, secure messaging application, available on iPhone and Android. Read about installing Signal at this article: https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/360008216551-Installing-Signal/.
  
  StandWithMinnesota.com
  
  A directory of charitable efforts and works in Minnesota that need financial support. Itself a passion project, “just two ladies running this thing as volunteers”.
  
  MARCH’s video from the Minneapolis clergy gathering
  
  Migra Whistle PDX
  
  Resources for 3D-printing whistles, information on how to use them, and instructions on building whistle packets to spread the information. If you decide to carry and use a whistle, please be sure you understand the patterns being used in your area. Blowing alarms no one understands won’t help!
  
  Indivisible Benton County
  
  Local information, training, and events for a wide range of justice concerns – including ICE Watch training!
- Join the Chalice Circle Team
  
  Would you like to help start new Chalice Circles and meet fellow congregants? We are looking for volunteers to join the Chalice Circle Team. No experience required. Please contact us at ChaliceCircles@UUCorvallis.org.
- The UUFC Board wants YOU!
  
  Interested in serving on the Board of Directors for the UUFC? The Board works as a group to manage the affairs, property, policies, and financial health of the Fellowship, maintaining the mission and vision over time. As a board member, your efforts and leadership can help to sustain and grow our community. We are looking for members who are excited about being part of the future of the UUFC and are inspired by Principles and Congregational Covenant of Right Relations. For more information talk to one of the members of the Nominating Committee – John Bailey, Kris Egan, Jim Good, Steve Strauss, Heather Thomas – or visit the Board information table in the Social Hall after the Sunday service.
- Social Hall & Kitchen Improvement Questionnaire
  
  The Building Enhancement team asks that everyone fill out their questionnaire about the Social Hall & Kitchen Improvement project. The questionnaire asks about a variety of uses and perceptions of the Social Hall and Kitchen, now and in the future. Your answers will help the team understand the range of thoughts and feelings the congregation holds about this project.
  
  The questionnaire is available as a Google form here: https://forms.gle/VuRM1ug3bSRu5wM3A.
  
  This is the same questionnaire that was available on paper after worship service on Sunday, January 16.
- Connect-Up Hiking Leader needed
  
  Greetings UUFC Walkers, Amblers, Plodders, and Hikers: Did you know that UUFC has a Connect-Up group for you? There is a little problem, though. It now lacks an organizer/leader. Jim Wagner started the most recent incarnation of this group at the start of the COVID epidemic and the varying group visited many area locations from Mary’s Peak to Mac Forest to Cascade Foothills. Jim is no longer able to lead hikes. Priscilla Galasso has done this nicely for a while but is also moving on. Jim is willing to help find and assist someone who can lead hikes. Organizing is just a matter of picking a location that fits likely weather and participants; Jim can particularly help with this. Your primary responsibility would then be a few hours, typically on the last Saturday of each month, enjoying both the personal connections and the marvelous places that are accessible by trail or path. If you, or several of you, can fill the role of hike leader and/or organizer, please contact Jim Wagner.
- Side with Love!
  
  Side with Love is the Organizing Strategy Team of the Unitarian Universalist Association.
  
  30 Days of Love is their annual celebration that runs approximately from Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in January through Valentine’s Day in February with weekly offerings of spiritual nourishment, political grounding, and shared practices of faith and justice, including child and family activities.
  
  Find out more here: https://sidewithlove.org/30daysoflove.
- Adult Coming of Age (2/19-3/26 @ 3:00-4:30) Register by 2/5
  
  WHEN: Thursdays from 3-4:30 from February 19th through March 26th
  
  WHERE: Room 7
  
  WHAT: Adult Coming of Age is a program designed to help each participant examine who they are at this unique moment in time, look back at the people and events that have shaped them in meaningful ways, and clarify the values, priorities, sacrifices, and gifts that will shape this season of life.
  
  As spiritual beings evolving in a physical world, we are never done becoming who we mean to be, and the Coming of Age program for adults honors that at every age, we are crossing thresholds, seeking clarity, and held by circles of support.
  
  This year’s round of Adult Coming of Age is offered earlier in the day to accommodate those who cannot drive at night. Because this is a challenging time for many with full-time jobs, we will offer the next round in the evening.
  
  Registration is required for this gathering.
- 2025-2026 Pledge Drive Feedback Survey
  
  We are collecting feedback on the 2025-2026 pledge drive! Fill out the survey to share your thoughts by clicking the button below.
  
  Survey
  
  Your feedback will used to make improvements in how we communicate about pledging, record key pledging information, and share the importance of pledging with the congregation. Survey responses are anonymous so please share what is on your mind and how we can make this process better in the coming years. Contact Rachel McGrath (who is helping to support the stewardship team) with any questions regarding the survey.