Printable Weeklies

Weekly Announcements (Printable)

Sunday Services

  • This Week:

    November 16, 2025 – Desire in the Spiritual Life

    Throughout history, humans have expressed a sensual desire for the divine in such texts as Song of Solomon and the Bhagavad Gita. And, many spiritual autobiographies record longings of the heart. How can we be alert to the role of desire in our spiritual lives?

    Rev. Alex McGee will preach

  • Services This Month:

    November 2: Wheel of the Year:  Samhain/Halloween

    Because of the power outage on Oct 26, we were unable to have Sunday Service.  So, on Nov 2, we will do the Samhain/Halloween service honoring ancestors.  We will continue with the plan to practice evacuating the building at the end of service.

    Diana Titus will coordinate this service

    November 9: Why It Matters to Come Together

    While Unitarian Universalism welcomes many ways of believing, we have agreements about membership in this congregation. The sermon will explore how commitment to a religious community can be rewarding and what mutual relationship looks like. New members will be publicly welcomed.  In anticipation of Veterans Day on Tuesday, we will have time in our service for sharing and reflection.

    Rev. Alex McGee will preach

    November 16: Desire in the Spiritual Life

    Throughout history, humans have expressed a sensual desire for the divine in such texts as Song of Solomon and the Bhagavad Gita. And, many spiritual autobiographies record longings of the heart. How can we be alert to the role of desire in our spiritual lives?

    Rev. Alex McGee will preach

    November 23: Spiritual Tools for Centering and Compassion

    There has never been a better time for us to dig into our spiritual toolbox to center our souls, engage in a practice of self love and self compassion, and connect to our souls so that we can engage with each other from a space of love and joy. Dr. Bird will talk about storytelling as an act of persistence and how we can walk the good road to support our community.

    Dr. Melissa Bird will preach

    November 30: The Many Meanings of Home and Food

    Gathering around the hearth and table this time of year may be in the picture books, and may be real for some of us. But what else is true about the how people in our community experience home and access to food? And how does the sacred show up in these physical necessities?

    Rev. Alex McGee will preach

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

    • UU Advent Daily Email Series: Register by 11/27

      Rev. Ralph Roberts created a UU version of an Advent calendar, with little factoids about the influence that Unitarians and Universalists in history had on the winter holidays. We will once again be converting these tidbits into a daily Advent email series to land in your inbox every morning from December 1st through the 24th. You can register to be on that limited-run mailing list HERE by November 27th. Please note that, due to technological limitations, we will not be able to add any recipients to the list after the 27th.

      Worship Web offers the following disclaimer about the Advent series: “Due to its temporal nature, many of the historic milestones in this Advent calendar aren’t necessarily recognized on the precise day that they’re celebrated (for example, Kwanzaa is recognized here on December 2nd instead of December 26th, and the December 12 image recognizes Clara Barton’s birthday (December 25, 1821). More than perfect historic accuracy, then, this Advent calendar is offered in the spirit of holding up and delighting in the ways that our Unitarian and Universalist ancestors had a foundational role in many of the winter holidays and the innumerable ways they’re celebrated by people everywhere.”

    • Help The UU Provide Turkey For The Tables Of Families In Need

      South Corvallis Food Bank is running a Special Thanksgiving Food Drive called “Turkey For The Table”. With an unprecedented number of families loosing access to Food assistance this November, let’s step up and make their Thanksgiving special.

      Donate $30 or a Frozen Turkey to the South Corvallis Food Bank and say you are donating as part of the UU “Flock”. This enters the UU in a raffle to win a prize, which we will proudly display…somewhere.

      Join us in this bleak season to give in kindness to our neighbors and occasion some thanks worth giving.

      — UUFC Secure Food and Housing For All and Democracy Action Teams

    • 🐦Trick-or-Treat CAT Prize Winners🐦

      Those who visited the Climate Action Team table at the UUFC Trick-or-Treat last Sunday and answered a bird question received a chance to win a bird suet feeder + 2 suet cakes.
      The winning ticket number is CAT 97.
      Two runner-up numbers, CAT 730 and CAT 30, were also drawn and will each receive 3 packets of hot chocolate mix.
      Please contact cat@uucorvallis.org or Brian Lee by Nov. 16th to claim your prize.

    • Volunteer for Holiday Fair, 12/6

      The Holiday Fair team is looking for volunteers to help prepare for and run the event. We need help with various tasks leading up to the event, including baking goodies to donate to the event, posting flyers in Corvallis and nearby communities, organizing donated items for the recycled gifts room where children can shop for inexpensive items for themselves or gifts for family and friends, and making fresh greenery swags for people to hang on their doors. We also need a baked goods coordinator to accept and package/price baked goods on Friday and organize running the table on Saturday. And on the day of the event, we need volunteers to act as greeters, cashiers, musicians, and helpers to restore the sanctuary when the Holiday Fair is over.

      The UUFC Holiday Fair is open to the public and is a great place to purchase unique handmade crafts as gifts for friends and family and yourself. The craft vendors retain most of the purchase price of their crafts, and a portion goes to the UUFC as one of our annual fund-raising events. If you are able to help, you’ll enjoy being part of a team that is working to support local craftspeople as well as the UUFC.

      Sign up to help at one of the links below.
      Volunteering Before the Holiday Fair
      Volunteering During the Event
      A document describing the different volunteering positions can be found here. Please reach out to holiday.fair@uucorvallis.org with questions.

      Childcare is available!

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

    • Reserve Your Holiday Tree

      The number of Holiday Trees is limited this year. To reserve yours, please use the Order Form. Your reservation will be confirmed once payment is received and recorded. Payment can made be via Breeze to “Unpledged Donation” with note “Holiday Trees,” by check to UUFC with memo “Holiday Trees,” or by cash in an envelope marked with your name and “Holiday Trees.” The Breeze option is recommended because checks and cash will not be recorded until the Monday following receipt, and your tree will not be reserved until payment is recorded. The form will be updated daily to show trees still available. Unreserved trees will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

      For more information on Holiday Trees, click here. Questions: treasurer@uucorvallis.org.

    • Outreach Offerings for November

      Our November Justice Outreach offering will support the Corvallis Daytime Drop-in Center (CDDC). CDDC is a community-based non-profit resource hub providing information, referral, and direct services for people experiencing homelessness and poverty in Benton County and beyond.

      To learn more about their work, visit the CDDC 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:

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

      The Social Concerns team donate 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 end 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!

    • Donations Requested for Winter Care Kits by 11/30

      The children and youth in RE will be making winter care kits for unhoused neighbors during the November 30th Children’s Chapel.

      We need donations of gloves, hats, socks, and HotHands for our kits before November 30th. Please consider donating new or gently used physical items or cash to help us purchase these items for our kits. Donations can be placed in the marked box under the table outside of the RE office in Room 2.

      Our goal is for every one of our 40 registered children and youth in RE to have a kit in their car ready to be handed to someone in need. Your generous donations will help us learn about and engage in community care.

      Thank you in advance for supporting our RE programs!