Weekly Announcements (Printable)
Sunday Services
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This Week:
November 30, 2025 – 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
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Services This Month:
December 7: Mental Health During the Holidays
Guest speaker Hilary Hughes brings the wisdom from her Masters of Divinity and compassion from her Masters of Social Work to serve help us reflect on mental health during the holidays.
Rev. Hilary Hughes will preach
December 14: Presence
“Being present” has many layers. What does it mean for us during these winter days?
Rev. Alex McGee will preach
December 21: Solstice Pageant (all ages)
In this all-ages Sunday service, the gifts of children and youth in our congregation will shine as we reflect on Solstice together. Be ready for deep reflection and getting to know your neighbor a little better.
Skyla King-Christison, Director of Religious Exploration, has designed this service and will lead along with children, youth, and Rev. Alex McGee
December 24: Christmas Eve (7 PM)
Invite friends and family to this gentle, reflective service in which we honor the gifts in the age-old message of people travelling with hope. We will enjoy the lighting of candles, with appropriate candle options for all ages!
Rev. Alex McGee will preach
December 28: Beginnings and Endings – Through the Lens of Poetry
Come enjoy inspiration from poetry as we acknowledge the end of a calendar year and anticipate the beginning of a new year.
Thea Hart is coordinating this service and many members and friends will be readers. Rev. Alex McGee will help lead.
From the Minister
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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
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Holiday Tree change
Update on the holiday trees for sale! SevenOaks Nursery said the 3-gallon Willamette Valley Ponderosa pine are disappointing as Holiday Trees, while the 3-gallon Douglas firs and 5-gallon Ponderosa pine look good. So… The 3-gallon Ponderosa pine option is replaced with the 5-gallon Ponderosa pine. The cost for the 3-gallon Douglas fir is $25, for the 5-gallon Ponderosa pine $30. Trees can be reserved using this form: https://forms.gle/E964qxccpYpRQzJw8 and they will be available on a first-come, first served basis at the Fellowship starting on Sunday, Nov. 30.
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Pledge Statements
Recently statements were sent out to everyone who has pledged and donated to that pledge in the first quarter of our fiscal year (July 1st – September 30th). If you did not receive an email but think you should have, please email Stephanie Haines, our business manager, at businessmgr@uucorvallis.org.
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Poems and Readers needed for Worship – Register by 11/30
Calling for poetry recommendations, submissions of original poetry, and readers for a poetry-centered Sunday worship service at the UU Fellowship of Corvallis. Readers will be reading aloud in front of the congregation during service. You can read your poem or someone else’s. We welcome all ages and voices that we don’t usually hear from. We anticipate a final selection of 10-12 poems.
Rehearsal on Saturday 12/27
Service on Sunday 12/28Theme: Endings & Beginnings
Deadline to submit: Sunday 11/30
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Microshelter at the museum
The Corvallis Museum is hosting an exhibit on homelessness. Step inside our Microshelter Exhibit for a rare opportunity to see what life is like in a tiny, transitional home. In partnership with Unity Shelter, this exhibit shows that while a roof and four walls provide safety and shelter, it’s far from luxurious. The exhibit offers a firsthand look at the challenges and realities faced by those experiencing homelessness. Explore the shelter and connect with the everyday realities of those without permanent homes.
On exhibit at the Corvallis museum, during museum hours, until early spring.
Learn about Unity Shelter and support their efforts!
https://bentoncountymuseums.org/exhibits/microshelters/ -
Queerly Beloved new meeting time
Queerly Beloved is meeting at a new time – the first Sunday of each month, 11:45 AM – 1:45 PM, in room 6B. Please come for discussion and connection during the holiday season. Bring a craft to work on, if you like, as we talk, and a snack to share, if you are willing and able.
Queerly Beloved is a LGBTQIA+ connection group. Come share, listen, connect, create community. Allies, family members, and children are welcome!
Childcare is available!
Free childcare can usually be arranged for any Fellowship event by using this link 1-2 weeks prior to the event.
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Opportunity for Work Cleaning Church Building
Call for Bids for Cleaning Contract at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis
2945 NW Circle Blvd, Corvallis
Posted November 10, 2025 – open until filled
Contact – office@uucorvallis.orgWe are inviting proposals for price and schedule to clean our church building. The building includes a vinyl-floored sanctuary with free-standing chairs (~2500 sq ft), kitchen (vinyl), social hall (wood), lobby (masonry), six single bathrooms, and 15 other office, library or meeting rooms with carpet, wood or vinyl flooring. We need the building cleaned at the end of the week before our Sunday service and then again early in the week after Sunday service.
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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.”
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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
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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.Do you have small holiday decorations that we can add to the greenery swags? Bring them with you when you next come to UUFC and place them in the red holiday swag box in the foyer.
Do you have inexpensive gift items that a child could purchase for no more than $2 to give to a friend, sibling, or other relative? Bring them to a Sunday service at UUFC and give them to Judy Westlake, Rachel McGrath, or Bonnie Morihara.
Childcare is available!
Free childcare can usually be arranged for any Fellowship event by using this link 1-2 weeks prior to the event.
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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:
- Give to the Sunday collection basket
- Donate online
- 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!
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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!
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