The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis
wa_announcements
Post with category “weekly announcements” plus this tag “wa_news_and_announcements” appear on the news page under the weekly announcements tab, under the heading “News and Announcements.”
As you are likely aware, our 2026 Stewardship Drive is underway. As of Friday, April 10, 86 members and friends have made pledges totaling $191,000. These numbers are comparable to last year’s drive at this same time. The dollar amount is 38% of our anticipated pledge need of $500,000.
Sunday, April 12 will be the beginning of the third week of the drive. Sunday, April 19 will be the “soft close” to the drive. After April 19, your stewardship team will reach out on an individual basis to all members from whom we have not yet heard as well as friends who have contributed in the past but not made a commitment in this drive.
As stated before, our goal is to have all members and friends complete a stewardship form, even if they are unable to make a dollar or time commitment in the coming year.
Click here to go to the stewardship online form. Click here to learn more about the stewardship drive and to access a frequently asked questions (FAQ) website. Paper copies of the stewardship form are also available in the foyer outside our fellowship hall. An email to Stephanie Haines (our office/business manager) at businessmgr@uucorvallis.org that includes your name, dollar amount you would like to pledge, and your plan for method of payment can also get you into the system.
Please act now. Opportunities await. Open yourself to them!
If you’ve been thinking about becoming a member, now is the time.
Our Annual Meeting is coming up soon on May 17th, and signing the membership book allows you to vote on important decisions that shape the life of this congregation. There’s still time to complete the required Inquirers Series sessions:
April 19 – Transitions Q&A (formerly Care & Support; that session is now May 10)
April 26 – Membership 101
May 3 – Our Shared Values 📍 All sessions meet in Room 7 at 11:45 AM
We would love to welcome you into membership before the meeting. If that’s been on your heart, this is your moment.
Please contact Skyla King-Christison (dre@uucorvallis.org) for questions about the Inquirer Series and Joyce Standing (membership@uucorvallis.org) for questions about signing the Membership Book.
Our April Justice Outreach offering will support the Community Services Consortium Weatherization Program. The program targets lower income housing for basic energy efficiency repairs and upgrades. These involve energy assessments, insulation, weather stripping, ducts, furnace safety, and more, in a planned, organized process by local workers. This is free for qualified residents of Linn, Benton, and Lincoln counties. The program relies heavily on Federal funding which has become more difficult, while the waitlist for program services lengthens. Your donations will allow more local households to be served and help those with sub-marginal incomes to save on energy costs. For more information, visit https://communityservices.us/weatherization/.
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:
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!
The Justice Outreach Fund (JOF) created in 2015 supports our Unitarian Universalist Values with an emphasis on creating a just and diverse multicultural Beloved Community where all thrive. To do this, the Fund awards small and large grants up to $10,000 to projects that are aimed at seeding and/or achieving social, economic, racial, and environmental justice.
The JOF Team is looking for projects that support one or more of the following three outcomes:
Changing how people are thinking and talking about an issue.
Engaging people and communities in civic action.
Developing or changing public or corporate policy.
For more information, the JOF Team encourages you to visit our table in the Social Hall on the first Sunday of each month, visit our newly revised webpage, or email us at jofund@uucorvallis.org for more information.
The UUFC Annual Meeting is coming up on Sunday, May 17, 2026 after worship service. Many things happen at our annual meeting, including voting on who will fill various leadership roles. For exact details, please read the UUFC Bylaws, shown at the bottom of this page.
Here is the timeline of events leading up to this year’s annual meeting.
Friday, April 17, 2026: Slate of candidates nominated by the Nominating Committee is published
Saturday, May 2, 2026: Deadline for any candidates to be nominated by petition (see Bylaws Article III Section 1)
Saturday, May 9, 2026: Finalized slate of all nominated candidates is published
Sunday, May 17, 2026: Annual Meeting!
Matters Up For Vote
Elected Fellowship Lay Leaders
The Nominating Committee will present a slate of candidates to fill the following roles:
Members of the Board of Directors
Members of the Nominating Committee
Chair of the Personnel Committee
Chair of the Financial Oversight Council
Note that the Chair of the Committee on Ministry would normally also be elected at the Annual Meeting, but the work of the Committee on Ministry is paused during our time of Interim Ministry.
Ministerial Search Committee
The Board of Directors will present a slate of candidates to serve as the Ministerial Search Committee, which will be tasked with conducting a search for our next settled minister.
Ways of Voting
Motions are passed by majority vote of those present, which is determined through a verbal Yea/Nay vote.
Becoming a Voting Member
Voting at the Annual Meeting is only open to people who are signed, active members of the Fellowship. In other words, those who have signed the membership book and maintained active membership. See Bylaws Article II.
There is still time for new members to join before the Annual Meeting! Prospective members are required to attend three of the Inquirers Series sessions before signing the book: #1 Our Shared Values, #2 Transitions Q&A, #8 Membership 101 (or #9 UU Roots). These sessions will be offered before the Annual Meeting, on these dates:
Transitions Q&A: April 19 (swapped dates with Care & Support, which is now on May 10)
Membership 101: April 26
Our Shared Values: May 3
If you have already completed any of these sessions, you only need to attend the others. You do not need to repeat a session you’ve already attended, though you are welcome to!
The membership book will be available for signing after the Inquirers Series on May 10, for those who have completed the prerequisites. This will be the last opportunity to sign the membership book before the Annual Meeting. To learn more about membership at the UUFC, see our Path to Membership page.
Save the Dates: Cascadia County Park, June 25 – 28, 2026 Moonshine Park (near Siletz), September 10 – 13, 2026
Come and join in fun and fellowship while camping with fellow UUFC members and friends! Plans include time for hiking, exploring, crafts, building community, happy hour, and much more. Bring your own tent, personal gear, and food. Parking is very limited (6 cars and 2 RVs – no hook-ups) at Cascadia and 8 vehicles (including RVs) at Moonshine Park, so carpools are encouraged. Come out for all or part of the event.
Registration fees: $30 per person for each weekend (4days/3nights); family rates are available and will be detailed on the registration form
More information and a link for reservations will be sent out soon. If you have specific questions, please contact Julie Halter and Nancy Gill by filling out this form.
Our annual Services and Silent Auction is on Saturday, June 6 at the Philomath Scout Lodge and the theme this year is a garden party. Please join in our largest fundraiser by offering a fun service, event, or item. Do you have access to a getaway at the beach, in the mountains, or other vacation spot? These prized offerings always earn lots for our Fellowship.
Services are a wonderful and fun way to meet other UUFC members and build community. Do you have a skill, interest, or hobby that you would like to share with others? Some possibilities: bird watching; dance lessons; singing lessons; music performances; guitar or ukulele lessons; drawing or painting opportunities; clay crafting; knitting lessons; rafting on the river; dinner for 4-12; computer help; house or window cleaning; clutter reduction; woodlands hike; homemade dinners delivered; homemade artisan breads or preserves; custom scarf or journal; gift basket; wine tasting on your patio; camping; yard work; cooking classes; gardening help; trip to the beach; anything you love.
Did you downsize or maybe clean out your closets this year and have some special items that you no longer want or need, such as jewelry, furniture, or artwork that you would be willing to donate? Bonus points if your donation coordinates with this year’s theme!
The Services and Silent Auction is a fun party. You’ll definitely want to attend. Everything you donate and everything that’s purchased goes to help support the UUFC. Submit information about your donation(s) here, and the Fundraising Team will reach out. Paper copies of the donation form will be available at the Fellowship after worship on Sundays. Thank you!
All Fellowship friends and members are invited to request a library card and start using our digital checkout system. Of course, you can still use the notebook, located on the shelf to the left of the window, but by using your very own digital library card, you help reduce the administrative overhead involved in keeping the library up and running.
It’s easy! Let me show you how!
Apply for a card at THIS LINK. Your card will arrive via email within 3 business days.
Search the catalog HERE or use the QR code on the bulletin board just inside the library door. Or, you can just browse the old-fashioned way. The resources have now been sorted into general categories. If you find something in the electronic catalog that you want to check out, you can find it on the shelf in the section indicated by the red tag. The example below is a book that can be found in the Unitarian Universalism and Congregational Life section! Please note that tags may only show up in the desktop version of the libib catalog on some devices.
Once you’ve found the book you want to take home, you could sign it out in the check out binder OR you could use your handy dandy new library card at the kiosk! If the iPad has gone to sleep (it probably has), simply press the button at the bottom to wake it up. Then you’ll find the libib kiosk app and tap it to open.
You’ll immediately be at the checkout screen. There are directions on the screen. Let’s walk through them together!
The first thing you’ll do is tap the blue SCAN button. This will open the camera on the back of the iPad to scan the QR code on the back of your book.
Simply lower your book (or movie or card deck) behind the iPad so that the QR code shows up on the screen.
As soon as it scans the code, it will say Success! and then your item will appear listed on the screen. You can scan until your heart is content. I mean, let’s be reasonable, but yeah. Take all the things you plan to read in the next little while.
When you’re all done, you’re ready click the CHECKOUT button in the bottom corner. Sometimes it’s green. Sometimes it’s blue. Life is a mystery!
Finally! The moment you’ve waited for! The chance to use your super cool Fellowship Library Card! You could enter your patron ID in manually, but that’s so boring when you could tap the QR code and then just scan your card like you did the book.
As soon as it has registered your patron QR code, you’ll be greeted with another friendly Success! message and you’re ready to go tell your friends how easy and fun that was.
When you’re done with your items, please return them to the “returns” basket located on the shelf to the left of the window. One of your friendly neighborhood library volunteers will check it back in and reshelve it for you!
If you happen to run into snags, come find or email me. Skyla! I’m happy to help you until we find a new librarian. Or, you know, you could use the binder and move on with your day. That said, I’d really appreciate knowing your experience, what’s working and what’s not, as we learn this new system.
In the earliest stages of our rollout, there may still be books that have fallen through the cracks and haven’t been stickered, or they have an old sticker, and the kiosk doesn’t recognize it. All of these details are things we want to know about! Please, if you have the time, don’t just stick the books back on the shelf if you find an anomaly that isn’t in the system correctly. Let me know so I can fix it!
Thanks for being a Fellowship library patron! You rock!
Try, once again, to let everything you do be done in love.
I am inspired by these words Rev. Jill uses to close our Sunday service. What would it be like to live this way? Sometimes I speak or act out of love, and that feels like happiness. But not everything I do or say comes from love, and when an alternative motivation (like ego, obligation, guilt, anger, etc etc) takes over, the results are often not so good.
How can we move closer to this lovely ideal? Buddhist nun and teacher Pema Chodron has a masterful way of explaining Buddhist wisdom in an accessible and compelling way. After reading “When Things Fall Apart” I was intrigued by the idea that in our incessant quest to avoid suffering, we often make a mess of things and cause a lot of suffering for ourselves and others. When I attended a weekend retreat with Pema and learned to meditate, I learned that it is possible to train in loving kindness. Meditation allowed me to take these ideas to heart and start to apply them to actual situations. I then gained a new level of appreciation of the power of Buddhist wisdom.
I’m planning a study group to read and discuss “Welcoming the Unwelcome: Wholehearted Living in a Brokenhearted World”. Here’s a blurb from the cover: In her first new book of spiritual teachings in over seven years, Pema Chodron offers fresh wisdom, heartfelt reflections and the signature humor and insight that have made her a beloved guide in turbulent times. In an increasingly polarized world, Pema offers us tools to find common ground, even when we disagree, so we can build a stronger and broader sense of community. Sharing never-before-told personal stories from her remarkable life, simple and powerful everyday practices, and directly relatable advice, Pema leads the way in showing us how to become triumphant bodhisattvas- compassionate beings- in even the most difficult of circumstances.
Well, reading and understanding is one thing. But taking the advice to heart and trying it out in our everyday encounters is what I’m hoping to achieve in this Adult RE offering. We will read, we will discuss, we will do guided meditations, and we will try out these ideas in real life.
