The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis
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Please sign up for a three-hour painting shift(s) on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday April 25, 26, 27 or May 2, 3, 4.
We have just 16 days to paint everything three times (primer plus two finish coats)! Sign up sheets on foyer table or contact Wolfgang with your sign-up requests using the button below.
Our annual Services and Silent Auction is Saturday, June 28. 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.
Do you have a skill, interest, or hobby that you would like to share with others? Some possibilities:
Or maybe you have some special items that you no longer want or need, such as jewelry, furniture, or artwork that you would be willing to donate. Everything goes to help support the UUFC.
Please fill out our Auction Donation Form as soon as possible. You can access the online form using the button below. Paper forms will be available in the Fellowship foyer.
Please submit your offerings soon so the auction team has time to enter all items and services into our Auctria software, along with photos (jpg or png only. Auctria can’t accept PDF). We use Auctria to generate the live and silent auction catalogs and to track and record sales.
A change has been made to the slate of nominees for Fellowship leadership positions: Jamie Petts is nominated for Chair of the Personnel Committee, replacing Elona Meyer who has been (a fantastic) chair for many years.
The full, updated slate of nominees can be seen here: https://uucorvallis.org/nominating-committee-slate-for-2025-26/.
Thank you to everyone who gave feedback on the proposed changes to Article II of our Bylaws! We have incorporated the feedback into the proposed change, which is included below. This proposed change to the Bylaws will be voted on by members at the Annual Meeting on May 18, 2025. A bylaw change such as this requires a 3/4 majority vote of the members in attendance at the meeting.
Existing Article II Membership:
The Fellowship offers membership to all people who support its purposes, principles, and programs.
Proposed Article II Membership:
The Fellowship offers membership to all people who support its values, principles, mission, and programs.
The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis is committed to establishing, supporting, and maintaining a welcoming congregation that lives up to its highest ideals, a place where all can thrive. We strive to be a congregation that affirms all persons, including but not limited to those embracing differences in racial and cultural identity or background, sexual orientation, gender and its expression, religious background, marital status, family structure, age, mental and physical health and ability, political affiliation, educational achievement, and socioeconomic level. We welcome all who accept our Congregational Covenant of Right Relations to share in the leadership, ministry, fellowship, worship, responsibilities, blessings, and joys of our congregation’s life.
The members of the current UUFC Nominating Committee are pleased to submit the following slate of nominees for the 2025-26 Fellowship Year:
UUFC NOMINEES FOR ELECTED POSITIONS 2025
(Terms are for one year unless otherwise noted)
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President – Carl English-Young
Secretary – Priscilla Galasso
Treasurer – Michael Hughes
Board – John Larsen (2 year)
Board – Betty Shelley (2 year)
Board – Carolyn Madsen (2 year)
Board – John Bailey (2 year)
Board – Sheryl Stuart (2 year)
Board – Bonnie Morihara (2nd year of 2-year term)
PERSONNEL COMMITTEE CHAIR
Jamie Petts
COMMITTEE ON MINISTRY CHAIR
Mark Aron
FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT COUNCIL CHAIR
Scott Bruslind (3 year)
2026 NOMINATING COMMITTEE
Kris Egan
Jim Good
Kimi Mayo
Heather Thomas
Board member (appointed by the Board)
Good news: The parking lot paving was completed Friday so most of the lot will be available for you on Sunday. Sidewalk concrete panels will be replaced next week.
More Good news: Right now it appears that the contractors work will be completed ahead of schedule, probably in early June. Of course our work to move into the building may go on for another month.
Bad news: This project has highlighted the poor condition of our roof. We will be soliciting price quotes from several roofing companies in order to get all roofs replaced this summer. Until then the north roof of the RE wing is covered in plastic to protect the new drywall from leaks.
Thanks for your patience, Brian Egan
Community Services Consortium provides a variety of services for those in need. Our April Sunday Outreach Offerings will be dedicated to CSC’s Weatherization Program which reduces carbon emissions, methane leaks, and heating costs. Basic energy efficiency upgrades such as insulation, weatherstripping, and heating system safety checks are provided at no cost to low income households in Linn, Benton, and Lincoln counties. FMI: https://communityservices.us/weatherization
Feb. 2 “Where I’m From: Reflections on Black History” Rev. Jill McAllister
Feb. 9 “What Do You Know?” Rev. Jill McAllister
Feb. 16 “When Comfort Zone Principles Don’t Apply” Blaise Ntakarutimana (Kevin Shimineza)
Feb. 23 Special Guest Peter Mayer – UU Singer / Songwriter
Welcoming the Unwelcome Study Group
Monday evenings from 7:15 to 8:30 September 23rd – December 2nd
Facilitated by Joyce Federiuk
Please register HERE.
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.
This year’s adult religious exploration programs are centered on our congregational theme of the year: Ancestors, Descendants, and Us.
We will deepen our understanding of our UU religious ancestry, practice articulating our own religious beliefs and spiritual impulses, and explore ways to improve our relationships with ourselves and our fellow travelers in this river of life.
We very much appreciate you taking the time to pre-register so that we can arrive well-prepared to provide you with the best RE experience possible.
Some upcoming Adult RE opportunities include:
Music Theology (November-December)
Fail Fest 2024 (December 28th)
Adult OWL (Our Whole Lives, human sexuality program (January-March)
Elevator Speeches (April)
Common Read: Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary People and Their Families (July)
ONGOING OFFERINGS:
Parent Peer Support Group (3rd Thursday of each month @ 7:15 in the library, free childcare provided)
Neurodivergence and Mental Health Peer Support Group (Third Sunday of each month @ 11:45 in Room 9)
All past RE event listings can be viewed here!
If you have a special interest and would like to facilitate an exploration opportunity for adults, email Skyla King-Christison at dre@uucorvallis.org. Teh RE Council loves when our members help co-create the gatherings they would like to see, and I’m happy to support you in launching your RE-related ideas.
