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.”

Outreach Offerings for March

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Our March Justice Outreach offering will support our Partner Congregations in Bozod Korispatak, Transylvania, which is in Romania and our Partner Congregation in Burundi, Africa.  Our partnerships are 30 and 10 years old, respectively. In that time, we primarily supported the educational pursuits of students in both locations. The UUFC has inherited a commitment to global faith partners.   As we consider the uneven local, national and worldwide terrain, it is incumbent upon us to evolve, to engage in collaborations of affection, respect, and trust with others, and to learn, support where asked, and innovate for our sake and for our children.  The Global Partners Team is the group through which the UUFC can advance our UU principles of love and justice in the world.

Information about the Monthly Outreach Offering, as well as about UUFC Justice Teams, is posted on the bulletin board at the northeast corner of the Social Hall. Learn more about our Global Partners Team there.

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 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!

Help make the lights shine!

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Our experiment of new lighting along the entry pathway has been a success. Now we will install permanent lighting on both sides of the path to enhance the safety and security of UUFC members, staff and friends. We plan to install those lights on Monday, March 2nd starting at 9am.

With a few more helpers we can get this done in one day. Tasks include digging a ditch for the PVC conduit, installing the conduit, running the wires, connecting the fixtures and backfilling the ditch. So there is work for many skill levels (no experience necessary). If you are interested in helping (and learning how to install a lighting system at your own home), please contact Brian Egan by filling out this form.

Café Justo coffee is back!

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After several months of poor harvests, the Café Justo cooperative has finally had a good harvest and we received both dark and regular roast in whole bean and ground. Sorry, no decaf yet, but we are hopeful! Unfortunately, like the rest of the world, the price has increased to $15 for a pound. Coffee will be for sale after the service most Sundays in the Social Hall. Cash and checks are accepted.

Café Justo is a coop of indigenous growers who not only get a fair price for their beans, but they own the roaster (made here in Corvallis!) Owning this value added step enables them to have health insurance and a retirement plan.
Enjoy your cup of coffee knowing you are helping folks to remain on their ancestral lands.

How to Check Out a Library Book (the fun way!)

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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!

Remember, the Snacks Support a Cause!

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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!

Nominations for 2026-27

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The Nominating Committee is looking for members to help serve and lead our congregation in the coming year (2026-27). Your service is especially important at this time of transition, and we seek a diversity of ages, backgrounds and perspectives. Nominate yourself using this form or suggest others for positions as a Director, the Personnel Committee Chair, or next year’s Nominating Committee. You can learn more about each role through the links above or ask one of the members of the Nominating Committee: Kris Egan (Chair), John Bailey, Steve Strauss, Heather Thomas, and Jim Good. Duties and time commitments are outlined for each; childcare is always available for meetings and special functions.

Office Volunteer Needed: Be the Welcoming Heart of Our Fellowship!

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Are you a friendly, organized, and engaged member of our community looking to make a meaningful impact? The Fellowship needs your help to ensure our office runs smoothly and all who visit feel welcomed and informed!

This isn’t just about administrative tasks; it’s about being the welcoming presence and a key information hub for our diverse and vibrant fellowship.

We are seeking someone who is:

  • Personable: A warm, friendly, and approachable demeanor to greet everyone who comes through our doors, making them feel instantly part of our community.
  • Timely & Dependable: Punctuality and reliability are key to keeping our operations running smoothly. We value your commitment and will respect your time.
  • Knowledgeable: You will quickly become the “go-to” person for the latest happenings, events, and general information about the fellowship. An interest in staying informed is essential!

What You’ll Gain:

  • The chance to use your skills for a cause you care about and directly impact our fellowship’s mission
  • Opportunities to meet new people and expand your social network within the community
  • A positive and supportive environment where your contributions are genuinely appreciated and valued
  • Valuable experience in a dynamic office setting

Key Responsibilities:

  • Greeting members and visitors with a welcoming smile, directing inquiries
  • Providing information on upcoming events, programs, and fellowship activities
  • Offering general administrative support (e.g., filing, data entry, organizing materials)

Time Commitment is every Tuesday from 10 am – 12 pm at the Fellowship.

Please contact Cameron McGrath at comms@uucorvallis.org and Reverend Alex at rev.alex.mcgee@uucorvallis.org if you are interested in learning more.

Join us and be at the heart of our vibrant community!

Pema Chodron Study Group

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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.

Adult RE

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Adult RE

What’s in store for Adults in Religious Exploration for the 2025/26 Fellowship year? I’m so glad you asked!

Some upcoming Adult RE opportunities include:

Mosaic Antiracism Series (September and October)

Music Theology (January)

Adult Coming of Age (February and March)

UUA Common Read Brown Bag Book Group (July)

ONGOING OFFERINGS:

Parent Peer Support Group (2nd Thursday of each month @ 61;30 in room 3, with free childcare provided)

Neurodivergence and Mental Health Peer Support Group (1st and 3rd Sundays at 8:30 AM in Room 9)

Family Breakfast (2nd Sundays, October through May)

All past RE event listings can be viewed here!

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.

If you have a special interest and would like to facilitate an exploration opportunity for adults, email Skyla King-Christison at dre@uucorvallis.org. The RE Council loves it 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.