Weeklies – Text Only

WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS – text only

Sunday Services

  • This Week:

    “On Ministry” 6/29/25

    As we get closer to a ministerial transition – a major event in the life of the Fellowship – let’s consider what ministry is in the UU tradition, what roles a minister plays in congregational life, and what that means for the lives of members and friends of the Fellowship.   

     With Rev. Jill McAllister, and special music from Johanna Beekman

Services This Month

  • Jun 1  “River of Life”  Skyla King-Christison and all

    Jun 8  “Who We Choose To Become”   Rev. Mwibutsawineza F. Ndagijimanayburundi

    Jun 15  “Trans Ancestors, Queer Descendants and a Liberating Present”   Rev. Lazarus Justice Jameson

    Jun 22   “Return to Love”   Rev. Jill McAllister

    June 29   “On Ministry”   Rev. Jill McAllister

From the Minister

  • Daily Practice – A Reminder

    These words were written in another June – 2023 – and are a good reminder now, given the changes that are both here and coming: 

    Good morning friends – Part of my daily practice is to read, in a way similar to an old Christian tradition called lectio divina.  I generally choose a book or reading randomly, without a specific aim – pulling a book off of a shelf or a pile, opening to whichever page appears. Reading what is there and then letting it settle a bit. Watching for my responses, my wonderings, my surprise or acknowledgement. Sometimes I return to words I know well, and let them speak again; often they speak in new ways.  This practice is as much listening as reading, and the listening happens in silence.  In this way I experience openings – to my thoughts and feelings, to a moment, to a day.

    It’s easy to simply keep moving in ways we are used to, along paths we have created in our minds and bodies, in directions we call normal. The world, our lives, offer so much more – more horizons, more paths, more colors and shapes.  It confuses and confounds us that almost everything “more” begins with awareness of breath, and the small,  imperceptible steps to deepen that awareness. 

    We begin again right here.  It may look like the same place, a “normal” morning or moment.  It is anything but.  At the very least, this moment has the potential for everything new, things we’ve never even dreamed of.  They are not far away, they are deep within. We may find or hear or see them, or we may not. The breath will be our guide, if we let it. Like words randomly chosen then followed or listened to in silence. Like doors that have always been there, which finally open and invite us in.   

    May there be moments like this for you this week,  May you pause to follow your breath, and find yourself where it takes you.  May you give thanks for another day given.    Sending love to you all — Jill

This Week at UUFC

  • One more Happy Hour with Jill, 7/2 5:30 PM

    Join with Jill and others for a happy hour gathering, to talk and reminisce. Wednesday July 2, 5:30 PM, on the Fellowship deck and patio. Bring your own favorite beverage and a snack to share if you like.

  • UUFC Services Auctions, 6/28

    The Services & Goods Auctions are our biggest FUNdraisers of the year!
    We’re building community together!

    Tomorrow, Saturday, June 28, 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM is our 2025 UUFC Live & Silent Auction. We hope you will join us for the bidding fun and a light supper. Scroll through the catalog of items that will be auctioned, below!

    Volunteer to Help
    Sign up here to donate a salad for dinner or to volunteer to help during the live and silent auction. We need your help to make our auction successful.

    Click here to volunteer!

  • Connect Up Hike, 6/28

    Come join the Connect Up Hiking group on a Jackson Creek Lollipop Loop hike! Meet at the UUFC parking lot to carpool at 9:30 AM. We’ll gather at the Chip Ross Natural Area trailhead (west end of Lester Ave. in Corvallis) at 9:45 AM and begin hiking at 10:00 AM. We’ll take the Chip Ross Trail (named for one of our founding UUs, Charles Ross), the Lower Dan’s Trail and then loop around Jackson Creek on forest road 612 and back to those same two trails toward the trailhead. Total distance: about 2.5 miles; elevation gain: about 200 ft. An easy summer hike.

    If you’ll be joining us, please fill out this RSVP form so we know you’re coming!

    RSVP Here

  • UUFC Night at the Corvallis Knights! 6/29 @ 5

    Buy your ticket and meet us in section 2 of Goss Stadium on June 29th for a night of scream singing Sweet Caroline and cheering for the home team!

    Opening pitch is at 5:00. Come a little early so we can all sit together! By registering HERE, you’ll help us know how many seats to try to save, but there’s no guaranteed seating in general admission. If enough people register to buy a discounted block of tickets together, I will let you know the week before.

Announcements

  • Classroom Wing July update

    We did it! The volunteer work of painting the interior of the classroom wing is complete!

    A HUGE THANK YOU to the ~50 volunteers who helped paint the Classroom Wing – some multiple times! It looks great and you saved the UUFC a huge amount of money! Another thank you to those who lent equipment and materials for this work. Please pick up the items you lent from the counter in Room 6C. If something is broken or missing, contact Wolfgang.

    Here’s the plan for upcoming activities:
    Professional painters the week of July 7 – 11 to paint the black fire-sprinkler pipes and external siding.

    Deep cleaning every room July 12 – 18
    Some cleaning by Felicia Torres, our custodian
    Other cleaning by volunteers (look for signup forms in July!)

    July 19 Move stored items from rental space and Wolfgang’s shed to UUFC

    July 20 Move stored items from private homes to UUFC

    July 21-30 Restore blinds, bulletin boards, shelf units, cover plates

    The preschool will move back into the classroom wing some time in August. Exact dates to be determined.

  • Best Practices with Service Animals

    Part of being a safe and welcoming community for everyone who chooses to be in covenant with us is learning about how to be awesome with service animals when they are present. Curious about best practice when you encounter a service animal out and about? We’ve got you covered!

    1. Notice when an animal is in a service vest, signaling that it is not a pet, but a working companion.
    2. Ask the human how the service dog helps them and get permission before interacting with the service dog.
    3. Speak directly to the human, not the service dog.
    4. Give extra personal space to the service dog and its person.
    5. Always assume the service dog is busy working, not off duty.

    More information is available from Guide Dogs of America to deepen your understanding and skills. Thanks for helping us live our values of inclusivity!

  • Time to Set Up your ’25-’26 Pledge Fulfillment

    Thank you to all who pledged to support the UUFC in 2025-26. That support enables our Fellowship to pursue its mission: Explore. Love. Act. We gather as an inclusive religious community to search for meaning, build deep connections, and inspire action toward a better world for all.

    Fiscal Year 2025-26 begins on July 1st, and it is now time for Step 2 in the stewardship process: updating your contribution payment method and assigning it to Pledge ‘25-’26. If you authorized us -– the UUFC treasurer or business manager – to update your pledge payment in Breeze, that is being done.

    If you chose to do the update yourself, please do so by July 1, but wait until after your final pledge payment for ’24-’25 has completed. Instructions on how to do the update can be viewed by clicking the button below, but if you need additional help, email <treasurer@uucorvallis.org> or <businessmgr@uucorvallis.org>.

    View pledge update instructions

    A final ask: please email <treasurer@uucorvallis.org> once you have updated your pledge, saying that you have done so.

    Thank you.
    Michael Hughes <treasurer@uucorvallis.org>

  • RE Summer Newsletter

    Greetings, Families!

    We made it through another fabulous Fellowship year! 🙌 With some of your favorite RE activities on summer hiatus, you might be wondering what other opportunities are coming for children, youth, and families. Well, wonder no more!

    Grab your calendars and get ready for summer goodness you won’t want to miss!

    SUMMER EVENTS for FAMILIES

    6/8 Family Hike at Lewisburg Saddle, 1-2PM, register here

    6/23-27 Play to Your Values summer camp, 8:30 to 11:30 on the Fellowship Lawn

    6/29 Corvallis Knights Game, 5-8ish at Goss Stadium, register here

    7/6 Sunday Morning Kids’ Lemonade Stand, during and after the service

    7/13 Family Hike at Fitton Green, 1-2PM, register here

    8/3 Sunday Morning Sidewalk Chalk Values, during the service for kids

    8/10 Family Hike and Splash at Mary’s River Natural Area, 1-3PM register here

    8/16 Outdoor movie night and camping on the lawn, 9PM register here

    8/24 Ice Cream Social, 7PM on Fellowship Lawn, register here

    SUMMER EVENT for YOUTH

    8/24 Youth kickoff river float, noon to whenever, register here

    More information about our events can be found below, and info for all events  can be found at uucorvallis.org by clicking “News” in the menu bar and then selecting “RE Council” from the drop down menu.

    The second Sunday of each month, June through August, we’ll be hosting a family hike. We ask that families preregister so that we know who to wait for at the trailhead, and hikes with fewer than 2 registered families will be canceled via text.

    We’ll be starting with Lewisburg Saddle and a little visit to the spot my family calls Salamander Heaven because there are tons of salamanders to see. Then we’ll hit Fitton Green in July. We’ll wrap up the summer with a short walk followed by a splash in a bend in the river that has shallows for little humans and a deeper pool for our confident swimmers on the back side of Mary’s River Natural Area. 

    Exciting news! The youth will have a dedicated youth room in September and they’ve chosen a wild accent wall to paint themselves. We will begin painting this Sunday and continue on Sundays until the job is done. Please have youth arrive in clothes that can get paint on them.

    On the first Sunday of each month, we will have a multiage activity for the kids. In July, we’ll prepare a lemonade stand again to raise money for the charitable organization that the children vote to give to. In August, we’ll spend some time on the playground talking about our shared values and what they mean to us, and then sidewalk chalk the heck out of firwood entrance with 6 word statements about our values.

    If you’re nervous about having the kids in the sanctuary again, know that you’ll have relief on the first Sunday of each month!

    In addition to hikes and during-service activities, we have a couple of night time activities that are open to the entire congregation, and geared specifically toward families.

    On June 29th, we’ll have a ballpark night with the Knights. Buy a ticket and join us in section 2 so we can sing and cheer and eat junk together. Register for that event HERE.

    And on August 16th, we’re going to show the classic My Girl on an outdoor movie screen and you’re invited to camp on the lawn and show up to the service in your jammies the next day. Registration for the movie night with camping is HERE. You do not have to camp to come enjoy the movie!

    It’s been so much fun getting to know your children over the course of this last year. They are delightful in all the ways and it’s the biggest honor to get to spend time with them week after week and get to know their quirks and gifts. 

    Thank you for raising such amazing humans and for being committed to doing it in community!


    Before you go, some parents have requested to be contacted about RE happenings via text. Our church management software allows for that, but only once you’ve opted in. If you are interested in receiving things like this newsletter via text, please use this form to opt into that service. And please communicate with me about how it’s going if you opt in. Breeze can be a bit fussy, so this will be a new experiment. I’ll be counting on your feedback!
     
    And as always, if you’d like to stop receiving updates about Fellowship RE activities, email me and let me know.
     
    Happy June, Y’all! 

  • Monthly Outreach Offerings for June

    Our June outreach offerings will once again support Flaming Chalice International, the non-profit organization founded by Rev. Fulgence Ndagijimana to support Unitarians in Burundi and Rwanda. This year our contributions will provide microloans for young entrepreneurs, supplies to make school attendance possible for young children, university scholarships, a community center for four villages, and more. The Fellowship has been part of this partnership for more than ten years. Our help makes a difference in lives of many Burundians and in the health and growth of global UUism.

Plan Ahead

  • Meeting on the Landscape Planning Process, 7/6

    We are people with ideas.  In a congregation-wide series of meetings held last August and September, many of us shared our ideas about what our landscape should look like, the elements it should contain, the purposes it should support and the values it should uphold.  A small group (Joyce Federiuk, Mona Hotchkiss and Ginger Chatfield) has taken the group input and put it into a form that we can more easily consider and prioritize.  

    Jill is convening a group meeting on Sunday, July 6 at 4pm at the UUFC to complete this process.  Our goal is to identify our most important priorities so that ultimately, they can be shared with a professional landscape architect to use in creating a master plan for the property.  This will be done in tandem with any building expansion that we may undertake.  

    Please plan to attend this meeting if you had interest and input in the prior meetings.  The intention is to vote on the priorities previously identified – rather than add in new elements or lobby for favorite items.  Hope to see you there!

  • Movie night: “Milk”, the story of Harvey Milk, 7/13

    Queerly Beloved July meet up
    Sunday July 13, 2025 4:00-7:30 PM, UUFC

    Join the Sexuality and Gender Diversity Team for a viewing of the inspiring movie “Milk” starring Sean Penn, telling the story of gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk in the 1970s.
    Movie will start at 4:00 PM, followed by pizza and a discussion, so plan to stay late! Pizza is provided; if you can bring a drink or snack to share, we welcome it.
    This movie is rated R. If you need childcare for small children, please contact the Grandfolks Squad.
    All are WELCOME – you don’t have to be gay to enjoy this movie! 🙂
    Questions: contact Anya Ballinger

  • Creative Lament Workshop, 7/7

    “Welcoming our sorrow eases the hardened places within us, allowing them to open and freeing us to once more feel our kinship with the living presence around us. This is deep activism, soul activism that actually encourages us to connect with the tears of the world. Grief keeps the heart flexible, fluid, and open to others… Our activism is directly connected to our heart’s ability to respond to the world. A congested heart, one burdened with unexpressed sorrow, cannot stay open to the world, and consequently, cannot be fully available for the healing work so needed at this time.” – Frances Weller, The Wild Edge of Sorrow:

    REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED

    WHEN: July 7th @ 6:00-8:00

    WHERE: Social Hall

    WHAT: Workshop offered by Skyla to explore lamentation — the ancient practice of passionately expressing sorrow through language and art. Participants will engage with a formal structure for writing a personal lament and artistically express their grief in the format of a small zine. No artistic skills are needed, and all supplies will be provided.

    This workshop was generously provided to religious professionals around the nation by Rev. JaKaren Bell and the UU College of Social Justice, with the invitation to teach this practice in our home congregations. It is our hope that this spiritual practice will provide spiritual sustenance to fuel your justice work.

    All youth and adults are welcome.

  • Plans for Rev. Jill’s Last Weekend, 7/11–13

    Rev. Jill’s official last weekend with the UUFC will be Friday, July 11 through Sunday, July 13, 2025.

    On Friday evening, in the sanctuary, we will have music from a variety of our favorite UUFC musicians, and a light ‘roast’ of Jill.

    On Saturday afternoon, we will have a congregational picnic outside on our north lawn.

    On Sunday, we will celebrate with Jill as she leads her last service with us.

    If you have questions about these events, contact Mark Aron or other members of the Committee on Ministry.

Connect Up/Affinity Groups this Week

  • Connect Up Hike, 6/28

    Come join the Connect Up Hiking group on a Jackson Creek Lollipop Loop hike! Meet at the UUFC parking lot to carpool at 9:30 AM. We’ll gather at the Chip Ross Natural Area trailhead (west end of Lester Ave. in Corvallis) at 9:45 AM and begin hiking at 10:00 AM. We’ll take the Chip Ross Trail (named for one of our founding UUs, Charles Ross), the Lower Dan’s Trail and then loop around Jackson Creek on forest road 612 and back to those same two trails toward the trailhead. Total distance: about 2.5 miles; elevation gain: about 200 ft. An easy summer hike.

    If you’ll be joining us, please fill out this RSVP form so we know you’re coming!

    RSVP Here