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WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS – text only

Sunday Services

This Week:

7/13/2025 A Celebration of Shared Ministry

We come to the end of a chapter in the life of the Fellowship – a chapter covering twelve years of ministry shared between us. Twelve years of immense change in the world, twelve years of leaning into it all together. I have so much gratitude – it would be impossible to thank you enough, but I will aim in that direction. Now we move toward the future – two new chapters: the ongoing life and health of the Fellowship, and my transition into retirement. We will move in different directions, but the connections we’ve made and the love we’ve shared will remain. Let’s share blessings for each other as we take these new steps.

With Rev. Jill McAllister

Services This Month

July 6 –   “Between Us”  Rev. Jill McAllister

July 13 – Celebration of Shared Ministry      Rev. Jill McAllister

July 20 – “Change Happens”  Rev. Leslie Chartier

July 27   “Not Soap Box Sunday”      Susan Sanford and others

Another huge blow to the health and well-being of Americans – and others, and the Earth — this week.  With the approval in Congress of this terrible bill –  called ‘Beautiful’ as an indicator of cultural insanity — an era of cruelty,  greed, exclusion, vengeance, inequity and injustice is re-affirmed. These are clearly the values of those who dominate the power structure of our country right now.  But dominant values are not the only values, and never have been.  We must take some time to feel the pain and the fear, we must take time to grieve and lament, and then we must find our footing again and return to love.

To return to love is to be ever more clear about our values of justice and compassion, inclusion and generosity, reason and wisdom and peace.  To examine our own lives ever more closely and deeply to discover our own contradictions, our own edges for growth.  To take risks for our values, to join voices with others for our values, to practice and teach and embody our values without ceasing.

As a good next step, tomorrow, Monday July 7, you’re invited to join in a workshop on Creative Lament – a form of medicine for these times – offered by our Religious Exploration (RE) department.   Registration is required.  See This Week At UUFC for more information.

This Week at UUFC

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
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.

At 7 PM on Friday July 11, in the sanctuary, we will have music from a variety of our favorite UUFC musicians, and a light ‘roast’ of Jill.

At 5 PM on Saturday July 12, we will have a congregational picnic outside on our north lawn.

At 10 AM on Sunday July 13, 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.

Announcements

Outreach Offerings for July

Our Sunday Outreach offerings in July support DRUUMM – Diverse & Revolutionary UU Multicultural Ministries – which is a Unitarian Universalist People of Color Ministry and anti-racist collective. As an all-volunteer ministry, DRUUMM continues to lead efforts to fulfill the aims of becoming an anti-racist, anti oppressive, multicultural UUA, creating space for youth, young adult and our families of color to heal and work collectively, and steward an effective organization that develops new leadership and manages consistent communication with members. DRUUMM is a collective of people who identify as People of Color. Allies are welcome and organized as Allies for Racial Equity. Together we are open to all people. At the Fellowship, our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Justice Team works in partnership with DRUUMM.
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!