WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Sunday Services
Sunday Worship Service: Eliot Institute – A Connection to UU Values
September 27, 2026 at 10:00 AM
UU values are lived out in many places, and one is the annual Eliot Institute in Washington State. This summer, 20 members attended this week long gathering for classes, meals, games, and spiritual practices. What they came back with were profound insights into how to live their UU values every day. In this service, they will share the gifts that they received. Kevin Grant and Thea Hart will lead. A note of thanks to the UUFC Endowment Fund which helped make this financially accessible to more people.
You can attend worship in person, or online through Zoom by clicking the blue button at the top of the web page that says “Watch our Sunday Worship Service on Zoom”. The Zoom stream starts shortly before 10 AM on Sunday.
From the Minister
Dear Congregation:
Fall Equinox is upon us, and the colors of the leaves show us that Mother Nature is shifting her energies.
Here at the Fellowship, I am observing groups gather together in shared spiritual nourishment:  the Women’s Retreat and the Men’s Retreat planners are reaping the harvest of long summer planning and sharing it with others. The Coordinators of Elders Thriving in Community are offering wonderful programs monthly. I love seeing the foyer bubble with people arriving for those programs, and buzz with warm conversation as they leave informed and inspired.
I admire the hard work of the new Safety Team over the past six months. They have been meeting monthly and doing “homework” outside of meetings. As a result, this weekend there will be a training for lay leaders who have a role in streamlining a Sunday morning evacuation, if one were needed in case of emergency. Wolfgang Dengler has achieved that great feat of leadership: making sure that a role does not depend on just one person.
As the days get shorter, some people may find themselves beginning to have hints of the Winter blues. Please check on each other, and fire up your own self care tools. Tune in to a healthy Fall routine for your body and mind.
Please remember that generous donations create the Minister’s Discretionary Fund. This means that the minister has leeway to offer funds to members and friends who are going through a difficult time and would benefit from monies to help them bridge to a more stable place. Pastoral care takes many forms, and this is one.
With care,
Rev. Alex
Rev. Alex McGee is serving the Fellowship as Interim Minister and can be reached at rev.alex.mcgee@uucorvallis.org.September 25, 2026
Settled Minister Search News
News straight from our Settled Minister Search Committee!
Ministerial Search cottage meeting, 9/29
The Ministerial Search Committee will be hosting several small “Cottage Meetings” of 8-12 people each. We want you to have the opportunity to tell us in person how you view the congregation currently and what qualities you would like in our next minister. This important input from YOU will inform the Congregational Profile we publish to UUA ministers and help us find our best match. Each meeting will last an hour and be facilitated by two Search Committee members. Meetings will be offered at these times:
Sundays 9/27 – 10/18 in the Sanctuary at 11:45am
Tuesday, 9/29 at 5:30pm on Zoom (there will be no Zoom meeting on 9/28)
Wednesday, 9/30 at 10:00 am in Room 7It is necessary to sign up for the Zoom meeting in advance with your email so that we can send you the Zoom link. To do that, please RSVP with this link: https://uufc.breezechms.com/form/search_cottage_26.
Settled Minister Search: Break Barriers, Build Beliefs Workshop, 10/24
SAVE THE DATE! Please join us for the Break Barriers, Build Beliefs (B4) Workshop on Oct. 24 from 9:00am – 2:30pm. This two‑session experience (with lunch!) helps us notice and address bias as we prepare for ministerial search. It will be facilitated by Rev. Eric Kaminetsky. All are welcome; Search Committee and Board attendance is expected. Beforehand, we will send out a B4 Beliefs Survey and collect RSVPs. Thanks for planning to help us in this good work!
Congregational Survey for the Settled Minister Search
A survey from the Settled Minister Search Committee is ready for you; find it at https://forms.gle/cRfurPUXLKyXq4vE7. Please take 15 minutes to tell the search committee about yourself and your experience of our congregation! This confidential information will be used to enrich the narrative about our ministry context and needs that the search team will share with ministerial applicants. Look for Survey links on the website, in the Order of Service on Sunday mornings, and in the Foyer on Sunday mornings (paper copies and laptops). October 11, 2026 is the deadline to submit your input.
If you want to print out your own copy of the survey, you can find a PDF version here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eMzYyWzhpuNJSqHpkaPwKzR1t1ODGdaz/
Announcements
This Week at UUFC
Online Joys & Sorrows
Location: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5412313219
Join us on Zoom for a weekly checking-in which includes sharing of joys and sorrows, plus the Metta Prayer.
Contact:Â Mary Craven.
International Flavors
Location: Social Hall Porch & Patio
The event is a partnership between the UUFC and Corvallis for Refugees. Two new-neighbor families will prepare and offer for sale (typically $15) meals from their home countries, for eat-in or carry-out. Meals will be purchased from the families; this is NOT a UUFC fundraiser.
Community Kirtan
Location: Room 7
Community Kirtan is a gathering featuring talented local musicians who will lead us in kirtan chanting. It’s a peaceful way to end your week. All are welcome!
More information at NewWorldKirtan.com and JohannaSings.com.
Contact: Kitzie Stern
Inquirers Series: Lifespan Faith Formation
Location: Room 7
This is a session in our Inquirers Series of classes, which you can read more about on our Path to Membership page.
Join Kyle Cupp for an overview of Religious Explorations and our philosophy of faith formation at UUFC.
Mindful Awareness
Location:
I’m Patti White, a UU member since 2012. I’m a Mindfulness Coach in a system called Unified Mindfulness and since 2019 I have been leading a meditation practice group associated with the UUFC. We are on Zoom now. Come check us out. Our practice is suitable for you whether you are a beginner and curious about mindfulness meditation or whether you are have had a long experience with the practice.
We meet each Wednesday from 7 PM to 7:50 PM. The group currently meets on Zoom. The room opens at 6:40 PM for casual socializing.
To be added to the group list, please fill out this form.
Dinner Church: UU Next Generation
Location: Social Hall
Join us for an experimental kind of UU community building: cooking a meal and sharing food. Our goal is to build connections among the next generation of UUs. If you consider yourself a member of the “next generation”, whatever that means to you please join us. We meet in the Fellowship’s kitchen and cook a meal with ingredients we’ve brought. Our goal is to make a healthy meal with portions large enough to satisfy everyone.
We ask you to bring your skills, questions, and whole self. Come learn about what it is like to be a UU of the next generation.
For more information and to ask what you can bring, join our Discord server at discord.gg/VTPhyZUrCB. (New evergreen link!)
Online Joys & Sorrows
Location: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5412313219
Join us on Zoom for a weekly checking-in which includes sharing of joys and sorrows, plus the Metta Prayer.
Contact:Â Mary Craven.
Plan Ahead
Telling Your Own Story
Location: Sanctuary
Please join Elders Thriving in Community for a story-telling workshop with Ann Marchant.
One of the most powerful things we can offer one another is story – and only you can tell yours.
This workshop is not a repeat of the program with Ann last spring, but it will follow nicely with the same topic. Whether you attended the previous one or not, this workshop will be fun & valuable to all participants. No writing experience needed!
Ann will lead us in exploring the value of sharing simple, true stories across generations. Storytelling is how we pass along humor, resilience, wisdom, and the values that shape who we are.
Harvest Festival
Location: Parking Lot
Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins! Get your pumpkin and support immigrants in our community.
This event needs help! See ways to contribute and sign up using this form: https://uufc.breezechms.com/form/UUFC_Harvest_Volunteer_26
Power, Visibility, and Belonging
Location: Room 7
Registration is required HEREÂ by October 27th, 2026.
This four-session series for congregational leaders takes an honest look at the gap between the community we aspire to be (or believe we already are) and the one some people actually experience. This is an invitation to see more clearly, and to lead differently as a result.
Those who took the Harvest the Power Leadership workshop last year are highly encouraged to attend, as a deepening of that work AND anyone interested in exploring community dynamics around power and belonging are very welcome.
Meetings will be on November 3rd, 10th, 24th, and December 1st – all Tuesdays – at 6 PM in Room 7.
PLEASE NOTE: The group will not meet on November 17th.
Holiday Fair
Location: Sanctuary
Saturday, December 5, 2026 at 10:00 AM
Our annual well-loved Holiday Fair welcomes members and the community at large. This joyous event features creative vendors, baked goods, swags, live trees, live music, activities for children, recycled gifts, and a delicious lunch. Join the fun!