OUUC Weekly Update 3-2-21
News from the Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Worship Service March 7, one online service at 10:00 am
“A Love Without End” – Sara Lewis
Join us for Online Worship.
Listen to sermons here. See recordings of online services here.
Thursday Evening Spiritual Practice 7:00 pm
March 4 - Reflections on the theme of Commitment with Rev. Mary and Anne Kohlbry.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81051325520?pwd=NjdXM25OMThVRytydWtQQ0lJZmtMQT09
Meeting ID: 810 5132 5520
Passcode: 690200
Sunday Talk Show Guest is Zoe Myers
The “After Church with Melanie Ransom” talk show continues this Sunday with special guest, Zoe Myers. Zoe is a member of the choir, participates in storytelling events, and has two dogs named Woody and Pete. This is your chance to discover how your life might overlap with Zoe’s. The show starts at 11:30 am after the coffee chats. The tech team will provide instructions on how to join. Upcoming guests include Wendy Tanner, Darlene Sarkela, and Troy Fisher. Many of us come to OUUC for the theology, but we stay because of our life-long connections to the people. – Melanie Ransom
Understanding OUUC Communication
If emails often feel like the bane of your existence, you’re not alone: many studies estimate working professionals receive an average of 121 emails per day. Combined with personal inboxes, that number may be much higher. And even apart from email communication, we are experiencing an extreme level of information overload or saturation, which can lead to fatigue and apathy. (Not to mention there’s currently a global pandemic and a variable level of trauma impacting nearly everything we do.) Given all these factors, some irritation and weariness surrounding email communication is perfectly understandable. Read about OUUC Communication here.
Getting Ready for Visioning Together
Visioning Session: Coming Up!
This week OUUC members are invited to take part in an online congregational visioning retreat, stretched across three sessions: Friday, March 5, 6:30 to 8:30 pm; Sunday, March 7, 1:30 to 4:00 pm; Sunday, March 14, 1:30 to 4:00 pm. Over the course of these sessions, congregation-members will share stories and insights from the best of OUUC, toward clarifying the values that will define a new vision, mission, and ends for the next chapter of OUUC.
On the first (Friday evening) session, after some icebreaking relationship-building, consultant Jake Morrill will give a report, summarizing and framing all the input that has been received, so far. On the second session (Sunday, March 7), in small groups, people will be invited to share stories of OUUC at its best, and then extract themes from those stories; back in the main group, as these themes are shared, people will explore the resonance between them. A week later, on Sunday, March 14, the group will begin with those central, guiding themes from the first Sunday, and collectively move toward a clearer sense of priorities for the future, drawn from the best of the past.
To make an online experience meaningful and engaging for a large group, as well as break-out rooms for engaged conversation, attendees will be invited to access a Padlet online sticky-note board and also a Google Doc.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89225595919?pwd=SGJXM1ptL0ZsSDk2QWdyNUNFZDVKQT09
Meeting ID: 892 2559 5919
Passcode: 886350
New Member Class
New Member Class, Saturdays 2:00 - 3:30 pm, March 6, 13, 20.
Are you interested in becoming a member of OUUC, or just interested in knowing more about how things work around here? Join us for this 3-session class led by Rev. Mary Gear, our Director of Community and Faith Development, Sara Lewis, and congregational leaders. Register here.
Request from Rev. Mary
Our monthly theme for March is Commitment. This month we also mark the one-year anniversary of our first online Sunday service in response to COVID-19. The confluence of these things prompts me to invite us to reflect on these questions:
Have my/your/our commitments (or what you are committed to) changed this past year? If so, how? I plan to bring these musings into the Sunday service on March 14 and I'd love to hear from you! Please send your thoughts to me at minister@ouuc.org by Wednesday, March 10. Thank you! I look forward to hearing from you! - Rev. Mary
Virtual Books, Brownies & Beans – Coming Soon!
Our 2021 Virtual Books, Brownies & Beans store will open at 8:00 am on March 15 - less than two weeks from now! Please share this ‘Coming Soon’ link to the Store with your friends and family in the Olympia area. After the sale, we would prefer to re-use bags to package each buyer's orders instead of buying new ones. If you have medium or large paper or plastic grocery bags to share, please deliver them to the covered center front deck at Susan Dodson’s home sometime in the next two weeks. Any bags left after the sale will be donated to the Food Bank. Also, we could use three or four sturdy wagons to haul bundles of books to and from cars at OUUC as we prepare for the March 27 order pickup. Please email Susan if you have a wagon to loan us. We look forward to “seeing you” at the store!
Quick Notes
Team Captain sought for an OUUC team for the Virtual Hunger Walk (May 2nd) this year. If you are interested in supporting hunger relief services and organizing a team, please contact Sara Lewis.
The LGBTQ Group meets this Sunday, 2:30 - 3:30 pm
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83367371382
Meeting ID: 833 6737 1382
+12532158782
Our Sunday worship service will be live on our OUUC YouTube channel as well as on Zoom. You can still participate in Sunday worship through Zoom. Those who would like to try the YouTube option can do so here.
See a list of online meetings that you might attend here.
Ways to Give - Did you know you can donate to OUUC by text message? Just text "OUUC" and "amount" to 73256. You can also donate online by visiting our secure online giving page.
OUUC Connect (Realm) Notifications Settings
Are you receiving all the communication from your Teams, Committees, and Groups?
If not, you may need to adjust your Notification Settings in OUUC Connect (Realm).
Please download the instructions below.
In the Larger Community
Join Olympia UUs and other faith groups around the globe in launching a Green Faith Initiative, “Sacred People, Sacred Earth” on March 11 at noon. During this virtual gathering, faith groups will make demands and take action for our collective social and environmental well-being. March 11 will begin eight months of advocacy in the name of love and equity to prepare for the global November 2021 Climate Conference. The Olympia launch will include mindful prayer, song, and a listing of demands by different faith groups, as well as a call for concrete action. You can join us by Zoom with meeting ID: 899 8077 5923, and passcode: 258381. For more information about the event, contact Wendy Steffensen.
Nominations Sought for 2021 Peacemaker Award - The Dispute Resolution Center of Thurston County (DRC) is seeking nominations for the 2021 Evan Ferber Peacemaker Leadership Award. Established in honor of Founding Executive Director Evan Ferber, this annual award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in promoting peaceful dispute resolution and civility. The DRC welcomes and encourages members of the community to submit nominations for this award. The 2021 award will be presented later this year, as the public health situation and guidelines permit. The nomination form is available on the home page of DRC’s website: www.MediateThurston.org. The deadline for submitting nominations is April 10.
This is your Spring Chalice Lighter Call for the 2020-2021 church year. The Inland Northwest Unitarian Universalist Community of Spokane (INUUC) is an emerging UU congregation that will serve the population of Spokane and Eastern Washington. Your support will assist INUUC with the nonrecurring costs associated with “hitting the ground running” in their quest to offer more opportunities for religious liberals in their area to become Unitarian Universalists. Make a one-time gift of $20, $50, or $100 online at the PNWD giving page. Mail your check, payable to “PNWD Chalice Lighters” to: PNWD Chalice Lighters, P.O. Box 567, Brighton CO 80601. Please include the PNWD-CL designation and the name of your congregation on your check.
Thurston's Virtual Hunger Walk - It’s fun and simple to participate. Visit thurstonHungerWalk.com to donate and support the team of your choice! This FUNdraiser ends Sunday, May 2. The distance you walk or if you walk at all is your choice. Download the flyer below.
About Us
Sara Lewis, Director of Faith Development
Darlene Sarkela, Congregational Administrator
Anissa Bentlemsani, Religious Education Assistant
Email: liberalfaith@ouuc.org
Website: http://ouuc.org
Location: 2315 Division Street Northwest, Olympia, WA, United States
Phone: 3607866383
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OlympiaUUC/
Twitter: @OlyUUC