OUUC Weekly Update 6-17-20
News from the Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Worship Service June 21, one online service at 10:00 am
“Compassionate Fatherhood” – Worship Arts Team
Join us for Online Worship.
Listen to recent sermons here.
Interfaith Pride Service
Please join the Concerned Clergy of Olympia (of which Rev. Mary and Rev. Carol are members) for an Interfaith Pride Service on Thursday, June 18 at 7:00 pm. Rather than offer our usual Thursday evening contemplative service, we invite everyone to gather in community for lamentation, revolution, affirmation, and blessing.
General Assembly - Free Events and Scholarships
There are events you can attend next week for GA that don't require registration. The list is available here. Look for "Registration Not Required" and "Events for Public Viewing."
Scholarships are available to those who would like to attend the virtual General Assembly next week (June 24-28) and need a little help. Read more....
Join the Mass Poor People's Digital Assembly
Today, the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival has picked up Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s unfinished work, bringing people together to confront the interlocking evils of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, militarism, and the war economy, and the distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism. Be inspired to continue this work at Saturday’s Moral March! Learn more here.
From Rev. Mary - Centering and Re-centering
Recent events have shown us once again the need to reckon with our racial divide, how our history has impacted black, indigenous and people of color and continues to do so now. Examining our culture and institutions is the work that we are called to now, centering the voices of those who have been sidelined for so long.
As Unitarian Universalists gather next week for our virtual General Assembly (GA), one of the topics for discussion will be dismantling white supremacy in our faith tradition. For more information, please check out and follow the UUA Commission on Institutional Change. The Commission will be presenting more about their findings and proposed changes during GA next week. What we receive their report and what we do with the recommendations will define who we are now and into the future. Read more....
Mid-Week Meditation
Midsummer Online Auction June 20-28
OUUC’s all-important fundraiser, the 2020 online Auction, kicks off in just a few days—it starts THIS VERY SATURDAY! The Auction will take place entirely online, and gets a jump-start with a Zoom performance by The Merry Shakespeareans on Saturday, June 20, from 5:00 to 6:00 pm. Tune in (Zoom link below) for hilarious skits, auction insights, and real, non-digital door prizes delivered safely to real doors—including yours. To qualify for a door prize, simply register for the auction. Click here for a demo on how to register. Want to participate in the bidding, but need a little financial help? Contact Reverend Mary and ask about the Community Fund.
Questions about getting registered, placing a bid, or finding the catalog? Sharon Love will be available to provide any assistance you may need on Thursday, June 18 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm. (see Zoom link below). Drop in anytime during the Zoom meeting. Or, just send an email to auction@ouuc.org and let us know the help you need. We'll get you set up!
Make sure you have these dates on your calendar:
• June 18, Auction Registration Zoom Drop-In, 3:00 – 5:00 pm https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88505935334?pwd=ek9pZEYxbnRMc0NieU5pNXFYRFZqdz09
• June 20 “Opening Night” 5:00 – 6:00 pm https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87475592712
• June 20 - 28 Online Auction Bidding is Open https://www.ouuc.org/midsummer-online-auction/
Your bids can make this auction a brilliant success. Questions? Contact Melanie Ransom.
Summer Camp
Collaborative Multi-Congregation Virtual Summer Camps for Kids! We are teaming up with other congregations as far north as Victoria B.C. and over to the Tri-Cities to offer a series of six virtual summer camps for kids.
Find out more and register here.
Climate News
How is caring for our environment related to the current protests over police brutality toward African-Americans? This quote from the NYT article below summarizes the connection: “This conversation is a police brutality conversation on top of a COVID-19 conversation, and it all adds up to a devaluation of black life,” Ms. McGhee said. “That’s what climate change is as well, because of environmental racism. We’ve got to divest from systems that are killing us and costing us, and invest in our people and our planet.” Find out more here.
Celebrate the Life of Billie Williams
We will gather virtually to remember her and her many connections to our community. All are welcome to attend.
Sunday, July 5 at 2:00 pm
Zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84741107376?pwd=TmRwVG1oWVhvVzFvVWI4Q01JRVhvZz09
Phone log in: 1-253-215-8782
Meeting ID: 847 4110 7376
Password: 430216
OUUC Realm Tips
Church Events are now available by logging into your Realm account. Just click on the Event tab when accessing your Realm account from your PC or from the Connect – Our Church Community app. Find the Zoom links to Sunday services and more. Would you like to learn more about OUUC Realm? Information is available here or by contacting church staff.
Environmental Action Team News
You can watch our Eco Films at home and participate in a ZOOM discussion at a later date. This month learn about the issue of food waste. Our first film JUST EAT IT is available on YouTube without cost, if you don't mind ads.
Our discussion of the film will occur on ZOOM later this month, Check the Weekly Update for details, including other sources of information, links to the ZOOM meeting, and discussion points.
Justice for All - How Would We Know?
Justice not Jails - Open Letter to Elected Officials in Thurston County: Do people of color, low income, or with drug or mental health issues get equal treatment in our criminal justice system? Do police in our community use best practices? Do we know if our justice system is effective or efficient? The answers to these questions are: we don’t know. But we should know so we can make the justice system more just for everyone. We should know so we can strategically add best practices and prune those that aren’t working. We should know when we must make budget cuts due to Covid-19. Read more....
Join The Blue Apron Team
There are now two ways to be a part of the OUUC Blue Apron Team. Twice each month, on the third and fourth Wednesdays. members of this congregation prepare and bring main and side dishes for the evening meal at the Interfaith Works Adult Shelter; and others bring donations of non-perishable, shelf-stable foods to help provide evening and weekend meals for homeless children and teens. On Wednesday, June 17, and Wednesday, June 24, between 5:15 and 5:45 pm, all donations should be brought to the parking lot of the Olympia Copy Center on Franklin Street, and across from the First Christian Church. To donate meals, and/or for a list of shelf-stable foods, please contact Jo Ann Young.
Think Global, Act Local
Many of us are looking for ways to fight racism and support the work of justice. One way those of us who are white can be allies is to financially support local organizations doing anti-racism work. Please consider supporting Media Island International here in Olympia. Executive Director, Shawna Hawk, is a black woman running a non-profit working to support women of color. Several of us at OUUC met with Shawna last Fall and are honored to have this connection. The Mission Statement of Media Island International is this:
MII is a cultural, educational and networking center, whose focus is to support women of color in their leadership while working with other like-minded individuals and groups who do conscious social justice activism. MII also chooses to support education, organizing, and movement building, as well as independent progressive investigative journalism. You can find more information at the MII website. You can donate on the website or by sending a check to:
The Women of Color Leadership Movement, c/o Shawna Hawk, 816 Adams St SE, Olympia, WA 98501.
OUUC Landscaping has Some Rough Patches!
Although most of us aren't at church much, the weeds keep growing. A number of our members have taken responsibility for weeding different patches through the Adopt-a-Plot program. Several plots need some TLC. Could you commit to weeding once, twice, or on an ongoing basis? We would be grateful for anything you can do. Contact us to find out where we most need help.
Thank you! Steve Tilley and Mike Kyer, Adopt-a-Plot leaders
Join the Share the Plate Team!
Share the Plate (STP) is looking for volunteers to help recruit, select, and mentor local non-profit organizations for the 2021 Share the Plate year. STP members serve a one-year term. Most of the work is from July to September. We recruit organizations to apply, then choose six organizations to receive STP donations in 2021, then mentor each group through the process. We’re looking to form an enthusiastic and diverse committee to help choose some outstanding organizations that share our OUUC values and are making a difference to the local community. Contact Bob Brennand by June 30 if you are interested.
Notes from Marie
Our caretaker, Marie, would like to remind everyone to be mindful when using household cleaning products. Many common household cleaners contain ingredients that can react with each other in dangerous ways. For instance, bleach (sodium hypochlorite) releases highly toxic fumes when mixed with ammonia and alcohol(isopropanol), found in hand sanitizer, reacts with bleach to make chloroform. Read more....
Quick Notes
OUUC staff will be attending the virtual General Assembly next week so we may be a little slower than usual in answering email.
New member photos and bios are available here.
Seeking Volunteer Tech Stewards - Are you a person with tech skills who is looking for a way to serve OUUC? The Online Tech Team is looking for new members. Please reach out to the Online Tech Team lead, Michael Kyer to find out more.
Community Pantry Donations Accepted! Toilet paper, diapers, and wipes, and a broad assortment of food items contributed by OUUC members and friends will help replenish the shelves at the Food Bank, Family Support Center, and other local organizations. The Community Pantry is organized by United Way of Thurston County and the Community Foundation. Many thanks for your support.
The Administrator’s Zoom door will be open for office visitors on Wednesdays from 2:00 – 2:40 pm. (If you are asked to wait in the Zoom waiting room it is because another church member is visiting the office.) Please stop by!
The Virtual Bulletin Board is a place for members to share information about events in the larger community, ask for recommendations, and share resources. Email the church office to sign up.
Read This Week in Religious Education 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.
In the Larger Community
Juneteenth Celebration in Lacey - North Thurston students and their supporters invite others in the community to join sign waivers to celebrate Juneteenth, which commemorates June 19, 1865, when the last remaining slaves were set free in Texas and mark a significant milestone in this country's history. Sign up here.
Learning Right Relations - Join us this Sunday, June 21 from 1:00 - 3:15 pm for a screening of The Indian System, followed by a discussion with filmmaker Sheldon Wolfchild and historian Dr. David Nichols. Click here to register for this event. This is truly a powerful moment in US history, with many people waking up to the pervasive oppression that has been a daily reality for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color for centuries. We know that the roots of these injustices go deep and are a part of the Code of Domination and part of something called The Indian System.
Register here. Download a flyer below.
About Us
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