OUUC Weekly Update 11-16-21
News from the Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Worship Service November 21 - online only
“All Shall Be Well” - Rev. Monica Jacobson-Tennessen
The famous words “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well,” were written by a medieval mystic, Julian of Norwich. Julian’s life experience included the bubonic plague, economic and social unrest, and personal illness and loss. Sound familiar? Mysticism can be a doorway into the kinds of interconnectedness that help us in times like these. Let’s explore.
Rev. Monica Jacobson-Tennessen (she/her) currently serves as the minister at Community UU Church in Pasco, WA; she has previously served congregations in Massachusetts and Oregon. Rev. Monica is a Meadville Lombard Theological School alumna and a graduate of the Still Harbor Spiritual Direction program. She currently lives in western Washington with her spouse, nine-year-old daughter, and two mischievous Siamese cats.
Join us for Online Worship.
See recordings of online services here.
Upcoming Sunday Worship Services
We are eager to gather for worship in person, and many of the barriers preventing that have been removed or are on their way. The HVAC work is substantially done, not quite “done-done” but it will be soon. New hardware and software were installed in the sanctuary last week and the Tech Team is hard at work learning and figuring out how to best stream our services.
If all goes well, we will begin inviting people into the sanctuary on Sunday, November 28. We are using social distancing and masks and so will limit the number of people who can attend based on safety for all. You can register using the online reservation system here. We will also offer childcare and nursery care for a limited number of young ones. Please use the online registration system for that as well.
We continue to use care for ourselves and each other as the gauge for how we re-enter. Thank you for caring for yourself and for our community.
Thursday Evening Spiritual Practice
Join Sara Lewis at 7:00 pm for Thursday Evening Spiritual Practices, with practices to root ourselves into gratitude.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82994463887?pwd=TkRaOTNWekdTaEx4VENiL0VoVjRPdz09
Meeting ID: 829 9446 3887
Passcode: 548890
Question and Answer
November 21, 11:30 am-12:30 pm: Cultural Appropriation
Join Rev Mary and Sara Lewis for a question and answer about the issue of cultural appropriation.
What is cultural appropriation? Why do we care about it? How do we decide what to do/use and what not to do/use? Explore these questions and more on the 21st.
OUUC Drive Through Supply and Food Drive!
On November 21, 1:00 pm, plan to drive through the OUUC parking lot to receive a Guest at Your Table box and to donate for a food drive and a hygiene supply drive. LP Brown Elementary is asking for children’s hygiene items: new socks and underwear, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, and shampoo.
Help Needed! We need a few folks who would like to help with the drive-through on Sunday, November 21, and could drive the food to the food bank. If you are interested in helping, contact Sara Lewis.
Thanksgiving Blessing
While we lament that we can’t gather in person for the traditional OUUC Thanksgiving potluck, we can gather virtually for a community blessing and recognition of all that we are thankful for. Join Rev. Mary at noon on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 25 for a short virtual blessing and let the winter holidays begin!
OUUC Thanksgiving Blessing
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89144989231?pwd=SUp5d3Z2dG0yWU8vS3pFTy9CdVpzdz09
Meeting ID: 891 4498 9231
Passcode: 343410
COVID Phases
Thanksgiving Pals!
Update: We have five folks who would share a meal and no one who says they would like to receive a meal. Would you like to receive a meal?
As we cannot safely host our Thanksgiving Potluck yet this year, we are once again organizing a Thanksgiving Pals program to match folks who would like to cook for others and share a meal and folks who would love to receive a meal. This is for building community, not just for swapping food.
Sign up here.
Articulating Your Faith Class
Wednesdays Dec 1, 8, and 15, 6:30-8:00 pm. Would you like to know more about Unitarian Universalism? Would you like to feel more comfortable talking about UU and answering questions about it? What do you say when someone asks you about UUism and your beliefs? Join this three-session class, taught by Sara Lewis, to gain more comfort and skill in answering those questions. Register here.
OUUCs' Special Holiday Online Book Sale
OUUC's Online Holiday Book Sale Store will open at 8:00 am on Thursday, December 2 through Sunday, December 5. At this "Coming Soon" link you can sign up to receive "Newsy Bits & Sales Tips" email updates about our Holiday sale - and future OUUC book sales - if you wish. Please share the link with your local family, friends, and neighbors. All items are $3 and proceeds from the sale will benefit Help Us Move In - so they can assist Thurston County families with children moving into more stable housing. If you'd like to volunteer to help with book distribution or for more information, contact Susan Dodson.
Environmental Action Team Monthly Update
Quick Notes
A new Membership Engagement Team is being formed now. Are you interested in being part of making OUUC a welcoming and engaging community? Please contact Sara Lewis to learn more or to volunteer.
Skills & Interests Survey - this new survey includes many of the things we do for fun and self-improvement, as well as those skills and interests that can direct us into programs and roles at church. The information you provide will be added to your profile in Realm, where it will be available to other members of the congregation, and periodically reports will be issued that will allow us to more easily find others who share our special interests. Take the survey.
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.
Send a Photo of Your Table
The theme for the Thanksgiving weekend worship service on November 28 will be “A Bigger Table.” Rev. Mary and Sara Lewis will be introducing the “Guest at Your Table” an annual fundraiser for the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. To help us mark this holiday weekend and honor the impulse to make our tables big enough for all, please send in a photo of your table to be shared in the service. The photo can include people or not, food or not. It could be on the theme of making your table bigger. Send your photo to Rev. Mary We look forward to making our table large enough for everyone!
Calendars Available
We still have some 2022 LUSH Calendars from the OUUC auction. This year’s theme was Food We Love to Share with each month featuring a photo and a favorite dish from OUUC members. It’s a collection of fun pictures of our friends and filled with lots of great recipes to try for yourself! The cost is $30 and it all goes to the OUUC auction funds raised for this year. You can purchase yours on our online giving page. Choose the Auction fund from the drop-down menu. You can also access the payment page through your OUUC Connect (Realm) account.
Full Moon Meditation
On November 19 at 7:00 pm, the Full Moon Meditation session will be a special opportunity to experience guided deep relaxation practice, in person, at OUUC. Bring a yoga mat or something else comfortable to lay on. We will be masked and socially distanced. Next month we'll return to virtual meditation sessions through the winter months.
In the Larger Community
Resetting Our Sacred Table – Sunday, November 21 at 2:00 pm. Virtual Event Streamed Live on Facebook. Please join Interfaith Works for this autumnal, community gathering as we welcome contributions from the membership of our coalition and from the Squaxin Island Tribe with reflections on gratitude and healing through story, prayers, and song. More information. Rev. Mary Gear and the OUUC choir will both be offering a recording to be played at the Thanksgiving service.
From Upstander Project: Emmy® Award-winning film, Dawnland, will be airing live on Independent Lens on PBS on Saturday, November 20 at 9:00 pm ET. Check your local listing for broadcast times here.
Decolonizing Thanksgiving: a Virtual Worship Service - Thursday, November 18 at 4:30 PT. Register here.
Un-learning Session, Facilitated by Alan Lechusza Aquallo (Luiseno Nation & Maidu Nation)
Tuesday, November 23 from 1:00-2:30 PT. Check out the description here and register if you can!
Watch Award-Winning Documentary, The Condor & The Eagle - Playing every 15 minutes, Now – November 30, 2021. Suggested $1-100 sliding scale donation. Register.
https://event.webinarjam.com/register/ 204/n7yn7fr3
2021 National Day of Mourning - Thursday, November 25 - Beginning at 9:00 am PT. Cole's Hill, Plymouth, MA (hill above Plymouth Rock). Live streaming here. Hosted by the United American Indians of New England, an annual tradition since 1970, Day of Mourning is a solemn, spiritual, and highly political day. Many of us fast from sundown the day before through the afternoon of that day. We are mourning our ancestors and the genocide of our peoples and the theft of our lands. NDOM is a day when we mourn, but we also feel our strength in action. Over the years, participants in Day of Mourning have buried Plymouth Rock a number of times, boarded the Mayflower replica, and placed Ku Klux Klan sheets on the statue of William Bradford, etc. For those who live far away from Plymouth, you can still participate by watching the live stream of the day's events &/or making a donation.
Saturday is Transgender Day of Remembrance. Join the UUA on Friday, November 19 to observe this day at our TDOR Service. 11:00-12:30 pm PST. Special Guests: Rev. Ali KC Bell & Imara Jones. Register here. 2021 has become the deadliest year for transgender and non-binary people. The barrage of anti-trans legislation that has been levied against the trans/non-binary community along with a culture of hate that is harming our children is directly responsible for these senseless killings and the dangers the trans community faces on a daily basis. In 2021, at least 45 transgender or gender non-conforming people were murdered--the majority of which were Black and Latina transgender women. Many more transgender people lost their lives to suicide and those who have survived often experienced unprecedented hardship this year. As Unitarian Universalists, we share the collective responsibility to build a world the affirms the inherent worth and dignity of all. Our transgender siblings are sacred and divine. Let us honor the inherit worth and dignity of trans people by remembering those we’ve lost and honoring those living among us. Let this day be a charge to embody justice, equity, and compassion in our relationships and institutions--love better, work harder, and fiercely affirm that transgender, genderqueer, non-binary, and other non-cisgender identities matter.
UU Social Justice Roundtable, “I can’t be the change on my own.” Saturday, November 20, 10:00 am-2:00 pm on Zoom. Free but register in advance.
Airing November 16 at 7:00 pm PST, PBS special, “American Exile”
Register now for the Pacific Regional Assembly.
About Us
Sara Lewis, Director of Community and Faith Development
Darlene Sarkela, Congregational Administrator
Marie Arensmeyer, Facilities Manager
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