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Thursday Community Dinner is for everyone!Every Thursday 5:30-6:30 pm.
On December 8, dinner will be plant-based Sloppy Joes.
After dinner programs will be:
6:30 pm Growing Anti-Racist Kids class (Spirit Play room) 6:30 pm 7th-9th grade Our Whole Lives class (Classroom 5) 6:30 pm Building the World We Dream About Class (Classroom 3)
7:00 pm Spiritual Practice (Sanctuary) | Spiritual PracticeJoin OUUC's Music Director, Troy Fisher for an evening of music and meditation. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87438786949?pwd=ZFd4MFJiUGY4eS9KNVpmOVNnMm9BUT09
Meeting ID: 874 3878 6949
Passcode: 297714 | Tech Team Retreat on SaturdayWe’re recruiting more volunteers now, in anticipation of two Sunday worship services. We’ll hold a Tech Team Retreat on Saturday, December 10, for group orientation, training, and team building. This would be a great time to join us - see contact info below to express your interest.
We have volunteer roles that require varying levels of tech-savvy, so you may be able to help even if you think a lot of what we do is wizardry! Check out these descriptions of what kind of person would be best suited to each role: Read more.... |
Thursday Community Dinner is for everyone!
Every Thursday 5:30-6:30 pm.
On December 8, dinner will be plant-based Sloppy Joes.
After dinner programs will be:
6:30 pm Growing Anti-Racist Kids class (Spirit Play room)
6:30 pm 7th-9th grade Our Whole Lives class (Classroom 5)
6:30 pm Building the World We Dream About Class (Classroom 3)
7:00 pm Spiritual Practice (Sanctuary)
Spiritual Practice
Join OUUC's Music Director, Troy Fisher for an evening of music and meditation.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87438786949?pwd=ZFd4MFJiUGY4eS9KNVpmOVNnMm9BUT09
Meeting ID: 874 3878 6949
Passcode: 297714
Tech Team Retreat on Saturday
We’re recruiting more volunteers now, in anticipation of two Sunday worship services. We’ll hold a Tech Team Retreat on Saturday, December 10, for group orientation, training, and team building. This would be a great time to join us - see contact info below to express your interest.
We have volunteer roles that require varying levels of tech-savvy, so you may be able to help even if you think a lot of what we do is wizardry! Check out these descriptions of what kind of person would be best suited to each role: Read more....
Funding our Future
The Funding Our Future Capital Campaign is OVER halfway to our goal!
Thanks to George Lanning's head start we only need $293,000 to complete the Campaign, and we’ve already raised $168,485! That leaves us with only $124.565 remaining. Way to go OUUC! With this progress, we’ll be done before Christmas.
If you haven’t already, this is the perfect time to make your commitment. Go to the Capital Campaign Giving Page on Realm. If you have any questions about the campaign, you can visit the Funding Our Future page or contact Barry Zickuhr, the Capital Campaign Committee chair.
The Capital Campaign Committee and the Board would like to thank the people who have already committed to Funding Our Future. Names published only by permission:
Gail and Fritz Wrede, Ann Rockway, Leslie Romer, Jerald and Susan Dodson, Holly Porter, Lois Grover, In loving memory of George and Arlene Hopper, Pat and Walt Sonnenstuhl, Zoë Myers, Rosalie and Don Melnick, Arlene G. Colerick, Lee Doyle, Karol Erickson, Martha Nicoloff, Martha Guilfoyle and Des McGahern, Bobbie Adams, Tiffany and Eric Felch, Curtis and Wendy Tanner, Mary Wildenhaus, Naki Stevens, Jen and John Sabel, and three donors who choose to remain anonymous
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Bring Your Donations by This ThursdayHoliday Giving Tree to Support Families at LP Brown Elementary
At LP Brown over 70% of the families are low-income and many could benefit from some assistance to ensure they have what they need for the holidays. This year, LP Brown is hosting a Giving Tree. Families who sign up for the Giving Tree will be given gift cards to purchase holiday gifts for their children as well as groceries for a family meal. This provides the family with assistance while also ensuring that they still have agency to get what works best for their family. OUUC is helping out by collecting gift cards for this Giving Tree. We are seeking $25 gift cards to Target, Walmart, Safeway, Fred Meyer, and Grocery Outlet.
Please bring gift cards to Rev Sara no later than Thursday. December 8. | Save the DatesChoir Concert "A Feast of Carols" - Saturday, December 17 at 2:00 pm at OUUC. Choir Concert "A Feast of Carols" - Sunday, December 18 at 7:00 pm at OUUC. Winter Solstice Worship Service - Sunday, December 18 at 10:00 am (online and in-person). Join us on Thursday, December 22 at 7:00 pm for a winter solstice spiral walk and blessing. We will mark the darkest days of the year with music, walking meditation, candles, and blessings. Weather permitting, we will be outdoors, moving inside for rain, so dress warmly. Christmas Eve Services - Saturday, December 24 at 5:30 pm (online and in-person) and 9:00 pm (in-person). Christmas Day Service - Sunday, December 25 at 10:00 am (online and in-person). New Year’s Fire Communion Ritual, outdoors, at OUUC on January 1, 10:00 am. We’ll say goodbye to 2022 and set intentions and receive blessings for entering 2023. All ages are welcome. | Holiday Cookie Sale - December 18What are the Holidays without a beautiful box of cookies to share with friends and family? The Cookie Brigade will be selling cookies at church on December 18 and we will also deliver to homes in Olympia, Lacey, or Tumwater. A box of approximately two dozen assorted cookies is $20. If you would like to pre-order a box (or two) of cookies, email Melanie Ransom. In the email state 1)How many boxes, 2)Regular or Gluten-Free, 3) Pick up at church or delivery. You can pay with cash or check at the time of pick-up or delivery, or by credit card here (choose the Resource Ministry Fund). We’ll have cookie boxes available for purchase on December 18 after the service. All funds raised will go to the Kitchen Fund, which provides coffee and hospitality all year long. Questions? Contact Melanie Ransom. |
Bring Your Donations by This Thursday
Holiday Giving Tree to Support Families at LP Brown Elementary
At LP Brown over 70% of the families are low-income and many could benefit from some assistance to ensure they have what they need for the holidays. This year, LP Brown is hosting a Giving Tree. Families who sign up for the Giving Tree will be given gift cards to purchase holiday gifts for their children as well as groceries for a family meal. This provides the family with assistance while also ensuring that they still have agency to get what works best for their family. OUUC is helping out by collecting gift cards for this Giving Tree. We are seeking $25 gift cards to Target, Walmart, Safeway, Fred Meyer, and Grocery Outlet.
Please bring gift cards to Rev Sara no later than Thursday. December 8.
Save the Dates
Choir Concert "A Feast of Carols" - Saturday, December 17 at 2:00 pm at OUUC.
Choir Concert "A Feast of Carols" - Sunday, December 18 at 7:00 pm at OUUC.
Winter Solstice Worship Service - Sunday, December 18 at 10:00 am (online and in-person).
Join us on Thursday, December 22 at 7:00 pm for a winter solstice spiral walk and blessing. We will mark the darkest days of the year with music, walking meditation, candles, and blessings. Weather permitting, we will be outdoors, moving inside for rain, so dress warmly.
Christmas Eve Services - Saturday, December 24 at 5:30 pm (online and in-person) and 9:00 pm (in-person).
Christmas Day Service - Sunday, December 25 at 10:00 am (online and in-person).
New Year’s Fire Communion Ritual, outdoors, at OUUC on January 1, 10:00 am. We’ll say goodbye to 2022 and set intentions and receive blessings for entering 2023. All ages are welcome.
Holiday Cookie Sale - December 18
What are the Holidays without a beautiful box of cookies to share with friends and family? The Cookie Brigade will be selling cookies at church on December 18 and we will also deliver to homes in Olympia, Lacey, or Tumwater. A box of approximately two dozen assorted cookies is $20. If you would like to pre-order a box (or two) of cookies, email Melanie Ransom. In the email state 1)How many boxes, 2)Regular or Gluten-Free, 3) Pick up at church or delivery. You can pay with cash or check at the time of pick-up or delivery, or by credit card here (choose the Resource Ministry Fund). We’ll have cookie boxes available for purchase on December 18 after the service. All funds raised will go to the Kitchen Fund, which provides coffee and hospitality all year long. Questions? Contact Melanie Ransom.
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Let’s Talk About Accountability!Drop-In Discussion Group, Tuesday, December 6, 6:30-8:00 pm, on Zoom.
Join Rev Sara for a discussion on the November theme we’ve been exploring: Accountability. All are welcome, register here: https://onrealm.org/OUUC/PublicRegistrations/Event?linkString=NDBkNzZjMTEtZWZiMi00MmU5LWIwMjUtYWVlMDAxNjQzMzE1
Or just join the Zoom call: Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86457923284 Meeting ID: 864 5792 3284 One tap mobile +12532050468,,86457923284# US +12532158782,,86457923284# US (Tacoma) | Wednesday Volunteer OpportunityM'Eliz and Sally's Wednesday Dinner Community Kitchen (mostly OUUC) team at the Salvation Army team is looking for volunteers to expand our teams! We cover every Wednesday except the 2nd. Kitchen staff creates the main dish and we put together veggies, salad, fruit, bread, and dessert for that night's dinner. The Community Kitchen is not serving meals indoors at this time, so the volunteer team assembles individual meals in containers that are handed to the clients outside. We serve 100 - 200 dinners each night. TEAM A (cook & serve) 1st, 3rd, and 5th Wednesdays – 3:00 - 6:30 pm cook and serve Contact M'Eliz or Sally if you would like more information or to sign up! | Freedom and Faith Alive Among Transylvanian UnitariansSome good news from Kolozsvár, Romania where the House of Religious Freedom won the Europa Nostra award. At a time when Putin declares a Christian “holy war” to justify the horrors inflicted upon Romania’s neighbor in Ukraine, and religious justification is bestowed on the war by the leader of the Russian Church, the Hungarian Unitarian Church (HUC) is standing for a reasoned faith promoting peace and justice. The House of Religious Freedom is the ancient home of the Unitarian bishop, restored over a period of 10 years and now used as a gathering place to promote religious tolerance. Many in our congregation have visited the site, most recently during our 2019 pilgrimage. Find a short video here on the award and on the House of Religious Freedom, and using Google Translate, read the HUC’s post. As Unitarian Universalists we are indebted to legacy of religious freedom that was born in Transylvania, Romania in the 16th century, and continues to bear fruit for faith and tolerance. |
Let’s Talk About Accountability!
Drop-In Discussion Group, Tuesday, December 6, 6:30-8:00 pm, on Zoom.
Join Rev Sara for a discussion on the November theme we’ve been exploring: Accountability. All are welcome, register here: https://onrealm.org/OUUC/PublicRegistrations/Event?linkString=NDBkNzZjMTEtZWZiMi00MmU5LWIwMjUtYWVlMDAxNjQzMzE1
Or just join the Zoom call:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86457923284
Meeting ID: 864 5792 3284
One tap mobile
+12532050468,,86457923284# US
+12532158782,,86457923284# US (Tacoma)
Wednesday Volunteer Opportunity
M'Eliz and Sally's Wednesday Dinner Community Kitchen (mostly OUUC) team at the Salvation Army team is looking for volunteers to expand our teams! We cover every Wednesday except the 2nd.
Kitchen staff creates the main dish and we put together veggies, salad, fruit, bread, and dessert for that night's dinner. The Community Kitchen is not serving meals indoors at this time, so the volunteer team assembles individual meals in containers that are handed to the clients outside. We serve 100 - 200 dinners each night.
TEAM A (cook & serve) 1st, 3rd, and 5th Wednesdays – 3:00 - 6:30 pm cook and serve
TEAM B (serve only) 4th Wednesday - 4:30 - 6:30 pm
Contact M'Eliz or Sally if you would like more information or to sign up!
Freedom and Faith Alive Among Transylvanian Unitarians
Some good news from Kolozsvár, Romania where the House of Religious Freedom won the Europa Nostra award. At a time when Putin declares a Christian “holy war” to justify the horrors inflicted upon Romania’s neighbor in Ukraine, and religious justification is bestowed on the war by the leader of the Russian Church, the Hungarian Unitarian Church (HUC) is standing for a reasoned faith promoting peace and justice. The House of Religious Freedom is the ancient home of the Unitarian bishop, restored over a period of 10 years and now used as a gathering place to promote religious tolerance. Many in our congregation have visited the site, most recently during our 2019 pilgrimage. Find a short video here on the award and on the House of Religious Freedom, and using Google Translate, read the HUC’s post. As Unitarian Universalists we are indebted to legacy of religious freedom that was born in Transylvania, Romania in the 16th century, and continues to bear fruit for faith and tolerance.
Learn more about the following events and others here.
Legacy Forest Summit - Saturday, December 10 from 1:30-3:30 pm at the Olympia Center 222 Columbia St. NW, Olympia. Join local leaders, and environmental advocates to discuss the importance of healthy watersheds and ecoregions. Legislative and policy changes are needed to increase the protection of forests as our climate changes. Sponsored by the Center for Responsible Forestry.
Indigenous Resistance to Oil in Ecuador's Amazon - Tuesday, December 6 from 6:00-7:30 pm at New Traditions. Learn how you can support the A'i Cofan and other indigenous groups resisting oil expansion in the Amazon from an activist and an indigenous leader. The benefit presentation will begin the night with music from South America. More information here.
Healing Both Sides of Harm, December 11, 7:00-8:30 pm. Join Collective Justice and Multifaith Coalition for Restorative Justice for a virtual panel discussion on restorative justice principles and practices. In this program, we'll hear from people doing the work of restorative justice, from victims of violence, and from perpetrators of harm. Want to attend or learn more about restorative justice and accountability? Visit bit.ly/HealingBothSidesOfHarm
Another chance to spread holiday joy, and also support a local black activist. The Joy and Justice Book and Toy drive is a project of Justice for Yvonne McDonald. Donate here: Joy and Justice Book and Toy Drive 2022 (givebutter.com)
Join The Lutheran Church of The Good Shepherd for a renewing day of building community through congregational singing, learning, and fellowship on Saturday, January 21 from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm. We’ll be led by Paul Vasile and Elizabeth Schroeder of Music that Makes Community, a non-profit organization working to empower and liberate communities through singing. For over 15 years, they have developed and shared transformative leadership practices with musicians, clergy, educators, and lay leaders throughout the United States and Canada.
Read more....
About Us
Sara Lewis, Director of Community and Faith Development
Darlene Sarkela, Congregational Administrator
Andrea Capere, Communications Specialist
Marie Arensmeyer, Facilities Manager
Anissa Bentlemsani, Religious Education Assistant
Carbon Marshall, Tech Specialist
Office Hours
Tuesday and Thursday, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm