OUUC Weekly Update 12-18-19
News from the Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Worship Services December 22, services at 9:15 and 11:00 am
"Where is the Light?” - Rev. Amy Beltaine
As the shortest day of the year approaches and the holiday frenzy increases in pitch we can feel alone and cut off from the light, the source of warmth, and depth of meaning. Let us gather to share our light, our warmth, and our depth. The light is inside of each of us and brightens when we are together in community.
Reverend Amy Beltaine provides a UU ministry of spiritual mentoring through individual and group appointments, Sunday services, rites, and rituals. She helps broken-hearted allies and friends of the marginalized and oppressed struggling to feel their spiritual direction. When (spouse) Hawthorne and Amy are not pulling their little home behind them they live in Portland, Oregon with a beagle named Zim. A graduate of Meadville Lombard School for the Ministry, Amy is on the coordinating committee of the UU Spiritual Directors’ Network. Amy is an accredited Spiritual Director, certified Transitions Specialist, nearly life-long earth-honoring Process-Panentheist, and faculty member at Cherry Hill Seminary. Amy aspires to become a Love-Ninja. Connect with Amy here.
Listen to recent sermons here.
Holiday Happenings
Christmas Eve Services:
5:30 pm “The Miracle of the Light” - Rev. Mary Gear and Sara Lewis
9:00 pm “Fear Not” - Rev. Mary Gear
Annual choir concert “For a Breath of Ecstasy” - 2:00 pm on Saturday, December 21 and at 7:00 pm on Sunday, December 22.
See our full holiday schedule here.
From Rev. Mary - “Comfort and Joy”
This past Sunday we sang one of my favorite hymns for this time of year—and it's not a Christmas carol! It's #55 in Singing the Living Tradition titled “Dark of Winter.”
Dark of winter, soft and still, your quiet calm surrounds me. Let my thoughts go where they will; ease my mind profoundly. And then my soul will sing a song, a blessed song of love eternal. Gentle darkness, soft and still, bring your quiet to me.
Darkness, soothe my weary eyes, that I may see more clearly. When my heart with sorrow cries, comfort and caress me. And then my soul may hear a voice, a still, small voice of love eternal. Darkness, when my fears arise, let your peace flow through me.
Read more....
A Few Words from OUUC's Parish Nurse
Our Parish Nurse, Ann Yeo, recognizes that this winter holiday season, at the darkest time of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere), is a difficult time for some of us – for a variety of reasons. If you, or someone you know, find the holidays difficult, you may want to check out, or share, a practical article on the Mayo Clinic website, entitled “Stress, Depression and the Holidays: Tips for Coping.” You can read it here. Read more....
Giving Tree Gifts Needed Today
Volunteers will be sorting all of your wonderful contributions to the families on our Giving Tree. The counselor from Olympia Regional Learning Academy (ORLA) is picking them up at OUUC early Thursday morning, and we want every child's gift to be in the boxes. Thank everyone for showing the spirit of generosity and providing joy for children during this holiday season! Your Faith in Action Ministry is filled with gratitude.
Guest at Your Table
Thanks to your generosity, we have already collected $1391.23 for the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee through Guest At Your Table. Reminder: boxes and donations are due this Sunday, December 22. If possible, converting your coins to a check is lovely. Or we will count them happily, as well. If you send your donation directly to the UUSC, please let Sara Lewis know so our total generosity can be celebrated.
OUUC Choir annual holiday concert. Saturday, December 21 at 2:00 pm and Sunday, December 22 at 7:00 pm.
Christmas Eve Services - Tuesday, December 24 at 5:30 and 9:00 pm.*
Community Kitchen - Friday, December 20, 3:30 - 6:30 pm. Join a friendly team of 8-10 from OUUC who prepare and serve 140 meals to those in need at Olympia's Community Kitchen.*
*More information available in this Weekly Update.
Workshop February 7 and 8
Last September, 3 members of our congregation, Neil Weinberg, Loraine BartonHaas, and Jim Anest, had the pleasure of participating in a workshop to learn the practice of Insight Dialog (ID). ID is a way to bring the tranquility and insight attained in meditation directly into your interactions with other people. This practice is both important in our deeply fragmented times and very consistent with the 7 UU principles and the mission and ends of OUUC. ID is a practice that could well augment the “deep listening” initiative that is now happening. Read more....
Care Packages
The OUUC Teen Faith in Action Leadership Council will be collecting necessities for our local unhoused community. These items will then be used to create care packages that will be delivered this winter. Following is a list of suggested items we will be needing for this project. Look for the donation box in the Religious Education entryway all of the month of December to drop off items. Requested Donation Items: socks, hats, gloves, scarves, hand warmers, AA or AAA batteries, granola bars or other individually packaged snacks, wet wipes, tissues, napkins, bandaids, foot care items, and chapstick.
Join the Kitchen Crew
Do You Have the Need to Feed? The OUUC Community Kitchen crew is looking for more volunteers to prepare and serve nutritious meals to our hungry and homeless neighbors. This is a once a month commitment, third Friday of each month, between 3:30 – 6:30 pm. Dinners are prepared at the Salvation Army building on 4th & Plum. For more information please contact Karmel Shields, Crew leader. Your next chance to participate is on December 20.
Quick Notes
Holiday Schedule Changes:
Sunday, December 29 - one worship service only at 10:00 am
The church office will be closed December 25 - January 1.
Those attending the 5:30 pm Christmas Eve services are invited to bring holiday cookies to share afterward.
Read This Week in Religious Education here.
The class catalog for our Winter and Spring Adult Education offerings is out! For a full catalog list and to register, click here.
Friendship Dinners
Thanks to everyone who participated in our Fall Series of dinners. Our next series will be in February and March. If you are new and have not yet signed up, and wish to participate, you can do so by signing up here. SAVE THIS DATE… On Saturday, January 18 we have scheduled a gathering of Friendship Dinner Hosts and Guests (and anyone who wishes to learn more about our dinner program). This will be a potluck dinner at OUUC from 5:00 – 7:00 pm. Bring your favorite potluck offering, your questions, and comments. We look forward to having you all join us. If you have any questions, please contact Carol Williams, or Pat Sonnenstuhl. Thanks to the committee who did a great job getting our Fall dinners organized - Zoe Myers, Trink Newman, and Pat Sonnenstuhl.
Our Whole Lives
Great News for UUs and OUUC
Just in time for your holiday shopping, locally-owned “Browsers Bookshop” at 107 Capital Way N has made a huge order of hundreds of titles from Skinner House and Beacon Press, the two UUA publishing lines and will set up a special shelf/display for these books in the store. Even better, Browsers is further supporting OUUC in two ways: First, with a few authors excepted, whenever any of these Beacon/Skinner House books sell at the store (to anyone), Browsers will donate 30% of the cover price to OUUC. Second, whenever an OUUC member or friend asks at checkout, 10% of that person’s entire purchase (of anything from the store except gift cards) will be donated to OUUC (including the Beacon authors excluded from the 30% donation).
Social Groups
PUGs (Powerful Unitarian Universalist Gals) - All women are welcome to join us for fellowship and conversation. Wednesdays 10:30 - Noon, PUGs at OUUC meets in the Youth Room. You may bring a beverage in your own container. - Contact Pat Sonnenstuhl.
Ladies Unitarian Social – All who identify as women and who are affiliated with OUUC, and their guests, are welcome at Lady Unitarian Social Hour. We meet weekly on Tuesday afternoons from 4:30 to 6:00 pm to share conversation and refreshments. Please feel free to drop in at any of our weekly gatherings. December 24 - Christmas Eve. No "formal" LUSH. Pull together a few friends if you like. - Contact Meliz Maatta or Emily Ray.
Guy’s TGIT meets on Thursdays at 4:30 pm. December 19 - Christmas Party at Jack Jackson's home. - Contact Bernie Brady.
MUGs (Mighty Unitarian Guys) meets for eclectic discussions every Thursday morning from 10:00 to 11:00 am at Traditions Cafe in downtown Olympia. Men of all ages are welcome. - Contact Otto Buls.
In the Larger Community
You are invited to attend Seminary for a Day on Saturday, January 25 at First Unitarian, Portland. This year’s spiritual theme is entitled, Spiritual Practice for Difficult Times. This year’s keynote presenter will be Rev. Dr. Robert M. Hardies, senior minister of All Souls Church, Unitarian in Washington, DC, a large, dynamic and multicultural congregation in our nation’s capital. Rob’s own spiritual life has been deeply influenced by his twenty-plus-year study of the spiritual practices of our Unitarian and Transcendentalist ancestors. Offerings throughout the day will include topics as Stories of Hope in Uncertain Times, Life and Nature as Sacred Text, The Practice of Prayer: A Holy Charge, Dancing to the Rhythms of the Earth, Writing in Response to Transcendentalism, and many more. Full-Day: $65 includes lunch, 9:15 - 4:30 pm. Registration is open, reserve your space here.
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