OUUC Weekly Update 4-19-22
News from the Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Worship Service April 24 at 10:00 am - online and in-person
“The Earth and I” - Rylee Uhrich
OUUC Sunday Morning Service
https://zoom.us/j/873210124?pwd=U21qdmwxcTNyaE1LQ0xlU0MwM3VMQT09
Meeting ID: 873 210 124
Password: 995142
Dial +1 253 215 8782
See recordings of online services here.
No RSVP is required.
Thursday Evening Spiritual Practice - online and in-person
Join Troy Fisher at 7:00 pm for the weekly spiritual practice.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82994463887?pwd=TkRaOTNWekdTaEx4VENiL0VoVjRPdz09
Meeting ID: 829 9446 3887
Passcode: 548890
Volunteer to Provide Food
On Wednesdays, April 20 and 27, OUUC volunteers provide the dinner for the 60 guests who live in the Unity Commons Shelter and shelf-stable foods for the students who receive the Food Bank's weekend backpacks of food. Needed at the Shelter are main and side dishes to serve between 8 and 10, and shelf-stable foods for the backpacks. To volunteer please call Jo Ann Young.
A Community Inquiry - One Session Left!
On Saturday, June 4, OUUC will gather together with members and supporters to celebrate the 70th anniversary of OUUC and the Installation of our Settled Minister, Reverend Mary Gear. In the month of April, we are asking gatherings of the OUUC to consider what it means to have a Covenanted relationship with our installed minister.
Read the reflection questions, see the meeting schedule, and RSVP here.
Stewardship Update
The 2022 Stewardship Team thanks all of you who have pledged. We had an audacious goal this year and unfortunately, we did not reach it. We are still $85K short of our goal of $532K. IT’S NOT TOO LATE to pledge! Please get your pledge in as soon as possible if you can or if you are able, consider increasing your pledge (contact our Administrator to do so). Click here to pledge today.
Those of us on the Stewardship Team have worked to help congregants understand the shift in the fiscal year and remind those who have not yet pledged. We have done what we can and in these final days, before we set our annual budget, we ask you to do what you can.
Stewardship team member, Helen Henry, writes:
“In the past, I have considered Sunday service only in terms of spiritual guidance. I never thought of Sunday “service” in the traditional way as the sign that says “Last gas service for next 50 miles,” or “Food services at next exit.” But like gas and food, church IS a service. It is the fuel that keeps us going forward, especially during hard times when we’re feeling stuck. And it is the food that feeds our soul when we’re hungry for hope and love. I realize during these dark Covid times, Sunday service has given me comfort, and strength. Rev. Mary’s words and the celebrants’ readings have validated my feelings and provided hope. Troy and the choir have provided music of joy and peace. OUUC is a service that meets my emotional and spiritual needs. It keeps me moving forward and feeds me.
But OUUC is more than a service provider. It is a community that encompasses like-minded souls with like-minded values who want to bring about a better world, a world free of oppression and inequity. A BIG THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO HAVE PLEDGED their financial support to this community. But, if you haven’t pledged yet, now is the time to fund the “like-minded” values we share. Now is the time to pay for the service that has comforted us during Covid times. And maybe your pledge can cover for others who can’t right now…because we collectively matter and we collectively care.”
A huge thank you to this year’s stewardship team: Arlene Colerick, Linda Crabtree, Kim Danke, Helen Henry, Riley McLaughlin, Eric Ness, Christine Parke, Steve Tilley, and James Trujillo. Special thanks to Lee Doyle for logo support and to Rev. Mary and Darlene Sarkela for their outstanding ministerial and staff support.
Auction 2022: We Are Building a New Way
Save the Dates! May 7-15: Online bidding. Saturday, May 14: dinner at Indian Summer.
April is Auction Donations month! We have 13 more days to add to the growing on-line catalog of donated events, items, and services. Please check the current offerings and add your contribution to Item Donations here.
Want help? We can brainstorm with you, and enter items into the system for you. Contact Melanie Ransom. Donations deadline is Sunday, May 1.
The value of our annual fundraiser cannot be overstated, and full participation is what makes it so empowering. Together we will build and strengthen the relationships our congregation depends upon, support OUUC’s current needs, and share our resources with the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee to provide Ukrainian relief.
This year we have the long-awaited go-ahead to gather in-person! The full week of on-line bidding will be topped off with an evening of games and a sit-down dinner at Indian Summer. All are invited and welcome! Let’s make May 14 a night to remember, together!
Let’s Celebrate Sara’s Ordination on May 22!
Sara Lewis, our very own Lead for the Community and Faith Development Ministry and beloved OUUC DRE, was ordained as an Interfaith Chaplain by The Chaplaincy Institute of Berkeley, California on April 9. It’s time to CELEBRATE! On the afternoon of May 22, after the congregational meeting and between 2:00 and 4:00 pm, come applaud Rev. Sara for her success and thank her for her dedication to OUUC. There will be cake, a basket for you to leave congratulatory cards in, and, at 3:00 pm, a special presentation of gifts from Sara’s co-workers and the Congregation. The event will be held outside, weather and pandemic permitting.
Thurston’s Hunger Walk 2022
The fundraising walk evolved from 30+ years of our community’s “Crop Walk,” to this year’s magnificent 2022 walk-to-be! It will be at the lovely track at St. Martin’s University. Plan to walk the walk and talk the talk on Sunday, May 1, starting sharply at 3:00 pm. Participants will be encouraged to walk as much or as little as they like. You'll be raising much-needed funds to help two local agencies – folks that are working so hard under such difficult circumstances to keep our hungry neighbors fed: The Thurston County Food Bank and The Community Kitchen overseen by Catholic Community Services. Easily/safely donate online here, then scroll down to OUUC. Last year OUUC raised $2,520 for The Hunger Walk. Let’s see if we can match that or even reach $2,800 this year.
Contribute to the Time Capsule
Celebration of life for Evelyn Greenberg – Friday, April 29 at 1:00 pm, online and in-person. We will inter both Ruth Weber’s and Evelyn Greenberg’s ashes immediately after. Reception to follow.
Celebration of life for George Lanning – Saturday, May 7 at 10:00 am, online and in-person. Reception to follow.
Film Viewing and Discussion - Tuesday at 5:00 pm
The OUUC Environmental Action Team invites you to a film viewing and discussion. We have the opportunity to watch an award-winning movie this month: NEWTOK. Water will erase Newtok, Alaska. Built on a delta at the edge of the Bering Sea, the tiny Yup'ik village has been dealing with melting permafrost, river erosion, and decaying infrastructure for decades. To keep their culture and community intact, the 360 Yup'ik residents must relocate their entire village to stable ground upriver while facing a federal government that has failed to take appropriate action to combat climate change. In moving their village. Read more....
Challenges After Jail – Services in Thurston County
Politics as Religion Class
Tuesdays, April 26 and May 3 at 7:00 pm on Zoom. Have you ever wondered how our prior president won the support of many Christians who appear to have taken a U-turn on their tenets? We will explore how politics have become the new religion. In the first class, we will study religion and the far-right movement in America. In the second class, we will look at the global far-right religious movement indicating fascism is on the rise. We will discuss what is happening in our country and the world. Kristen Howard spent over two years studying politics, religion, and politics as religion and wrote several academic papers on the topics. She has a Master of Education and is working on a Ph.D. in Leadership and Change. Sign up.
Quick Notes
Church Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm.
COVID Phase: Low. Please see our Phased Reopening Plan for information.
Save the Dates:
*In-person dinner and auction on Saturday, May 14 at the Indian Summer Golf and Country Club.
*OUUC 70th Anniversary and Installation of Rev. Mary Gear on Saturday, June 4 at 2:00 pm at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd.
*Family Fun Picnic at Millersylvania on August 27.
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 to sign up.
In the Larger Community
Learn more about the following events and others here.
Register for UUA General Assembly, June 22-26.
The Thurston County Food Bank is returning to its former way of serving its clients. Once again, folks can enter the building and choose the food they wish. This method requires more volunteers. The work is rewarding and not too physical. The food bank is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, noon – 3:00 pm. If you can spare some time to help contact 360-352-8597 x207.
Sunday, April 24, 1:00-3:00 pm, Learning Right Relations presents "We Are the Middle of Forever: Indigenous Voices from Turtle Island on the Changing Earth."
Interfaith Earth Day Service - April 23 at 1:00 at Woodruff Park, 1500 Harrison Ave NW. Please join this community event that will feature voices from various spiritual and religious traditions reflecting on the theme of listening to our relationship with Earth.
First Unitarian in Portland invites UUs everywhere to three exciting Antiracism Learning Circles this Spring via Zoom.
Chalice Lighters News - Help our neighbor congregations grow - Spring Call.
Pursuing Justice: The Roles of Reparations and Reconciliation - Join Vashon Island Unitarian Fellowship (VIUF) for this 6-week exploration of reparations - the bridge between truth and reconciliation.
Read more....
About Us
Sara Lewis, Director of Community and Faith Development
Darlene Sarkela, Congregational Administrator
Marie Arensmeyer, Facilities Manager
Anissa Bentlemsani, Religious Education Assistant
Office Hours
Tuesday and Thursday, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Email: liberalfaith@ouuc.org
Website: http://ouuc.org
Location: 2315 Division Street Northwest, Olympia, WA, United States
Phone: 360-634-2005
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OlympiaUUC/
Twitter: @OlyUUC