OUUC Weekly Update 3-22-22
News from the Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Worship Service March 27 at 10:00 am - online and in-person
"Life in the Labyrinth: Coming Home to Ourselves" - Rev. Kari Kopnick
Rev. Kari is happy to be coming home to OUUC after serving as the Community Life Coordinator when the pandemic began in 2020. She has been the Community Minister at The Chaplaincy Institute seminary and community since November of 2020 and is so deeply honored to be accompanying OUUC’s beloved Director of Community and Faith Development, Sara Lewis, as her path to ordination nears completion. Kari is a lifelong UU and enjoys feeding the hummingbirds who zoom through her backyard, strolling through the neighborhood with her spouse at the speed of a sniffy little dog, and spending time with her beloved young adult offspring.
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.
What to Expect on Sunday Morning
As we are each making decisions about returning to in-person events, I thought you might like some information about Sunday mornings to help you decide.
We continue to require masks in the building but not outside. Masks are welcome in any space.
When you enter, you’ll be asked to self-screen for COVID symptoms and exposure, and to sign in so we can notify you of any possible exposure.
Seating in the sanctuary allows people to space themselves and reserve chairs around them so they are comfortable.
Speakers remove their masks when they are at the pulpit.
The choir is in the Commons and wears masks when singing, except for soloists.
The congregation is singing hymns together with masks.
The ventilation system is working well, and we are monitoring it closely to ensure good air exchanges and quality.
Right now, there is no eating or drinking in the building due to masks, except for sips of water. If we provide refreshments, it is outside.
If you would like any other information about the Sanctuary or other space at OUUC, please contact Marie, Facilities Manager, Darlene, Congregational Administrator, or me.
Thank you and see you soon—in-person or online.
Rev. Mary
Thursday Evening Spiritual Practice - online and in-person
Rev. Carol McKinley and Troy Fisher offer the weekly spiritual practice. It’s a chance to catch up with ourselves mid-week and consider fragments of holiness.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82994463887?pwd=TkRaOTNWekdTaEx4VENiL0VoVjRPdz09
Meeting ID: 829 9446 3887
Passcode: 548890
No RSVP is required.
Sunday Talk Show Guest is Leslie Romer
Calling All Gardeners
We have a limited supply of tools available so bring your favorite garden tools and gloves and a container for the weeds. If you have questions contact Anne Radford.
Stewardship time is NOW
Beth Johnson rings the cowbell at the Equinox event after she pledges!
We are entering our second full week of the Stewardship Drive and we’re well on our way. THANKS to everyone who has already pledged! We have raised over $186,000 but have “miles to go,” to reach our goal of $532,000. Remember these pledge dollars fund the budget that runs our church. It pays salaries and medical insurance for our wonderful staff and we hope to provide a cost-of-living increase during this time of inflation. We also hope to increase our Administrator and Media Specialist time, as they both are so important during our new life with Zoom!
It's easy to pledge. You can go to the website for information about the many ways to give. You can go to OUUC Connect (Realm) and open your Giving page. It will show you what you pledged last time. (Remember that was a half-year pledge so you’ll want to make sure you double it for the full fiscal year of July 2022 to June 2023.) You can also contact the Administrator for assistance.
And please consider an increase.
As our pledges grow during this Spring season of growth, so shall our OUUC community grow!
In giving, we receive.
Helen Henry, Stewardship Team member
Come Bless the Sanctuary! Sunday, April 3 at Noon
We bless the sanctuary with our presence. As we come back together again, come bless the sanctuary with your presence as gather for a blessing on Sunday, April 3 from Noon to 12:30 pm.
The blessing will offer the chance to gather inside or outside as you are comfortable. The event will not be live-streamed.
For those who attend the morning service, we’ll have hot beverages outside until noon. For those online who might want to come in person, there is a bit of time for travel.
We’ll have music, words, silence, and a time to share blessings for our shared space.
See you there!
Rev. Mary
COVID Phases
Quick Notes
Church Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm.
In-Person Grief Group: you are welcome to join us this Thursday, March 24 from 6:00-7:15 pm. Let's support each other in sharing our grief journeys. Contact Josie Solseng for more information.
Save the Dates:
*Ordination of Sara Lewis on Saturday, April 9 at 1:00 pm, on Zoom and YouTube.
*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.
Wednesday, March 23, OUUC volunteers provide dinner for the guests at the Interfaith Works Equity Commons Adult Shelter and donate shelf-stable food for the children who receive the Food Bank’s Weekend Backpacks. To learn more and join this group of generous volunteers please contact Jo Ann Young.
Chalice Camp Registration Now Available - It is back! Our Beloved OUUC Chalice camp is scheduled for Monday, July 11- Friday, July 15. The Camp is designed for ages 5-10. What your child can expect from camp each day: arts and crafts, movement and music, snacks, meditation, stories, and outdoor play. Register here.
Environmental Action Team March Challenge
Eat Less Meat.
The global production of food is responsible for a third of all planet-heating gases emitted by human activity, with the use of animals for meat causing twice the pollution of producing plant-based foods. This includes clearing forests for livestock grazing and methane production from cows and sheep. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas.
Read more....
Membership Class
Behavioral Health Services in the Thurston County Courts and Jail
A Zoom Forum on Wednesday, March 23, 7:00 pm
NAMI Thurston-Mason and Justice not Jails present a Zoom forum to educate the public about behavioral health services available in the Thurston County jail and treatment courts. These services are critical to helping people recover their lives after being involved with the justice system. Read more....
In the Larger Community
Learn more about the following events and others here.
Friday's For the Future Climate Rally! Plan to attend a climate change rally on March 25. It's a global event and strike, begun by Greta Thunberg, part of Fridays for Future. The rally will begin at 12 at Heritage Park, then we'll march to the Olympia city hall, where there will be speakers and local musicians.
Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice (UUSJ) and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) invite you to join us by adding your name to our joint letter to the Biden/Harris administration, calling for an immediate end to anti-asylum restrictions and the restoration of asylum processing in accordance with our country's moral and legal obligations.
Learning Right Relations March Gathering - Honoring Indigenous Wisdom & Becoming Better Listeners through Understanding the Role of Whiteness, Sunday, March 27 at 1:00 pm via Zoom.
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."
Thurston’s Hunger Walk 2022. keep our hungry neighbors fed: The Thurston County Food Bank and The Community Kitchen. I encourage you - starting today, to go to our donation page to easily/safely donate online www.thurstonhungerwalk.com 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.
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