OUUC Weekly Update 12-22-20
News from the Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Worship Service December 27, one online service at 10:00 am
"What Sustains Us” – Worship Arts Team
Join us for Online Worship.
Listen to sermons here. See recordings of online services here.
Christmas Eve Service December 24, one online service at 5:30 pm
Candlelight Service
Bring your own candle to this gathering to celebrate the darkness and the return of the light.
The Christmas Eve offering will benefit the Minister's Benevolence Fund.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81051325520?pwd=NjdXM25OMThVRytydWtQQ0lJZmtMQT09
Meeting ID: 810 5132 5520
Passcode: 690200
Worship Service January 3, one online service at 10:00 am
A Few Words from OUUC’s Parish Nurse
Our Parish Nurse, Ann Yeo, is excited about the news that two effective, safe vaccines (from the Pfizer and Moderna companies) are now available to prevent COVID-19. She shares that the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/, offers frequently-updated information on what we need to know about the U.S. COVID-19 vaccination program; and she summarizes some key points here:
· After COVID-19 vaccination, we may have some temporary side effects. This can be considered to be a normal sign that our immune systems are “revving up,” that our bodies are building protection from the virus.
Tech Tips Roundup
As we all know, this holiday season is looking different for many or most of us as we figure out how to celebrate with one another remotely. Luckily, there are many tools and tricks to help us navigate our many virtual options and find ways of connecting right now. In addition to Sara's suggestions from last week's Spark!, here are even more games, activities, and learning experiences to share.
https://www.ouuc.org/tech-tips-roundup-for-making-distanced-holidays-easier/
Active Hope
This Active Hope group will feature practices inspired by the book Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We're in Without Going Crazy and the organization, The Work that Reconnects, the brainchild of Joanna Macy and others. This will be part book group, part experiential exercises.
We will complete questions about our lives, including the hopes and feelings about what's happening to the world, and we’ll also take part in Zoom-adapted rituals that will help us deepen our connection to the natural world, our deep emotions, and our connections to each other and the larger society. This is a process of empowerment and transformation that moves in a spiral and is used to build inner strength, resilience, and the resolve to participate in our collective transition, also referred to as the Great Turning. Four Sessions, register here.
A Message from the Board of Trustees
December's Theme
The Theme for December is “Stillness."
Explore the theme at the Spiritual Practices on the First Thursday of each month.
To receive a theme packet, join the Soul Matters group on OUUC Connect or email Sara Lewis.
Merry Christmas to all. Explore the history of this holiday on our padlet: The Winter Solstice, also known as the pagan holiday of Yule, is December 20. Explore this holiday on our padlet:
Parents and Caregivers as Sexuality Educators
In a small group setting, adults explore their roles as the most important sexuality educators their children will have. Ten sessions invite parents and caregivers to explore their role as the primary sexuality educators of their elementary through teenage children. The 90-minute sessions use a small group ministry format to engage adults in topics including Gender Identity, Relationships, Social Media, and Consent. 10 sessions: Saturdays 9 -10:30 am, January 9 - March 13. Register here.
The Theology of the Good Place
(ages 12+) Four sessions: Mondays, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm, January 25, February 1, 8, and 15. Register here. The Good Place is a Netflix sitcom that takes place after death, where people wake up and are assured that everything is OK … they are in the “good” place. In this four-session class, we will explore the theology, ethics, and moral philosophy of the series using a UU lens. Participants will watch the clips of the show on their own time, and gather for discussion after, so a Netflix membership will be needed. Taught by Sara Lewis.
The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Danbury, CT invites you to the ordination of Sierra-Marie Gerfao (she/her/hers) on January 24 at 4:00 pm EST/1:00 pm Pacific. The service will take place on Zoom. Please RSVP to officemanager@uudanbury.org. Those who RSVP will receive the Zoom link via email on the morning of the service. Sierra-Marie was Director of Religious Education at the Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation from 2002-2007. If Sierra-Marie ministered to you, your family, or your children during that time, you are also invited to submit a photo of you, your family, or your children for a slideshow reflecting Sierra-Marie's prior service to Unitarian Universalism as a religious educator for nearly twenty years. "Then" and "now" photo pairs are encouraged but not necessary. This slideshow will be played as people gather for the service, before recording of the service begins. You can submit a photo here. Thank you for helping us celebrate as Sierra-Marie is ordained as a Unitarian Universalist minister.
Quick Notes
December 31: New Year’s Eve—no OUUC service.
Happy New Year! We'll resume the Thursday evening practices on January 7, 2021, at 7:00 pm with a reflection on the monthly spiritual theme of “Imagination.”
Thank you all for a very successful Guest at Your Table fundraiser for the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee this year. We sent over $2000 to the UUSC thanks to our collective generosity.
Are you looking for a small group? In January Sara will be starting a new Covenant Circle on the 2nd Fridays of each month, noon -1:30 pm, and a Learning Circle on the 3rd Friday of each month, noon - 1:30 pm. Small Groups, Covenant and Learning Circles.
If you would like any end-of-year donations counted as 2020 donations for tax purposes, please make sure any mailed donations are postmarked by December 31. Please note that donations made online on December 31 may not process on that day. As a reminder for those making giving decisions to any charitable organizations this month, the CARES Act passed by Congress earlier this year temporarily allows non-itemizers to take a charitable deduction of up to $300 per taxpayer for cash contributions made in 2020. (Previously, charitable contributions could only be deducted if taxpayers itemized their deductions.) This one-time allowance expires on December 31, 2020. Details have been posted by the IRS.
Our Sunday worship service will be live on our OUUC YouTube channel as well as on Zoom. You can still participate in Sunday worship through Zoom. Those who would like to try the YouTube option can do so here.
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.
About Us
Sara Lewis, Director of Faith Development
Darlene Sarkela, Congregational Administrator
Rev. Carol McKinley, Faith in Action
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