OUUC Weekly Update 4-6-21
News from the Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Worship Service April 11, one online service at 10:00 am
“Reflections on the Unitarian Universalist Principles” – Worship Arts Team
Join us for Online Worship.
Listen to sermons here. See recordings of online services here.
Thursday Evening Spiritual Practice 7:00 pm
Our Thursday evening spiritual practice this week is a contemplative vespers service on the monthly theme of “becoming.” Plan to join Rev. Mary, Rev. Eric Ness, and Troy Fisher at 7:00 pm Thursday for a time of music, poetry, and quiet reflection.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81051325520?pwd=NjdXM25OMThVRytydWtQQ0lJZmtMQT09
Meeting ID: 810 5132 5520
Passcode: 690200
Sunday Talk Show Guest is Darlene Sarkela
The “After Church with Melanie Ransom” talk show continues this Sunday with special guest, Darlene Sarkela. Darlene is our Church Administrator and is celebrating her 30th year with OUUC. This is your chance to discover how your life might overlap with Darlene’s. The show starts at 11:30 am after the coffee chats. My next guest will be Troy Fisher, who is celebrating 25 years as our music director. Many of us come to OUUC for the theology, but we stay because of our life-long connections to the people. – Melanie Ransom
Auction 2021: Back to our Future
If you haven’t yet visited our auction website, prepare for a super surprise! The burgeoning catalog of biddable items has something for everyone: homemade pickles, pies, and gourmet meals; garden picnics and high tea at high summer; landscape and gardening help; charming cabin getaways on the Sound, river cove, and ocean beaches; games and toys; framed art; even a choose-the-sermon topic by our beloved Rev. Mary! In fact, the only thing that may be missing is your donation!
The deadline to donate is this Sunday, April 11, so don’t delay. Read more....
OUUC’s Vision, Mission, and Ends Project
At the beginning of February, our congregation embarked on a journey to create a new statement of OUUC’s Vision, Mission, and Ends (VME). Along the way, congregants have responded to interviews and surveys. They have discussed their hearts’ desires in small Cottage Meetings and in large All-Congregational meetings. And, members of your Board of Trustees, as well as the VME Writing Team, have listened closely. The VME Writing Team spent over a month in intense collaboration to review the collected data and to distill the essence of the congregation’s hopes and dreams for OUUC.
The Vision is a succinct, lyrical statement of OUUC’s dreams. It describes the world we want to be in because of OUUC’s presence in the world.
The Mission describes what we will do daily to make our Vision a reality.
The Ends are like smaller Visions. They are the outcomes, and they describe the effects OUUC has within individuals, on relationships among congregants, in the community beyond our doors, and the values throughout OUUC as an organization.
The OUUC Board accepted the proposed VME statement at the April Board meeting. There will be a Board Q&A Listening Session on April 18th, followed by a formal announcement of the final VME at the Congregational Meeting on May 1st. We expect the new Vision, Mission, and Ends statement to be formally adopted by the Board of Trustees on May 13th.
Please take a moment to view the video introduction to the new Vision, Mission, and Ends.
Read the Vision, Mission, and Ends documents, that are available for download below, or read them on the OUUC website.
Your comments and questions will be welcomed by members of the VME Leadership Team: Rich Kalman, James Trujillo, Christine Parke, Diana Finch, and Barry Zickuhr.
Video Introduction to our new Vision, Mission, and Ends
Save the Date!
April 18 at 3:00 – 4:00 pm Drive-Through at OUUC!
As we finish this month of reflection on the spiritual theme of commitment, there are two people who have shown extraordinary commitment to serving OUUC in staff positions. In April, OUUC administrator Darlene Sarkela, will have served OUUC for 30 years. Troy Fisher, OUUC Music Director will have served for 25 years. Plan to drive through at OUUC to celebrate and honor their commitment and service. More information to come!
Spring Cleanup!
Hi all, our annual Spring Cleanup is scheduled for Saturday morning, April 17, from 9:00 am-noon. B&G, Adopt-a-Plot, and the Environmental Action Team are working on this together. Come join us to spruce up church grounds after the long, gray winter. It's a chance to work together outside! We have some yard tools but please feel free to bring your own shovels, rakes, weeders, brooms, etc. If you have a leaf blower or a weed whacker and are willing to bring it, they would be handy to have. The parking lots are looking a little rough. Be sure to wear masks and keep socially distanced, but no limit on friendly banter while we work! Families and children welcome! For more information, please contact Kent Canny, Don Melnick or Anne Radford. See you there!
8th Principle
OUUC and the 8th Principle Organizing Meeting Saturday, April 17 at 1:30 pm.
Are you interested in exploring how OUUC can support racial justice and the proposed 8th Principle of Unitarian Universalism? Join Rev. Mary and Sara Lewis for a discussion about the proposal, what may be coming at General Assembly, and next steps. Need more info about the 8th Principle? You can read Rev. Mary’s article here
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84468776609?pwd=TUd2Mkdwb245ZmN6bHRvVUE2VzUvZz09
Meeting ID: 844 6877 6609
Passcode: 624857
.
Hunger Walk
OUUC is supporting Thurston's Hunger walk - an annual fundraiser to help 3 local agencies (Community Kitchen, Meals on Wheels and the Thurston County Food Bank) who are struggling - due to staff layoffs and covid concerns - to get food to those in need. Your donations are now more important than ever. Please visit our "team" site https://app.99pledges.com/fund/hungerwalk/ouuc within Thurston's Hunger Walk donation page to support our hungry neighbors. 100% of the funds received will be distributed to these 3 life-saving agencies. This is a safe/secure direct way to help. The physical walk/gathering part of this annual fundraiser scheduled for May 2nd won't happen, however we encourage you to get on Facebook and post your pictures of yourself walking in your own favorite spots between now and then - we will be together in solidarity. If you prefer, you could make out a check to: Thurston's Hunger Walk. and mail it to: The Community Kitchen, PO Box 1104, Olympia, WA 98507 with OUUC in the memo line.
Leadership Team News
The OUUC Leadership Development Team has been busy helping our congregation find the leaders who will help us in our wish to be a beloved community. We will continue working with the Pathways application to develop some great tools for those who wish to improve their leadership skills. We are excited to have a complete slate of candidates to fill 3 Board of Trustees positions, and 2 Leadership Development Team positions that all expire May 2021. Please be sure to check the OUUC announcements soon for the names, mini-biographies, and pictures of these 5 capable and willing church members.
Microagressions Workshop
Owning Your Religious Past
3 sessions April 19, 26, and May 10, 6:30 – 8:00 pm, taught by Sara Lewis. Many of us have arrived at Unitarian Universalism after a long journey with other faith traditions. Some of that journey may have been painful or problematic for us, and some of it may have been wonderful and is now missed. This class will provide time, tools, and companionship as we process our religious past.
Quick Notes
Board of Trustees' minutes are available here.
Join Rev. Mary and others involved in advocacy for an Advocacy Reflection Circle to share your advocacy efforts and reflect on how your advocacy is fueled by your values and beliefs. April 6 at 4:00 pm.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85980566732?pwd=VGZnRHhNcDZYeTRVMG5XNUpOWEVRUT09
Meeting ID: 859 8056 6732
Passcode: 225968
A new group for Trans/Non-binary folx will meet on the 2nd Tuesday of each month, 6:30 pm. If you are trans or non-binary, join us Tuesday, April 13.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84408771252
Meeting ID: 844 0877 1252
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.
In the Larger Community
Green Faith Event April 11 - The GreenFaith movement started in the Olympia area with a launch event on March 11. It was well attended, and many faiths were represented. Olympia Green Faith will have an all-inclusive prayer meeting for the earth and for the sustenance of all of its peoples on the 11th of each month. On Sunday, April 11 at noon, the prayer will be led by a member of the Bahai Community. The Bahai member, Sandy Ware, asks that those who are called to read a prayer from any faith tradition that relates to care for the earth bring that prayer to the meeting to share. The meeting will be held on Zoom and everyone is welcome to attend. Register.
Tribal Treaty Rights, Fracked Gas, and Unitarian Universalist Values - Ancestral Waters by Native Daily Network. Film Screening & Discussion, Wednesday, April 14, 5:30 pm - Film, 7:00 pm -Discussion. Register Here. This film by Native Daily Network documents the Puyallup Tribe’s fight against the Tacoma LNG fracked gas facility and focuses on disregarded treaty obligations, which the faith community has a moral obligation to address. We hope you'll join us virtually on Tuesday, May 25 at 12:15 pm for the Orting Veterans Village Grand Opening Celebration! Registration is free, so be sure to share the page to your friends and family. Save the link because our live-streamed event will be on the same page. Thank you to everyone that has supported this village. It has been a true community effort, and we are so excited to officially open our doors to 35 homeless veterans of Pierce county!
https://app.mobilecause.com/e/bxD5AQ?vid=hujx2
Read and Discuss Braiding Sweetgrass with Earth Ministry/WAIPL - Monday, April 19, 6:00 pm. Register here. For our Earth Day gathering this year, the Earth Ministry community will spend time with the book Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Kimmerer brings her identity as an indigenous woman and also her knowledge as a botanist to her writing about what we can learn from the fauna we live alongside. Her book offers a lovely perspective on how to enter in to more of a reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. Please read the book on your own and then join us online for reflection and discussion.We encourage you to support your local bookstore or purchase Braiding Sweetgrass through Bookshop.
About Us
Sara Lewis, Director of Community and Faith Development
Darlene Sarkela, Congregational Administrator
Marie Arensmeyer, Facilities Manager
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