the OUUC spark

We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.

~ Ray Bradbury

November is the month of Veteran’s Day and Thanksgiving, of Daylight Savings Time and Transgender Day of Remembrance. It is a month when we notice gratitude and generosity: gratitude for those who have generously served our country, gratitude for those who are on the margins and oppressed, gratitude for our heritage, history and the generosity or our ancestors, and gratitude for an extra hour of sleep.

Our spiritual theme for the month of November is “generosity.” It is one of seven core Unitarian Universalist values identified by the Article II Commission of the Unitarian Universalist Association. These seven core UU values are: Interdependence, Equity, Justice, Transformation, Generosity, Pluralism, and Love. We will focus on one of these values as our monthly spiritual theme for the next seven months.

This is what the Commission says about the UU value of generosity: We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope. We covenant to freely and compassionately share our faith, presence, and resources. Our generosity connects us to one another in relationships of interdependence and mutuality.

Generosity is a way that we honor our interconnection. It is also a transformative practice that changes the one who gives and the one who receives. Generosity also challenges us: Can we see abundance in our lives? Are we willing to share from our abundance? Are we willing to receive when we are in need?

Last Saturday my husband, John, and I donated blood. John is a regular donor, but it had been a while since I’d donated. I made an appointment when I saw that blood supplies in our region were low as we move into the holiday season. It felt good to give this precious resource that can’t be manufactured in a lab or done remotely. And that warm feeling stayed with me all week. If you are interested in donating blood, you can find more information here.

This month I invite you to notice the abundance in your life, recognizing that many forms of generosity are not financial. How does generosity help you feel connected? Does generosity challenge you? How has generosity transformed you?

In this month of gratitude and generosity, may you be filled and may you share your beautiful abundance.

Blessings on your week,

Rev. Mary

Minister@ouuc.org

In last Sunday’s service, we celebrated our heritage and ancestors with a ritual of remembrance. Some of you left notes with your remembrances on them on our altar. I read them all and then burned them, placing the ashes in OUUC’s memorial garden. Thank you for sharing your memories and stories.

The after-service forum Nov. 5 is Creating OUUC’s Heritage and History Timeline with Rev. Mary and the Healthy Congregations Team. No matter how long you have been a part of OUUC, come to add your memories of significant events at OUUC at 11:30 in the sanctuary and online.

Some of you may have noticed that our website ouuc.org is down today. Our web hosting provider, DreamHost, has experienced a power outage at one of their data centers. While the power has been restored, it is taking some time to get all services running again. Here's everything we know about it.

We hope the website will be back in service again soon. In the meantime, rest assured that our email, phone, and social media accounts are all functioning fine, so if you have a question, feel free to reach out!

This Friday is National Sandwich Day, and we will celebrate this Thursday with a dinner honoring sandwiches (and soup and salad too).

All are invited for dinner at 5:30 PM.

Volunteers for set up and clean up are needed, contact Rev Sara if you can help.

Following dinner this week, we will have the children’s Lessons of Loss class, the Buddhist Sangha, and the Parents Group, all starting at 6:30 PM.

This week's Tiny Little News includes some recaps and thank you shout outs for the book sale, the After Church talk show, and Trunk and Treat. It was a big weekend!

Website: https://www.ouuc.org

Email: liberalfaith@ouuc.org

Location: 2315 Division St NW, Olympia, WA, USA
Phone: (360) 634-2005

Office Hours

Tuesday - Thursday, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Staff Contacts

Rev. Mary Gear, Minister

Rev. Sara Lewis, Director of Community and Faith Development

Troy Fisher, Music Director

Darlene Sarkela, Congregational Administrator

Teresa Madsen, Communications & Tech Coordinator

Marie Arensmeyer, Facilities Manager

Anissa Bentlemsani, Religious Education Assistant

Carbon Marshall, Tech Specialist