OUUC Weekly Update
March 19, 2024
UU Pagan Gathering and Potluck for Ostara-Today!
Tuesday March 19, 6:30pm
The Spring Equinox is celebrated as Ostara by many pagans, and we will gather for ritual and celebration here at OUUC on Tuesday the 19th.
All are welcome to join the OUUC UU Pagan group to celebrate Ostara. Potluck dinner, please bring a dish to share.
Thursday Community Dinner: Crunchy Taco Day
March 21, 5:30pm
This week’s dinner is a celebration of National Crunchy Taco Day. Join us for Tacos! Everyone is invited for food and fellowship.
Volunteers needed for cooking and help with setting up tables and chairs, if you can help contact Rev. Sara.
Following dinner this week we will have the Buddhist groups, the all-ages welcome spring event, and at 7pm the UU Pagan group.
Being with Grief: An Introduction to Grief Ritual
Sunday March 24, 1:30-4:30 pm
We will create an opportunity to open into our sorrows and to find joy in community through writing, reflection and ritual. Suggested reading: The Wild Edge of Sorrow by Francis Weller, whose work informs this workshop.
Facilitated by Grief Mentors Peter Jabin, M.Div. LMHC Siena Tenisci, MA, LMHCA
There is no cost to attend. Details about what to bring will be sent on registration.
All-Ages Welcome to Spring
Thursday March 21, 6:30pm
This week folks of all ages, especially children and youth, are invited to join our Religious Education Assistant, Anissa Bentlemsani, in some seed starting, flower pot decorating, intention setting fun to kick off Spring!
UU Pagan Group this week!
3rd Thursday of each month, 7pm
All are welcome to join the OUUC UU Pagan group at their regular monthly meeting.
For questions or to join the group’s email list contact Rev. Sara.
All Ages OUUC Nature Group this week!
4th Saturday of each month, 9am
March’s Nature Walk will be at McClane Creek, a mostly flat and gentle loop trail around a beaver pond and near a salmon creek. We hope to see the newts (usually at the height of breeding season around this time)!
April: Mima Mounds (flowers!)
May: Tolmie State Park (beach!)
RSVP or questions, contact Rev. Sara Lewis.
Easter Treat Donations Needed
We are currently seeking donations for the children’s Easter Egg Hunt. Treats and prizes Do Not Go In The Eggs, so they can be of any size.
Suggested items: stuffed animals, art supplies, stickers, candy/food treats, fidgets, notebooks, children’s books, puzzles
Bring donations to the Spirit Play classroom anytime between now and Easter Sunday (March 31st).
The UU Common Read: On Repentance and Repair
Wednesdays 6:30-8 pm, March 20 to April 10
Facilitated by Rev. Sara Lewis
The new UU Common Read, On Repentance and Repair by Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg (Beacon Press, 2022), provides a fresh, transformative perspective on how we make ourselves accountable to others.
This Common Read offers a glimpse into Judaism, one of our faith’s foundational sources, as we follow Rabbi Ruttenberg’s dive into prescriptions on accountability offered by the 12th century Jewish physician and scholar, Maimonides.
Read more and
Faith in Action: Transgender Welcome and Inclusion
On Sunday, March 10, Isaac Jennings, OUUC's Business Manager, offered a Faith in Action forum on "Transgender Welcome and Inclusion." As with almost all of OUUC's forums, the recording was posted in OUUC's YouTube channel and made public to anyone to wished to watch it. Last week, some viewers posted transphobic and hateful comments for this video.
Because we don't want to provide a platform for hate speech and don't want it to remain on the OUUC page, we have removed the recording from public view.
However, it can be accessed with this link or through the Faith in Action playlist on OUUC's YouTube channel.
We remain committed to welcome and inclusion for transgender members of our community. We renew our commitment to naming and combating hate speech. This is how we put our faith in action.
Are you a lonely single senior?
Would you like to get out more but your hiking days are over? Are you living alone or with people decades younger than yourself? Would you rather get together in person with friends than friend people on social media?
If so, here’s your chance. Janet Spencer and Woody Moore are offering an OUUC Single Seniors Social Group.
If this appeals to you, contact Janet or Woody.
Share your day and time preferences, your frequency of meetings, and any ideas you have about agendas or no agenda get togethers.
Travel that Changes Lives
Fridays starting March 29, 6:30-8:30 pm
The travel class is back!
Covid-19 ended travel for many and thus canceled our class. Many have been traveling again and have stories and reflections to share with us all.
Read more, see a full schedule of presentations and
DATE CHANGE Interdependent Web of Life: A Class for Kids ages 5-10
Thursdays 6:30-7:30, April 11th to May 30th
One of our Unitarian Universalist values and principles is Interdependence, and we know that we humans are part of the web of life, not separate from it.
In this 8 week class children will explore different aspects of the web of life, learning about the water cycle, photosynthesis, and more amazing examples of nature and interdependence. Science meets spirituality in this celebration and appreciation of the natural world.
Prayers from the Heart with Rev. Sara
Thursday March 28, 6:45 pm
Rev. Sara hosts this prayer practice on the 4th Thursday of each month. Come to pray together, to drop stones and light candles, to give voice to all that is in your heart.
Not sure about prayer? Not a problem, we are a welcoming and inclusive group and approach prayer in an inter-spiritual and expansive way.
Spirituality, Science, and Nature
Saturdays April 6, 13, 20, 11am-12:30pm (3 sessions)
Facilitated by Rev. Sara Lewis
Grounded in the book Rooted: Life at the Crossroads of Science, Nature, and Spirit by Lyanda Lynn Haupt, this class will explore how we can live with the earth and nature in simple and profound ways, and how our spirituality can be deeply rooted in our belonging to the natural world around us.
Communicate to Connect: A Workshop of Skills and Approaches for Productive Conversations to Preserve and Develop Connections
Sunday April 7, 12-2 pm
onsite and online, light lunch provided
Presented by the Thurston County Dispute Resolution Center and sponsored by the OUUC Healthy Congregations Team
We live in a time of great difference and much difficulty bridging those differences. Come together in community to learn and practice skills to help us build bridges. The DRC will provide an interactive experience to help us separate interests from positions, identify needs and values, and improve communication skills.
Come to listen, learn, practice and grow.
AUCTION 2024: REACH THE SKY!
April 7-May 4, ONLINE AUCTION
Saturday May 4, 5-8 pm: LIVE Auction and Dinner!
Donations of social events, outings, get-togethers, handmade items, and unique opportunities are welcome!
Visit the auction website HERE and click on “Donate an Auction Item.” Submit items before April 21, 2024. Don’t wait!
You can now buy tickets to attend the LIVE auction and dinner at ASHHO Cultural Community Center.
Everyone is welcome! Tickets are $10 to $100 per person—pay what you can. Choose your price by clicking on "Buy Your Ticket."
Volunteers Needed: Can You Help?
For many, years volunteers from our congregation have twice a month provided main and side dishes for the guests at the Interfaith Works Adult Shelter, located first at First Christian Church, and now at Unity Commons Shelter.
Each third and fourth Wednesday 8 main and 3 side dishes are needed to feed the 58 guests who stay there.
This month for a variety of reasons (health, travels, moving, etc.), several of our volunteers have become unable to bring food for the two OUUC Wednesday night dinners at Unity Commons.
For information about volunteering please contact Jo Ann Young.
Join Habitat for Humanity for a build that supports OUUC family Kate and Lark D.
May 15th-18th and May 22nd-25 at the Tumwater Development
Select the best day that works for you and your team!
By participating in Women Build, you'll directly support South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity's mission of building affordable homes for more families, individuals, and Veterans. You'll also help raise awareness about the housing inequities women face and advocate for gender equity in homeownership. It's time to break down barriers and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to achieve affordable homeownership, regardless of the challenges they may face.
No experience necessary – just a willingness to make a positive impact.
Do you like to use paper shreds from OUUC for your garden?
Please stop by the office this Sunday to pick up bags of paper shreds before we clear them out.
OUUC’s address changed as of January 1, 2024. OUUC’s new address is 2306 East End St NW. The City of Olympia directed us to make this change. This is due to the regulations regarding emergency access. If you use an automated bill-paying service for your pledge payments (your financial institution sends OUUC a check on your behalf), you will need to update the address.
Safety Reminder: Please lock and remove valuables from your vehicles.