OUUC Weekly Update

We celebrate the Winter Solstice and the time of darkness with a ritual to welcome the complexity of all feelings this season.

There will be no After-Service Forum on December 22 — Happy Holidays!

The worship service starts at 10 am.

OUUC Worship Service

Join Zoom Meeting here.

Meeting ID: 873 210 124
Passcode: 2306

Dial: +1 253 205 0468

Tuesday, December 24

5:30 pm, onsite and online, with the OUUC Choir
9:00 pm, onsite only, with guest musicians

Children are welcome at worship. Nursery care will be provided for the 5:30 pm service. The Order of Service will be posted and sent out the week of the service.

Join Zoom Meeting (5:30 service only): https://us02web.zoom.us/j/873210124?pwd=WyvXbHaMSTimv6OI0C7NhRYZ1VQ0Ny.1

Dial: +1 253 205 0468 US (or find your local number here)
Meeting ID: 873 210 124
Passcode: 2306
One tap mobile: +12532050468,,873210124#,,,,2306# US

If you’ve been onsite in the OUUC sanctuary on Sunday morning lately, you know that we are wonderfully full and sometimes overflowing. This is a time when many are seeking a community where they can be welcomed, connected and of service. What a delight that so many people find OUUC is that place!

To have ample space for everyone to join us on Sunday mornings, we will begin offering two Sunday morning services starting on January 12, 2025. Click here to view a video explaining the information below.

This is the schedule:

8:45 am Nursery opens for children, prelude begins
9:00 am – 10:00 am Worship (onsite only) with nursery care and children’s class
10:00 am – 10:45 am Coffee and reflection onsite
10:15 am – 10:30 am Nursery is closed for a break
10:30 am Nursery opens for children, prelude begins
10:45 am – 11:45 am Worship (online and onsite) with nursery care and children’s class
11:45 am – 12:15 pm Coffee and reflection onsite and online
12:00 pm Nursery closes
12:15 pm – 1:15 pm Practice together/Forum (onsite and online; childcare only available upon request — please give one week’s notice) — First service attendees are encouraged to join the Forum via Zoom or return to OUUC.
1:00 pm – 4:30 pm Our Whole Lives (OWL) (Spring 2024 only)

This is an exciting time for OUUC! It was almost five years ago, on March 13, 2020, that the world shut down for Covid and we went to one service. Now, we’re ready to open our doors wide and live our mission to welcome. This schedule is an experiment that we’ll review in June 2025. Then, we’ll ask for feedback from everyone about how it is going. It will be an adjustment, so let’s give it a good trial.

To make this work, we’ll need to add to the many hands that help make Sunday morning happen.

• If you can help in the kitchen to offer coffee, beverages and snacks, please talk to a member of the kitchen crew or reach out to Rev. Sara. (This hospitality will be even more important after the second service and before the forum!)
• If you are able to welcome others as a greeter and usher, please contact Jen Sabel or Rev. Sara.
• There are two easy ways to support the technology of our services: One is online support on Zoom during the second service (can be done remotely!), and the other is the soundboard for either service. If you can help, contact Tech Coordinator Teresa Madsen.
• And, if you have other ideas on how you can help to make Sunday mornings even more welcoming, please reach out to Rev. Mary.

On November 19, the OUUC Board of Trustees approved adding funds to the current year budget to cover the cost of an additional service through June 30, 2025. Those costs are for additional honoraria for guest speakers, and additional childcare and tech staff for the second service. The cost of two services will be included in the stewardship and budget requests for the 2025-26 congregational year, which begins on July 1, 2025.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Rev. Mary and stay tuned for more information.

Worship Service

“In the Presence of Mystery" with Rev. Nancy Reid-McKee

Watch the service here and view the Order of Service here.

After-Service Forum

Welcome and Inclusion Training

Watch the recording here.

In this week's Tiny Little News learn about upcoming holiday events at OUUC.

You are cordially invited to attend a Gather, Grow & Guide Session in support of the OUUC. We will gather in the homes of fellow congregation members for light refreshments and meaningful conversations about what OUUC means to each of us. During these small group sessions, we’ll share stories, build connections, and deepen our sense of community. There will be several gatherings to choose from, with different dates, times and locations. Each will last approximately 1.5 hours and will be framed by three focal points:

Gather: Gather stories on ways we nurture and are nurtured by the OUUC.

Grow: Explore our path towards growth and the five ways to grow. Rev. Mary will offer a short, supporting video on this topic.

Guide: Collect guidance and advice on how OUUC can achieve the goals it set for 2025.

Please join us for meaningful conversation, fellowship, and the joy of being in community. Sign-up for a time and date that works best for you here, or contact Wendy Tanner and she will help you get signed up. Thank you so much for contributing to this important exercise to nurture our community and move toward the future with hope and success.

Download the flyer below for information about class offerings for the beginning of 2025.

OUUC will be closed December 25-January 4 (except for the outdoor Sunday service on 12/29). The office will be checking messages and emails on non-holiday days during this period and will reopen on Sunday, January 5.

Beware of periodic scammers via email and text. You may be contacted by scammers impersonating Rev. Mary or other church staff. Scammers also try to reach people via text. Often, they will ask for you to contact them right away, and they may ask for financial assistance/information or contact information of others at the church. Always double check and make sure the email or text was sent from a source you recognize. Scammers will create new addresses that appear like a known email address. When in doubt, check in with the person in your life who appears to be trying to contact you, using a known contact method.

Download the flyer below if you would like a list of OUUC events for December. Great for posting on your refrigerator!

A Very Queer Christmas Pageant, Sunday, December 22 at 4 pm, 110 Eleventh Ave SE Olympia, WA 98501 at The United Churches of Olympia, enter through the main glass doors on Eleventh Ave
Don your gay apparel! WildWood’s annual Queer Christmas Pageant presents a story of rebellion, love, and queer joy. Welcoming all ages, orientations, religious traditions, whether you're a person of faith or have lost all faith, exactly as you are and exactly as you are becoming, whole & holy. The space is accessible for those in wheelchairs, has all-gender restrooms, and kiddo care (though the pageant is fun for kids too).

White Antiracist Spirituality: Grounding Ourselves in the Historical Legacy. The third annual workshop series will be hosted this January, and will include powerful examples of UU spirituality in action. We’ll explore ideas and practices around beloved community, cultivating hope through taking action, the groundedness that comes with being rooted in history, and much more. It will provide nourishment and inspiration for these times. Read more and sign up here. Taught by Lynn Burnett.

Housing Instability - A Solutions Forum, Wednesday, January 15, 6:30-8 pm, at the Event Center ESD 113, 6005 Tyee Drive SW, Tumwater. Moderated by Larry Jefferson, President NAACP.

The Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice invites you to show your support for Palestine each Friday from 4:30-6 pm at the Fellowship of Reconciliation Vigil for Peace
Percival Landing in Downtown Olympia, 4th & Water Street.

Staff Contacts

Rev. Mary Gear, Minister

Rev. Sara Lewis, Director of Community and Faith Development

Troy Fisher, Music Director

Isaac Ezra Jennings, Business Manager

Rosie Koppelman, Office Assistant

Teresa Madsen, Communications and Tech Coordinator

Marie Arensmeyer, Facilities Manager

Anissa Bentlemsani, Religious Education Assistant

Carbon Marshall, Tech Specialist

Office Hours

Tuesday and Thursday, 12-4 pm

Sunday, during services

360-634-2005