by Rev. Mary Gear I expected the phone to ring on Wednesday morning. I’d been to visit Celia & Gary Tobin the night before and knew that Gary was close to the end of his life. OUUC’s Music Director, Troy and his friend, Becky Owens, gave the gift of music to Gary & Ceilia, calming […]
Minister
Being Installed: A Reflection from the Minister on OUUC’s Installation Ceremony
by Rev. Mary Gear Last Saturday was a joyous celebration of the life of this congregation—the past, the present and the future. We gathered together to honor the 70th anniversary of OUUC (formerly the Unitarian Fellowship of Olympia) and you installed me as your minister. “Weren’t you already our minister?” someone asked. Yes, I was […]
July Services with OUUC
by Rev. Mary Gear In many Unitarian Universalist congregations, summer services are a bit different. It is a time for ministers and staff to have time away, so there are more guest speakers and lay-led services. Sometimes congregations with two services go to one service. Services may be more relaxed and experimental. In the past […]
The Same and Different: Looking Ahead to the 2022-2023 Church Year
by Rev. Mary Gear & Rev. Sara Lewis It’s a Spring practice in church life to begin planning for the next congregational year, and that’s what the OUUC staff has been doing. Even as we bring the current year to a close and look to a more relaxed schedule for the Summer, we’re looking ahead. […]
Summer As a Bridge
I have been thinking a lot this month about our spiritual theme of “bridge” and what it means as part of OUUC’s mission to “welcome and wonder, embrace and empower, bridge and become.” As I wrote at the beginning of the month, bridges are about tension. Yes, they connect, which is often lovely, and they […]
