the OUUC spark

As we end our monthly spiritual theme of the Practice of Joy, I want to reflect on one of my most joyful ministries with you all: cooking and feeding people on Thursdays for our Community Dinners. First, a bit of history. We started the community dinners in Fall of 2022 as we were emerging from the pandemic and wondering how to bring people back to in-person church. I felt like having another weekly touch point besides Sunday mornings would be helpful, and we had been offering spiritual practices on Thursday evenings via Zoom during the pandemic; so we continued to offer the spiritual practices as a multiplatform and set up the dinners to happen before the spiritual practices.

That first year was a leap of faith — we’d never done anything like this before, and we had no budget for the program. I paid out of pocket myself for the food that first year, as a start up gift to the program. Obviously, that wouldn’t work long-term, but it got us started. That first year, we also set the tone for the menu plans, focusing on a healthy, affordable, and inclusive meal that was friendly to our vegans and folks with other dietary restrictions. This means that meat is rarely served, but we have lots of whole grains and veggies and beans.

In our second and now third years of the dinner program, we have a budget now, which helps us also be able to afford catering for the few Thursdays a year that I’m not able to lead the cooking effort. We also have wonderful Take Over nights when other teams come in and provide the meal (and that will happen tonight, with the Environmental Action and Building and Grounds Teams taking over this week). Another change that came in the 2nd year was the request to have a consistent meal element for children and less adventurous eaters to know they could rely on, so we began serving mac and cheese and fruit salad almost every week.

It’s still a big lift for me, with planning the menus, shopping for the food, cooking, and hosting taking 7-10 hours a week. I’m ably assisted by some wonderful volunteers, many of whom choose to volunteer almost every week and others who come in when they can. We have lots of fun, playing music and chatting in the kitchen as we cook together. There is laughter and support offered in the midst of all the chopping and stirring.

This year, the choir began setting up tables and chairs on Wednesday evening so that they were ready to go on Thursday, and that has been a huge gift. It’s a big set up — we are seeing between 50 to 90 people coming to dinner, so that’s a lot of tables and chairs.

Q: How much does a dinner cost?

A: Around $300, give or take, if we cook. Catering is a lot more, of course.

Q: With the door donations, how much do we bring in?

A: Between $175-$300ish a week

Q: What happens to the left-over food?

A: We have carry out containers and people take leftovers home with them. We rarely have much else still left for me to deal with, maybe some lettuce or an unpopular salad or something.

Q: What’s the deal with the “chicken scraps”?

A: I have chickens at home, so I bring a bucket in to collect compost scraps in when we cook, and those go home with me to feed my chickens. They love the melon rinds from all the fruit salad we make!

Q: Who does the laundry after?

A: We are still using paper napkins partly because of laundry constraints. Right now I take the dish towels and aprons home and wash them but I don’t own a dryer (as an environmental sustainability choice) so am torn on whether I can handle napkins also. If anyone wants to be a laundry helper let me know!

Q: Can I get your recipe for (fill in the blank)?

A: Yes, although we are often making it up as we go. We take existing recipes and usually quadruple them for the dinners. I put out two cookbooks in the past, and plan to just share the occasional popular recipe here in the future.

We will be serving dinner each week until June 12th, come and join in this joyful community gathering. And if you can, join us in the kitchen! It’s always fun.

In joy,

Rev. Sara

Ingredients:

3-4 medium yams

Olive oil

1 Tb chili powder

1 Tb oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

Scrub your yams, but leave the peel on, and then chop into 1 inch pieces. Toss in a oven proof pan thoroughly with olive oil and spices until all are well coated. Roast for about 40 minutes, until fork tender.

Alternative method: cook on low in a crock pot for about 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so.

Want to make this a meal? Add a can of chickpeas and a chopped bunch of kale after the yams are almost tender and cook them all together for another 10-15 minutes. Serve with crusty bread or brown rice.

LIVE AUCTION and DINNER EVENT: Saturday, May 3rd, 5 – 8 PM, at ASHHO Cultural Community Center

ONLINE AUCTION: April 26 – MAY 4

Purchase your Live Auction Dinner tickets today! Everyone is welcome! Tickets are $10 to $100—pay what you can. Childcare will be provided this year for those who select a youth ticket with childcare. There is no cost for youth tickets or childcare Find "Buy Your Ticket" on the auction website. The deadline for ticket sales is this Saturday, April 26th.

If you would like to participate in the auction and need financial assistance, please contact Rev. Mary.

Register NOW to bid in our online auction beginning 9 AM this Saturday! Check out the growing catalog of interesting items, events, and gatherings, and two significant and timely Raise the Paddle causes. Register for free today and help OUUC Let Our Light Shine!

OUUC’s Sewing Ministry has generously donated the handmade king-sized quilt displayed in the sanctuary to the auction! Raffle tickets are $5 each, or 5 for only $20. Please bring cash or a check to the Sewing Ministry table in the Commons to purchase tickets after services on Sunday mornings. Tickets will also be available both at Thursday Community Dinners and the live auction. The lucky ticket will be drawn at the auction dinner at ASHHO Cultural Community Center on May 3rd.

Services are full. Community dinners are packed. There are lots of new faces in The Commons each week. We are growing! Now what?

This is “The Big Question” the Board of Trustees has identified as a focus for the coming year.

The Board would love to hear from you during an hour-long mini workshop this Sunday (April 27) after 2nd service. We will talk about:

• Who have we been?
• Where are we now?
• Where are we going?

We will ask for ideas from the group that people could start doing today to welcome new people to our congregation.

Light refreshments will be provided.

See you there.

Your Board of Trustees

Wow — what a Stewardship Drive! Thanks to your heartfelt generosity, this has been our most successful campaign ever. We’re celebrating a record number of pledges and a powerful outpouring of support — proof of our thriving, growing congregation and your deep commitment to the work we do together.

And now, we’re so close: just $30,000 away from fully funding our vision for next year.

Why This Final Stretch Matters

Thanks to a few thoughtful program adjustments, we’ve already narrowed the gap between what we hoped for and what we can currently fund. But raising this last $30K would allow us to:

• Offer a cost-of-living adjustment for our hardworking team,
• Strengthen administrative support for Religious Education, and
• Fund a new Member Engagement Specialist to help deepen connections within our growing community.
• We can also maintain all of our current programs, and
• Invest in OUUC’s future by supporting Leadership Development and Legacy Giving.

These investments are essential to sustaining our momentum and meeting the needs of a congregation that is vibrant and expanding.

What About the Auction Funds?

The funds raised through our annual auction are absolutely vital — and they’ve already been dedicated to supporting this year’s budget. The $30,000 we’re working to raise now is for next year, to help OUUC continue to grow, thrive, and serve.

Can You Help Us Finish Strong?

Whether you’re able to increase your current pledge (contact the office) or make a new one (via this form or the office), every gift brings us closer to this important goal. Together, we’re building something beautiful — a community that nurtures, welcomes, and leads with love.

Thank you for being a part of it.

Tonight's dinner is sponsored by the Environmental Action Team and the Buildings & Grounds Team.

All are welcome for food and fellowship at 5:30 pm.

After-dinner (6:30 pm) options include: EAT-sponsored Film Screening of "Eden's Last Chance," Protest Songs Music Jam, UU Buddhist Sangha, and Kids Class: Dharma Kids.

More info on some of these can be found in the Weekly Update.

In this week's Tiny Little News Show, hear a special message from Rev. Mary about this year's Stewardship campaign:

Website: https://www.ouuc.org

Email: office@ouuc.org

Location: 2306 East End St NW, Olympia, WA, USA
Phone: (360) 634-2005

Office Hours

Tuesday and Thursday, 12:00 – 4:00 pm

Sunday, during services

Staff Contacts

Rev. Mary Gear, Minister

Rev. Sara Lewis, Director of Community & Faith Development

Troy Fisher, Music Director

Isaac Jennings, Business Manager

Rosie Koppelman, Office & Communications Specialist

Teresa Madsen, Tech Coordinator

Marie Arensmeyer, Facilities Manager

Anissa Bentlemsani, Religious Education Assistant

Carbon Marshall, Tech Specialist