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  • Moments in UU History: Rev. Lewis McGee

    By Bonnie Withers Let’s take a moment to remember Lewis McGee, born to a former slave in Pennsylvania in 1893. As an African Methodist Episcopal minister, McGee served as a chaplain in WW II. His interest in science and his belief in human reason led him to be unsatisfied with the idea of God as…

  • Updates from your Social Justice Circle

    By Elaine Castles As we head into the new year, the Social Justice Council is working to organize itself in a way that can best support the myriad justice activities of our Fellowship members. The existing Social Action Committee is broadening into a leadership group for the Social Justice Council. This leadership group, which currently…

  • Moments in UU History: The First Unitarian Martyr

    By Bonnie Withers When I browse through my copy of This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, I amcontinually struck to come upon the number of martyrs from the 16 th century onward,who gave up their lives over their insistence on their belief in the unitary nature of God.Today, I found Ludwig Hetzer, Swiss pastor who…

  • February’s Theme: Good & Evil

    By Rev. Barbara Prose “Never react to an evil in such a way as to augment it,” the great French philosopher Simone Weil wrote in 1933 as she contemplated how to be a good human in a world that seemed to be falling apart. I find myself reflecting on those words after returning from ten…

  • Moments in UU History: Sir Henry Tate

    By Bonnie Withers Of all the ways there are to leave a mark on the world, funding libraries is very high on my list. Thus, we remember Sir Henry Tate, who died on December 5, 1899, at the age of 80. Tate was born in 1819 in Lancashire, England, son of a Unitarian minister. He…

  • Moments in UU History: King’s Chapel

    By Bonnie Withers Last week, we learned about the First Unitarian Church of Baltimore (Unitarian and Universalist) where William Ellery Channing’s famous sermon (1819) was preached. At that time, it was called The First Independent of Baltimore. As we learned, this was the first church built by Unitarians in the U.S. and has been used…

  • Third Thursdays Together

    Let’s Strengthen Our Community by Gathering Together! Every Third Thursday from 5:30-8 pm at the Rockford Grange (4262 Barrett Dr. Hood River, OR) Feeling lonely or disconnected from others? Here at the Gorge UU Fellowship, we’re making space for you to talk about what matters and feel your feelings with others in real life.  This January…

  • Share-the-Plate Nominations Now Open

    Each month, MCUUF shares one-half of the month’s offerings from worship services with a local agency that is working to meet MCUUF values. In 2024-25, we shared over $5,000 with 12 programs across our service area (Klickitat, Skamania, Wasco and Hood River counties), with an average monthly donation of $430. We are encouraging the MCUUF…

  • Moments in UU History: Indian Boarding School

    By Bonnie Withers After reading yet another horrific story about the Indian Boarding School movement which began around the 1870’s, I began to wonder if, even though most of the schools were run by the Catholic church, our Unitarian and Universalist forebears had been a direct part of this ill-conceived movement. It was reported in…

  • Moments in UU History: Sophia Lyon Fahs

    By Bonnie Withers As we think about how we re-invent religious education, we might well seek guidance from one of our most influential forebears.  Sophia Lyon Fahs was born on August 2, 1876 to missionary parents in China.  She studied progressive approaches to education at Columbia, and continued those studies at Union Theological Seminary where…

  • Moments in UU History: Olympia Brown

    Nevertheless, She Persisted! By Bonnie Withers If you are looking for a UU woman for a role model, you need look no further than Olympia Brown. But beware! This feisty little woman will ask much of you. Olympia was born in a Universalist household on January 5, 1835. Her upbringing lead her to pursue education…

  • Moments in UU History: Otvinovius

    By Bonnie Withers Let’s take a dip back into the early history of belief in Unitarianism, specifically thatGod is a single entity. Imagine a street corner in Rakow, Poland, in the early 1600’s.A small crowd has gathered to watch yet another street corner debate between aRoman Catholic priest and…a Unitarian! Erasmus Otvinovius, a Polish knight…

  • December’s Theme: GOD

    By Rev. Barbara Prose Tell Me About the God You Don’t Believe In and Chances Are I Don’t Believe in that God Either. “It is like the finger pointing to the moon…” says Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon, referring to an ancient teaching from the Zen Buddhist tradition. If someone points to the moon…

  • Moments in UU History: Dorothea Dix

    By Bonnie Withers When you consider our small numbers, our denomination has always had an outsized influence on the greater society. One renown reformer was Dorothea Dix (1802-1887). If you have studied the history of mental health treatment in the U. S., her name is known to you. In the period prior to the Civil…

  • Josiah Wedgewood of Wedgewood Pottery

    By Bonnie Withers Chances are there is a piece of Wedgewood pottery somewhere in your family china closets. For the beauty, durability, and ubiquity of this famous name, we can thank Josiah Wedgewood, born (we think) on February 13, 1730, in Staffordshire, England. He struck out from the family pottery business to invent new designs…

  • What’s In a Name? The Baltimore Sermon

    By Bonnie Withers Let’s do some time travel. It is May 5, 1819, and we are at the First Independent Church of Baltimore (First Unitarian after 1912). We are attending the ordination and installation of Jared Sparks and we have been told that William Ellery Channing will deliver a groundbreaking sermon. But we don’t hear…

  • 2025 MCUU Fellowship Holiday Project

    Winter Gear Drive for the MCCAC Warming Shelter Join us in providing warmth and comfort to those in need this holiday season. Your generous donations will make a tangible difference in the lives of the houseless individuals in our community. All supplies will be brought to MCCAC warming shelter. Please donate hats, gloves, scarves or…

  • Become a Cascadia Chalice Lighter

    💪🏼 Stronger Together 💪🏼 Become a Cascadia Chalice Lighter for our FellowshipGive a minimum of $20 three times per year and the Fellowship will be eligible to receive up to $20,000 in grant funding! To qualify, we need 30% of our congregation to be Chalice Lighters. Become a Chalice Lighter Today By becoming a supporter…

  • About Cascadia Chalice Lighters

    By David Kao I want to let people know about Chalice Lighters. It is funding program for Pacific Northwest UU congregations, by Northwest UU congregations. Chalice Lighters is a unique funding program based in the congregations. Regular contributors to the program are called ‘Chalice Lighters’. The funding raising and granting program specifically supports UU congregations…

  • Part 3- Democratic Process: What Now?

    By Dick Withers The Fifth UU Principle: The right of conscience and the use if the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large. During last winter’s workshops on the Democratic Process we began by exploring the elements of democratic process – our personal experiences as well as many diverse perspectives.  We examined…

  • November’s Theme: Democracy

    When I was a child, my father printed out and scotch-taped the Bill of Rights to our bathroom wall.  Then he offered my sister, brother and me $100.00 if we could memorize it. Ever since then, I have known how important the democratic process is.  Today, as we wonder and worry about the health of…

  • Part 2- Democratic Process: A Conversation (Recap)

    By Dick Withers The first Unitarian President of the United States, John Adams, famously wrote to his wife, Abigail Adams, just a few days after signing the Declaration of Independence, observing that:  “…democracy never lasts long…it murders itself….It is in vain to say that democracy is less vain, less proud, less selfish, less ambitious or…

  • Part 1- Democratic Process: A Conversation (Recap)

    Democratic Process: A Conversation By Dick Withers  Unitarian Universalists have historically ascribed to principles that include “…(T)he right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.” (The Fifth Principle) In three workshops this past winter, we explored what we mean by democracy, democratic processes and the…

  • Speaking of Death – Book Available for Purchase

    Speaking Of Death is a book for a brief education on dying and death. It will help you rethink your relationship with your mortality and prepare you for end-of-life. It asks many questions about living while holding death and dying in mind and it contains many helpful resources and references. As a result of our MCUUF…

  • Moments in UU History: Charles Spear

    By Bonnie Withers If you are one of the MCUUF members who are engaged in the issues of prison reform and prisoner rights, you follow in a long line of forebears.  Among the many early Unitarians and Universalists who fought for justice for the incarcerated, we remember Charles Spear, who was born on May 1,…

  • Moments in UU History: The UUSC and the Sharps

    By Bonnie Withers As World War II was beginning to take root in Europe, news of persecution caused great concern among American Unitarians. A network of relief workers and sympathetic politicians sent word to the US that 20,000 people were in need of emigration assistance. A temporary committee, the Unitarian Service Committee, was formed to…

  • Moments in UU History: Elizabeth Hoar

    By Bonnie Withers Have you ever visited Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord, Mass.? There you might have come upon the grave of a lesser-known member of the Ralph Waldo Emerson household. Elizabeth Sherman Hoar was born on July 14, 1814, to a prominent Concord family. She went to school with Henry Thoreau and his siblings.…

  • Moments in UU History: Sallie Ellis

    By Bonnie Withers Not so long ago, there was no internet to allow you to easily hook up with church services remotely. What could you do when you lived too far from an established UU congregation to attend services? One resource available to those “out of reach” continues to be the Church of the Larger…

  • First Sundays for Families

    What is First Sundays for Families? Every first Sunday Service of the month is geared towards engaging young minds and hearts with age-appropriate topics along with an all-ages pop up choir open to all early comers. Sermons are based on our theme of the month with a story exploring that theme for kids, along with…

  • Please Help Us Buy Hymnals

    A message from our board president, Paul Blackburn – “Our growing numbers are outstripping our hymnal supply. We are planning an order so we have 50 of each of the two books. Would you be willing to pay for the cost of one or more? We’ll add a special message in each book you help purchase. We’ll…

  • Moments in UU History: Florida Ridley

    Meet a Renaissance Woman. Florida Ridley – As I have poked about in various biographical resources for these little essays, I have been pleased…and surprised to find the stories of many African Americans who have been members of UU congregations and who have worked prominently in the service of social justice long before the ‘60’s.…

  • Moments in UU History – Hannah Adams

    By Bonnie Withers October 2, 1755 is the birthday of Hannah Adams.  She was the first woman in America to earn her living (modestly) as a writer. A sickly child with no formal schooling, she was educated primarily through libraries, first her father’s and then others including the Harvard Library, the Boston Atheneum, and the…

  • Moments in UU History – March 11, 1965

    By Bonnie Withers After the first Selma march ended in bloodshed on the Edmund Pettis Bridge onMarch 7, 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King called for ministers to join him in Selma. 125Unitarian-Universalist ministers responded to the call to join the second march forvoting rights for black Americans. One of them was 38 year-old James Reeb,…

  • Moments in UU History: Salvation For All

    By Bonnie Withers What name comes to mind when you think about the origins of the Universalist half of our name? John Murray? You’ll get half credit for that one, but Dr. George DeBenneville was preaching Universalism in America 30 years before John Murray landed. (Murray holds the distinction of insisting on a separate, defined…

  • Moments in UU History: Olive Prouty

    By Bonnie Withers Are you old enough to remember radio soap operas? Each day, after school, my mom and I would settle in for an hour of fifteen-minute dramas. Road to Happiness, Backstage Wife, and, of course, Stella Dallas. Now, many decades later, I learn that Stella Dallas was the creation of a Unitarian writer,…

  • Moments in UU History – Lydia Pinkham

    By Bonnie Withers All I ever knew about Lydia Pinkham I learned from a rousing (bawdy) fraternity song: “The benefactress of the human race.She invented a vegetable compound,And now all papers print her face”. (many versions can be found on YouTube) But there is much more to Lydia Pinkham than her patent medicine (18% alcohol).…

  • Three Opportunities to Join Oregon Farmworkers in Solidarity

    Join with Oregon Farm Workers in Solidarity – Three Opportunities

  • Resolution to Establish a Social Justice Council

    THE MEMBERS OF THE MID-COLUMBIA UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST FELLOWSHIP (MCUUF) Do Resolve at the Annual Congregational Meeting Held on June 29, 2025, as follows: WHEREAS, Unitarian Universalists share common values with “love at the center” including a tradition of community service and promotion of social and economic justice; and WHEREAS, The members and friends of MCUUF, both…

  • Resolution to Support the “We Are Immigrants – Somos Inmigrantes” Campaign

    This resolution was passed at the June 29, 2025 Annual General Meeting of the Congregation. WHEREAS, immigrants, past and present, contribute to the strength and vitality of our Columbia Gorge community; and WHEREAS, many in our community are living in fear as a result of heightened levels of anti-immigrant policies and practices promoted by national leaders; and…

  • Moments in UU History: E.E. Brown

    By Bonnie Withers Have you heard of Egbert Ethelred Brown? He was one of Rev. Mark Morrison-Reed’s subjects in his book, Black Pioneers in a White Denomination, and that title tells you a lot about this story. The date we are commemorating is June 25, 1912, the year Brown was ordained at Meadville Theological School.…

  • July’s Theme: Community

    This summer of 2025, we are allowing ourselves to be inspired by a short poem by Loryn Brantz: In a time of hate, love is an act of resistanceIn a time of fear, faith is an act of resistanceIn a time of misinformation, education is an act of resistanceIn a time of poor leadership, community…

  • Moments in UU History: William Johnson Fox

    By Bonnie Withers April 1, 1786, marked the birthday of a brilliant English Unitarian minister, William Johnson Fox. Fox, born to poor parents, worked as a weaver and in a bank before studying for the ministry. One of his church placements was in the Universalist Chapel in Parliament Court in London. He was well known…

  • Moments in UU History: Frances Harper

    By Bonnie Withers Who was the first African-American woman to refuse to give up her seat on public transportation? Rosa Parks? No. Claudette Colvin? You get points for having read the Philip Hoose book, but the answer is still “No”. That woman, born September 24, 1825, is Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. She refused to give…

  • Notice of the Annual Congregational Meeting

    NOTICE OF THE ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETINGOF THE MID-COLUMBIA UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST FELLOWSHIP (MCUUF)Sunday, June 29, 2025Sunday Service to begin at 10:00 a.m. The Business Meeting will be Called to Order at 10:30 a.m.In-Person at the Rockford Grange, Oregon and Live-StreamingZOOM LINK: https://tinyurl.com/mcuuf2025 The Board of Trustees of the Mid-Columbia Unitarian Universalist Fellowship calls all members of…

  • Riverside is Hiring an Our Whole Lives (OWL) Program Coordinator

    Help shape young minds (grades 7-9) through Our Whole Lives (OWL), a comprehensive sexuality education program that promotes self-acceptance, healthy relationships, and respect. This position is based out of Riverside United Church of Christ in Hood River, OR. Send letter of interest and resume to Katie Cook at Katie@riversideucc.com PDF of the Job Posting

  • June’s Theme: Joy

    In a time of hate, love is an act of resistanceIn a time of fear, faith is an act of resistancein a time of misinformation, education is an act of resistanceIn a time of poor leadership, community is an act of resistanceIn a time like this, joy is an act of resistance.  Inspired by these words from Loryn Brantz,…

  • This Month in UU History—June

    By Bonnie Withers There is hardly a UU congregation anywhere in which the Flower Communion is not celebrated, often in June. The timing is fitting because June 3, 1870, is the birthday of Norbert Capek (cha-pek), the creator of this simple and treasured ritual.  The extraordinary life of this bright, energetic, and brave man is…

  • This Month in UU History: Birth of a Movement-Fellowships

    By Bonnie Withers At the end of World War II, the American Unitarian Association with membershipprimarily focused in the Northeast, was languishing. A mail-order idea, Church ofthe Larger Fellowship, had begun in 1944 and was servicing far-flung individualUnitarians with sermons and RE materials. In March of 1945, the AUA voted toexplore the notion of establishing…

  • 2025 Pride in the Gorge

    There’s lots happening in June for Pride in the Gorge! Calendar of Events Volunteer The sign-up sheet for our Open & Affirming Churches table at HR Pride and The Dalles Pride is here – both dates have a designated spot on the sign-up sheet, with volunteer slots broken down by hour: Sign up for a Volunteer Shift Film Screening: Stonewall…

  • Let’s go to Camp!

     If you haven’t heard of Eliot Institute, it is a UU organization that creates magical multigenerational camps four times a year, held at the beautiful Seabeck Conference Center in Washington. Summer sessions are July 12-19, “Joyful Noise: Sing Out, Be Free” with Lea Morris, August 2-9, “Creativity Games and Storytelling” with Guy Nelson, and August 9-13,…

  • Join the “Somos Inmigrantes” Campaign

    About the CampaignThis is a very uncertain time for immigrants in the United States. Those of us who have beenhere for generations want to show solidarity for more recent immigrants who are hard-workingand law abiding. The We are Immigrants-Somos Inmigrantes campaign proclaims ourcommitment to defend the dignity, safety and wellbeing of all our neighbors. Our InspirationOver 30 years…

  • Your Breeze Password can now be Reset by You!

    With our pledge campaign coming right up, now’s a great time to get back into Breeze to see where you’re at with your last year’s pledge and update your contact information. Head on over to Breeze. If you can’t remember your login, please use the handy “reset password” feature now located below the sign in…

  • MCUUF Awards Two Scholarships

    On the evening of April 24, we were honored to present MCUUF scholarships in the amount of $2000 each to two deserving students from Hood River Valley High School. These awards support the college journeys of young people who have overcome significant barriers and worked hard to prepare themselves for higher education and for service…

  • May’s Theme: Truth

    By Reverend Barbara Prose It makes a big difference if a person believes there is only one truth or there are many truths. If there are many truths, then what does truth even mean? Can something be true to one person, or in one place, or in one time, and then be untrue to someone…

  • On our Theme of Salvation

    Excerpt from A House for Hope by Rebecca Ann Parker and John A. Buehrens …Some people imagine salvation as personal escape from divine punishment in hell. Rescued by belief in Christ’s sacrificial death, the saved look forward to eternal life in heaven–separated by death and by God’s gracious rewards from the sin and evil of this…

  • Share the Plate News for April

    Kudos to all who contributed to the plate in March! We were able to add $609 to the Water for Warm Springs Project fund! For the month of April, our share-the-plate recipient will be The Youth Empowerment Shelter (Y.E.S.) in The Dalles. From their website, (yeshelter.org), their mission: Youth Empowerment Shelter (YES) provides youth in…

  • The Creative Temple – Sacred Art of Poetry with Chelan Harkin

    ۞ THE CREATIVE TEMPLE Explore the Sacred Art of Poetry ۞ Why does it feel so revivifying and liberating to write poetry? Why does sharing poetry in a safe, encouraging space feel so nourishing and cultivate deep belonging? It’s because poetry is a language of the soul. And the light of the soul needs to be…

  • April’s Theme: Salvation

    By Reverend Barbara Prose The other day, I was asked if Unitarian Universalists offered salvation from Hell. Such questions are usually meant to unsettle, if not challenge people who say they are spiritual but not religious. If you are ever asked such a question, it’s helpful to remember a scene from The Diary of a Country Priest by…

  • Share the Plate News for February 2025

    A BIG THANK YOU to all who contributed to the plate in February! We were able to give $403 to Black in the Gorge! For the month of March, our share-the-plate recipient is our Water for Warm Springs Project. Time to begin raising more money for Warm Springs since the water crisis will not be…

  • Speaking of Death

    An End-Of-Life Educational Series, sponsored by Mid-Columbia Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and co-led by Rev. Barbara Prose and Tamara Thiel, Columbia Gorge End-of-Life Doula. This series is an opportunity to befriend mortality, gather information and resources, learn about options available, and offer deep contemplation on death. All gatherings are open to the public so please invite…

  • Scholarship Fundraising Drive

    For many years, MCUUF has funded several scholarships for Hood River high school graduates, with an emphasis on those with financial need who are the first in their families to attend college. If you would like to make a contribution to this fund, you can put a check in the basket on Sunday with the notation…

  • Democracy: A Conversation

    In 1985 the Unitarian Universalist Association adopted the “7 Principles” that have served as an important articulation of our shared values over the last 40 years. The 5th Principle is: The Right of Conscience and the Use of the Democratic ProcessWithin Our Congregations and in Society at Large  Concerns and rhetoric expressed during the run-up…

  • March’s Theme – Letting Go

    I remember the moment, when a widow who still had her husband’s clothes in her bedroom closet, realized she was ready to let go. With tears in her eyes she told me about the moment when things shifted. I could feel that she had fully grieved her loss and knew she would still be able…

  • UUA Joins Multifaith Lawsuit Asserting that ICE Policy Violates the First Amendment

    February 11, 2025 On February 11, a multifaith coalition and the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection announced that they had filed a lawsuit challenging ICE’s “sensitive locations policy.” Churches (along with schools and hospitals) had previously been protected from the agency’s enforcement actions, but a Department of Homeland Security memo rescinded that protection on January 20th.…

  • Water for Warm Springs Emergency Relief Fund Update

    Hooray! A $1,600 check has been sent! Our total donation is now $8,642!   We continue to accept donations for the “Water for Warm Springs“ project. The project’s purpose is to raise money to purchase bottled water to address the need for clean water caused by the on-going water crisis on the Warm Springs reservation. Make sure you…

  • January’s Share-The-Plate Update

    A BIG THANK YOU to all who contributed to the plate in January! We were able to give $452 to the Hood River Shelter Services. In honor of Black History Month, February’s share-the-plate recipient is Black in the Gorge (B.i.G.). B.i.G. is an inclusive community group for Black, Biracial and Multiracial folks, students, friends and families…

  • MCUUF Recognized as Honor Congregation

    MCUUF Recognized as Honor Congregation

    Feb. 5th, 2025 UUA notified MCUUF last week that its Annual Program Fund office was happy to confirm that our congregation has achieved Honor Congregation recognition for Fiscal Year 2025 writing, “Thank you for being a Honor Congregation and your unwavering support and continued generosity!” In a letter to MCUUF, UUA President explained:  “Every year, each…

  • February’s Theme: Spiritual Practices

    You don’t have to be religious to grow your soul or nurture your spirit. But many people do not understand the difference between spirituality and belief in God. Most Buddhists, for example, do not believe in God (they are Humanist); and yet, Buddhist teachers are world renowned for their teachings about spirituality and spiritual practices,…

  • January’s Theme: Grace

    Ramakrishna said, “The winds of  grace are always blowing, but you have to raise the sail.”   This is the essence of grace. Like the winds, grace is always present and available, if only we are awake enough to notice, skilled enough to adapt, and humble enough to accept the winds that blow where they will. Reflecting…

  • MCUUF Facebook Group

    The congregation has a Facebook Group for members and friends, providing connection and support. You can announce a meetup or invitation, share a milestone, ask who would like the stack of magazines piling up in your garage, and more! Visit the link and click “Join” near the bottom right of the banner photo. A moderator…