05/28/2026
Navigating Change With Curiosity
It’s a cliche and I know some of us hate it, but I’m going to say it anyway: The only constant is Change. Nothing stays the same and all we can really count on is that things will change. Congregational life is no different, and I have two big changes to share with you all.
The first change is with our Adult Faith Development team. For a long time OUUC had a robust Adult Education program that was started and completely run by a large volunteer committee. Some will remember the days of a whole catalog of classes, which were printed and handed out to everyone, and calendars full of class offerings. Over time that shifted and evolved, and the way that people engage with learning and with their time has changed at the same time that technology and the needs of the congregation have changed. The team shifted its focus to be the Adult Faith Development Team rather than the Adult Education Team. Then with time the volunteer team got smaller and overall attendance in classes that require registration and homework has also decreased. Most recently the AFD team has been just two people, and they have grown ready to move on to other projects.
So we will not have a volunteer team focused on adult class offerings, at least not for now. What will that mean for adult learning at OUUC? Well, there will still be adult learning opportunities here. We’ll have book groups, classes, workshops, forums, and more. Some of it will look like the “traditional” classes we have had in the past, and some of it will take on new forms and look very different. There won’t be a catalog, but watch for offerings and there will be many.
What if you want to lead a class? That is still most welcome, and anyone who would like to explore how to put on a class should reach out to me and we can talk about your idea and how it might fit here.
Another big change for OUUC is that we will not have the Books Brownies, and Beans sale this year. BBB has been a fixture of our work at OUUC for over 21 years, having started as a fundraiser for our own Out of the Woods shelter and then evolving to raise money for organizations in our community doing work in alignment with our UU values and faith in action priorities. It has also always been a huge amount of work only made possible by a big team of volunteers who worked very hard.
The team that pulled off the sale last year were all clear that they couldn’t do it again, not like it has been, and no leadership was found for a new team for this year. So the sale will not happen. Susan Dodson is spearheading the OUUC Book Nook and there may be other book related happenings, but no giant BBB sale.
These are both big changes. When I first began my work with OUUC (in 2008!) these two programs were a huge part of the identity of who we were as a congregation. So seeing them change or go away may bring up some feelings (like loss, grief, or even fear or anger). But just like a big tree shades out possible new growth below it, big programs or events can also suck up all the energy for possible new things in a community. So I’m curious - what may emerge at OUUC now? How will we learn together? How will we put our faith into action? What new events or programs might we try?
What may emerge with time and possibility? I hope you can also be curious, and we’ll find out together!
Yours in faith and change,
Rev Sara
Click the link to check out the whole Spark newsletter: https://conta.cc/49qi6ot
Check out the Book Nook Here: https://www.ouuc.org/give/fundraising-events/book-nook/
Email from Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation May 28th, 2026 "Navigating Change With Curiosity" Rev. Sara Lewis It’s a cliche and I know some of us hate it, but I’m going to say it anyway: Th
