October 1 – “Love As Spaciousness” with Rev. Jill McAllister. A new generation of UUs suggests articulating our values in new ways, beginning with Love at the Center
October 8 – “Not So Like-Minded After All” with Rev. Jill McAllister. We’re learning a lot about the real differences in how brains work – neurodiversity. Turns out we’re more different than we imagine.
October 15 – “What is Transformation?” with Rev. Jill McAllister. Have you ever experienced transformation? How is it part of religious and spiritual growth?
October 22 – “God Is Not One, Neither are We” with Rev. Jill McAllister. One of the unique characteristics of our religious movement is pluralism – the willingness to be different and be together at the same time.
October 29 – Wheel of the Year – All Ages – Samhain / Halloween
The Problem We All Live With, Norman Rockwell (1964)
Today’s MLK Jr. service reflects on how the spiritual autobiography of our nation will be written, emphasizing how we listen, how we care for the next generation, how we respond to organized and normalized evil, and the importance of being open so we may serve a greater good. The piano selections for today’s service reflect these themes, naming pain, modeling courage, and inviting both reflection and action.
I began the prelude with a piano rendition of B.E. Boykin’s Stardust. While the music alone is gripping and powerful, it is the text and intention behind the music that is the most meaningful. In Stardust, the singers call for the following:
“a home where we can run” in memory of Ahmaud Arbery, the young black man murdered in a 2020 hate crime.
“a home where we can breathe” in memory of George Floyd
and a home “to sleep and dream without fear” in memory of Breonna Taylor.
Marcus J. Jauregui – conductor of the Pershing Middle School Treble Chorale Houston ISD and who commissioned this work – shared “When we sing, we pray twice [once with our voices, and again with our hearts], and it is my prayer that this piece stirs all who hear it to call for justice for people of color taken from this world before their time and without concern for their humanity.”
The prelude ended with the theme from To Kill a Mockingbird, a bittersweet piece that I’ve always felt conveys curiosity, lost innocence, and hope despite the ugliness in the world. The story of one good man, Atticus Finch, standing against the entrenched racism in his community, is so special to many of us, and is one of the rare instances of the film measuring up to the original book, as Gregory Peck and Mary Badham’s portrayal of the Atticus and Scout Finch pull at the heartstrings and are hard to forget. Though surrounded by fear and prejudice, Finch listens, teaches, and acts according to conscience, modeling moral courage in the face of hatred and injustice. This theme underscores the responsibility adults bear to model courage, empathy, and justice for those who come after us. By opening ourselves to see the world clearly and to respond to wrong, we honor those who have suffered and provide guidance for the next generation, showing how openness and moral action are inseparable.
Blowin’ in the Wind is a song that represents the sixties but has also been described as an anthem of the civil rights movement. R&B singer and civil rights activist Mavis Staples recalled in Martin Scorsese’s documentary No Direction Home that she was couldn’t believe how a young white man could capture the frustration and aspirations of Black people so powerfully. Soul singer and songwriter Sam Cooke was similarly impressed, making it a regular part of his repertoire soon after its release, and also shared that it inspired him to write his own civil rights anthem, A Change Is Gonna Come. The song asks us to listen deeply, be open to what we are asked to hear, and take responsibility to serve a greater good by refusing to ignore racism, honoring both the movement and the individuals whose lives have been affected by racial violence.
While Precious Lord, Take My Hand is included in the UU hymnal Singing the Living Tradition, it hasn’t been sung in Sunday services often. However, this felt like the perfect postlude for today’s service, as it was Martin Luther King Jr.’s favorite hymn. Its topics of exhaustion, grief, and fear – but also of courage! – was both comforting and inspiring for MLK, and he often asked Mahalia Jackson to sing the hymn at civil rights rallies. After his assassination, Jackson sang the song at his funeral, and in turn, Aretha Franklin sang it at Jackson’s own funeral. Originally composed after the death’s of composer Thomas Doersey’s* family, the song is a reflection on faith tested under pressure, reminding us that confronting entrenched inequality and hatred is difficult and wearying…but that we can still work toward a greater good and try to sustain justice, mercy, and care in the world. And because this was our postlude and meant to send folks off into the world, starting a new week, I made sure to play a more upbeat, blues-inspired arrangement of the song, because members of the UUFC love to dance their way out of the service!
“Why Church?” Community, exploration, redemption, forgiveness, exchange, justice – what the heck is church for? Let’s talk about why church matters.
Guest speaker Rev. Mitra Rahnema is a lifelong Unitarian Universalist and graduate of Starr King School for the Ministry. She has offered ministry to congregations in Missouri, Michigan, and California. Mitra is editor of the 2017 book and UUA Common Read, “Centering: Navigating Race, Authenticity, and Power in Ministry.” She is dedicated to building vibrant and engaged anti-oppressive communities. Mitra lives in Portland, OR.
Side with Love is the Organizing Strategy Team of the Unitarian Universalist Association.
30 Days of Love is their annual celebration that runs approximately from Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in January through Valentine’s Day in February with weekly offerings of spiritual nourishment, political grounding, and shared practices of faith and justice, including child and family activities.
What painful times we are living in. What has prepared us to respond to this? Perhaps we are ill prepared in some ways, but in other ways, we can learn. Our Unitarian siblings in Romania lived under a dictator and learned to be sly in preserving their heritage and to teach their children carefully and quietly. We can do that, too.
Those among us who are accustomed to living with oppression know about keeping humor close at hand and not letting an oppressor take away one’s inner dignity, even while confined. Let us follow that model. When the pressure is on, hate is too easy. Those who have lived in a police state remind us to be kind to those living through this horror alongside us.
Build up the songs that uplift you so you can lead the singing in the prison cell.
Memorize the words that strengthen you so you can silently recite them while others would torment you.
Like many black people in this country, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. navigated a government that sought to dehumanize his people. Let us learn from his life experience and others who are not famous, yet whose steady non-violent training gave them great influence.
On Monday, in honor of that struggle and hope, may you find a way to deepen your spiritual muscles for our justice work, and for sustaining neighborly care.
With respect and tenderness, Rev. Alex
Somewhere we must come to see that human progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and the persistent work of dedicated individuals who are willing to be co-workers with God.
From “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution” By Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Delivered at the National Cathedral, Washington, D.C., on 31 March 1968.
The UUFC Building Enhancement Team has begun discussions with Varitone Architects to begin planning the changes to the social hall and community kitchen. We are in information-gathering mode right now and will have a table in the social hall after Sunday worship service for the next 2-3 weeks. Please stop by, fill out a survey, give us your opinions and take a look at some sample plans for the space. We need your input in order to create a plan that works for everyone.
If you have questions please contact any member of the team that includes Nick Houtman, Russ Anderson, Carolyn Madsen, John Bailey, Michael Hughes, Wolfgang Dengler, Carl English-Young and Brian Egan
Save The Date! The UUFC Annual Meeting will be Sunday May 17 at 12 noon after worship service. All members are needed to vote in our Fellowship elections for Board Officers, Directors, and Committee Chairs. All are invited to celebrate our accomplishments of the past year, review our financial health, and share in our future goals. (Last year’s meeting adjourned at 1:05 PM – short and sweet.) See you there!
Childcare is available!
Free childcare can usually be arranged for any Fellowship event by using this link 1-2 weeks prior to the event.
The Secure Housing and Food for All team will meet for 15 minutes after the end of the service on Sunday, January 18 in Room 3. This will be a short meeting to enable everyone to attend Jaclyn Moyer’s talk at 12pm.
Childcare is available!
Free childcare can usually be arranged for any Fellowship event by using this link 1-2 weeks prior to the event.
Join us for an evening of community and learning! Discover how to make your own tamales! Materials and instruction provided. Participants will leave with ready-to-cook tamales. Suggested donation to support our immigrant neighbors $20-$50.
Friday, January 30, 5:30-7:30 PM in the Social Hall
With all that is escalating in the world around us, I want to provide a few resources that families have found helpful as they navigate the highly personal decisions about how to talk to their children and youth about the terrible things happening in the world. If you have others to add that you feel would be useful to our Fellowship families, please send them to dre@uucorvallis.org
A primary skill we can all develop and use as our children’s first and primary spiritual leaders is developing our capacity for self-regulation. Whatever it is we need to talk to our children about, whether it’s the news or their chores, the potential for positive outcomes is higher when we enter into it with awareness of our own emotions and how they’re participating in the way we are showing up with our children. Without realizing it, the stress we carry in our own bodies can easily spill into our interactions, word choices, patience levels, and more. Dr. Amber Thornton has loads of resources on self-regulation for parents. Below is just one of her many offerings on the topic.
The Fred Rogers Institute has offered a great PDF about talking with children about difficult things in the news. You can access the full 2-page guide by clicking HERE.
“When children bring up something frightening, it’s helpful right away to ask them what they know about it. We often find that their fantasies are very different from the actual truth. What children probably need to hear most from us adults, is that they can talk with us about anything and that we will do all we can to keep them safe in any scary time.
For an at-a-glance list of things to keep in mind for developmentally appropriate conversations at every age and stage, check out this one-sheet from the Children’s Network and Early Risers.
And finally, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network has offered a guide to Talking to Children About the Shooting, which can be accessed HERE.
My door is always open if you find yourself in need of additional resources or thought partnership through this moment in history. I also encourage all of our parents to take advantage of the Parent Connection Dinner on the second Thursday of each month. Strengthening your connections to the village and having a designated place to talk about what’s hard with people who are fielding similar questions and facing similar challenges can make a world of difference!
WHEN: Thursdays from 3-4:30 from February 19th through March 26th
WHERE: Room 7
WHAT: Adult Coming of Age is a program designed to help each participant examine who they are at this unique moment in time, look back at the people and events that have shaped them in meaningful ways, and clarify the values, priorities, sacrifices, and gifts that will shape this season of life.
As spiritual beings evolving in a physical world, we are never done becoming who we mean to be, and the Coming of Age program for adults honors that at every age, we are crossing thresholds, seeking clarity, and held by circles of support.
This year’s round of Adult Coming of Age is offered earlier in the day to accommodate those who cannot drive at night. Because this is a challenging time for many with full-time jobs, we will offer the next round in the evening.
