dre@uucorvallis.org

Register for Children & Youth Religious Exploration

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Help us know and care for your child.

Registration gives our Religious Exploration team the information we need to welcome your child well, communicate with your family, understand important needs and care preferences, and respond appropriately in an emergency.

REGISTER HERE

Who should register?

Please register children and youth who participate in any of our Sunday Religious Exploration programs:

Rainbow Room | Walkers–Pre-K
Spirit Play | Grades K–3
Seeker Space | Grades 4–6
OMG! Youth Group | Grades 7–12

You don’t need to be a member of UUFC to participate in Religious Exploration.

It’s the same form for all ages this year. Children don’t develop according to a chart, and we’re happy to work with you to find the space where your child can most fully belong, participate, and grow. Once they’re registered, you do not need to fill out that form again for the rest of the year. You will also start receiving the monthly RE newsletter that will help you orient to what’s happening for children and famlies, and remind you when to register again next year.

REGISTER HERE

Visiting for the first time?

You’re welcome to try us out before filling out a form.

On your child’s first visit, we’ll ask you to leave basic contact information with their Guides so we know how to reach you while they’re in our care. If they come back—and we hope they do!—that’s when we’ll need a full registration.

Visitor nametags are available at the Welcome Desk, and you’ll find QR codes linking to registration outside each Religious Exploration room and at the Welcome Desk if you decide to register while you’re here. But you can always REGISTER HERE before you arrive.

Why do we ask all those questions?

Some of the information on our registration form may seem more detailed than what we’d need just to put your child on a class list. That’s because registration isn’t really about making a class list.

It’s about caring for actual humans.

Knowing about allergies, access needs, communication styles, family structure, care preferences, and the people authorized to pick up your child helps our Guides respond to the child who actually walks through the door—not an imaginary average one.

Our Guides have access to the information they need to care for the children in their group. We also encourage you to talk directly with them about anything especially important for that particular Sunday. A form can give us useful information; a relationship lets us keep learning together.

Where do I take my questions?

Skyla King-Christison, Director of Lifespan Religious Exploration, is your best resource for answers to all things religious exploration! She can often be found in her office in Room 2 Sunday through Thursday from 7ish to 3ish, but leaves periodically for meetings around town. You can email her absolutely any question, or make an appointment to have a face to face chat using this link.

9/13/2026 Ice Cream Social

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Registration is requested HERE

WHAT: Free ice cream, games, and community building

WHEN: Sunday, September 13th from 5–6:30 PM

WHERE: Fellowship lawn

WHY: Because it’s good to connect, play together, and eat frozen sugar!

All ages are invited to join us for a cold treat and meet ’n’ greet on the Fellowship lawn on Sunday, September 13th from 5 to 6:30 PM, hosted by the RE Council teams!

Have a casual chance to reconnect and start the new Fellowship year off right, and find out what’s coming up in RE for adults, families, children, and youth in the year ahead. Discuss your brilliant ideas with RE team leaders and Skyla. Catch up with old friends and maybe even meet your new Fellowship bestie over a sundae bar!

We’ll have gluten-free and vegan options available, as well as board games to share.

It would be super helpful in our planning if you would REGISTER HERE, but if you forget, please do come anyway!

See you there!

RE Lemonade Stand THIS Sunday, 8/2

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The children and youth will be hosting their annual lemonade stand, once again benefitting the Heartland Humane Society!

WHEN? THIS Sunday August 2nd, directly after the service
WHERE? At the sheltered bench between the parking lot and the sanctuary
WHY? Because finding ways to support the orgs that support our town is important and fun!
HOW MUCH? However much you would like to contribute to the cause. No one will go home thirsty due to lack of funds.
HOW? Cash is preferred, though we hope to have the ability to receive donations by card this year. 🤞

Service learning is a valuable part of our RE program, and we appreciate your support! During our Easter egg hunt in the spring, participants voted on this year’s lemonade stand beneficiary, and the Humane Society was, unsurprisingly, chosen for a third year in a row. Our youth group has served there in-person many times, cleaning cages, feeding animals, sorting donations, and socializing the animals who call Heartland home. Our connection to their mission is strong and clear. We love to support those who support our fluffy neighbors!

RE Newsletter for May

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“May, queen of blossoms, and fulfilling flowers! What pretty music shall we charm the hours?” – Lord Edward Thurlow

    Greetings, Families!

    Please grab your calendars and read carefully all that is below. This month’s newsletter is ripe with date changes, summer event previews, and more!

    UPCOMING EVENTS:

    5/3 Family Breakfast @ 8:45 (register HERE and bring a dish if you are able)

    5/14 Parent Connection Dinner @ 6:30 (register HERE one time, to get reminders) BRING YOUR OWN DISHES!

    5/17 Annual Meeting (childcare is provided!) @ noon

    5/24 Parent Q&A with Skyla on Playground deck @ 11:45

    PLAN AHEAD

    6/7 River of Life RE Service

    More information about our events can be found below, and info for all events can be found at uucorvallis.org by clicking “News” in the menu bar and then selecting “RE Council” from the drop-down menu.

    If you love Family Breakfast — and we know you do — take special note: May’s breakfast is happening one week early so we don’t overlap with Mother’s Day.

    If the mother in your household dreams of nothing more than sleeping in on her special day but simply cannot bear the thought of missing monthly breakfast, please consider this our humble gift to you.

    May Family Breakfast will be Sunday, May 4. We hope to see you there!

    Summer Sundays are made for lingering. A post-service hike, a splash in the river, a snack shared with friends while the kids run ahead.

    While Parent Connection Dinner and Family Breakfast take their annual break from June through September, we’ll be leaning into a few casual, low-prep ways to stay connected this summer:

    June 28 – Fitton Green Hike & Snack
    July 26 – Marys River Natural Area Splash & Chat
    August 29 – Family BBQ & RE Orientation (this one is a Saturday!)

    Each month’s RE newsletter will include registration details and gathering information. If we need to cancel due to extreme heat or low registration, I’ll contact registered families by text.

    I’m especially excited for the August BBQ, because it will serve as our joyful on-ramp into the new church year. We are planning to lean hard into family fun, stronger connections, and fuller attendance in the year ahead, and this gathering will be our first step.

    We’ll eat together, play lawn games, and welcome both new and returning families. Children who register early will receive their RE t-shirts as we unveil this year’s theme. Then, as the kids head off with their guides and advisors to play games and create their group covenants, parents and I will spend some time talking about our shared hopes for Religious Exploration, and about how we can partner with you to make Fellowship Sundays a place your child is genuinely excited to be.

    Please get these dates on your calendar now, and let me know if any of them land squarely on family vacation plans. If a large portion of families are excluded and there’s a better option available, I am more than willing to shuffle things around. The earlier we compare calendars, the easier it is to make summer work for everyone.

    Speaking of communicating your needs with me, I’m delighted to invite you to our annual Parents’ Chat with the DRE.

    This is a casual chance to share your questions, your calendar conflicts, your hopes, your frustrations, and your wildest ideas for how we can get you and your children genuinely engaged in UU faith formation. If there’s something you’ve been wanting me to know, this is a great space for it.

    Join me on May 24 at 11:45 a.m. on the RE deck. I’ll have pitchers of lemonade, the kids can play on the playground, and we can chat in the sunshine.

    What you share in this conversation really does shape the plans we make over the summer as we prepare for fall, so I hope you’ll come help me dream a little.

    Thank you to everyone who came out for the JETPIG Easter Egg Hunt last month! The feedback was fabulous. Our big kids were wonderfully caring with the littles, and our volunteers kept their cool under some very real crowd pressure at the slime and candy tables.

    I especially want to share one story that came out of our volunteer debrief.

    When I asked one volunteer how the event had gone, they told me they had spent part of the night before studying the value assigned to their station so they would be ready to talk about it from every angle and ready to help children think a little more deeply instead of simply grabbing the prize and sprinting off to the next table.

    They were positively beaming as they said, “I learned so much just preparing for this, and then it really paid off. I had the best conversations with some of the kids.”

    As they shared a few of those exchanges with me, I realized I could hardly track the details because I was too busy feeling so stinking proud to serve alongside adults who take the faith formation of our children this seriously.

    Y’all, we are beyond lucky to have the volunteer team we do. Your children are in excellent hands with these remarkable leaders who prepare on their own time so they can engage more meaningfully, and who genuinely delight in watching children light up with excitement about what they are learning. Gah! What could be better than that?

    Thank you, as always, for entrusting your children to the care of the Religious Exploration team. It is such a joy and an honor to watch them grow, to see their personalities branch out in all directions, becoming more fully themselves year by year. What a gift it is to be humans in community together.

    I’m wishing you blossoming love, deeper connection, and a few good pockets of springtime ease this month. And as always, if you need to chat, I am only an email or phone call away.

    There’s Time to Become a Member!

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    If you’ve been thinking about becoming a member, now is the time.

    Our Annual Meeting is coming up soon on May 17th, and signing the membership book allows you to vote on important decisions that shape the life of this congregation. There’s still time to complete the required Inquirers Series sessions:

    • April 19 – Transitions Q&A (formerly Care & Support; that session is now May 10)
    • April 26 – Membership 101
    • May 3 – Our Shared Values
      📍 All sessions meet in Room 7 at 11:45 AM

    We would love to welcome you into membership before the meeting. If that’s been on your heart, this is your moment.

    Please contact Skyla King-Christison (dre@uucorvallis.org) for questions about the Inquirer Series and Joyce Standing (membership@uucorvallis.org) for questions about signing the Membership Book.

    The Path to Membership

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    Is membership right for you?

    We highly encourage all newcomers who are interested in membership to attend all sessions of the Inquirers Series, a series of classes offered every Sunday after worship in a 9-week rotation. The sessions are not just for newcomers and do not need to be completed in a specific order. Sessions begin at 11:45 AM on Sundays in Room 7. 

    Attending Our Shared Values, Transitions Q&A, and Membership 101 (or UU Roots) are required before requesting to become a member of the Fellowship. 

    1. Our Shared Values
    2. Transitions Q&A
    3. Building & Grounds Tour
    4. Lifespan Faith Formation
    5. Chalice Circles
    6. Care and Support
    7. Justice and Community Action
    8. Membership 101
    9. Our UU Roots and Q&A

    We introduce and welcome new members to the Fellowship during a Sunday morning service. New members will be offered the opportunity to participate but are not required to do so. A short biography to introduce each new member along with a headshot photo for the directory may be requested. More information will be shared during the Membership 101 class.

    Final steps to membership

    After attending the Inquirers Series, you become a member by signing the Membership Book. This signifies that you choose to align yourself with our mission and values, undertaking the rights and responsibilities of membership.

    The Membership Welcome ceremony is offered each quarter; new members are invited to sign the Membership Book and be introduced to the congregation. You may also
    arrange to sign the Membership Book in private with the Minister.

    New members are invited and encouraged to make a pledge of financial and volunteer support to the Fellowship. This is what stewardship means. Detailed stewardship information is available on the UUFC website under the Donate button.

    Seeking highly committed members

    Generations of highly committed members have worked to create what you experience at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis today: a dynamic, liberal community of faith devoted to religious learning and growth and to justice, compassion, and peace.

    Carefully consider the responsibilities of membership before you make the commitment. Members readily and generously give their time, talents, and financial resources to support the life and mission of the Fellowship. This spirit of generosity and commitment develops over time and is the result of active participation in our programs.

    Membership represents a deeper connection to your faith community. Are you prepared to make this kind of commitment by becoming a member?

    Why does membership matter?

    Membership means taking your religious life seriously, participating in the life of the Fellowship, and supporting the Fellowship with time, talent, and resources according to your means.

    Membership means being present and participating in this vital, dynamic congregation, joining hundreds of others as we work for justice, nurture freedom of thought and religious expression, advocate for the worth and dignity of every person, and dedicate ourselves to environmental stewardship.

    Membership is required to participate in the governance of the Fellowship: electing and serving on the Board of Directors, who oversee policies and finances. Membership is also required to be eligible to vote at official congregational meetings. In addition, you’ll receive UUWorld, which is the journal of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

    Our Mission

    Explore. Love. Act.

    We gather as an inclusive religious community to search for meaning, build deep connections, and inspire action toward a better world for all.

    Cooperative Egg Hunt

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    We know many egg hunts are all about gathering as many eggs as you can, as fast as you can. Ours is a little different, and that difference really matters for your child’s experience. Please take a moment to look over the plan so you can help them understand what to expect: a cooperative, shared activity where every child gets one of each color and leaves with a full set of meaningful treasures. When children know ahead of time that this isn’t about collecting as many eggs as possible, they are much more likely to relax, enjoy the process, and feel proud of what they’ve gathered. Your guidance helps make the experience joyful and fair for everyone.

    🌈 The Plan

    This is a cooperative hunt, not a race.
    Everyone helps make sure all children can collect one egg of each of the 7 colors.
    Each color corresponds with a value, and each value has a station at one of the tables.

    🥚 How It Works

    1. Find one egg of a new color
      • Only take an egg if you haven’t already had that color.
      • If you accidentally get one twice. It’s okay. Just put it back in the grass.
    2. Trade it in right away
      • Bring the one egg to the table that matches its color/value.
      • Trade the egg for a prize that helps you remember that value.
    3. Leave the egg behind
      • Eggs stay at the tables. Only prizes go home.
    4. Repeat
      • Go find a different color and trade it in, until you have visited all 7 value stations.
      • If you’ve found all you need, look around and see who needs help!

    🎯 Important Guidelines

    • ✔️ One egg per color per child
    • ✔️ Trade each egg before finding another
    • ✔️ Collect one prize from each station (7 total)
    • ✔️ Most tables have two values, one has one value
    • ✔️ Things run more smoothly if everyone doesn’t go to the same table at the same time, so no need to go in order.

    🚧 Safety & Boundaries

    • Stay inside the cones at all times
    • Parents, Guardians, and Grown-ups who brought participants are responsible for supervising their children
    • Volunteers are here to staff tables and answer questions, but their focus is not on monitoring safety boundaries

    💛 Remember

    We are sharing, helping, and making sure everyone gets what they need.

    Take your time. Help each other. Have lots of fun!

    RE Council Teams

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    The Religious Exploration Council is made up of the team leads from each RE Council team. We gather twice a year (usually in September and February) to coordinate the ongoing, behind-the-scenes work that keeps our programs running smoothly. Our meetings are open to anyone curious about the inner workings of the RE Council.

    And because even administrative work deserves a little joy, we’ve embraced the unicorn as our council mascot. We show up in sparkly horns, committed to bringing a bit of magic into the life of the Fellowship. After all, a group of unicorns is called a blessing, and that feels just about right.

    Got a spark? A dream to try?
    A question deep, a wondering why?
    A way to help our spirits grow,
    Or seeds of faith you’d love to sow?

    Come join us—bring your hopeful schemes,
    We’re here to help you grow your dreams.
    With hearts (and maybe unicorn flair),
    We’ll build something meaningful together there.

    College Ministry

    Inquirers Series

    Family Breakfast

    Elders Thriving in Community

    Neurodiversity Support Group

    Parent Connection Dinner

    Library

    RE Safe Congregation Support Team

    College Ministry

    This newly forming group aims to serve college students from around Linn and Benton counties with food, fellowship, and spiritual community rooted in UU values. If you’re keen to join, you can weigh in HERE. 

    Whether you are new or old to Corvallis and the UU, just graduated from highschool, currently in or out of college courses, coming back to school, or starting school later in life; we want to offer you community. This is a space to find connections, form friendships, have discussions, and of course have a good time. 

    We plan activities ranging from group dinners, game nights, weekend outings, and river floats.


    You are welcome to contribute as much or as little as you like and new ideas are always welcome. If you have an activity you want to see, contact the College Exploration coordinators at college.exploration@uucorvallis.org.

    Coordinator: Marcy Brooks

    Oregon State University Student Org: Bi-weekly on-campus meetings
    President: Lauren
    Vice president: Haven

    LBCC Student Org:
    Reach out if you are a current student at Linn Benton and want to organize a student group, we are here to help!

    Inquirers Series

    This is a 9-session learning series offered at 11:45 AM every Sunday in Room 7, for the purpose of helping visitors and newcomers feel oriented and answer the most common questions people have while they are deciding whether UUFC is right for them. This series is offered in partnership with the Membership Team and is facilitated by a variety of leaders from a cross-section of Fellowship life. Sessions can be taken in any order, and sessions 1 (or 9), 2, and 8 are encouraged before signing the membership book. Bring your questions and your coffee and join us!

    Family Breakfast

    Our monthly breakfast gathering for families with children is on the second Sunday of each month at 8:50 AM, one hour before the 10:00 AM service in the social hall. We —a family of 4—cook a hot breakfast (yes—there’s bacon!), and serve coffee and pancakes. Families may bring a dish to share or simply come as they are. While adults enjoy conversation, kids can spend time together getting to know one another in a welcoming environment.  All families with children are warmly welcome! Registration is appreciated HERE.

    ETC!

    Elders Thriving in Community provides resources, information, and social connections to help us thrive as we get older and our needs and abilities are likely to change. We bring in speakers from our congregation and the community to present topics such as home safety, brain health, local senior services, and internet scams, and coordinate social events to bring older people together. Team leads are Alison Meyers and Gerri Buckles.

    Neurodiversity Support Group

    The Neurodivergence and Mental Health Support Group is a safe, welcoming space for discussions regarding neurodivergence. It discusses topics such as mental health, connection, and sensitivity to name a few. The group meets every second and fourth Sunday of the month at 8:30 AM in room nine upstairs at the Fellowship. For more information, contact neurodiv@uucorvallis.org.

    Parent Connection Dinner

    The Parent Connection Monthly Dinner is held on the 2nd Thursday of each month @ 6:30-8:00 PM. Parents meet in room 3 of the classroom wing, and free childcare is provided in room 4 or 6C.

    All families are welcome to join us for a free light dinner with facilitated conversation and mutual support among the parents, and a child-friendly movie night and play time with background-checked childcare providers for the kids in a nearby space. Please bring your own place settings, as we do not have a dishwashing team for this gathering.

    Registering HERE one time will place you on the reminder list, and clicking the RSVP button in the reminder will help us determine how much food to prepare.

    Library

    The Rita McDonald Library is a treasure trove of books and resources that you can’t find anywhere else. And some you can, but how convenient is it that they’re already right here? This project has been kept alive for decades by a series of dedicated volunteers, the most recent of whom have been Holley and Eric Lantz, with support from RE staff. We need more team members to keep this project alive. If your flavor of volunteering involves quiet, solo work and tending in a peaceful space that smells like old paper and is bathed in slanted sunlight, this is the role for you! Join the team by emailing Skyla at dre@uucorvallis.org.

    Learn more about our library by clicking here!

    RE Safe Congregation Support Team

    We bolster the safety of all who engage in Religious Exploration environments by supporting uniform policy and procedure implementation and creating consistent processes to invite registered families, RE lay leaders, and RE staff back into covenant when Safe Congregation policies are violated within RE spaces.

    College Exploration

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    This newly forming group aims to serve college students from around Linn and Benton counties with food, fellowship, and spiritual community rooted in UU values. If you’re keen to join, you can weigh in HERE. 

    Whether you are new or old to Corvallis and the UU, just graduated from highschool, currently in or out of college courses, coming back to school, or starting school later in life; we want to offer you community. This is a space to find connections, form friendships, have discussions, and of course have a good time. 

    We plan activities ranging from group dinners, game nights, weekend outings, and river floats.

    You are welcome to contribute as much or as little as you like and new ideas are always welcome. If you have an activity you want to see, contact the College Exploration coordinators at college.exploration@uucorvallis.org.

    Coordinator: Marcy Brooks

    Oregon State University Student Org: Bi-weekly on-campus meetings
    President: Lauren
    Vice president: Haven

    LBCC Student Org:
    Reach out if you are a current student at Linn Benton and want to organize a student group, we are here to help!

    Inquirers Series New Offering: Interim and Search!

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    Beginning this Sunday, March 8th, the 3rd session of the Inquirers Series, formerly the Liturgical Year session, will be a session focused on interim ministry and our upcoming search for a settled minister. Sheryl Stuart and Robin Lancaster, members of our transitions team, will be on hand to share some of the basics and answer your questions about this unique time congregational life. If you have already taken session three, you are still most welcome to come and have your questions answered. These sessions are open to all interested participants!