The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis
dre@uucorvallis.org 
The Holiday Fair Team, in conjunction with Religious Exploration, would like to offer the gift of a free children’s book to any child who attends the holiday fair. Please consider donating a new children’s book for this event. Need help deciding on a book? Skyla can help! Donations can be left in the box outside of the RE office anytime between now and November 26th. Thanks for giving the gift of reading to our children and youth this holiday season!
Acting on our commitment to fostering cross-congregational youth connections, UUFC kicked off the new year by hosting a regional overnight for teens from Washington and Oregon with worship, arts, and small group exploration centered on this year’s theme, building a new way.
Special thanks to this event’s youth deans, Michi Araki, Kameko Araki, and Haven Christison, as well as supporting adults Mark Aron, Becca Bedell, Steve Ferrell, Brandon Abbott, Ryan McConnell, Tyson Bryant, and Anya Ballinger. You represented the spirit of our congregation beautifully and created a memorable weekend for all in attendance. Thank you!
Wednesdays, Sept 27 – Oct 11
5:00pm-6:00pm PST on Zoom
This three-week series guides participants through developing an “elevator speech” about their Unitarian Universalist faith. The next time someone asks you “what is Unitarian Universalism?” you’ll be ready with a brief and meaningful statement.
Because UUFC’s RE department subscribes to the Faith Forward program out of the First Unitarian Church of Dallas, our members are invited to this online workshop for FREE! We will register as a group, so please fill out the REGISTRATION FORM BEFORE September 20th, and I will send them our information. You will receive a link to the online platform Teachable, sometime after September 24th.
Direct questions to Skyla King-Christison at dre@uucorvallis.org
Part 1 of the Spiritual Practices Series is a 6-session series that helps participants develop regular disciplines of the spirit – practices that help us connect with the sacred. This series affirms religious diversity while seeking unity in our communal quest for meaning and wholeness. Each session offers a forum for learning, sharing, and growth that can enrich our personal faith journeys.
Join Skyla King-Christison on Monday evenings, Oct. 2nd through Nov. 13th, from 6 to 7pm in Room 7.
Please help us plan by registering here! Thanks!
Session 1: Defining Spiritual Practice
Session 2: Prayer
Session 3: Meditation
Session 4: Mindful Walking and Eating
Session 5: Discernment and Devotional Reading
Session 6: Contemplative Art and Journaling
Part 2 of this series will be offered in the spring, at which time returning participants can share about how their spiritual practices have evolved since part one, and all participants, new and retuning will explore the topics of worship and ritual, discernment and devotional reading, hospitality and belonging, work and service, retreat, and life as a spiritual practice.
Join us for a 6 week course in culture shift and radical welcome, designed by Rev. Mykal Slack & Zr. Alex Kapitan, and facilitated by Bonnie Morihara.
WHEN: Thursdays from 6 to 7:30pm, September 21st through October 26th.
WHERE: Room 8
WHAT: A video course is designed to watch and discuss together, in an effort to expand our understanding of how to truly welcome folks of all identities into our beloved community.
REGISTER: please help us plan and setup by registering at this link. Thank you!
We offered this warm, challenging workshop over the summer, and at the end, participants said, “This was wonderful! More people need to take this!” If you missed it the first round, we want you to have a second chance.
All are invited to the ice cream social on Sunday, August 27th at 7pm on the Fellowship lawn.
The RE Council will provide the ice cream bars, tabletop games, and a water zone for cooling off. You will provide the general merriment and community building by chatting with someone new, inviting your friends, and bringing your whole, awesome self to the event.
If you’re available to help with set-up, please contact Skyla dre@uucorvallis.org.
It’s that time of year again! Register here by August 20th to attend the Annual River Reunion Youth Float on August 27th from noon to 6PM. All youth in grades 6-12 who planning to attend YRUU in the fall are invited. More details are available at the registration link. Please note, you MUST be registered for YRUU in order to attend. Direct questions to Skyla dre@uucorvallis.org.
Corvallis is hosting the PWR Cluster’s Fall Youth Overnight! Come get to know youth from the region as we explore the theme of building a new way through touch groups, playshops, worship, and community.
Mark your calendars for fun! Bring a friend! All registered youth in grades 6-12 are invited to join us for our monthly events.
Updates to the calendar will always be posted here. Registration links will be sent 2 weeks in advance of the activity. To receive email updates, please register for YRUU here.
Please contact the Director of Religious Exploration, Skyla King-Christison, for more information on this or any other UUFC program for children and youth.
Our youth programs are designed to prioritize the immediate needs of the youth above the regularly scheduled programming, recognizing that these can be turbulent and fruitful years with a high degree of need for compassionate mentoring and social support.
Our formal programming aims to help participants notice their experiences with the sacred, clarify their own personal values while learning what it means to be Unitarian Universalist, and gain practice expressing their own religious convictions through action toward a better world.
It is our goal that these aims be accomplished through adult/youth partnerships rather than direct teaching, so as capacities develop in our youth for leadership, space is made for a greater portion of our time together to be directed by youth, while adults lean into a mentoring and advisory role.
Check our what to expect in YRUU (Young Religious Unitarian Universalists) below!
Before the service, we ask that parents register their children for OMG!. You can do this by scanning the QR code outside of room 10 (upstairs) or at the Welcome Desk OR by using this link. Registering helps us create the safest possible learning experience for your child!
While youth are permitted to check themselves in and out of OMG!, we ask that you and your children be aware that we do not permit children or youth to linger unsupervised in the classroom wing. This provides a layer of safety for both our children and adults, and helps us ensure that our youth are an integrated part of our larger congregational community. Thank you for your support in this area.
Youth should obtain a nametag, just like their parents, either at the welcome desk or from the nametag racks, depending on how long you’ve been attending.
Youth begin with their families in the sanctuary for shared worship. It is important to us that our youth know that they are part of a larger community than just what takes place in the classroom wing. We want them to know and be known by all the members of the Fellowship, and understand their importance in our community.
After the time for all ages, our Junior Worship Associate will light the classroom lantern from the chalice, and the congregation will sing Go Now Children. At this time, all children and youth will follow the lantern to their classrooms.
When youth arrive in room 10, we will always start with a chalice lighting and brief check-in about how things are going in life, to help get centered in a spirit of community and worship. If appropriate, we move into the lesson for the day. After the session, we’ll have some closing words, extinguish the chalice, and youth are invited to join the wider congregation in the social hall. Light snacks are provided during the session, and donations for the cause of the month are accepted in the social hall after services.
This year, the youth are using the Mosaic antiracism program provided by the UUA. Each week they will review their group covenant, play games, engage in exploration around topics relating to our shared values and the curriculum, and have a chance to engage in shared leadership with their advisors.
Every year, we offer special programming specifically for middle schoolers. We alternate between our Coming of Age program and our OWL (Our Whole Lives, comprehensive sexuality education ) program. Both programs are central to our UU tradition and community building, and we encourage everyone to take them during the middle school years. These programs are also generally well attended by non-fellowship youth. Space is limited, with priority registration given to member families.
Please send any questions about our children’s and youth programs to the Director of Religious Exploration, Skyla King-Christison at dre@uucorvallis.org