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
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.
In anticipation of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, let us consider whose version of his story we know. Widening the lens, let us consider what versions of someone else’s story we are willing to hear. If we truly live our inclusive values, what discomfort comes with accepting a person’s whole story?
The UUFC is hosting a Red Cross Blood Drive in the afternoon of Friday, February 13 from Noon to 5 PM in the Social Hall. Sign up to donate at https://www.redcrossblood.org/ – search by ZIP code 97330 and date of February 13. For questions or to volunteer as a welcomer, email Tricia B.
Love is the power that holds us together and the New Year urges us to begin again. Everyone is welcome to join the choir and band for LEGATO potluck on Wednesday, January 14 at 6:30 PM. Come early if you can help set up tables.
Bring a dish to share (please identify all ingredients), a serving utensil (if needed) AND YOUR OWN PLACE SETTING & WATER BOTTLE – this is a low impact meal.
This is a Connect Up Event with the purpose of building community within the UUFC congregation.
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 Partner Church Team is a forward-facing and forward-thinking group that promotes international understanding, social justice, global ethics, and liberal religion through partner church relationships.
Put your faith into action by joining this team. We continue to support the Unitarian congregation in Körispatak, Transylvania, Romania and the Muhira Community Center in Burundi, East Africa; we hope to build relationships with the UUF San Miguel de Allende in Mexico and the UU Church of the Philippines in Manila.
We meet the 2nd Sunday of each month in Room 3. Our next meeting is this coming Sunday, January 11! Contact Heather at this link for more information. 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.
Corvallis resident Jaclyn Moyer will read excerpts from her book On Gold Hill, a 2025 Oregon Book Award winner. Moyer’s story combines food and culture. In raising wheat and vegetables on a 10-acre California farm, she discovers her Punjabi ancestry and the origins of organic agriculture.
Sunday, January 18, 2026, 12 noon – 1 PM in the Sanctuary.
Childcare is available!
Free childcare can usually be arranged for any Fellowship event by using this link 1-2 weeks prior to the event.
Leadership often begins with a call and not a plan; we feel a nudge – or push! – inside of us to step forward. The stories from our Council Chairs provided much food for thought on what fuels our own willingness to contribute and get involved in this community. Today’s piano music all led back to what it means to say yes and pitch in, as we each considered how we are being called to participate.
https://youtu.be/eAR_Ff5A8Rk
There was a touch of the traditional Scottish song Auld Lang Syne to acknowledge the new year, but the heart of this morning’s prelude was Carole King’s You’ve Got a Friend. The lyrics (“When you’re down and troubled, and you need a helping hand…you just call out my name”) remind us of the power of showing up for others and offering steady support. In the same spirit, contributing time, lending a hand, and joining a committee are ways to be a friend to the Fellowship, helping where it’s needed so the community can thrive.
https://youtu.be/nniKY1cTEyY
I played We’ll Build a Land (121 in Singing the Living Tradition) for the offertory…I originally had a different song in mind, but as I listened to Nick, Carl, Scott, and Kathy speak, We’ll Build a Land kept popping in my head instead. This hymn’s message of hope and justice created by shared effort, and its dream of how together we can “build a land where all can dwell in peace” and “make a world of love and truth” were all reflected in the stories we heard. The care, support, and participation from today’s speakers and from every volunteer and congregational leader help shape this “land”, the Fellowship.
https://youtu.be/lXgkuM2NhYI
The decision to use Heroes by David Bowie for today’s postlude may have been influenced by its inclusion in the finale of Netflix’s sci-fi/coming-of-age series Stranger Things, but that doesn’t make it any less meaningful when it comes to the theme of the day. Heroism doesn’t always have to be grandiose or on a large scale – heroes can be people who step forward and give their time, energy, and passion. Even if it simply appears to be everyday participation in congregational life, volunteering, trying something new, and being an active member of this church makes for a better, richer Fellowship for us all.
“Dear world, I am excited to be alive in you, and I am thankful for another year.” ~Charlotte Eriksson
Greetings, Families!
I hope your winter holidays were warm and cozy! A new year is unfolding before us, and we’re starting off with a little ease after the holiday hustle. Don’t miss these sweet opportunities for connection and reflection in January!
UPCOMING EVENTS:
1/8 Parent Connection Dinner @ 6:30 (register HERE one time, to get reminders)
1/11 Family Breakfast @ 8:45 (register HERE and bring a dish if you are able)
1/25 Heartland Humane service project for OMG!
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.
The OMG! youth group will serve at the Heartland Humane Society on January 25th. Specific times and registration details have been emailed directly to parents. This is always a favorite activity each year, so be sure to register by 1/18! Youth without a permission slip will not be permitted to serve.
While there, the youth will assist with routine care of the animals and facility, and wrap up with some animal socialization time. Please make sure your child wears work clothes that can get dirty. The attending youth advisors will be Steve Ferrell and Mark Aron. Please send questions to Skyla.
Thanks to a dedicated group of moms, the Parent Connection Dinner, formerly known as the Parent Peer Support Group, is no longer a potluck! We have enough soups prepped to get us through the end of the year! Parents are invited to show up with their dishes and enjoy soup, bread, and desserts along with meaningful facilitated discussion on topics relevant to parenting and mutual support. You are invited to register one time, and then you’ll receive the automated reminder texts and emails each month. You can help us decide how much to prepare by clicking RSVP button on the reminder to let us know you’re coming. As always, free childcare will be provided in a nearby room.
Thank you for showing up and supporting our 4th-6th graders at the Holiday Fair! They successfully sold out of magnets, post cards, and paintings and raised a nice chunk of money to spend toward the many projects they’re hoping to do together this year.
It was amazing to have eight of our bold and creative young people perform in a Sunday service this year! The gratitude and awe keeps rolling in from all corners of Fellowship life, as so many were moved by the story and song that was shared.
Your offering of time and courage meant more than you might imagine to those in our community who were feeling alone during the winter holidays, or who have limited interactions with younger people. I can’t tell you how many people have said something along the lines of, “Their singing! It was so beautiful and so moving! Exactly what my soul needed!”
So thank you, parents and kids, for giving of yourselves and your time so generously. It was such a gift to share worship with you in that way!
Our amazing OMG! member, Elizabeth, reached out and asked if she could offer her talent for face painting at our annual Holiday Fair. She spent five hours sitting at the kids’ table painting faces for free, and connecting with people of all ages. I love that she knows her gifts, identified a place where she could share them, and reached out to make it happen!
Several times, I watched children who were bored from shopping with their parents light up when they saw that there was something for them, and then their parents light up when they saw that it was free!
Thank you, Elizabeth, for being exactly who you are and for sharing that with us!
If you or your child has a gift just waiting to be shared, let me know how we can support you in sharing it!
Y’all, 2025 was a wild ride in RE!
We spent the first half of the year without any classrooms to meet in, and still managed to pull off a one-room school house style Sunday morning offering for children in the social hall, a youth group in the library, and the first round of OWL (Our Whole Lives, comprehensive sex and sexuality class) since the pandemic. This would not have been possible without the tireless work of a dozen dedicated RE leaders who were willing to keep showing up in the most challenging of circumstances. And they were so, so challenging!
In the back half of the year we hosted a children’s summer camp, hired two more youth staff, moved back into the classroom wing, said goodbye to Rev. McAllister and welcomed Rev. McGee, added a 4th classroom and lots of new RE leaders to keep our classrooms thriving, and closed out the year with our Winter Solstice pageant!
I can’t think of a better way to have spent a year in community! I am so grateful to get to spend my time working with you and your children, and I’m excited for us to make 2026 a joyful and hope-filled time to be at the Fellowship together!
