RE Events

5:00 PM at Goss Stadium (on OSU Campus)

Bring the whole family to the ballpark on July 28th and sit with your UU friends! This is a fun, laid-back place to get to know the other families in our community while your kids scream-sing along with Journey at the top of their lungs. If you’re not a family, but you want to get to know our families, come sit with us! All are welcome! 

The game starts at 5 at Goss Stadium (on OSU campus). Purchase your General Admission tickets in advance or at the ticket booth, and we will meet inside in section 2. PLEASE REGISTER to let us know how much space we should save and to receive a text if our seating location necessarily changes at the last minute. If fewer than 3 families register, we will cancel this event via text.

If you have children or youth who would like to attend, but the cost is an obstacle, please contact Skyla (dre@uucorvallis.org) and we’ll get you taken care of. 

Mondays July 15-August 5th, 11-12:30 on the social hall deck.
REGISTER HERE!

The 2023-34 UU Common Read is On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World (Beacon Press, 2022).

This Common Read offers a glimpse into one of our faith’s foundational sources, Judaism. Readers follow the author, Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, into a framework for making amends offered by the 12th century Jewish physician and scholar, Maimonides.

Written for people of any or no faith tradition, On Repentance and Repair introduces practices for accountability that can bring us into wholeness and make a difference in our personal, community, and national relationships.

This 4-part book discussion is offered as a brown bag lunch series, so bring your lunch and join us on the back deck for discussion.

Session 1: Meet Maimonides

Session 2: Repentance and Repair in Our Lives and Relationships 

Workshop 3: Repentance and Repair in Our Covenanted Communities 

Workshop 4: Repentance and Repair to Transform Our World 

Contact Skyla King-Christison with questions or if you need assistance with the purchase of the book.

The RE Council will be hosting 2 post-sermon discussions for you to ask questions, voice concerns and ideas, and hear about the approach to multigenerational worship that we will be experimenting with this summer.

These will take place on June 2nd and 19th after the service in the sanctuary. Grab a cup of tea and come catch the vision for a summer of beautiful multigenerational worship!

You can read more about the specific changes coming to RE to help you prepare for our conversation!

We couldn’t offer the awesome programming and community-building opportunities for our children and youth that we do if not for our tireless team of volunteers. Did you know that it takes approximately 34 volunteers to keep our Religious Exploration programs up and running? That’s a lot of people contributing their time and energy to the care and development of our tiniest beloveds!

All RE Volunteers from the Grandfolks Squad, Nursery Care Team, Spirit Play Guides, Youth Advisors, and RE Council members are invited to attend a luncheon in Rooms 6 B&C at 11:45 on June 9th. Register HERE to help us prepare.

Parents, it would be lovely if you would sign up to contribute an item to the luncheon for those who care for our littles throughout the church year. Signups for food contributions can be accessed HERE!

If you have any questions about attending or contributing, contact Skyla (dre@uucorvallis.org)

Nursery, Spirit Play, and YRUU families are invited to a hike and picnic with Rev. Jill and Skyla after the service on May 26th. Please REGISTER HERE!

We’ll depart from UUFC at 11:45 and meet at the Fitton Green trailhead (parking is limited, so carpooling is encouraged) and make the short hike out to the viewpoint to eat together. This is a great chance for parents and siblings to get to know one another. 

Bring your own picnic lunch, sunscreen, and water bottle. The hike is short, the view is great, and the company will be greater!

If we have fewer than 3 families register, we will cancel the event and notify registered participants via email.

Direct questions to Skyla at dre@uucorvallis.org

Wednesday, May 1, 3-5 pm in the UUFC Sanctuary

“Moving along in life and aiming to thrive!”

At our May meeting, we are pursuing two interests: the ups and downs of deciding whether to stay put in our current home or to move on to a smaller place… or one that may offer services to help us adapt as we age or, at least, simplifies life. Four UUers who have been through this quandary will share their decision processes in a moderated panel to begin the program.

One major consideration for being able to age in place is making adaptations to our current homes. The panel discussion will be followed by a presentation by Brian Egan on “Aging in Place Safely”. During his years as a general contractor, Brian trained as a Certified Aging in Place Specialist. Thanks to his expertise, we will learn how to make our homes safer and what products can be used for that purpose.

Feeling social? We’ll provide the forms that make it easy to be a host for a group social activity! Coffee? Games? Walking? Puzzles? You name it! And sign up!
Come join us to create positive experiences for this time of life!

On May 19th at 4pm PDT, the Unitarian Universalist Mental Health Network will be offering an online worship service
centered on how Unitarian Universalism can inspire advocacy and acceptance in the area of mental health.

I’ve been working with the UUMHN for the past several months in an effort to expand our bank of mental health resources at the ready as our local community faces increasing need in this area, particularly among our children and youth, and I’m excited to share this worship opportunity with you!

In the second annual worship service produced by the UU Mental Health Network Speaker’s Bureau, author Sheri Thomas will share how Unitarian Universalism has inspired her to become a leading disability advocate fighting to remove the stigmas surrounding physical disabilities and mental health. Additional speakers include Rev. Barbara Meyer, whose seminary story was told by Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt during her recent UUFC reception; Phoenix Bell-Shelton Biggs, a queer, BIPOC, non-binary seminarian; Erin White, member and past board president of The Fourth Universalist Society in the City of New York, and I’ll be offering the time for all ages!

If you’re interested in exploring topics at the intersection of faith and mental health, I hope you’ll join us!

In Unitarian Universalist congregations, the dedication and blessing of a child signifies the congregation’s willingness to nurture & love the child, & to support parents & caregivers in providing for their children’s spiritual development. It also celebrates the family’s desire to raise their children in a nurturing religious community.

Children are beloved members of the UUFC. Their growth and unfolding personalities are a source of joy to us all, and we are committed, as a congregation, to their spiritual welfare.  Our child dedication service is an opportunity to recognize that commitment & to welcome the new children in our midst.

It is our custom to dedicate children on Christmas Eve and Mother’s Day, as well as any time a family makes the request. Participating families will be invited to come forward & introduce their children. Each child will be blessed with a touch of water, the gift of a flower, & words of commitment by the gathered community.

If you would like your child to be dedicated on Mother’s Day, please contact Skyla by Sunday, May 5th.

Wednesday, April 3, 3-5 pm in the Social Hall

Interested in joining with others who are moving along in age to adapt and thrive? This group is designed to keep us involved: addressing ways to adapt to inevitable changes at this stage of life while creating connections in this community. At this first gathering we will have fun and meaningful table conversations
and get to know one another better. Participants will be guided through a process of listing and prioritizing future topics in two areas: 

1. Informative programs with guest speakers, and 
2. Smaller group social activities like informal book groups, coffee klatches, puzzle or game sessions, and attending local cultural events.
   Come join us to create positive experiences for this time of life!