RE Events

It’s almost time for the second block of the Spiritual Practices Workshop! You DO NOT NEED TO HAVE TAKEN PART 1 of the Spiritual Practices series to participate in and benefit from part 2 of this series!

This 6-session series will help 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.

In part 1 of this series, we explored potential daily practices to which one might choose to commit. For part 2, join Skyla King-Christison on Monday evenings, April 1st through May 6th, from 6 to 7 pm in Room 7 as we explore the topics of creating a sabbath, the art of hospitality and belonging, work and service, spiritual retreat, life as a spiritual practice, and pilgrimage.

Please register for this workshop using this form.

Can you believe the Grandfolks Squad turned one year old this month?! AMAZING!

If you find yourself in need of a team of Grandfolks to care for your children so that you can attend a Fellowship-sponsored event, use THIS NEW FORM to make your request! It’s easy!

We are so grateful to all the volunteers who have provided free childcare for our families this year! If you see anyone wearing a Grandfolks Squad button, make sure to thank them for all they do to make UUFC a welcoming place for families!

Currently serving grandfolks include Susan Smythe, Bobbi Bailey, John Bailey, Anne Tanner, Holley Lantz, Diana Titus, Jesse Ford, Carolyn Giles, and John Bailey.

Thanks for all you do, Squad! You’re awesome!

We’re delighted to announce that the beloved Coming of Age program is back in 2024!

This is a program that asks our youth to explore what it means to become an adult in a Unitarian Universalist context. A lot of cultures have this kind of event in the life of their congregation or community. Close to home, our Jewish neighbors have bat and bar mitzvahs where young people are asked to learn a language and be able to reflect on a text. In other cultures there are walkabouts, solo experiences in the wilderness, or even rounds of combat. In each of these examples, the community is expressing what is important to it. In Judaism, the importance is put on being religiously literate in the language of the Torah. Walkabouts emphasize the importance of survival in nature, while hand to hand combat points toward the importance of defending the group or surviving a conflict.

In our faith, we ask our teenagers to reflect deeply on who they are as spiritual people, to be able to think metaphorically, and to express themselves as soulful, connected beings, capable of experiencing a spiritual passion and transforming that passion into service and dedication to a common good. These are the attributes we seek in our adults, and therefore the ones that we assist our youth in developing.

Because of the programming losses we experienced during the pandemic years, this year’s Coming of Age will be open to all youth in grades 7-12. Space is limited, so don’t delay in registering.

For the safety of our youth, additional information about dates and times is available by request only. Please contact Skyla King-Christison at dre@uucorvallis.org if you’d like more details.

An engaging, honoring, accepting safe space.

The solution to our problems is not more correction — fixing oneself and others over and over.  The solution is experiencing ourselves differently—in connection. What does it mean to really experience connection primarily?

Facilitated by UU member and author/trainer JF Benoist.

Suggested donation for the UUFC $50

Or whatever you can pay ~ 

No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Everyone is welcome!

Please register for this event HERE.

The members of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis ceremonially welcome babies and older children into this world, and into the community which holds them, offering our lifelong commitment to the nurture of each child. This dedication is a joyful ritual which affirms that each young soul is a gift, and which celebrates the covenant of family and community.

Contact Skyla by December 21st if you would like for your child to be dedicated during the morning service on Christmas Eve.

The Religious Exploration Staff is aware that our children, youth, and young adults are facing an unprecedented mental health crisis and we acknowledge the lack of mental health resources available to families in our community. As such, we are elevating our commitment to educating ourselves and expanding our program’s capacity to hold space for children, parents, and caregivers to connect with one another in mutual support.

One of the first offerings we present in this a screening of What I Wish My Parents Knew, a film by Tell My Story, designed as a mental wellness tool to help parents better understand how to support the mental health of their children.

The event will be a two-part, 90-minute experience with a group viewing followed by a discussion facilitated by a licensed mental health professional. Pre-registration is requested.

This film is not available for general public streaming, but this event is open to the public. We ask that viewers be over 18. On-site childcare will be provided free of charge by a team of experienced and background-checked adults.

If you plan to attend, we recommend watching this talk by the creator of the film to prepare. PLEASE NOTE: themes of self-harm and suicide are present in both the talk and the film.

Direct questions to DRE@dreuucorvallis-org

This time of year can be a lot for the ritual keepers known as parents. To honor all you do, we’d like to offer you a break! Drop off school-aged children in the social hall from 1-4 on December 28th. We’ll have a thank you card writing workshop (with helpers for those who haven’t mastered the pen yet), make snacks, and settle in for a movie while you take a few hours to recover from the holiday hustle. To make the most of the thank you card workshop, please send your child with a list of specific people & gifts for which to offer thanks. Pre-registration is requested at bit.ly/postholidaybreak

Adult Coming of Age is returning to UUFC on Monday evenings, January 8th-February 12, from 5:30 to 7 in Room 7. Unitarian Universalism requires you to be an active participant in building your own identity, a task that sometimes requires letting go or “unlearning” painful lessons from our past. What does it mean to “be you?” What role does your community and lived experience play in constructing a religious identity that matches your unique journey? Together, we’ll explore these topics and more. All are welcome. Pre-registration at bit.ly/AdultCoA is requested.

UU minister Ralph Roberts has created an Advent series to help us learn and delight in the ways that our Unitarian and Universalist ancestors helped shape many of the winter holidays.

You are invited to engage with this offering in 2 ways:

1. Anyone can register HERE to receive a very short daily email from December 1st through the 24th. Each note will contain a sweet piece of our religious heritage to warm your winter days and help you reflect on your place in this long line of justice makers and creative souls.

2. Children who attend the Holiday Fair on December 2nd will be able to make a UU Advent calendar at our craft table with the fun UU history facts attached to a small daily treat bag.