Religious Exploration

Fail Fest 2023! 12/15 6PM

by

Registration Requested

There is no progress without failure. Yet, in our culture that is focused on sharing highlight reels, it’s easy to forget that there are no real overnight successes. The road to “what’s next” is littered with beautiful “almosts” and “not quites.” Before you start thinking about New Year’s resolutions, come share in a celebration of this past year’s failures that got you to where you are now. 

We will reflect on a year’s worth of things that didn’t quite go our way, grieve the dreams that maybe we’re giving up on, and celebrate the new vision that is forming as a result of our failures. 

At this event, you can expect some tears, some laughs, and some dancing under disco lights. Best of all, you can expect to walk away with a deeper sense of community because vulnerable sharing and mutual support are an exceptional foundation for new friendships.

The evening will conclude with a potluck snack dinner and discussion. Please bring your favorite comfort food to share!

Don’t miss it! Come let us celebrate you and your awesome, brave failures!

Children’s Holiday Book Donation through 11/26

by

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!

Pacific Western Region Cluster Con

by

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!

Family Faith Formation Toolkit

by

Maybe you’ve got an awesome minister (If you’re at UUFC, you do! ☑️), and a caring Religious Exploration team (Lucky you! You’ve got that too!☑️), and excellent friends and family support (I sure hope you do! ?). Did you know that even with all that, parents and grandparents are still a child’s first and most influential spiritual guides? Yes, YOU! You’re the biggest factor in your child’s spiritual growth and development. How cool (and maybe scary) is that?

In an effort to support families as they raise faithful and spiritually grounded children, we offer you the Family Faith Formation Toolkit with you! On the 4th Sunday of each month, I’ll be adding a new tool to our toolkit below. Each tool will come with resources and practical ideas for how to explore matters of the spirit with your family, and grow in confidence as a spiritual leader. As always, if you have immediate needs relating to your family’s faith formation, I’m available to chat. Just reach out to dre@uucorvallis.org to set up a time.

  1. Discussing the G-word (answering questions about God when you’re not sure yourself)
  2. Prayer as a Family Practice
  3. Meditation with the Kiddos
  4. Service with the Family
  5. Gratitude with the Kiddos
  6. Building a Family Lectionary
  7. A Family Sabbath Plan
  8. Parenting Through Crisis

“The Waters of Yemaya”

by

Today’s story is the first in a quartet of elemental stories. In honor of the Joining of the Waters, this is a story of Yemaya, the Orisha of water. The Orisha are personifications of the forces of nature, aspects of the divine as they are understood in the faith of the Yoruba religion, as well as other faith traditions in the African diaspora.

This story was inspired by an article in Teen Vogue that was written in response to the oddly heated internet discourse surrounding the casting of a young Black woman to play Ariel in the recent live action adaptation of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. It argues that in the context of Yemaya, who is often depicted with a fish tail, a Black mermaid actually makes a great deal of sense!

Sound and Music Attributions

Easy Lemon (30 second) by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/3695-easy-lemon-30-second-
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Winter Night by Frank Schröter
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6910-winter-night
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Cinematic Epic Emotional  by Alex-Productions
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/9193-cinematic-epic-emotional-
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Mystical Universe by MusicLFiles
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7646-mystical-universe
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

“Thunder, Very Close, Rain, A,” InspectorJ
https://freesound.org/people/InspectorJ/sounds/360328/

Lifespan Faith Development Page

UU Elevator Speech, Online Class (Wednesdays, Sept 27-Oct 11 @5-6PM)

by

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 

Spiritual Practices, Part 1 (Mondays, 10/2 to 11/6, 6-7 PM)

by

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.

Trans Inclusion in Congregations Workshop (Thursdays, 9-21 to 10-26, 6-7:30 PM)

by

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.

Ice Cream Social (8-27 at 7 PM)

by

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.