Religious Exploration

OMG! (Open Minds Group, grades 7-12)

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OUR PHILOSOPHY

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!

HOW TO REGISTER

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.

WHERE TO GO AND WHEN

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.

THE EXPERIENCE

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.

Please send any questions about our children’s and youth programs to the Director of Religious Exploration, Skyla King-Christison at dre@uucorvallis.org

Trick or Treat Resource Fair Do-Over THIS SUNDAY! 11/2

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What a disappointment it was to miss out on our weekly dose of connection and community last Sunday. And that disappointment was compounded by the cancellation of the long-awaited Trick-or-Treat resource Fair scheduled to take place after the service. We can’t let all of the preparation (and candy!) go to waste, so we’re going to offer the resource fair, along with all of the trick-or-treating fun, after the service this Sunday, November 2nd.

I know that Halloween will have already passed, but give those costumes one more day in the sun and come as your favorite character or creature anyway. We will be having the Samhain service, followed by an evacuation drill, and then by the time you come back in to get your coffee or tea in the social hall, we’ll be ready to see your smiling face at the trick-or-treat tables in the social hall, foyer, and Rooms 6B, 6C, and 7 in the classroom wing.

Come play some games, eat some goodies, and learn what the various teams and councils of the Fellowship are up to, and ways to get involved!

Trick-or-Treat Resource Fair, 10/26

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Don’t forget to wear your costumes to the Fellowship this Sunday, and plan to attend the Trick-or-Treat Resource Fair happening directly after the service in the social hall, back deck, and patio. Many of the Fellowship’s teams and councils will be present with treats and games, as well as information about what they do and how to get involved. It will be fun for all! And who knows? You might find your new favorite activity!

Winter Sound Bath Event with Sonic Journey, 11/21

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What: sound bath experience

When: 11/21 @ 7:15PM

Where: UUFC Social Hall

REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Even in these too full, largely uncertain days, you give so much to make the Fellowship a warm and welcoming place to be. With that in mind, Religious Exploration is delighted to offer an opportunity to pause and spend an evening in deep relaxation and self-care. The talented Mark Clem of Sonic Journey will be offering a Sound Bath just for us! I especially encourage our leaders who always make time for others to take advantage of this opportunity to show up and tend to their own physical and spiritual bodies.

This experience consists of bringing what you need to lie comfortably on the Social Hall floor and settling in. Mark will then offer a short guided meditation to help us ready ourselves for an hour or so of wordless immersion in sound vibrations of all kinds. After this shared embodied experience, Mark will gently call us back into the moment, serve tea, and lead a reflection on what we experienced in our state of deep relaxation, as well as offer follow-up care tips for holding on to the heightened state of awareness and relaxation as we move back into our lives.

Because space is limited, you MUST PREREGISTER, and once the event is full, the registration form will be disabled. Additional instructions for what to bring and what to expect will be emailed to all registered participants on 11/16. Please contact Skyla (dre@uucorvallis.org) with questions.

Donations Requested for Winter Care Kits by 11/30

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The children and youth in RE will be making winter care kits for unhoused neighbors during the November 30th Children’s Chapel.

We need donations of gloves, hats, socks, and HotHands for our kits before November 30th. Please consider donating new or gently used physical items or cash to help us purchase these items for our kits. Donations can be placed in the marked box under the table outside of the RE office in Room 2.

Our goal is for every one of our 40 registered children and youth in RE to have a kit in their car ready to be handed to someone in need. Your generous donations will help us learn about and engage in community care.

Thank you in advance for supporting our RE programs!

Learning Overview

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Learning Overview

Religious Exploration (RE) is one of the ways that UUFC supports faith development at all stages of life. RE offers participants opportunities to develop spiritual practices, connect with our liberal religious heritage, cultivate understanding and respect for diverse religious traditions, clarify our own personal values, and utilize our unique gifts to create a better world for all.

Religious Exploration

Religious Exploration Council

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The role of the Religious Exploration Council is to provide support, guidance, and coordination of RE programs.  The RE Council works closely with the Director of RE  to monitor learning needs across the lifespan of our congregation and develop materials and structures to help address those needs through classes, workshops, events, and volunteer mobilization. 

The primary tasks of the RE Council include:

~Developing and promoting programs that deepen our community’s capacity for spiritual and faithful living;

~Assessing unmet congregational needs for learning and communicating those with staff;

~Identifying potential volunteers and connecting them with the opportunities best suited to their skills and interests.

Seeker Space (grades 4-6)

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OUR PHILOSOPHY

The Seeker Space is designed to capture the energy and enthusiasm that are characteristic of this age group. Lessons around our shared values are kept short and interactive, and followed each week by child-initiated project-based learning and community building.

In this space, we prioritize:

  • Open communication of needs between children, parents, and RE staff so that the highest needs of each child can be honored.
  • Facilitated investigation of truth, beauty, and wonder.
  • Social-forward projects and play that are centered on the passions and interests of the children who share this space, and emphasize learning through doing rather than learning through listening.

Registering for Seeker Space

Before the service, we ask that parents register their children for Seeker Space. You can do this by scanning the QR code that is on the bulletin board outside of the classroom and at the Greeters’ Desk, OR by using this link. Registering helps us create the safest possible learning experience for your child!

Please do not allow your children to be unsupervised in any of our classroom areas, and please make sure you check out with one of our classroom volunteers before leaving with your child. When a child is not properly checked out, it initiates an emergency protocol and creates panic. We also ask that you pick up your child before attending coffee hour so that our volunteers may have plenty of time to engage with their spiritual community as well. If this becomes difficult, check in with Skyla for help coordinating a pickup plan.

Where To Go, And When

Children should obtain a nametag, just like their parents, either at the welcome desk or from the nametag racks, depending on how long they’ve been attending.

Children begin with their families in the sanctuary for shared worship. It is important to us that our children experience being part of our larger congregation. We want them to know and be known by all the members of the Fellowship, and understand their importance to our community.

After the time for all ages, one of our Junior Worship Associates will light the lantern to carry the light of community to the classroom wing. As the congregation sings Go Now Children, and all of the children and youth will follow the lantern to their classrooms.

The Guides

Seeker Space is staffed with enthusiastic and knowledgeable guides who have been hand-selected for their adventurous spirit, patience, and fun-loving energy.

Our guides model the values of curiosity and joy as they share stories and answer questions. They seek to create a calm and engaging environment that is conducive to exploration and community building.

Everyone who works with children and youth at the Fellowship undergoes a criminal background check and, in alignment with our Safe Congregation Policies, works in teams of two unrelated adults so that no child is ever one-on-one with a non-parental adult while in our care. The safety of our most vulnerable members is our highest priority!

The Experience

This year’s Seeker Space kids are exploring antiracism through the UUA’s Mosaic curriculum. They meet in room 9 for a brief lesson, and then engage in embodied activities that help them build deep connections with one another and their adult guides.

You may find them creating art for the holiday fair, learning to tie knots, or playing chess and ping-pong on the mezzanine. When they are not in the classroom at pick-up time, they will leave a note on the bulletin board outside the room to let parents know where to find them. This group moves around!

Please send any questions about our children’s and youth programs to the Director of Religious Exploration, Skyla King-Christison at dre@uucorvallis.org