The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis
We Care is a local coalition of faith communities, businesses, foundations and other non-profit organizations which provides emergency assistance for Benton County residents. Each week, We Care helps people pay for rent, utilities, and other expenses to prevent evictions and homelessness or the shut-off of water or electricity. The Fellowship has long been a supporting partner.
Join the choir and band for a meal of laughter, goodwill and perhaps song! Love is the power that holds us together. Let’s share that feeling over a meal. Our debut LEGATO potluck is Wednesday January 8 at 5:00. Come a little early if you can help set up tables. Bring a dish to share (please identify all ingredients). We will navigate sharing the social hall with Magic Flute daycare. Clean up is at 6:30. Choir practice is at 7:00.
This is a Connect Up Event with the purpose of building community within the UUFC congregation.
Come join Audrey Perkins, Mark Weiss and Cliff and Chere Pereira for an hour of singing together starting at 7 PM on Sunday, January 19th, the eve of inauguration day.
We will share familiar and not-so-familiar songs of resilience, justice and peace. Come feel the energy and comfort that comes from joining together in song. Some lyrics will be provided. Knowing that there lots of winter germs around, masks are welcome, although they are not required.
Masks will be available for those that need one.
With the classroom wing renovation about to begin in a couple of weeks, the Magic Flute Pre-School will move into their temporary home in our Social Hall and Kitchen, on weekdays from 7:30 AM to 5 PM, beginning Monday January 6. During these hours, the pre-school has priority use of these spaces. Fellowship individuals, groups and meetings will not have access to the Social Hall or to the kitchen during these times. If you are part of a group that likes to use the coffee/tea supplies, please now plan to bring your own drinks / containers to meetings.
If you are part of a group that plans to use the Sanctuary or Foyer during these hours, please be aware that we will do all we can to not disturb the pre-school. All of this sharing is temporary, for the duration of the work in the classroom wing. Please do your part to help make the sharing time successful!
Jan. 5 “Why Religion Matters, Now” Rev. Jill McAllister
Jan. 12 “Janus: Looking Back and Ahead” Rev. Jill McAllister
Jan. 19 “The Most Dangerous Man in America” Rev. Jill McAllister
Jan. 26 Wheel of the Year: Imbolc
The first moving day was Jan. 4; much of the classroom wing furniture and packed boxes were moved to storage at a commercial facility and in the homes /sheds of Fellowship members and friends. Help is still welcomed – the second and final moving day is Saturday Jan. 11. Some demolition projects are still also underway. Sign up on the volunteer sheets in the Foyer if you haven’ t already done so, or find Wolfgang Dengler or Brian Egan.
Things accumulate at the Fellowship – jackets and water bottles, dishes and containers, books, shoes (?), jewelry and more. Every other month or so, we pull out the Lost and Found for all to see, with hope that some of the lost items are reclaimed. What isn’t claimed is usually donated. Please check the tables this Sunday in the foyer.
Thursday Jan. 30, 6:30 PM
All leaders of teams, councils, committees, events, task forces, plus Board members and all others who are interested in leadership at the Fellowship, are invited by the Committee on Ministry to join once again for a Leadership Supper. A simple supper is provided and we’ll spend time connecting with each other about our shared ministry, especially emerging needs due to the state of the country and the world. Please plan now to join us!
Jan. 21 6:30 PM
On the day after the election, gather on Zoom with other Fellowship folx for reflection and conversation on “how we’re doing now…”
It’s finally happening! The classroom wing is really, truly, actually closing this time. The doors are off most of the rooms, and Brian Egan has transformed the RE office into command central for the construction project. We are a go, people. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill.
Parents, we ask that you keep a close eye on your children while areas that feel familiar and welcoming to them are no longer safe for entry.
If you’re the parent of preschool or elementary aged kiddos, I encourage you to arrive early on Sunday to help your littles get familiar with the new setup.
STARTING THIS SUNDAY:
~Infants, toddlers, and preschool children will remain in the sanctuary. Additional toys have been added to the gallery, and I and several volunteers are more than happy to walk/distract willing wee ones during the service if you indicate an openness to that variety of support. We’re all in this together! Please communicate your needs!
~Grades K-5 will meet in the back of the social hall, behind the accordion doors.
~Middle and high school students will meet in the library.
Construction can’t keep us down! We have lots of great reasons to gather in the coming months, so pull out your phones and mark your calendars.
JANUARY EVENTS for FAMILIES
1/12 Family Breakfast, 8:45-9:45
1/16 Parent Peer Support Group, 6:30-8PM
UPCOMING EVENTS for YOUTH
1/18 -19 OWL kickoff overnight
2/15-16 Eugene Aromantic Ball and overnight
3/14-16 Coast Retreat
More information for all family events can be found at uucorvallis.org by clicking “News” in the menu bar and then selecting “RE Council” from the drop down menu. Registration and event details for youth gatherings will arrive in parent inboxes 2-4 weeks prior to the event.
With the Our Whole Lives program (OWL) for middle schoolers returning for the first time since 2019, many Fellowship parents are seriously reflecting on how best to discuss matters of sex, sexuality, body changes, and identity with their kids.
Even if your child is not old enough for the OWL program, we have plenty of resources to offer you!
We want our parents to feel well supported, not just with peer groups and pastoral care, but with concrete resources that you can access as the need arises. If you have questions about the check out process, or ideas about other supportive resources we should add to our library, email me or find me on a Sunday morning so we can chat.
I cannot remember the last time I ventured into the classroom wing and did not find Wolfgang hard at work hauling, boxing, or building custom storage shelves to fit our exact needs. Talk about love in action! If you see him around, give that man a big thank you!
YOU CAN HELP!
Once the construction company is done, there will be some finishing touches to make as a community before we can move back in. This means opportunities to bring the whole family to help revitalize our newly secured building. How exciting is it that you’ll have a chance to leave your fingerprints on this piece of Fellowship history? From painting and trim work to unboxing, I’m sure the needs will be great. Please let me or Wolfgang know if you have hidden talents to share, a desire to build new skills, or just a strong back and energy to give. Moving this project across the finish line will surely take the whole village!
As always, if you have any needs or big ideas to share, I’m here for you. Just send an email, text, or carrier pigeon. And if you’re not interested in receiving updates for children and families conveniently in your inbox, say the word and I’ll remove you from our mailing list.
Thanks for being one of the many reasons this community is so fabulous!
