From the DRE
October RE Newsletter
NOTE: The RE Newsletter that appears in the weekly announcements is slightly modified from the version sent directly to RE families. This year, we are making every effort not to share children’s faces on the public web, regardless of photo release status, and we do not publicly post dates and locations for youth events that…
RE Newsletter for May
“May, queen of blossoms, and fulfilling flowers! What pretty music shall we charm the hours?” – Lord Edward Thurlow Greetings, Families! Please grab your calendars and read carefully all that is below. This month’s newsletter is ripe with date changes, summer event previews, and more! UPCOMING EVENTS: 5/3 Family Breakfast @ 8:45 (register HERE and bring a…
RE Newsletter for February
“Let your life be a counter-friction to stop the machine. What I have to do is to see, at any rate, that I do not lend myself to the wrong which I condemn.” ― Henry David Thoreau Greetings, Families! The shortest month with the longest shadows has arrived, and our hearts are tender from all we’ve been holding. Let…
Parenting Resources for Challenging Times
With all that is escalating in the world around us, I want to provide a few resources that families have found helpful as they navigate the highly personal decisions about how to talk to their children and youth about the terrible things happening in the world. If you have others to add that you feel…
RE Newsletter for January
“Dear world, I am excited to be alive in you, and I am thankful for another year.” ~Charlotte Eriksson Greetings, Families! I hope your winter holidays were warm and cozy! A new year is unfolding before us, and we’re starting off with a little ease after the holiday hustle. Don’t miss these sweet opportunities for…
RE Newsletter for December
“How many lessons of faith and beauty we should lose, if there were no winter in our year!” – Thomas Wentworth Higginson Greetings, Families! I hope your Thanksgiving weekend was full of all the things you love most! It’s time to turn our hearts toward all the good things that December has to offer. Grab…
Invitation to Visit the Ancestor Tree through October
In this tender season of remembrance, we are approaching our traditional Ancestor Tree with gentle intention and a small change. In an effort to care well for our grounds and to make this ritual more accessible to all, we’ve reimagined where and how we gather the names of those we carry in our hearts. You…
RE Newsletter for October
“October, baptize me with leaves! Swaddle me in corduroy and nurse me with split pea soup. October, tuck tiny candy bars in my pockets and carve my smile into a thousand pumpkins. O autumn! O teakettle! O grace!” ― Rainbow Rowell , Attachments Greetings, Families! The soggy, foggy season of all things cozy is finally…
RE Summer Newsletter
Greetings, Families! We made it through another fabulous Fellowship year! 🙌 With some of your favorite RE activities on summer hiatus, you might be wondering what other opportunities are coming for children, youth, and families. Well, wonder no more! Grab your calendars and get ready for summer goodness you won’t want to miss! SUMMER EVENTS…
UU Elevator Speeches
Recently, a small group of Fellowship members spent several weeks crafting their elevator speeches about Unitarian Universalism. That is, they worked on how they might best describe UUism to someone in the time it takes to move between floors on an elevator. UUs often find it easier to describe what we aren’t rather than what…
May RE Newsletter
Greetings, Families! This month’s newsletter contains some important information for parents about RE in the month and year ahead, so please read carefully! UPCOMING EVENTS for FAMILIES 5/4 Summer Camp Registration Deadline, more info and registration HERE. 5/11 Final Family Breakfast of the year, Mother’s Day Edition, pre-register HERE. 5/15 Final Parent Peer Support Group of…
More Resources for Whole Church RE and Post-Curricular Faith Formation!
In case you read the monthly journal, and you’re thinking Hey! I want to know more about these emerging trends in RE, I’ve got some resources for you! If you haven’t read the monthly journal yet, go check your inbox! Joy Berry, the UUA’s children and families faith development specialist, has a nice post about…
RE Newsletter for April
Happy April, Families! I hope you all had a fabulous Spring Break and are looking forward to joining us for all of the cool things we’ve got planned for you in RE in April! UPCOMING EVENTS for FAMILIES 4/6 Seeds of Generosity Pitch Party register HERE 4/10 Soldiers of Conscience Film Screening (for parents) 6:30m register HERE…
RE Newsletter for March
Greetings, Families! It feels like spring has sprung and lots of fresh energy is popping up in Religious Exploration. Get your calendars ready, so you don’t miss any of the fun! UPCOMING EVENTS for FAMILIES 3/9 Family Breakfast, 8:45-9:45, pre-register HERE by 3/5 3/20 Parent Peer Support Group, 6:30-8PM 4/6 Seeds of Generosity Pitch Party,…
Sensory Break Kits
We are aware that the new confines and acoustics of our Sunday morning building use are less than ideal, and for some, quite overstimulating. While we lack the space to create a quiet zone on Sunday mornings, we have constructed 2 Sensory Break kits, which will be stored in yellow bags — one will hang…
Free Book for Families
With the return of the Our Whole Lives program (OWL) for middle school, conversations are bubbling up all around the Fellowship about how we were taught (or not taught) about relationships and our bodies. Most often they center on how we want to do better for the next generation than was done for us. While…
You Can Help Our Families Engage!
You’ve probably noticed that there are more and more families in our midst each week. Hooray! We love seeing faces of all ages in our sanctuary. With this uptick in family participation, we are experiencing a higher demand for childcare. At the same time, our list of able Grandfolks is dwindling due to illness and…
Thank you for supporting RE!
Thank you so much to everyone who contributed winter accessories, hothands, and cash to support our children and youth service project of creating winter care kits. Having some small action to take when you see a need is one way that we can overcome feelings of hopelessness, and put our shared values of generosity, interdependence,…
Donations Requested Before 11/10
The children in RE will be making winter care kits for unhoused neighbors on November 17th. We need gloves, hats, and HotHands for our kits before November 10th. 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…
A Cheat Sheet for Connecting with RE Kids!
Sunday morning Religious Exploration for children and youth is off to a great start this year. Have a look at what they’ve been up to so you’ll have an easier time striking up an intergenerational conversation in the social hall. Every adult in the building has a part to play in the religious education of…
Thank you!
Thank you to everyone who stopped by for a cup of lemonade at our youth-run lemonade stand! The kids got a taste of how the kitchen runs on Sundays (thank you, kitchen crew, for your patience and mentoring!), worked together to make lemonade and signs, and had a crash course on customer service skills. With…
Consider Becoming a Grandfolk!
The Grandfolks Squad is a group of (mostly) older adults who are willing to provide occasional childcare on an as-needed basis so that young parents can attend Fellowship functions without incurring a cost for childcare. This is a great way to get to know younger families and connect deeply with the next generation of Unitarian…
Multigenerational Magic
Our necessarily abrupt move to multigenerational worship has caused me some apprehension. Children do as the spirit moves them, so the power of my careful planning has its limits. While I’ve been focused on trying to mitigate all the ways this experiment could go horribly wrong, I hadn’t yet let myself dwell in all the…
Being with Children in Worship
As we enter a period of multigenerational worship, it will be useful to consider some best practices for being together in a sacred space. People of all ages belong here and can be enriched by one another’s presence. We want every person to feel welcomed, comfortable, loved, and respected here. We are all growing together…
Changes Coming to RE!
Beginning June 9th, we will be adopting a new approach to how we welcome children and youth on Sundays! Nursery and classroom spaces will not be available during this temporary change. If you want to learn more about what’s coming to your hometown UU sanctuary this summer, read on! What is Soul Work? Soul Work…
Guest Speaker Jen Shattuck 5/12
Have you ever thought about what selves do you bring into spiritual community with you? Well, you’re about to! Join us for a special sermon and post-sermon discussion with author and religious educator, Jen Shattuck. J.L. (Jen) Shattuck is a lifelong Unitarian Universalist and longtime early childhood professional turned religious educator. She’s passionate about helping…
Coast Retreat Through the Eyes of Our Youth!
In March, members of our YRUU group, along with their advisors Dawn Dirks and Mark Aron, had a weekend of adventure at the annual youth coast retreat. I asked our brilliant Edna if she would mind writing a few words about her experience so that we could imagine it from a youth perspective and she…
Easter in Spirit Play! It’s Complicated.
It’s that time of year again when we wrestle with what to do with the kids for Easter. As Unitarian Universalist, this can be a most complicated occasion. For the new to UU, here’s an overview of the scene. First, as a pluralistic congregation, we’re not universally aligned with the Christian Easter narrative, so it…
Celebrating Our Scouts!
In case you missed it, Corvallis Scout, Charlie, earned his Love and Help UU Scouting award and chose to celebrate that achievement with us last Sunday during our time for all ages. In addition to receiving his pin in the service, Charlie spent time in the social hall afterward, sharing one of his favorite treats,…
Wheel of the Year Conversations
Many thanks to all who have reached out in the last month to ask about the future of the Wheel of the Year services. I love it when you communicate your vision for the ways we live into our mission at the Fellowship! It’s most helpful! While we are committed to completing this Fellowship year…
New Resources for Caregivers of Teens
Our film screening of What I Wish My Parents Knew served as an excellent conversation starter! Thanks for everyone who participated! Lots of ideas were generated about how we can sharpen our skills as compassionate listeners and be more present to the needs of the members of our community. We want to keep this conversation…
Proposed new Adult RE Team needs MEMBERS
How many years now and counting?? Many at the UU Fellowship are very aware that they are getting older and would welcome the chance to consider issues related to aging. In addition, it would be helpful to have opportunities to compare ideas and experiences with one another. The purpose of the group would be to…
IMPORTANT UPDATE for Brilliant Minds
An incorrect registration link went out in the weeklies and the newsfeed for the Brilliant Minds Workshop. If you believe you have already registered via one of those , please take a look at THIS registration link and verify that it is the one you used. If you signed up on the clipboard and or…
IMPORTANT UPDATE for Brilliant Minds
An incorrect registration link went out in the weeklies and the newsfeed for the Brilliant Minds Workshop. If you believe you have already registered via one of those , please take a look at THIS registration link and verify that it is the one you used. If you signed up on the clipboard and or…
Camp Blue Boat Save the Date
Mark your calendars because Camp Blue Boat is back for middle and high school youth! Save the Date: June 30 – July 5, 2024 Location: Camp N-Sid-Sen in Harrison, ID* Campers experience community, spirituality, justice & equality with UU youth from throughout the region and have TONS OF FUN on the shores of gorgeous Lake…
Spiritual Practices Workshop Collective Lectionary
The Spiritual Practices Adult RE workshop has wrapped until April. Thanks to all who participated – we learned a lot together! Check out the RE new page to see our book recommendations for your personal lectionary and some of our art journaling commitments for practice. We recently completed Part 1 of the Adult RE Spiritual…
Prayer with the Family
November’s tool in the Family Faith Formation Toolkit is prayer! Pop over to the RE news page and read about the importance of prayer (even when you’re not cozy with the idea of God), a short and easy formula for prayer (in case you’re feeling rusty), and links to inspiring resources, all to help you…
YRUU Values Scavenger Hunt
Last Sunday, the YRUU participants went on a scavenger hunt around the building to see if they could find evidence that UUFC members act on their values. Thanks to your awesomeness, they found plenty of clues that the adults in our congregation are actively living into our faith! Thanks for being such excellent UU role…
Ginny Gibson on the Road!
You may already know that Ginny Gibson courageously took an Adult RE workshop assignment and transformed it into one of the most beloved Sunday services of the year — her Knowings and Callings talk for Pride Month. What you might not know is that last week she quietly took her moving presentation on the road…
Pacific Western Region Cluster Con
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…