In times such as these, poetry can be strong medicine for our wounds, our worries and our fears. For me it has long been the most articulate language of religion. A contemporary poet writes “it is a healing balm that reminds of what is essential, the invisible truths that lie beyond the grasp of reason yet sustain the soul’s deepest longing.” Not all poetry makes sense to me. But when it does make sense, when it speaks a language I understand, it is what I live for. April is Poetry Month! What good timing.
4/10 Soldiers of Conscience Film Screening (for parents) 6:30m register HERE
4/13 Family Breakfast, 8:45-9:45, pre-register HERE by 4/5
4/17 Parent Peer Support Group, 6:30-8PM
4/20 post-service Easter egg hunt
4/24 Nuts and Bolts of Conscientious Objection Q&A (parents and older children)
UPCOMING EVENTS for YOUTH
4/5 Hamilton in Eugene
4/6 Safehaven Humane Society Service @ 9:45 (wear your Earth Month Shirts!)
4/12-13 OWL overnight
4/24 Nuts and Bolts of Conscientious Objection @6:30, pre-register HERE
4/27 OWL 4:30-7
5/8 Conscientious Objection Workshop @6:30, pre-register HERE
More information about our events can be found below, and info for all events can be found at uucorvallis.org by clicking “News” in the menu bar and then selecting “RE Council” from the drop down menu.
With the world as it is, many parents and youth are thinking about the future of military service and the possibility of being drafted. To help all interested families become more informed about the topic and their choices, the RE Council’s Conscientious Objection Team has planned a 3-part series of learning opportunities for April and May.
We will begin with a film screening of the documentary Soldiers of Conscience. This film is most definitely not for young children, as it contains graphic footage from active war zones. It offers a balanced look at military service from those currently and formerly serving, some who are proud to serve and some who became objectors while serving. This film will serve as a grounding for the following offerings.
Next, we will have a presentation that is primarily geared toward parents who are interested in learning what they can be doing now to to help safeguard their child’s option to file as a conscientious objector upon reaching adulthood, should they choose that for themselves. This presentation will not contain graphic imagery, but the very idea of military conscription is unsettling to some, so please gauge your child’s readiness. We believe this to be appropriate for middle and high school students who are old enough to articulate their personal values around military service, and any parents interested in learning more about the topic.
And finally, we will offer a practical workshop space for youth (with parental permission) and parents to work on a packed of documents that could be used in support of a CO claim, should they wish to file as an adult.
Please help us plan by registering HERE for any of the events you would like to attend.
It’s that time of year again when we try to figure out how the heck Easter can/does/should fit into our Unitarian Universalist lives. Last year, we went as sustainable as possible with wooden refillable eggs and an absence of random plastic landfill fodder. It was good! This year, however, we found a cache of a gazillion plastic eggs up in a previously undiscovered storage cabinet in the classroom as we packed up for the big move out.
What’s a DRE to do? A JETPIG Easter, of course!
Children are encouraged to bring their Easter baskets, if they have them, for a post-service hunt on the lawn. This hunt will happen rain or shine because, well, we don’t have the classroom wing to lean on this year. Each egg color will correspond with one of our shared values and be traded in for objects, treats, and experiences intended to help cement the meaning of our shared values.
We hope to make this a memorable and explicitly UU way to celebrate a day that is part of our wider cultural narrative. And because we aim to always be inclusive, if your child has dietary restrictions, please send me a reminder so that we can be sure that everyone walks away feeling uplifted!
Kylee Polinder was caught in the act of service, reminding us all that you don’t have to be on an official team or wait to be asked to serve our community! I catch Kylee being helpful quite often in these parts, preparing for the Family Breakfast or entertaining younger children while their parents chat. But on this particular Sunday, she was helping Jerry and Roberta place hymnals throughout the sanctuary. It’s a backbreaking job when one person has to do it alone, so Kylee’s selfless offer to help was much appreciated by the house managers.
Thanks, Kylee, for being a shining example of joyful service! You are amazing!
I love that we are part of a religious tradition that embraces science! Last weekend the children experimented in teams to balance a random selection of food atop a water bottle by just a toothpick. It was harder than we were expecting, and took a lot of consensus seeking and problem solving, but by the end, both teams successfully found balance.
If you have any questions about what’s happening in RE, send them my way. I’m always happy to hear your thoughts, feedback, and ideas for the future of RE!
Congratulations to Kim D for completing all 9 Inquirers Series session! Kim asked to be presented with her finisher’s gift of a home chalice within the circle of her final Inquirers Series session rather than in front of the congregation. She attends services primarily online, and hopes to start helping with the Fellowship grounds. If you bump into her while she’s working on the property, be sure to introduce yourself.
As an introduction, Kim says:
“In 2025 I am going to continue growing and learning and finding myself after four plus decades with my husband in my life, 30 years of which he was very sick, and I was in a caregiver role. My new life is both scary and exciting, but I am up to the challenge of finding the adventurous me I was in my 20’s, combined with decades of life experience and wisdom added on, which will equal the New Me!”
Welcome, Kim! We’re so glad that you found your way to our community!
Come help with Spring Cleaning on America’s first transcontinental highway! A UUFC group will be picking up litter along Hwy 20 on April 19th from 9 AM to noon.
Jamie Petts has been part of the Fellowship staff since 2016, helping to grow our “center” into a professional administrative structure. Her calm and friendly demeanor, her kindness and compassion, her steadiness, generosity, creativity, flexibility, expertise, good humor and much more have helped and supported us in so many ways. Now she is leaving the Fellowship staff to take a new job. (She’ll still be a member of the Fellowship, so she’s not completely leaving.) Join us on Sunday, April 13, during and following the service, to thank Jamie and share our gratitude, and to celebrate with her and for her.
Our annual Stewardship Pledge Drive begins this week! All Fellowship members and friends are invited to join the final pre-Stewardship gathering, to talk together about how we all share in sustaining and nurturing the Fellowship.
After the Sunday service on March 30, in the Sanctuary.
Friendship Force of Oregon’s Mid-Willamette Valley (https://www.fforegon.org/) and the UUFC Immigrant And Refugee Support Team (IRST) bring you the film “Samurai in the Oregon Sky.” This is an award winning film whose details can be found at https://www.samuraiintheoregonsky.com/.
The film tells the little-known story of Japanese pilot Nobuo Fujita who conducted the only manned aerial bombings of the U.S. mainland during WWII, on the southern Oregon coast. Years later, he would meet and peacefully reconcile with the American civilians who lived in the area. It’s a testament to the power of face-to-face meetings.
The film maker Ilana Sol will be present and talk with audience members. Attendees can make donations. Any extra funds beyond those needed to cover Director Sol’s expenses will be donated for use by the IRST.
This film will be shown in the Sanctuary of the UUFC – 2945 NW Circle Blvd, Corvallis OR 97330. All are welcomed.
A creative and exciting time led by Molly Curry and Bobbi Bailey using the 6 minute journal technique from writer and cartoonist Lynda Barry. About Lynda Barry “What it is” Video of the 6 minute Journal technique You are encouraged to bring a favorite pen or pencil from home that might get the “writing juices” engaged! Hopefully with the time, we will also bind a simple journal, with craft paper.
🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈 Queerly Beloved meets every Second Sunday! Join LGBTQ+ folx and allies for social gatherings centered on queer issues and themes. We understand the importance of queer community, and our goal is to provide a safe space where people can find that sense of belonging right here in Corvallis. If you need childcare for smaller children, please contact the Grandfolks Squad here: https://uufc.breezechms.com/form/8c8211
