The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis
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!
Though arbitrary in many ways – calendars are human creations- the beginning of this new year feels momentous. Certainly we are called to continue to be present to the world in ever more careful and effective ways. As always, this kind of presence requires strengths and courage which come from being grounded and centered.
This first Sunday in January is a good time to remind ourselves of the meanings of religion, spirituality, grounded-ness, and centering.
With Rev. Jill McAllister
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!
Come find support and understanding in the context of a discussion topic and a light dinner with other parents.
WHEN:6:30 on the 3rd Thursday of each month.
WHERE: Parents meet in the gallery of the sanctuary, with free childcare provided in the social hall.
To help our facilitators with meal plans and to receive a reminder email, we ask that you consider registering HERE.
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 we do not have the volunteer power, at this time, to offer OWL for younger ages, parents of elementary aged children are not without resources.
I am pleased to share that beginning in January, we will have several offerings for parents as they navigate questions about changing bodies, relationships, and identities.
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. To receive a copy of It’s Perfectly Normal, ask questions about the check out process, or share ideas about other supportive resources we should add to our library, email me at dre@uucorvallis.org or find me on a Sunday morning so we can chat.
This year as the calendar moves toward its end and new beginning, I’m feeling watchful, alert, and sometimes a little on edge. I don’t think I’m the only one feeling the edge. I’ve experienced more crankiness from other people, and outright meanness – mostly from people I don’t know – in the past few weeks than in any other holiday season I can remember. I’m not surprised; we live in such trying times. But a sadness has come close to me, so I’m trying to learn from it what I can.
There is plenty to worry about, and to fear. That has always been true – and always more true for some people than for others. We humans make it hard for each other, and for all the other living things. We always have. Wise teachers of all cultures say it is because we are lost, we have forgotten, or we cannot see what is most important and closest to us, so in fear we grab and push and destroy. And yet, and yet – even now, love is present: it is holding and helping and healing so much that is broken within us and between us. And this has always also been true.
So I am letting myself be watchful and alert and I am giving attention to the edge and the sadness, while at the same time I am constantly considering how love is holding me and how I can help it move in as many ways and directions as possible. More and more I come to understand and appreciate the feeling of “love at the center” as a way of describing congregational and covenantal life – the life of the Fellowship. For the beginning of a new year – this new year in particular – this is the center I am leaning into, and leaning on. And you are part of it, and for that I am grateful!
Classrooms have been cleaned out and packed up and boxes are ready for moving. A stalwart crew has already moved furniture out of most rooms and removed doors from many rooms. The preschool’s furniture and supplies have been moved into the Social Hall and Kitchen, which we will share with them for the duration of the renovation project. Classrooms are no longer in use for meetings. The renovation project is underway!
And, what amazing timing! Last week the water heater on the mezzanine sprung a leak and had to be drained – replacing it will be worked into the project. And one of the heaters in the classroom wing broke. It seems to be time to work on everything!
Help is still needed and welcome, especially for Jan. 4 and Jan. 11, the two days on which we’ll be transferring boxes and furniture to home storage and commercial storage. If you can help, please sign up this Sunday.
We are between and amidst winter holidays – Christmas and Yule, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s. There is quiet observing, celebrating, gathering, resting and contemplation. We’ll gather on this last December Sunday for short worship service for all ages – affirming our connections and acknowledging the realities of the world, followed by sharing in a Holiday(s) Brunch and intergenerational activities. Please bring finger foods to share, such as holiday breads, muffins, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, fruits, veggies, nuts, etc.
Activities may include drawing / coloring, origami, singing together, discussion groups (be ready to share about something you’ve read this year that really made a difference, or some action you’ve taken this year that really made a difference.)
When we lived on Bainbridge Island we were part of a HOUSEHOLD LENDING LIBRARY. For example, I currently have 24 stemless wine glasses if anyone needs to borrow them for an event. If you have any things similar such as lots of plates, cloth napkins, air mattress, Rototiller, portable crib, luggage, etc. please email me and I’ll make a spreadsheet. I will also put an announcement on our UUFC facebook page. Let’s share!
