The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis
“We were made for joy and woe, and when this we rightly know, through the world we safely go” wrote William Blake. Join with the Fellowship Committee on Ministry this Sunday to consider this truth – that joy and sorrow together are part of every human life.
with Mark Aron, Virgil Agnew, Gary Barnes and Alice Lyman
As the world turns (wasn’t that the name of a soap opera many years ago?) we still live day by day, and work on the things that are right in front of us most of the time. At the Fellowship, this weekend we are enjoying our annual December Holiday Fair, and planning many ways to gather this month to observe and celebrate holidays, holy days and the turning of the year.
Meanwhile, the classroom wing is filled with boxes and comings and goings as we get ready to empty that part of the building so that it can be repaired, renovated and renewed. This will be a big effort, as you can imagine, and will need many hands. If you haven’t already, please see the Announcement titled ‘Classroom Wing Renovation Begins in January,’ and sign-up to help in one of the listed ways. Or, talk to a member of the Building Expansion Project team in person this Sunday about how you can help.
All activities which regularly meet in the classroom wing will move to other locations in the building (or offsite) beginning after Christmas, and the classroom wing will be closed by January 1. If you have questions about where your group will meet, please ask me or office volunteer Priscilla Galasso.
Are you feeling the tender ache of absence as the winter holidays approach? Or perhaps feeling lonely, anxious or depressed? Join us for an online Blue Holidays Vesper Service, followed by an optional time of sharing, at 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 16. Rev. Leslie Chartier and Susan Sanford will facilitate. Please register in advance so we can send you the zoom link and suggestions for preparing your space for our time together. Contact Susan for more information.
Catherine Whiting has been a pediatric occupational therapist for 41 years and specializes in sensory processing and self regulation at home and in schools. She is offering a workshop geared towards parents (grandparents also welcome) about how to identify the sensory needs of a child and to help them by modifying the environment for self regulation. Dynamics of family members having different needs will also be explored.
January 2nd at 7PM in the UUFC social hall.
Please help us plan by registering here by December 30th.
The members of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis ceremonially welcome babies and older children into this world, and into the community which holds them, offering our lifelong commitment to the nurture of each child. This dedication is a joyful ritual which affirms that each young soul is a gift, and which celebrates the covenant of family and community. Each child will receive a decorative certificate as a record of their formal welcome into this circle of care.
While we are happy to provide a child dedication any time a family requests one, it is our custom at UUFC to perform this communal ceremony on our near Christmas Eve.
This year’s child dedication will be offered during the service on Sunday, December 22nd. If you would like to have your child dedicated in this ritual, please contact Skyla (dre@uucorvallis.org) no later than December 18th.
This time of year can be a lot for parents as we try to maintain all the rituals, magic, and meaning of the season. To honor all you do, we’d like to offer you a break! Drop off school-aged (k-8) children in the social hall from 1-4 on December 27th. We’ll have a thank you card writing workshop (with helpers for those who haven’t mastered the pen yet), eat snacks, and settle in for a movie while you take a few hours to recover from the holiday hustle. To make the most of the thank you card workshop, please send your child with a list of specific people & gifts for which to offer thanks.
Thanks to a generous grant from the Benton County Foundation, this event is free and open to the public, so invite your friends and family to take advantage of this opportunity!
Registration is required for this event, and will close on 12/20. Space is limited.
At least once a year our outreach offerings support Unity Shelter, a local non-profit organization which provides emergency shelter and supported transitional housing, plus wrap-around services, for people who are without safe shelter or housing. Unity Shelter programs include the Corvallis Men’s Shelter, the Hygiene Center, Room at the Inn and SafePlace. The Fellowship helped launch the collaborative project of providing shelters which later became Unity Shelter. Unity Shelter’s mission is to provide safe shelter through community care. The level of need around housing and shelter has not decreased in our community, and support continues to be crucial. Our outreach offering in December will support Unity Shelter.
Members and friends who celebrated November birthdays or will celebrate ones in December are invited and encouraged to make “your age” contributions (ex: $76 for a 76th birthday) to the UUFC Birthday Club. Contributions can be made via check payable to the UUFC with memo “Birthday Club” or the Birthday Club button within Breeze. Donations are allocated 50% Operations, 20% Endowment, 20% Reserves, and 10% Justice Outreach. Thank you! Questions: Michael Hughes treasurer@uucorvallis.org
At this time of year, many people are planning for the upcoming holidays, looking back at the year that has passed (and what a year it has been), and pondering how they can have a positive impact on our community and world in the year(s) to come. And yes, the holiday season is coming as well. If you are thinking about making year-end gifts to the organizations you appreciate and the UUFC is among those, thank you!
Year-end gifts to the UUFC can be made in many ways:
We thank you for your efforts to make our Fellowship and world a better place for all. May you and yours have a joyous holiday season.
Your UUFC Finance Council
