Protecting What We Hold Dear:  Shared Responsibility for Safety

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From Rev. Alex McGee Oct 18, 2025

Dear Fellowship:
As we live out our values of caring, one way we show that is by caring for each other and our building in physical ways.  And part of that is to be prepared for events in which we might need to think quickly about safety.  

In the next month, several events will occur at UUFC to help us strengthen our preparedness muscles.  Next weekend, staff and leaders who are responsible for others will spend a morning to train in fire safety and evacuation skills.  Then, on Sunday, November 2, at the end of worship, all present will all have an opportunity to practice evacuating the building.  This will help us see all the great work that has already been done to keep a safe egress, communicate between parents and RE guides, and signage for where to gather after evacuation.  Also, practicing evacuation can help us learn ways we could improve even more.  Next, the week after, staff and leaders will receive a three-hour Know Your Rights training and Human Rights Observer training, so that we can respond quickly and effectively if ICE comes to the building.  

Finally, the Facilities Committee has been reviewing exterior locks and keys.  This is very important for the safety of those who work in the building — we need to provide a workplace that is as secure as possible, while still being welcoming.  Of course, the balance between having an open door and protecting against harm is a dynamic to hold with wise attention.   Toward that end, I ask that all members and friends remember to avoid propping the doors open, and if you must, to assign someone to watch the door.  Please give gentle reminders to those who have overlooked this.  

If you are entrusted with a key code, please hold that in a covenant of accountability.  People who know the key code are responsible for the safety and well-being of the building and people in our community.   Not everyone needs a keycode: we provide times of welcome when the office is staffed from 10 – 12 noon on Tuesday through Friday so someone is here to let you in. 

I invite all of us to reflect joyfully and thoughtfully about the many ways we steward this building and its safety.

In peace,
Rev. Alex

Memorial Service for Ron Wrolstad, 11/15

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Memorial Service for Ron Wrolstad

Saturday, November 15th at 2 PM

at

the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis

Ron Wrolstad was a long time member of UUFC.  He and his wife Kathy raised their two daughters here.  Ron was known for his steady attendance, he played the piano, was a longtime member of a book club here, and contributed in many other ways. Ron died here in Corvallis on Saturday, October 11th, 2025 from complications related to Alzheimers disease. Members of the Fellowship have described him as leading an exceedingly meaningful life as a husband, father, grandfather, scientist, teacher, colleague, student mentor, bicyclist, story-teller, and good friend.

Secure Housing and Food for All team meeting, 10/19

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The ‘Secure Housing and Food for All’ team is meeting on Sunday, October 19 at 11:45 AM in Room 3. All are invited to attend! The team will be discussing multiple topics:

  1. Thoughts on how UUFC meet needs of unhoused. 
  2. Update on Corvallis Daytime Drop-in Center.
  3. Food donation collection at the Fellowship.
  4. Men’s shelter opening in November, and taking volunteers. 
  5. Other ways UUFC folks can be of ‘good’ help. 

Childcare is available!

Free childcare can usually be arranged for any Fellowship event by using this link 1-2 weeks prior to the event.

Greeters Got Game

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As a Greeter, you are the friendly face of the fellowship and extend an invitation to all who would like to join us; therefore, being friendly and welcoming is most important.

You’re invited to learn more about being a Greeter on Sunday, October 26 at the TRICK or TREAT RESOURCE FAIR. Drop by the Greeters Table and sign up – we’re game if you are!

Contact Team Lead, Heather E, for more information.

Learning Overview

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Learning Overview

Religious Exploration (RE) is one of the ways that UUFC supports faith development at all stages of life. RE offers participants opportunities to develop spiritual practices, connect with our liberal religious heritage, cultivate understanding and respect for diverse religious traditions, clarify our own personal values, and utilize our unique gifts to create a better world for all.

Religious Exploration

Religious Exploration Council

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Religious Exploration Council

The role of the Religious Exploration Council is to provide support, guidance, and coordination of RE programs.  The RE Council works closely with the Director of RE  to monitor learning needs across the lifespan of our congregation and develop materials and structures to help address those needs through classes, workshops, events, and volunteer mobilization. 

The primary tasks of the RE Council include:

~Developing and promoting programs that deepen our community’s capacity for spiritual and faithful living;

~Assessing unmet congregational needs for learning and communicating those with staff;

~Identifying potential volunteers and connecting them with the opportunities best suited to their skills and interests.

Seeker Space (grades 4-6)

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Seeker Space (grades 4-6)

Our Philosophy

The Seeker Space is designed to capture the energy and enthusiasm that are characteristic of this age group. Lessons around our shared values are kept short and interactive, and followed each week by child-initiated project-based learning and community building.

In this space, we prioritize:

  • Open communication of needs between children, parents, and RE staff so that the highest needs of each child can be honored.
  • Facilitated investigation of truth, beauty, and wonder.
  • Social-forward projects and play that are centered on the passions and interests of the children who share this space, and emphasize learning through doing rather than learning through listening.

Registering for Seeker Space

Before the service, we ask that parents register their children for Seeker Space. You can do this by scanning the QR code that is on the bulletin board outside of the classroom and at the Greeters’ Desk, OR by using this link. Registering helps us create the safest possible learning experience for your child!

Please do not allow your children to be unsupervised in any of our classroom areas, and please make sure you check out with one of our classroom volunteers before leaving with your child. When a child is not properly checked out, it initiates an emergency protocol and creates panic. We also ask that you pick up your child before attending coffee hour so that our volunteers may have plenty of time to engage with their spiritual community as well. If this becomes difficult, check in with Skyla for help coordinating a pickup plan.

Where To Go, And When

Children should obtain a nametag, just like their parents, either at the welcome desk or from the nametag racks, depending on how long they’ve been attending.

Children begin with their families in the sanctuary for shared worship. It is important to us that our children experience being part of our larger congregation. We want them to know and be known by all the members of the Fellowship, and understand their importance to our community.

After the time for all ages, one of our Junior Worship Associates will light the lantern to carry the light of community to the classroom wing. As the congregation sings Go Now Children, and all of the children and youth will follow the lantern to their classrooms.

The Guides

Seeker Space is staffed with enthusiastic and knowledgeable guides who have been hand-selected for their adventurous spirit, patience, and fun-loving energy.

Our guides model the values of curiosity and joy as they share stories and answer questions. They seek to create a calm and engaging environment that is conducive to exploration and community building.

Everyone who works with children and youth at the Fellowship undergoes a criminal background check and, in alignment with our Safe Congregation Policies, works in teams of two unrelated adults so that no child is ever one-on-one with a non-parental adult while in our care. The safety of our most vulnerable members is our highest priority!

The Experience

This year’s Seeker Space kids are exploring antiracism through the UUA’s Mosaic curriculum. They meet in room 9 for a brief lesson, and then engage in embodied activities that help them build deep connections with one another and their adult guides.

You may find them creating art for the holiday fair, learning to tie knots, or playing chess and ping-pong on the mezzanine. When they are not in the classroom at pick-up time, they will leave a note on the bulletin board outside the room to let parents know where to find them. This group moves around!

Please send any questions about our children’s and youth programs to the Director of Religious Exploration, Skyla King-Christison at dre@uucorvallis.org

October 19, 2025 – Compassion as an Open Door

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Anger and indignation may well up for us as we read the news.  But spiritual teachers such as Howard Thurman have convincing arguments for why love is better for us and for everyone.  Can we perhaps have compassion for our own anger?

Rev. Alex will preach and the choir will sing.