First Unitarian Portland

*Registration Required* Journey to Articulating Your Faith
2025-04-10 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-04-24 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-05-08 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-05-22 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-06-12 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | OR
A Spiritual Development Opportunity for People in Their 20s and 30s
Join Rev. Alison and Danielle Garrett for an 8-session course of theological exploration and discovery for young adults. Together, we will trace our spiritual paths, explore our understandings of the sacred, human nature, and religious practice, and develop our personal credos: an expression of our most sacred beliefs and fundamental values that guide our lives. We will also get a chance to learn a little more about Unitarian Universalist history and build community with one another! To register or for more information, contact Danielle.

*Registration Required* Passover Seder
2025-04-13 12:15 - 15:00 | Buchan Hall, 1226 SW Salmon St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
You are cordially invited to attend our First Unitarian Seder in celebration of Passover, the Jewish holiday that symbolizes the universal human quest for liberty. This special ceremonial UU interfaith event, beautifully structured for all ages, is a remembrance of the Jews’ flight from slavery in Egypt long ago. Our community Passover Seder will be led by Rev. Alison Miller and her family, Bill Yasnoff, Rich Scher, and the Seder team. It is a worship service, a songfest, a banquet, and a blend of goodness, goodies, gravity, and joy. Children, Youth, Adults, Elders – All are welcome. We will provide a delicious lunch of traditional Seder foods.
Adults $25 each / Children $10 each
Come one and all to enjoy food, fellowship, candlelight, stories, music and more!
Please register now here.
Register early as space is limited!

Opportunities to Help Our Immigrant Neighbors
2025-05-06 19:00 - 20:30 | Virtual
With the incoming administration, we know that big changes are coming that will impact immigrant communities. We want to be informed, prepared, and ready for action.
The third of our forums on protecting immigrants in our communities (co-sponsored by IJAG and ARJAG) will explore different paths to active allyship with our immigrant neighbors, whether as individuals or as a community. We want to be informed, prepared, and ready for action, as the current administration’s attacks on immigrant populations continue.

Our Panelists:

Keren Rodriquez – Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice (IMIrJ)
Parker Berger – Western Farm Workers Assn. (WFWA)
Beth Ronk – Immigrant Mutual Aid Coalition (IMAC)
Romeo Sosa – Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition (PIRC)

Registration info can be found in the Front Steps e-news.

Watch Part 1 (January 28): Featuring VOZ Workers’ Rights Education Project, Innovation Law Lab, and Oregon for All Coalition. The recording of that session is available here on YouTube.
Watch Part 2 (March 4): Featuring Ricki Ruiz (District 50 Oregon State Representative), Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN), and ACLU of Oregon. The recording of that session is available here on YouTube.

The Alliance Presents "Building Power for Frontline Communities"
2025-05-07 10:30 - 14:00 | Eliot Chapel, 1011 SW 12th Ave, Portland, OR, 97205
Ronda Rutledge, Executive Director of Ecotrust, and citizen of the Cherokee Nation will give a presentation on building power for frontline communities.
Register for buffet lunch following program ($25) using the form below.
If the registration form below does not work for you and ONLY if it does not work, you can pay here and email our Communications team to let us know your number of attendees and any dietary restrictions.
If joining online, use this link: https://boxcast.tv/channel/uio1swe8fnfspcmtxuba

Music Retreat Talent Show!
2025-05-10 19:00 - 21:30 | Buchan Hall, 1226 SW Salmon St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
Come experience the “home version” of our “Saturday Night Soiree” talent shows that have occurred at our yearly Music Department retreats over the years. See a collection of serious and not-so-serious acts from the singers and ringers in our music department. There will be snacks and beverages to boot. Come on out and have some fun while helping to support the church! Please enter through the Salmon St. door.
You can buy $20 tickets at the door if you don’t already have slots that you purchased from last year’s auction.
Please note! There’s a Timbers game at 7:30pm that night, and parking on the street and in lots may be difficult, so plan to arrive early for parking.

Conversation: How Do We Protect Immigrants in Our Communities?
2025-05-13 19:00 - 20:00 | Virtual
Over the past few months, we’ve learned so much at the Immigration Forums hosted by IJAG and ARJAG. Now it’s time to do something! Please join other members of First Unitarian as we deepen our conversations about what we can do, both individually and as a congregation.
Many of you are already involved and might like others to join you. If you are not involved, would you like to do so with others? Come & meet others who want to do something!
Let’s do something!
Register here!

Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub and Statewide Impact
2025-05-28 19:00 - 20:00 | Virtual
Join Community for Earth (CFE) for an online presentation and dialogue on how the Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub is a ticking time bomb. Why is it a statewide danger? The Hub stores 90% of the liquid fuels used throughout the state. Storage tanks sit on unstable ground within two earthquake zones. Millions of gallons of combustible fuels border Forest Park. In the event of an earthquake, the area would be prone to fires, releases and emissions which would travel down the Columbia River. It would be extremely difficult to transport these fuels elsewhere in Oregon. Learn about bills pending in the legislature right now that could help mitigate this risk and how you can help get them enacted.
Register here for the Zoom link.

Ordination of Danielle Garrett
2025-06-07 14:00 - 17:00 | Sanctuary, 1211 SW Main St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
Click to watch the ceremony!
Join congregants and guests on June 7 at 2 p.m. in the Main Sanctuary for the ordination of our Assistant Minister, Danielle Garrett. The Rev. Rob Hardies will preach, our choir members will offer inspiring music, and the congregation will confer the sacred rite of ordination. A reception with pie and champagne will follow in the Buchan Reception Hall!
We hope you will be able to join us for this special occasion and celebration. Read Rev. Alison’s blog post on the role of ordination in our tradition here.
All are welcome. Nursery care will be provided for our youngest guests, and children are welcome to attend the service.
RSVPs are not required, but encouraged as they’ll help us make sure we have enough pie for everyone! To do so, please use the RSVP box below.
Clergy are invited to gather in the Eliot Chapel at 1:30 p.m. to robe and process.

WAYS TO HELP:

Volunteer to help with the reception: Sign up here
Bake pies for the reception: Sign up here
Bring flowers for the ceremony and reception: Do you have tea roses, lavender, zinnias, tulips, or peonies? Flowers can be dropped off at our Salmon St. entrance on June 6 between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Contact Marti Y. for details and additional information.
Make a financial gift to help cover the cost: Donate here, or send a check (with the memo line “Ordination”) to our office: First Unitarian Portland, 1034 SW 13th Ave, Portland, OR, 97205. You can also drop off a check in our plate collection or the boxes in the Sanctuary lobby.

TRAVEL DETAILS:
June 7 is going to be a very busy day with complicated travel and difficult parking expected due to the Grand Floral Parade and other events taking place downtown.
The church has secured the parking lot on 12th Ave. directly across from the Sanctuary for free parking from noon to 6 p.m., but we strongly encourage you to carpool or take public transportation when possible.
Public transportation options:

Park and Ride: Your best bet may be to use Park and Ride, then commute to church by MAX or bus. Park for free up to 24 hours at a Park and Ride and hop on a bus or MAX to your destination. For locations, visit Trimet’s website.
Streetcar: The Museum Stop at 10th and Main is the closest to First U. To plan your trip, visit the streetcar schedule.
MAX: Galleria/SW 10th (walking up to church) and Providence Park (walking down to church) are the closest stops.
Bus: Stops depend on bus routes. To plan your trip, visit the Trimet trip planner.

Parking options:

Consider carpooling and allowing extra time to commute and park!
12th Avenue parking lot: The church has secured the parking lot on 12th Ave. directly across from the Sanctuary for free parking from noon to 6 p.m. Simply show up and park in any available space.
Park and Ride: Your best bet may be to use Park and Ride, then commute to church by MAX or bus. Park for free up to 24 hours at a Park and Ride and hop on a bus or MAX to your destination. For locations, visit Trimet’s website.
PSU parking: The closest PSU parking lot is a multi-story blue and grey building almost immediately off Hwy 405 at the 12th Avenue exit. It is called Parking Structure 3 and is 0.3 miles straight down 12th Street to First Unitarian, about a 10-minute walk. More information on their website here.

Bicycle options:

Personal bike: Please email Jen Thomas to arrange for safe storage of your bike during the service.
Biketown rentals: You can rent a Biketown e-bike near your starting destination (find one on the map here) and park in one of the several docks near First U. The closest docks are in front of Safeway (Columbia & 10th) which is 0.3 miles from First U, about a 6-minute walk, or at Director Park (Yamhill & 9th) which is 0.3 miles from First U, about a 7-minute walk. This requires downloading an app and a distance-based fee. Read more details here.

*Registration Required* Summer Yoga
2025-07-06 09:00 - 10:00, 2025-07-20 09:00 - 10:00, 2025-08-03 09:00 - 10:00, 2025-08-17 09:00 - 10:00 | Classroom A108
Join us for yoga with Ginny K. before the Sunday service from 9 – 10 a.m. We will meet in room A108.
Please bring your own yoga mat and water bottle. Wear clothing appropriate for yoga and then join the congregation for Sunday service at 10:15 a.m.
LIMIT of 15 participants. First come, first served. We will release the sign-up form for the next date after each class through our Front Steps e-news. There will be a total of four classes over the summer.

New to Portland Meet-up
2025-07-13 11:30 - 13:30 | Buchan Hall, 1226 SW Salmon St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
New to town? Join Rev. Leah Ongiri and Jen Thomas at this meet-up for congregants new to Portland that want to meet others from the church community or ask questions about the Portland area. We will have some treats to share and play a game. Families are welcome. No RSVP required.

Last Wishes: How Do We Want to Be Remembered?
2025-08-10 11:30 - 14:00 | Buchan Hall, 1226 SW Salmon St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
What are the life stories you want others to know and remember about you? What do you want your legacy to be? How do you start sometimes difficult conversations regarding your last wishes with friends and family? Join Rev. Duane Fickeisen and First U Senior Engagement (FUSE) team for an afternoon of conversation with one another about the journey of life, who we have become along the paths we’ve taken, and what we hope others will remember. We’ll talk about how to plan for a memorial service and how to approach writing your obituary. We will also ask for your ideas on topics for future forums. All ages welcome!
Bring your own lunch and desserts. Drinks will be provided. Please RSVP with the “Going” button below so we can plan accordingly.

Shower Project Open House
2025-08-24 11:30 - 13:00 | Buchan Hall, 1226 SW Salmon St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
Curious about our 13 Salmon Shower Project that our congregation runs weekly on Wednesdays and Thursdays in the lower level of the Buchan Building? Come to the Open House after church on Sunday, August 24, from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. Meet us in the Buchan Reception Hall for snacks and a brief movie about the Shower Project. We’ll then head downstairs to tour our shower, day room, and clothing closet and experience the welcome our unhoused guests receive. The Open House is open to all – with stickers for the kids! The space is ADA accessible.
If you’d like to contribute to the Shower Project, feel free to bring NEW men’s or women’s underwear (size M boxer briefs, sports bras, etc.) or USED clothes, shoes, and belts for the clothing closet.

The Alliance Presents "Weaving Together Through Storytelling"
2025-09-03 10:30 - 14:00 | Eliot Chapel, 1011 SW 12th Ave, Portland, OR, 97205
Kelly Clendenon will show and discuss “Helpers,” a new documentary that weaves his story of recovering from addiction and incarceration with the inspiring work of the 13 Salmon Shower Project. His film addresses the twin crises of fentanyl addiction and homelessness. Told through the lens of Kelly’s personal journey and people working on the frontlines in Portland.
Bring your lunch for after the program. Email AllianceRSVP@firstunitarianportland.org to join for the dessert ($5).

*Registration Required* Autumn Yoga
2025-09-07 09:00 - 10:00, 2025-09-21 09:00 - 10:00 | Classroom A108
We will have yoga classes led by our own Ginny K. on September 7 and 21 before service at 9 a.m. in room A108. LIMIT of 15 participants. First come, first served. We release the sign-up form through our Front Steps e-news.
Please bring your own yoga mat and water bottle. Wear clothing appropriate for yoga and then join the congregation for Sunday service at 10:15 a.m.

UU Common Read Discussion
2025-09-07 12:00 - 13:30 | Eliot Chapel, 1011 SW 12th Ave, Portland, OR, 97205
Join your fellow UUs across the globe this summer in reading Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary People and their Families (Skinner House, 2023).
You can purchase this book from the Beacon Bookstore in Fuller Hall during social hour. On September 7, Dr. Amy O. and Aileen M. of our congregation will lead a discussion around the book and its topics.
The UUA states, “Through interviews and photo portraits, the subjects of this book invite readers into their real lives—their revelations, challenges, joys, and networks of support. This Common Read invites UU groups to explore the nature of living authentically and the ways connections among us help us thrive.”
Learn more about the Common Read here on the UUA’s website.

*Canceled* Grief Group
2025-09-10 14:00 - 15:30 | OR
This group has been canceled due to a scheduling conflict.
Please keep an eye out for an announcement in our Front Steps e-news for the grief group running in November and December.

Therese DesCamp Author Reading
2025-09-14 14:30 - 16:00 | Buchan Hall, 1226 SW Salmon St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
Former Portland resident and longtime author Therese DesCamp will read from her newly published book, Hands Like Roots: Notes on an Entangled Contemplative Path (Santos Books, 2025) on Sunday, September 14, at 2:30 p.m. DesCamp’s essays explore life as a contemplative firmly planted in and entwined with community. She weaves seemingly disparate topics—hydrology, cognitive linguistics, political chaos, the nature of causality, climate instability and embodiment—with the inner world of meditation and prayer, to offer an intelligent, accessible, sometimes hilarious, and always heart-opening whole. Early reviewers have called Hands Like Roots “foundational and funny, poetic and practical,” “an extraordinary work of hope in a moment that often feels completely bereft of hope,” and “essential spiritual nourishment for weary hearts.”
Sponsored by First Unitarian Beacon Bookstore, the reading will take place in the Buchan Reception Hall at First Unitarian Church in Portland from 2:30-4:00 p.m. on September 14th. Free parking is available in the church lot on 12th between Salmon and Main; entrance to the Buchan Reception Hall is on Salmon Street, between 12th and 13th.
Therese DesCamp claimed Portland as her hometown as a young adult. She spent a dozen years working as an advocate for differently-abled persons before moving to Berkeley for graduate school. Following completion of an MDiv and PhD—and a peripatetic life following jobs in California—DesCamp settled in the Kootenay Mountains of rural British Columbia, where she founded a retreat centre with her husband, George Meier. Therese was long-listed for the 2023 CBC nonfiction award, and her writing has appeared in professional journals, books, popular magazines, newspapers and online.

Supportive Housing Services (SHS) Conversation
2025-09-28 11:30 - 13:30 | Eliot Chapel, 1011 SW 12th Ave, Portland, OR, 97205
Join us for an honest, values-based conversation about what’s working—and what still needs to change—in our region’s response to homelessness.
Across Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties, people are working hard to make progress on homelessness—but that progress isn’t always visible. These small-group conversations are designed to help bridge the gap between what the public sees and the real impact of the Supportive Housing Services (SHS) program.
Laura Golino de Lovato is the Executive Director of Northwest Pilot Project (NWPP), a nonprofit organization providing housing assistance, transportation, and advocacy to very low-income seniors in Multnomah County.
Led by Laura, this conversation will offer a chance to:

Learn how the SHS program is helping connect people to housing and supportive services
Hear real stories of progress and challenge from trusted local voices
Ask questions and share your perspective in an honest, respectful space
Leave with a clearer understanding of the path forward

Whether you’re concerned, curious, frustrated, hopeful, or all of the above, you’re welcome to join the conversation. Event sponsored by COHHO (Committee on Hunger and Homelessness) and HereTogether Oregon.

*Registration Closed* Writing Life Stories
2025-09-29 10:00 - 12:00 | Buchan Hall, 1226 SW Salmon St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
We all have stories to tell — perhaps big and important events and accomplishments, or small and quiet everyday happenings that give life meaning.
Join fellow congregants to begin or continue writing the narratives of our lives. We will write together, share if desired, and create connections with one another through our stories. All levels of writing experience and those with works in progress are welcome.
Dates: September 29, October 13 and 27, and November 10
Please commit to all sessions. Class is limited to 12.
Registration is now closed!
For questions, email facilitator Jennifer O.

Know Your Rights Training
2025-09-30 18:00 - 19:00 | Virtual
A beginner’s introduction and a veteran’s refresher to the principles and practices of nonviolence, knowing your rights as a protester, and an overview of basic de-escalation techniques. Facilitated by engaging, long-time activist, and trainer Malcom Scott.

Registration required! Click here to RSVP.

The Alliance Presents "Creating Community with Those Living with Dementia"
2025-10-01 10:30 - 14:00 | Eliot Chapel, 1011 SW 12th Ave, Portland, OR, 97205
Andie Shepard will present the basics of Alzheimer’s and dementia, raising awareness of the needs of caregivers and those affected. She is the Program Manager with the Alzheimer’s Association for the Oregon and SW Washington Chapter.
Bring your lunch for after the program. Email AllianceRSVP@firstunitarianportland.org to join for the dessert ($5).

Accompaniment Workshop
2025-10-05 11:45 - 13:00 | Eliot Chapel, 1011 SW 12th Ave, Portland, OR, 97205
Please join Heather Vickery from the UU Service Committee after the service in Eliot Chapel for a workshop on “Accompaniment.” In these times, members of our community — including immigrants, trans and nonbinary kin, and houseless neighbors — are often pushed to the margins and treated as “other.” This workshop will explore how we can show up and accompany those most affected.
