Music Ministry Transition Team Listening Meeting with Music Ensembles
2025-03-23 11:45 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Main Sanctuary, 1211 SW Main St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
Since its inception last summer, the MMTT has been actively engaged in helping church leadership and the Interim Director of Music Ministries move our music program forward in support of the worship and communal life of our church. We’ve come to a point where we need to hear from congregants. We are scheduling three listening meetings, with more to come. Our objective is to hear your thoughts about how the music program has been evolving so far, and what you might envision for the future.
Our first meeting will be with choir members, bell ringers and other church musicians on Sunday, March 23 in the Sanctuary after the service. Then we will meet with interested congregants on Sunday, March 30 in Eliot Chapel. Our third meeting, this time with parents from the learning community, will be held on Sunday, April 13 in the Daisy Bingham room. All of these meetings will be held at 11:45 a.m. There will also be a survey for people to fill out online.
Childcare will be provided for all meetings.

Congregant Budget Meeting
2025-03-23 12:00 - 13:30 | Eliot Chapel, 1011 SW 12th Ave, Portland, OR, 97205
Join other congregants to learn about the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins on July 1. Church Finance Committee and Executive Team members will walk folks through the numbers and the basis for decisions made. This budget will be presented for the Board’s approval at their April 2 meeting and then on to our Voting Members at our May election.
Join us in Eliot Chapel or watch online. Childcare will be provided.

Matins for Lent
2025-03-24 08:30 - 09:00, 2025-03-31 08:30 - 09:00, 2025-04-07 08:30 - 09:00 | Virtual
Lent is a season for self-reflection and renewal. We invite you to Matins for Lent, a series of four quiet Zoom services to inspire you with a uniquely Unitarian perspective on the season.
Offered on Monday mornings from 8:30 to 9 a.m. on March 24 and 31, and April 7 and 14.
Through music, poetry, reflection and prayer, we will explore the metaphors of the scriptural stories as they speak to our own inner lives. Join on Zoom here.
For more information, contact Karen S.

Loving Kindness Meditation
2025-03-24 20:00 - 20:30, 2025-03-31 20:00 - 20:30, 2025-04-07 20:00 - 20:30 | Virtual
The teachings of Loving Kindness, or Metta, are about finding a path with heart. Jack Kornfield says, “It’s about undertaking a path that transforms and touches us in the center of our being. To do so is to find a way of practice that allows us to live in the world wholly and fully from our heart.”
With this Spiritual Practice, one can cultivate feelings of happiness, dispel loneliness, let go of fear and anxiety. If you are feeling stuck, this practice can help you enjoy a more compassionate life for yourself and others.
Join us on Zoom on Monday evenings to extend Loving-Kindness to yourself, to those around you and to the world.
No previous meditation practice is necessary, and new participants are always welcome. Join on an ongoing basis, or drop in as you’re able.
May we be at peace and keep our hearts open.
Contact Katie R. for more information.
Click here to join.

Connect & Reflect
2025-03-25 17:30 - 18:15, 2025-04-01 17:30 - 18:15, 2025-04-08 17:30 - 18:15 | Virtual
Join Rev. Alison Miller and Jen Thomas on the 1st & 3rd Tuesdays of most months through June from 5:30 – 6:15 p.m. on Zoom. Come share in conversation centered on the topic of the most recent sermon. Look for the discussion question during preservice slides and order of service.

*Registration Required* Journey to Articulating Your Faith
2025-03-27 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-04-10 19:00 - 21:00
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.

Vespers
2025-03-28 17:00 - 17:40, 2025-04-04 17:00 - 17:40, 2025-04-11 17:00 - 17:40 | Virtual
Our Lay Ministers will offer inspirational readings, guided meditation, and quiet music in a contemplative program at week’s end.
Congregants and visitors are invited to bring their prayer requests to be held during the service. They are received in real-time through the Zoom chat box, seen, and read aloud anonymously by the hosts. This is a time to join in prayer not only for our community but also for the world.
We look forward to sharing this time of quiet reflection with you when we are all holding so much in our hearts.
Details: Fridays, 5 – 5:40 p.m.
Join here (SAVE THIS LINK! It works every Friday.)
https://tinyurl.com/Vespers-1stU

🕯️ Sunday Worship
2025-03-30 10:15 - 11:30, 2025-04-06 10:15 - 11:30 | Main Sanctuary, 1211 SW Main St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
In-person
Sanctuary
1211 SW Main St.
Portland, OR 97205

Join us on livestream here

Children and Youth Learning Community
2025-03-30 10:15 - 11:30, 2025-04-13 10:15 - 11:30
The Learning Community, also referred to as R.E. (Religious Education), meets at 10:15 a.m. on Sunday mornings. On the first Sunday of the month, children and youth start out in the main Sanctuary for our monthly “Together Time” before moving on to their classrooms in our Eliot Center/Buchan Building, right next door to our Sanctuary building. Stop by the R.E. Information Desk in the Eliot Center if you need to register your children or youth, or have questions for us. All are welcome!
Click here to view more information about our Learning Community.

*Registration Required* Good Grief: Navigating Personal Loss
2025-03-30 11:45 - 13:15 | First Unitarian Portland
This four-session group is for folks who have experienced bereavement due to loss of a partner or close family member. We will offer a safe space for your emotions and stories. Each participant will be invited to share their grief story. We’ll discuss how grief is a sign of your love for the person who has died, provide resources, and offer a ritual of remembrance. Our approach is that grief is not something neat and tidy to ‘get over,’ but a feral thing and likely a life-long condition. Still, we’ve found that our lives have expanded to include our grief in a healthy way.
Preregistration required. Register here. Minimum enrollment six, maximum ten.
The Rev. Duane Fickeisen is a retired UU minister and grieves the loss of his wife. He facilitates a support group for retired UU clergy and partners who are grieving. Dr. Bill Yasnoff is a retired physician and grieves the loss of his first wife. He has also facilitated bereavement support groups. Both are members of First Unitarian Church.

Music Ministry Transition Team Listening Meeting with Congregants
2025-03-30 11:45 - 13:30 | Eliot Chapel, 1011 SW 12th Ave, Portland, OR, 97205

The Alliance Presents "p:ear - Homeless Youth Art Project"
2025-04-02 10:30 - 14:00 | Eliot Chapel, 1011 SW 12th Ave, Portland, OR, 97205
Antonio Camacho Martinez, program director of the organization p:ear, will present what it is, who is involved, and what they do.
To join us for a brown bag lunch & dessert ($5) following the program, email AllianceRSVP@firstunitarianportland.org.

Board Meeting
2025-04-02 19:00 - 21:00 | Buchan Hall, 1226 SW Salmon St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
The Board of Trustees meets on the first Wednesday of most months, 7 – 9 p.m. Meetings are open to congregants.
Join us in Buchan Reception Hall (B102), or click here to join on Zoom.
Meeting ID: 829 3022 3125
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Or join by phone: +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

Contemplative Practices Group
2025-04-03 13:00 - 14:30 | Channing, A101
First Thursdays in Channing (A101)
Third Thursdays in Eliot Chapel

The Contemplative Practices Group is returning! Join with us on the first and third Thursdays of the month from 1 to 2:30 p.m. to sit together in silence. Connect to your inner self as well as something bigger than yourself. Bring more peace and joy into your life, increase mindfulness and develop more perspective.
“Contemplative spirituality is about slowing down and relaxing our action, our striving, and all of our ‘doings.’ In order to ‘wake up’ to the Reality in which we are already immersed, we must slow down and gently transition ‘from doing to being.’ “ – Keith Kristich
This is a drop-in group. Any silent sitting practice is welcomed and no prior meditation experience is needed. If you would like to learn a contemplative practice for use during the group, let the facilitators know and they will meet with you half an hour before the group sit begins.
Each group meeting consists of a 20-minute meditation, a check-in on a spiritually oriented topic, and deep discussion of a poem or short reading. Facilitators are Patty C. and Ron W. They look forward to being with you!
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Patty has been a UU since childhood and has attended First Unitarian for 20 years. She has taught spiritual practice classes and been involved with Wellspring, the Labyrinth and other church programs. She learned meditation in college and has had a daily meditation practice since joining First Unitarian. She has been an active Spiritual Director since 2012.
Ron is a spiritual director and has been a lay minister, Wellspring facilitator and taught in the learning community at First Unitarian. He has maintained a centering prayer and lectio divina practice for over twenty years.

🥞 Pancake Breakfast
2025-04-06 08:45 - 10:00 | Buchan Hall, 1226 SW Salmon St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
Join us for free, delicious pancakes in Buchan Reception Hall from 8:45 to 10 a.m. on the first Sunday of the month. We will have plain, blueberry, chocolate, and blueberry-chocolate pancakes fresh off the griddle. All are welcome!
Hosted by the UU Men’s Community.

Children and Youth Learning Community: Together Time
2025-04-06 10:15 - 11:30 | Main Sanctuary, 1211 SW Main St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States

Finance Committee Meeting
2025-04-08 17:00 - 18:30 | Virtual
The Board Finance Committee meets on the second Tuesday of most months, 5 – 6:30 p.m. Meetings are open to congregants.
Click here to join on Zoom.

Communications Committee Meeting
2025-04-08 18:30 - 20:00 | Virtual
The Board Communications Committee meets on the second Tuesday of each month, 6:30 – 8 p.m. Meetings are open to congregants.
Click here to join on Zoom.

Sunday Worship: Youth Service! 🧒
2025-04-13 10:15 - 11:30 | Main Sanctuary, 1211 SW Main St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
