First Unitarian Portland

Drop-In Parenting Circle
2026-05-10 11:45 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Join our community of parents and caregivers. Share stories and wisdom, and take time to explore spiritual reflection. Long-time families and new folks are welcome. Meets most months from September to June. Childcare provided. Drop-ins welcome.

Children and Youth Learning Community
2026-05-10 10:15 - 11:30, 2026-05-03 10:15 - 11:30, 2026-04-26 10:15 - 11:30, 2026-04-19 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.

🕯️ Sunday Worship
2026-05-10 10:15 - 11:30, 2026-05-03 10:15 - 11:30, 2026-04-26 10:15 - 11:30, 2026-04-19 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

Vespers
2026-05-08 17:00 - 17:40, 2026-05-01 17:00 - 17:40, 2026-04-24 17:00 - 17:40, 2026-04-17 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

Contemplative Practices Group
2026-05-07 13:00 - 14:30 | Channing, A101
First Thursdays in Channing (A101)
Third Thursdays in Eliot Chapel

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. Facilitator is Patty C. We 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.

Monthly Board Meeting
2026-05-06 19:00 - 21:00 | Buchan Hall, 1226 SW Salmon St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
Congregants are welcome to join us in person (Buchan Reception Hall) or on Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82930223125?pwd=[REDACTED]

The Alliance Presents "What Happens When Suffering Meets Compassion"
2026-05-06 10:30 - 13:00 | Eliot Chapel, 1011 SW 12th Ave, Portland, OR, 97205
Come listen to Portland filmmaker Andrew Hinton talk about his short documentary film “Tashi and the Monk” and his journey to northern India to see how loving kindness is changing the lives of children. Showing with a discussion to follow. After the talk, Andrew will send us the link for a follow-up to the short film to see Tashi 12 years later. How can we bring the message of compassion to help heal the world?
Catered luncheon ($30) to follow the program. Email the Alliance here to RSVP for the payment link.
To watch online, join us here.

Loving Kindness Meditation
2026-05-04 20:00 - 20:30, 2026-04-27 20:00 - 20:30, 2026-04-20 20:00 - 20:30, 2026-04-13 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.

🥞 Pancake Breakfast
2026-05-03 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.

🌎 Beltane Ritual
2026-04-29 18:00 - 19:00 | Buchan Hall, 1226 SW Salmon St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
Join Rev. Charlotte Cramer for a series of earth-based rituals following the Wheel of the Year. These rituals will be simple and accessible to all, rooted in the earth and human experience, and for any faith background or belief system. Click here for more information about the full series.
On Wednesday, April 29, we will be celebrating the fullness of spring, your goals for the summer, and the joy of togetherness!
Note: This service will take place in Buchan Hall. Please enter through our Salmon Street entrance at 1226 SW Salmon St.

Rumble on the River Data Centers Forum
2026-04-28 17:30 - 20:00 | Main Sanctuary, 1211 SW Main St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
As a follow up to our Sewell Lecture about AI as a Tool for Oppression and for Resistance & Liberation, First Unitarian is hosting a session on data centers in Oregon. Aside from providing limited long-term employment opportunities and receiving tax breaks, data centers demand extreme amounts of water, energy and land.
The excellent panel includes Klickitat Chief Wilbur Slockish, John DeVoe from WaterWatch, Kaleb Lay from Oregon Rural Action, Nellie McAdams from Oregon Agricultural Trust, Kelsey Shaw Nakama from Tualatin Riverkeepers, and Jody Wiser from Tax Fairness Oregon. Moderator: Barbara Bernstein, Filmmaker and host of KBOO Radio’s Locus Focus.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for tabling. Session begins at 6:30 p.m.

Vigils for Troubling Times
2026-04-28 17:30 - 18:10 | Virtual
Are you struggling to cope with the daily news and events in these dark days? We invite you to join Vigils for Troubling Times, a quiet service of music, poetry, readings, reflection, and meditation offered on Zoom.
Beginning on Tuesday, February 24, from 5:30 – 6:10 p.m. on Zoom, we will gather in community for lament, solace, inspiration and hope. The series will continue on the 4th Tuesday of each month through June.
Click here to join.

*Registration Required* Good Grief: Navigating Personal Loss
2026-04-26 11:45 - 13:15, 2026-04-19 11:45 - 13:15
In this four-session class for people who are grieving the loss of a close family member, we will explore the nature of grief, offer the opportunity to share your own grief story, and conduct a ritual of remembrance. We will offer suggestions for coping with significant anniversaries and holidays. Resources will be provided.
There is no cost, but pre-registration is required. Register here. There is a limit of ten participants.
The group is facilitated by the Rev. Duane Fickeisen and Dr. Bill Yasnoff. Both are members of First Unitarian and have personal experience with being widowed and in facilitating grief groups.
Questions can be emailed to either Duane or Bill. Registrants will receive confirmation and the room location at First Unitarian a week or so before the first gathering.

Dates: April 12, 19, and 26, and May 17.
Timing: 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.

Address: Eliot Center/Buchan Building

2026 Sewell Social Justice Lecture: AI as a Tool for Oppression and for Resistance & Liberation
2026-04-25 13:00 - 16:30 | Main Sanctuary, 1211 SW Main St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
Sylvester Johnson explores AI as a force that can entrench systemic control or catalyze human agency. Lecture 1pm; Optional Workshop 3pm.
Register here!

AI as a Tool for Oppression and for Resistance & Liberation:
Lecture: 1-2:30 pm
Join us in person to explore how AI can be both a force of control and a powerful ally in the fight for freedom. Dr. Johnson will dive into the ways technology shapes society, from surveillance to activism, and discuss how to harness AI for positive change.
Optional Workshop: 3-4:30 pm
Please join us for Dr. Johnson’s optional workshop after the lecture. We’ll explore more deeply the implications of AI for social justice and identify ways to take action in our communities.
Summary:
AI introduces profound risks to privacy, the integrity of information, and collective well-being. We will critically examine the tension between state-sponsored surveillance, which poses an existential threat to civil liberties, and the rise of democratized civic technology fueled by the plummeting costs of computing and expanding access to information. Ultimately, Dr. Johnson details the building of an automated infrastructure of oppression and how we can leverage these powerful tools to create a new era of resistance and liberation.

FUSE Forum: We All Need a Village
2026-04-19 11:45 - 13:30 | Buchan Hall, 1226 SW Salmon St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
We All Need a Village: Weaving Community as We Age
Join panelists from NW Villages to discuss aging in place and solo aging. Snacks & beverages provided.
First Unitarian’s Senior Engagement (FUSE) works to increase meaningful connections, help members experiencing loneliness, and enhance the spiritual well-being and centeredness of members.

Auction Bidding (4/19 - 5/3)
2026-04-19 - 2026-05-03 | Virtual
The Auction Is Coming!!! The Auction is Coming!!! Donations start March 19 and continues through April 6. The Auction’s online bidding starts April 19 and ends May 3. More news to follow in later Front Steps editions. Stay tuned.

Contemplative Practices Group
2026-04-16 13:00 - 14:30
