First Unitarian Portland

Loving Kindness Meditation
2026-03-09 20:00 - 20:30, 2026-03-16 20:00 - 20:30, 2026-03-23 20:00 - 20:30, 2026-03-30 20:00 - 20:30, 2026-04-06 20:00 - 20:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | 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.

*Registration Closed* Journey to Articulating Your Faith
2026-03-11 17:30 - 19:30, 2026-04-08 17:30 - 19:30
A Spiritual Development Opportunity for Adults of All Ages
Join Rev. Alison and Rev. Tom for an 8-session course of theological exploration and discovery. 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!
**Registration is now closed.**
Schedule: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. on November 12, December 10, January 14, February 11, March 11, April 8, May 13, and June 10.

Vespers
2026-03-13 17:00 - 17:40, 2026-03-20 17:00 - 17:40, 2026-03-27 17:00 - 17:40, 2026-04-03 17:00 - 17:40, 2026-04-10 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
2026-03-15 10:15 - 11:30, 2026-03-22 10:15 - 11:30, 2026-03-29 10:15 - 11:30, 2026-04-05 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
2026-03-15 10:15 - 11:30, 2026-03-22 10:15 - 11:30, 2026-03-29 10:15 - 11:30, 2026-04-05 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.

Neighbor-to-Neighbor Interfaith Witness at ICE
2026-03-18 14:00 - 14:45 | Portland ICE Facility, 4310 S Macadam Ave, Portland, OR, 97239, United States
Neighbor-to-Neighbor Interfaith Witness at ICE is an opportunity for faith communities to be in solidarity, declaring our moral outrage at the cruel practices of abducting community members, terrorizing communities, and separating families, in the name of an inhumane political agenda. We will demonstrate that neighbors show up for neighbors. We will be shoulder-to-shoulder to bear witness to our outrage, deepen our relationships, and build solidarity among our interfaith communities. Please dress accordingly for the weather. Please do not bring signs. We will provide whatever is needed for the ritual.

This series is supported by Together Lab, which has been organizing interfaith clergy to be a daily moral presence at the ICE facility on Macadam and at the Federal Courthouse downtown, as well as organizing neighbor-to-neighbor solidarity with teachers and families around Portland.

🌎 Ostara Ritual
2026-03-18 18:00 - 20:00 | 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, March 18, we will be celebrating Ostara, the Spring Equinox, through honoring the lessons we have learned this past winter, and sending out wishes for the coming season and reemergence of the sun. Welcome the return of light and the season of new growth with an earth-based, simple yet transformative community ritual.
Potluck to follow! Please bring your favorite dish.
Note: This event will take place in Buchan Hall. Please enter through the Salmon Street entrance (1226 SW Salmon St).

Auction Donations (3/19 - 4/6)
2026-03-19 - 2026-04-06 | Virtual
Because we bought our church property piecemeal, we have many roofs of different ages, and almost all are leaking now, causing damage to floors below. That’s why this year’s auction—CREATING CONNECTIONS: MANY BELIEFS, MANY ROOFS—wants your help to raise funds for roof repair and long-term maintenance. Consult with your friends to create an event—a group hike, a fancy dinner, your vacation home? Donations accepted online beginning March 19. Our motto is: “Bid High, Keep Dry!”
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
2026-03-19 13:00 - 14:30
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.

Vigils for Troubling Times
2026-03-24 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 Closed* Seder Luncheon
2026-03-29 12:00 - 13:30 | Buchan Hall, 1226 SW Salmon St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
You are cordially invited to our First Unitarian Seder in celebration of Passover, the Jewish holiday that symbolizes the universal human quest for liberty. Our Seder celebration will be held on Sunday, March 29 at 12:15 p.m. 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 Y., Rich S., 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 $30 each / Children $15 each
Come one and all to enjoy food, fellowship, candlelight, stories, music and more!
Registration is now closed.

The Alliance Presents “Hope in Action"
2026-04-01 10:30 - 13:00 | Eliot Chapel, 1011 SW 12th Ave, Portland, OR, 97205
Hope in Action: Supporting and Empowering Immigrant Oregonians
Join Dr. Elizabeth Aguilera, Director of Communications at Adelante Mujeres, for a conversation about how Adelante Mujeres is supporting families impacted by immigration enforcement. For nearly 25 years, Adelante Mujeres has responded to the needs of the Latine community in Washington County with urgency and compassion. Their programs are built by the community and for the community, ensuring that no matter the challenge, their families can thrive.
Bring your lunch and $5 to enjoy dessert & beverage after the program. RSVP by emailing AllianceRSVP@firstunitarianportland.org.
To watch online, join us here.

Monthly Board Meeting
2026-04-01 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]

Contemplative Practices Group
2026-04-02 13:00 - 14:30 | Channing, A101

🥞 Pancake Breakfast
2026-04-05 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.
