First Unitarian Portland

Children and Youth Learning Community: Together Time
2025-03-02 10:15 - 11:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Main Sanctuary, 1211 SW Main St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
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.

Considering Membership
2025-03-02 11:45 - 13:00 | Channing, A101
Are you ready to deepen your connection with our faith community? Are you interested in making a deeper commitment to First Unitarian Church? Then please join Rev. Alison Miller and Jen Thomas, Member Engagement Coordinator, at our “Considering Membership” class on March 2! This class is designed for anyone considering taking the next step towards membership. It’s a wonderful opportunity to:

Ask questions about membership and stewardship
Receive necessary paperwork
Learn more about the membership process and if ready, you can sign the membership record book!

The decision to become a member is a very individual one, and we want to provide you with all the information you need to make an informed choice.
We would love to have you join our journey in membership! For more information, please contact Jen Thomas.

Loving Kindness Meditation
2025-03-03 20:00 - 20:30, 2025-03-10 20:00 - 20:30, 2025-03-17 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
2025-03-04 17:30 - 18:15, 2025-03-11 17:30 - 18:15, 2025-03-18 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* How Do We Protect Immigrants in Our Community? Part 2
2025-03-04 19:00 - 20:30 | Virtual
This second session in our three-part series will focus on legislative advocacy. We want to be informed, prepared, and ready for action, as the Oregon legislative session progresses. Through an anti-racist lens, we will explore strategic ways we can act in solidarity to promote and defend the rights and human dignity of immigrants and other marginalized communities in our state.
We are excited to host these outstanding panelists: Ricki Ruiz, District 50 Oregon State Representative; Ira Cuello-Martinez, Policy and Advocacy Director of Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN); and Jessica Maravilla, Policy Director of the ACLU of Oregon.
Register here by March 4 at 5 p.m. to receive the Zoom link on the day of the event.
It’s not too late to see Part 1! On January 28, more than 150 people participated in the first session, which featured informational presentations by VOZ Workers’ Rights Education Project, Innovation Law Lab, and Oregon for All Coalition. The recording of that session is available here on YouTube.

The Alliance Presents "Breaking A Bad Law: The Relevance of Abortion History in the U.S."
2025-03-05 10:30 - 14:00 | Eliot Chapel, 1011 SW 12th Ave, Portland, OR, 97205
Judith Arcana is a Jane, a member of the Chicago abortion underground in the late 1960s through early 1970s, and a long-time abortion provider prior to Roe v. Wade.
To join us for a brown bag lunch & dessert ($5) following the program, email AllianceRSVP@firstunitarianportland.org.

Board Meeting
2025-03-05 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
2025-03-06 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.

Vespers
2025-03-07 17:00 - 17:40, 2025-03-14 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

Workshop: Successful Transitions in Aging
2025-03-08 08:00 - 12:00 | Buchan Hall, 1226 SW Salmon St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
A Process of Personal Introspection and Practical Planning
Aging is inevitably a time of slowing down and presents us with unique challenges. Yet aging is also a time ripe with possibilities for change and growth. Folks of any age are invited to join the UU Men’s Community for a half-day workshop which will be presented in two parts: First, we will connect with one another, exploring our hopes, fears and strategies for making the most of the years still ahead of us. Second, we will look at the nuts and bolts of estate planning and end-of-life health decisions. Cathy Hall, member of the board of directors of the Oregon Memorial Association, will join us to describe the services OMA provides. She will include an overview of OMA’s comprehensive end-of-life planning workshop, All’s Well That Ends Well, which is offered monthly.

🕯️ Sunday Worship
2025-03-09 10:15 - 11:30, 2025-03-16 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
2025-03-09 10:15 - 11:30, 2025-03-16 10:15 - 11:30 | OR

*Registration Required* Good Grief: Navigating Personal Loss
2025-03-09 11:45 - 13:15, 2025-03-16 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.

Drop-In Community & Parenting Circle
2025-03-09 11:45 - 14:00 | Daisy Bingham Room, 1011 SW 12th Ave, Portland, OR, 97205
Drop in for discussion on the month’s theme.
All are welcome to join for discussion and engagement! Great opportunity to meet folks and enjoy time together. You are welcome to bring your Souper Sunday soup or other lunch. Childcare is provided.

Michael Wade Memorial
2025-03-09 14:00 - 17:00 | Eliot Chapel, 1011 SW 12th Ave, Portland, OR, 97205
Member Michael Wade died on November 4, 2024, at the age of 73. He was diagnosed with cancer about 10 months prior and his illness progressed quickly. Michael was active in our Economic Justice Action Group here along with other groups. Toward the end Michael said “I guess my ride is here…” Michael leaves his wife, Elizabeth, son Alex, and daughter Catherine.
Join us in Eliot Chapel for the service at 2 p.m., followed by a reception in Buchan Reception Hall.

Finance Committee Meeting
2025-03-11 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.

*Moved to March 18* Finance Committee Meeting
2025-03-11 17:00 - 18:30 | Virtual
RESCHEDULED TO MARCH 18. 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
2025-03-11 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.

*Registration Required* Journey to Articulating Your Faith
2025-03-13 19:00 - 21:00 | 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.

"No Place to Grow Old" Documentary Screening
2025-03-16 12:00 - 14:30 | Buchan Hall, 1226 SW Salmon St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
Filmed in Portland and hosted by COHHO, First Unitarian’s Shower Project, and WeShine, “No Place to Grow Old” is a poignant documentary that sheds light on the growing crisis of senior homelessness in America. It’s a call to action and a reminder that homelessness is not just an issue for the young or the forgotten. It’s a problem that affects us all in the Portland area and beyond. The film’s producer and founder of Humans for Housing, Michael Larson, will be present as will representatives from COHHO, our Shower Project, and WeShine.
Watch the trailer and prepare to be moved. Pizza and cookies will be served. $10 donation requested. PLEASE RSVP!
WeShine designs, builds, and operates neighborhood-based micro-villages that provide safe, transitional shelter and services where vulnerable, unsheltered adults in the Portland metropolitan area can live as they prepare to become successful tenants in permanent, affordable housing.

Finance Committee Meeting / Rescheduled from March 11
2025-03-18 17:00 - 18:30 | Virtual
Rescheduled from March 11. The Board Finance Committee usually meets on the second Tuesday of most months, 5 – 6:30 p.m. Meetings are open to congregants.
Click here to join on Zoom.

Good Times Book Group: The Secret Life of Sunflowers by Martin Molan
2025-03-18 19:00 - 20:30 | Virtual
We meet by Zoom from 7 – 8:30 pm. Please contact Sue L. to get on the email list for Zoom links.
