First Unitarian Portland

Board Meeting
2025-03-05 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | 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)

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.

*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.

Connect & Reflect
2025-03-04 17:30 - 18:15, 2025-02-25 17:30 - 18:15, 2025-02-18 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.

Loving Kindness Meditation
2025-03-03 20:00 - 20:30, 2025-02-24 20:00 - 20:30, 2025-02-17 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.

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.

Children and Youth Learning Community: Together Time
2025-03-02 10:15 - 11:30 | 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.

🕯️ Sunday Worship
2025-03-02 10:15 - 11:30, 2025-02-23 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

🌀 Labyrinth
2025-03-02 09:30 - 12:00 | Fuller Hall, 1211 SW Main St, Portland, OR, 97205
This year, as we explore the church theme “Join the Journey,” we will have monthly opportunities to deepen our spiritual practices and focus on our inner journeys through the Labyrinth. The Labyrinth will be set up in Fuller Hall on the first Sunday of most months from 9:30 a.m. to noon.
We’re always looking for more volunteers to help us set up our sacred space and plan other labyrinth related activities throughout the year. If you’d like to volunteer, reach out to Teri.

🥞 Pancake Breakfast
2025-03-02 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.

The 2025 Sewell Lecture: A Tale of Two States
2025-03-01 15:00 - 17:30 | Main Sanctuary, 1211 SW Main St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
Tickets are required for this event. To purchase, visit our Eventbrite page.
Although Oregon is a high-access abortion state, we share a border with one of the lowest-access states in the US. That presents opportunities to partner with Idaho to understand their challenges and support initiatives within Idaho and access in Oregon – such as support for the 2026 Equal Rights for All ballot initiative. It also provides a cautionary tale because abortion was legal in Idaho until August 2022. We want to illuminate how to be in solidarity, clarify the broader connection of abortion, birth control, and gender-affirming care to overall healthcare, and find ways to join forces as a united front in opposition to a nationwide ban on abortion.
The 2025 Marilyn Sewell Social Justice Lecture will combine a production of Pro-Voice Project Abortion Diaries followed by a panel discussion with Dr. Amelia Huntsberger (OB/GYN), Jen Jackson Quintana of the Pro-Voice Project, and Yesenia Morales of Latino Network and Oregon’s Equal Rights for All Campaign.
Co-presented with Oregon Equal Rights for All Campaign & Pro-Voice Project of Idaho.
For more details and to purchase tickets, visit our Eventbrite page.

Vespers
2025-02-28 17:00 - 17:40, 2025-02-21 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

*Registration Required* Journey to Articulating Your Faith
2025-02-27 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.

Learn about Activism for Peace in the Middle East
2025-02-25 18:30 - 20:00 | Buchan Hall, 1226 SW Salmon St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
Are you disturbed by the ongoing Israeli bombardment of Gaza with over 50,000 Palestinians killed and rampant human rights violations? Are you upset about the billions of United States dollars in unconditional military aid to Israel? Were you appalled by President Trump’s call for ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza? Are you ready to learn what UUs can do to work for peace and human rights in Palestine/Israel?
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, we hope you will join us on Tuesday, February 25th to learn about Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East (UUJME) and how we can take action together. UUJME was founded in 1971 to educate and mobilize UUs to greater understanding and action for a just peace in Palestine/Israel. There are over 12 UUJME chapters with over 2,000 members.
In June of 2024, the UUA General Assembly adopted an Action of Immediate Witness (AIW) called Solidarity with Palestinians. Our work is made more urgent by the calls for ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the increase in violence and forced removal of Palestinians in the West Bank. We hope that you will join our efforts in alignment with this denominational call to action.
Join us on February 25th to learn more about UUJME and to get to know other congregants who are seeking community as we work for peace and human rights. Let us know if you are coming, or if you can’t come but want to stay informed, by filling out this RSVP.

Finance Committee / Rescheduled from Feb. 11
2025-02-25 17:00 - 18:30 | OR
Click here to join on Zoom.

Celebration of Life for Martha Westgate
2025-02-24 16:00 - 17:30 | Virtual
A celebration of life for long-time member Martha Westgate will be held on February 24, which would have been her 90th birthday. Martha died on May 31, 2024. She was one of the founding members of our church’s 7th Principle Group, now called Community for Earth. Martha and her husband John were active members of our church for many decades. The service will be held online at 4 p.m. so relatives in West Virginia and California can attend. Sign up here to receive a link for the service.

Gordon Ware Memorial
2025-02-23 14:00 - 17:00 | Eliot Chapel, 1011 SW 12th Ave, Portland, OR, 97205
A memorial will be held for member Gordon Ware on Sunday, February 23, at 2 p.m. in Eliot Chapel, with a reception to follow at 3:30 p.m. in Buchan Reception Hall.
Longtime member Gordon Ware died on December 8 after a lengthy struggle with Alzheimer’s at the age of 83. Gordon was a physicist, an architect, and an artist. Even after he lost the ability to speak, he continued to express himself, including through painting up until his last weeks of life.

Children and Youth Learning Community
2025-02-23 10:15 - 11:30, 2025-02-16 10:15 - 11:30 | OR

Contemplative Practices Group
2025-02-20 13:00 - 14:30 | OR
First Thursdays in Channing (A101)
Third Thursdays in Classroom A108

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 and Ron. They look forward to being with you!
—
Patty has been a UU since childhood and has attended First Church 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 Church. 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 Church. He has maintained a centering prayer and lectio divina practice for over twenty years.

Good Times Book Group: Origin, a Genetic History of the Americas by Jennifer Raff
2025-02-18 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.

Office CLOSED
2025-02-17 | OR
The office will be closed on this date in observance of Presidents’ Day.

Membership Orientation Series: UU History
2025-02-16 12:15 - 13:30 | OR
Journey into the past with our assistant minister, Danielle Garrett, and Jen Thomas as we discuss:

The history of Unitarian Universalism
Our church’s history as a UU congregation

Come with us to explore our past and how it connects to our present.

Sign-ups through Front Steps are requested but not mandatory. Drop-ins are welcome.
Keep an eye out for announcements in the Front Steps E-news and on our website.

Climate Teach-in: Acting to Address Climate Change
2025-02-16 11:45 - 14:00 | Buchan Hall, 1226 SW Salmon St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
Learn the latest on climate related legislation in Oregon from 350PDX. This teach-in is open to anyone who wants to learn how to talk to their legislator!
A light lunch will be served.
