Hello! We are the eight congregation members engaging in the search process for a new senior minister to replace Reverend Sinkford in the summer of 2022. Please reach out to us any time with questions, suggestions, or to voice your thoughts and hopes about the search at our email address, msc@firstunitarianportland.org. We will also be posting information regularly about online forums, small group meetings, and other avenues for conveying your ideas to us. Stay tuned.
Lia Nagase (she/her, chair) started attending First Unitarian Portland in 2018. She has been a UU since 2015, attended the Konko church of Portland before that, and grew up in the UCC. Buddhism was also a part of her life growing up. She has been active in her church communities since she was a child, from singing and playing handbells/chimes to serving on committees and Boards. She and her partner Finn (Hamill) have three children (born 2008, 2010, and 2012) who participate in and love RE. She is excited to have coordinated the start of and facilitated gatherings of the Beloved BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color) Affinity Group at church. For over a decade, she had an empowerment self-defense and violence prevention business, where she ran and taught trauma-informed classes for children, teens, and adults–including a private class that took place in the Buchan building! Lia is a singer, pianist, and songwriter and loves being lead singer of her band, Hello Love. (She misses this terribly during COVID times.) She is honored to be a part of the MSC.
Sarah Hardin (she/her) is a third-generation UU who grew up in a congregation in the Boston suburbs, and came to First Unitarian in 2014 to reconnect with her spiritual lineage. She has been involved here as a teacher in the Learning Community and a member of the younger adults group. Sarah is a mental health therapist in private practice in Portland. Along with her spouse Maggie, young daughter, and affectionate lab mix Squid, she enjoys lots of time outdoors on wilderness adventures and digging in the garden dirt. In her free time she also makes pottery and loves pretty much every artistic medium she’s ever tried.
Chris Jakel (he/him) joined First Unitarian in 1993, shortly after moving to Portland. He and his wife Alison have been singing in choir here for almost as long. He has helped out in the RE program while raising two boys, now adults; served on the committee that established a framework in the 1990s for our broad social justice program; and assisted Rev. Marilyn Sewell with research for her sermons. The latter fit particularly well with his job, answering reference questions at Multnomah County Central Library for the past 27 years. He is proud to have made a living in a public service role, which has so many parallels with UU values. Most recently, he has served on the Music Council for the last two years; and had just started offering the Downtown walking tours of our church’s history, when they were interrupted by the pandemic. Chris is a dedicated bicycle commuter and urban explorer; and enjoys Northwest hiking and (not too primitive) camping — the kind where you spend a lot of time around the campfire, singing and playing guitar.
Ruth Lewellen-Dix (she/her) is a 50-year member of First Unitarian Church of Portland. She began as a young parent of two girls who were raised in the R.E. Program. Ruth became active in Religious Education and held the position of Director of R.E. for 15 years where she restarted Children’s Chapel and Children’s Choir. After leaving the staff she served as a Lay Minister for 10 years, served on the Nominating Committee and Mosaic Restoration Committee. Ruth is a member of the Alliance where she was Co-Luncheon Coordinator and currently serves on Alliance’s Nominating Committee. She also is a 15-year member of a Covenant Group, has co-led Wellspring, and is an alto in Grace Choir. Her favorite role is that of Grandma but she also enjoys creating nature crafts, time in her garden, walking, and reading.
David Livermore (he/him) grew up attending First Unitarian Church with his mom, Janet Clemmer. In 1995, he returned with his young family and became a member. David has participated and supported the church in various ways including serving on the nominating committee, music and arts committee and supporting the youth music program, RE, and Christmas pageant. David has been singing in the church choirs for more than 20 years. In his work life, David is a hydrogeologist and geochemist working on cleaning up contaminated industrial properties. In his down time, David enjoys spending time with his wife, Laura, riding his bike, hiking, reading, brewing and drinking beer, and supporting the Thorns and Timbers.
Leslie Pohl-Kosbau (she/her) is a life-time member of First Unitarian Church Portland, and raised two sons in the Learning Community. She has served as First Unitarian Board Vice- Moderator, RE teacher and RE Chair, Adult Programs teacher and staff Programs Director, Nominations Committee and UUA Outreach Group, PNWD President, and as delegate to many General Assemblies. Current activities are: Social Justice Council, Community for Earth, Archives Committee Chair, Artwall Committee, Alliance, and the Ministerial Search Committee. She worked for Portland Parks for 37 years, starting and managing the Community Garden Program, and is Co-Chair of the Friends of Portland Community Gardens.
Saranna Weller-Filz (she/her) was raised Unitarian Universalist at First Unitarian of Portland since infancy. In addition to having wonderful memories growing up in the congregation, she has done many things including teaching in the RE program for almost ten years with ages two through five. For many years she helped in different ways with our annual Christmas pageant. She served on the intern committee for four years and was a part of the pilot program of Beloved Conversations. Then later she taught three rounds of Beloved Conversations with her husband. She met her husband, also a lifelong UU, in 1999 while they both participated in OPUS, a young adult UU summer leadership camp that was hosted in the state of Washington that year. She feels lucky to be raising her own children in the church where she was raised. Saranna has enjoyed watching her children create their own memories at First Unitarian. Her daughters have both played baby Jesus in the Christmas pageant at different times. They are currently in kindergarten and preschool. Before having her children she worked as a reading specialist. Saranna enjoys cooking, baking, and spending time at the coast with her husband and children.
Mark Woodlief (he/him) began attending First Unitarian Church in 2003. Mark first deepened his commitment as an usher, in turn co-facilitating the Friends of the Labyrinth, joining the membership committee and nominating committee. Since 2013, he has participated in three Wellspring groups, and was a delegate representing First Unitarian at the 2015 General Assembly. Mark has focused his social justice work in the Portland streets, centering, supporting, and amplifying voices of the marginalized. He currently serves First Unitarian as a lay minister.