Homecoming Sunday was filled with energy, excitement, and people of all ages. 480 people were in-person and over 300 of you were on Boxcast, YouTube, and Facebook at the same time. And, many of you are watching throughout this week. (If you missed my opening message, here is the YouTube link beginning at the sermon: https://youtu.be/71PO8eIhQek?t=4082).   We kicked off our theme for this year, “Rooted in Relationship,” we had a rousing afterparty for homecoming, our children and youth got to meet their teachers, and we renewed our commitment to strengthening our democracy through UU the Vote. What a meaningful, moving beginning for…

Welcome to the start of a new year and a new shared ministry. This coming Sunday, September 11th at 10:30am is our homecoming, and children, youth, and adults of all ages are invited to join us in-person and online. I can’t wait to begin our first year together! It is a time of getting to know each other, of nourishing the roots of relationship, and of planting seeds for a vibrant future. Over the course of this year, I hope to find ways to spend some time with all of you whether at a worship, social event, justice event, learning…

We are getting ready for the launch of a New Year with anticipation and excitement growing. As Cassandra Scheffman, our Director of Family Ministries, shared last Sunday: “This will be the first time we are holding in-person September classes & multi-gen worships for our children since 2019.” This is something to celebrate! (Please check out her full announcement including a request for volunteers here:  https://youtu.be/n3Ejl1YNUbw?t=1085 Our upcoming Homecoming Sunday on September 11th is a community building day you will not want to miss! We are kicking off our annual spiritual theme, “Rooted in Relationship,” at the 10:30AM multigenerational worship service (in-person and online). It…

I am delighted to share that I have arrived in Portland! I am very excited to begin our work together. Here is an early report from my office in our beautiful church grounds.   I have already had the chance to meet with our staff, our board, and to enjoy Carter Smith’s last Sunday Service with us.   The staff and I are meeting to imagine and plan a year filled with opportunities for inspiration, connection, justice-making, and service. There will be lots more to share soon, but for now I will let you know that our Annual Spiritual Theme for 2022…

When I was in college, at a small state school in North Carolina, legislators in my home state were in the throes of waging a long campaign against voter participation, targeting students, among other groups. With Voter ID laws being passed and struck down in courts every few months, redistricting after redistricting, and unclear rules for absentee balloting, so many of my friends felt frustrated and out of touch with our electoral system. During the 2016 elections, it became a personal mission of mine to show up as a peer educator, and help as many people as I could to…

From Tom: The wrapping up of the church year has felt especially full this year with the calling of a new senior minister, Rev. Alison, and with saying goodbye and celebrating Rev. Bill this coming Sunday. And just around the corner is …. Summer. I’m pleased to let you know that Carter Smith, who has served us so ably this year as intern minister, will be staying on as summer minister in July and August. Carter will preach a number of the Sundays along with me and some guests. I’ll let her say more about that later in this blog.…

This will be my last “Staying Connected” blog as Senior Minister. For twelve years I have had the privilege of reflecting on events in the world and in the life of the church with you. Part of my role was to help us find both meaning and direction.  Now First Unitarian has selected a new Senior Minister who will have that privilege, and my role is simply to offer every blessing to her and to all of you as you move forward.  I find myself reflecting on the disciplines of life in religious community. We promise to be present to…

School children have been massacred.  Again. What are we called to do in response to the Texas shooting? I want to name, first, my own rage and frustration because I believe they are shared by many in our community. We seem willing to accept the regular and predictable massacre of innocent school children and grocery shoppers and movie goers and worship attenders. We now accept such massacres as normal in this “City on the Hill.” The pronouns are important here. I trust that “we,” those reading this message, are not willing to accept that death as unavoidable. But “we,” the…

We are about to embark on a covenantal relationship, which is grounded in trust and mutual support for the flourishing of our shared ministries at First Unitarian Portland. The very first step is getting to meet and to know each other.   The process of beginning to know you began with your thoughtful and dedicated Ministerial Search Team – Lia, Sarah, Chris, Ruth, David, Leslie, Saranna, and Mark. We first learned about each other in our online profiles and website, then we met on Zoom, and then finally in-person in March. We both owe them a debt of gratitude for…

“Things are not getting worse, they are being revealed…” -adrienne maree brown The leaked Supreme Court opinion promising to overturn Roe v Wade sent shock waves through our community and progressive communities across the nation. The concreteness and the aggressiveness of the language left little question about the outcome. Many of us feel this decision as a personal assault. For many it re-opens old wounds that we believed long healed. For most of us it raises fears of what will come next. I am holding especially those whose life experience is touched most directly by this decision or will be.…