If you’ve spent any time with me in the past week, you may have heard that I just began a membership at a community pottery studio in my neighborhood. I’m over the moon about it! I took a couple of classes last year, and am at a point in my skill level where I understand the basic ceramics process and just need to devote the time to practicing, over and over again. I’m sure there’s a sermon in there about patience, or discipline, but that’s not what I want to share with you today. I want to share about creativity…

March 3, 2022 UPDATES!Please note these changes/updates that differ from my February 24 blog: On March 13, there will be ONE in-person service in our Sanctuary at 11 AM.Family Worship at 10 AM will be live-stream only.          In-Person Family Worship will begin in a couple of weeks. Religious Education Classes for K-6 and YRUU will gather in person at 11 AM on March 13. February 24, 2022Like most of you, we have been tracking the sharp reduction in the number of Covid infections, hoping that trend continues and that soon First Unitarian could welcome folx back into…

Did you know that we have lay ministers in our church? Earlier this month our Alliance invited some lay ministers to talk about the program and how it tries to support congregants in need. As I write today it felt like that would be some good information to share with the larger congregation.   The lay ministry program began in the early 1990s when First Unitarian experienced rapid growth in membership and the ministers of the church needed help in offering pastoral care. In the early years it took a while for the program to develop traction. Folks didn’t quite…

A photo of pink water lilies in a pond. It reminds me of a Buddhist metaphor for the heart that can hold both compassion and wisdom. This past weekend, I had the privilege of attending a meditation retreat at Great Vow Zen Monastery with a guest teacher in the Tibetan lineage known as Lama Lekshe. I still consider myself quite new to Buddhist teachings and practices, and I struggled much over the weekend with physical discomfort. My body is not used to sitting for so long. The experience was difficult, and I can’t say I had any particular spiritual breakthroughs…

It is Groundhog Day when I write, which is usually not a day that I pay a lot of attention to. The ritual of watching the groundhog and figuring out whether it sees its shadow has always been a little confusing to me, if I’m honest. But the day had a certain resonance for me this year. As I look out my office window I look out onto a gray day and there is a gentle rain. I have to confess I’m missing the days of sunshine we were so blessed to have recently. The gray has returned. Could I…

I am finding my own relationship with Covid shifting. Perhaps you are, too. The first year or so felt like a time to hunker down and wait for Covid to pass. Fear was what I felt most…and a kind of suspension of time. Then as vaccines became available, my routine and my feelings changed. Checking vaccine status became standard operating procedure. Mask wearing in public spaces the norm. It seemed like we were moving toward the end of the pandemic. We were weary…but relief was what I felt. Plans were in place to re-open the Sanctuary. Then Delta arrived. We…

Sometimes, in group meetings, we have a check-in where we ask each other “What are you carrying with you? Is there anything you are setting aside to be present with us?” Sometimes, I’m ready to be vulnerable, and choose to share quite openly about a few of the things most noticeable in my heart. Sometimes, I share a toned-down, small snippet of it all. It never feels like there’s enough time to go through the whole list. Especially these days. What are you holding right now? On a personal level, I’m juggling many “projects” for work: coordinating co-leaders for a…

This week we are beginning work on the calendar for next church year—from fall of 2022 to summer of 2023. You may or may not know that the planning for the church year happens this far in advance. It begins with drafts about who will be preaching when, about where other major events in the life of the church will fall, about events outside the church that impact the church, like Timbers games and major downtown parades. A lot of planning goes into the life of our large church and that planning will continue through the winter and spring. Working…

I know that most of you are tracking the impact of the new Omicron Variant of the Covid Virus and the dramatically increased rates of infections that now are present even here in Portland. On Tuesday, after meeting with our Public Health Team to review the situation and assess the risks, we decided that First Unitarian will discontinue in-person worship, beginning this Sunday, January 9. The wisdom of the Public Health Team and every analysis I have read indicates that this should be a short hiatus rather than a prolonged period. One Public Health Team member mentioned 2 months. At…

Dear Beloveds, As we approach the end of 2021, and look to a new year, I’m noting the range of emotions in me: relief (that we made it through); some dread and maybe even fear (how many variants will 2022 bring, how much longer will this go on?); and maybe even some hope (will the longer this disruption lasts open up the possibility of some longer-lasting changes?). I certainly hoped we would be ending this year with the pandemic much more in the rear view mirror than it seems to be. I think the realization that this, in some form,…