Join Us for WorshipSunday, October 3, 2021
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Family Service at 10 a.m.
Sanctuary Service at 11 a.m.
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The Greatest of These
Rev. Bill Sinkford
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Liberal theology has come to center on “Love.” We name our faith in love’s power and find hope in love’s presence. It is a lot to ask of love. What does love ask of us, in order to make the blessings of love real?
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Staying Connected BlogWelcome Rain
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What a blessing the rain has been this month. First the weekend before last and then again earlier this week. It seemed as if our long hot summer had taken an extraordinary toll all around us. Everywhere I’d look, the earth had just gotten kind of brittle. Maybe that’s why the rain feels so long overdue.
And I think that my spirit has also needed the rain. Perhaps it has also felt a little parched. I notice that when it rains through the night I seem to sleep a little more soundly. Walking outside the next morning everything feels washed and cleansed. Amid these days of uncertainly, maybe something so cleansing was very much in order...continued.
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Family WorshipWhat is Love?
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Join us for Family Worship this Sunday as we bring out the Wonder Box to introduce our new spiritual theme for the month of October.Â
Love is something we can feel and experience―perhaps more intensely than anything else―but it can often be difficult to explain. Cassandra will open the Wonder Box and share a story. Dustin will offer our music, and Rev. Tom will lead us in lovingkindness meditation. Â
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NEW! - The History of the Community Organization SOLVE: Taking Care of Oregon
Wednesday, October 6, 10:30 a.m.
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All are invited to the Alliance Program, with featured speaker Jaclyn Sisto-Lopez from SOLVE Oregon.
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NEW AND IN-PERSON! - All Hallow's Eve/Samhain Celebration and Reflection
Sunday, October 31, 3-5 p.m., Mt. Tabor Pavilion
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Join intern minister, Carter Smith, for an in-person pagan New Year celebration, more commonly known as All Hallow’s Eve or Samhain. This outdoor gathering will be a space for altar building, reflection upon the wisdom of deep autumn, and connection with beloved dead who we may feel near us.
in-personIn addition to warm clothes and warm hearts, bring images or objects that remind you of those you want to remember, or that connect you to this season. It will be a time of togetherness and spiritual exploration underneath Mt. Tabor’s beautiful tree canopy. Advance registration required.Â
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NEW! - Virtual Blessing of the Animals Service
Sunday, October 3, at 1 p.m.
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The national Unitarian Universalist Animal Ministry invites you to participate in the annual online Blessing of the Animals with featured guest speaker Hereditary Chief Phil Lane, Jr., an enrolled member of the Ihanktowan Dakota and Chickasaw Nations", as well as music, multimedia presentations, and other speakers.
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| | Upcoming Events, Workshops & Classes
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NEW! - March & Rally for Reproductive Rights
Saturday, October 2, at 11 a.m.Â
Where: Revolution Hall (1300 SE Stark St.)
All are invited to wear teal in solidarity. ASL Interpretation will be provided as well as a reserved seating area for mobility access.
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Logistics: Folding chairs if you need it for the rally. At 12 p.m. there will be a 1.5-mile march loop on relatively flat and smooth terrain. The march route is not announced as it is not permitted. Vendors will be set up at the rally location for those who will not do the march.
Please wear your masks to keep yourself and others safe, and have water and snacks available. Join the After Party and fundraiser for Perception TRANSformed and the Lilith Fund.
Learn: For more learning about reproductive rights and its intersection with racial, economic and electoral justice, check out the September 28 episode of The Takeaway Podcast.
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Antiracism Learning Circles
Join a cohort!
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Learning Circles provide a supportive place to grapple personally and deeply with racism and white supremacy and help inform how we can take action for antiracism in our lives. These are small discussion groups based on a book or a podcast. Some meet weekly and some less often.
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What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat
Thursdays, October 14 through November 18 // 7 - 8:30 p.m.
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“Love us enough to take a hard look not just at how you’ve been hurt by anti-fatness, but how you’ve been complicit in it. Love us enough to do a little bit better.” – Aubrey Gordon
Body Liberation is a part of our anti-oppression work and our commitment to the 8th Principle. Body Liberation is a movement to change cultural paradigms which tell us that some bodies are more acceptable and deserving of love and care than others. We know in our hearts that this is not true, don’t we? Then how do we confront the hurt that body judgement has caused us individually, and how do we recognize our unconscious biases so we do not harm others...continue reading.
Registration required.
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Vesper Prayer ServiceFriday's at 5 p.m.
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End your week with a brief quiet time of prayer, reflection, meditation and music offered by our Lay Ministers. Let this be a pause at the end of the week, to receive and to be held in love, without the need to converse. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link. An ongoing commitment is not required.
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Program ResourcesAdult Programs, Social Justice, Learning Community, Music & Arts
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Loving Kindness Meditation
Mondays at 8 - 8:30 p.m.
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Join us for a moment each week to extend Loving-Kindness to yourself, to those around you and to the world. Surround yourself in the blessings from those who have loved you and those who love you now. With this Meditation, over time, one can cultivate feelings of happiness and dispel loneliness, while letting go of fear and anxiety. No previous meditation experience necessary. An ongoing commitment is not required.
Facilitated by Pat Malone, Katie Radditz and Steven Storla.
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Portland Homeless Family Solutions
Friday, October 8 // 5:30 p.m.
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Portland Homeless Family Solutions (PHFS) will host their annual Family Reunion fundraiser virtually this year (see their events page). Virtual guests will go behind the scenes and hear intimate stories from families and staff to learn the impact of their work.Â
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Art for Social JusticeThe Speaking of Justice Editorial Team offers weekly art to deepen our connection to the work for social justice and building the Beloved Community.Â
Curated by Ethel Gullette, Speaking of Justice Editorial Team
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Nina Simone - Feeling Good
Fortifying Simone’s legacy, “Feeling Good” depicts generations of Black joy and boundless self-expression. Nina challenged boundaries and throughout her career, encouraged empowered expressions of Black culture and beauty.
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In the Community
Virginia Archer and Josh Peak, friends of the church, were married on September 24 at a small ceremony with family and friends in White Salmon, Washington. Carter Smith, our intern minister, officiated.
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NEW! - 7x7 Art Galleries Present "FootPrints: Immigration/Migration--Memory, Reality, Responsibility"
Sunday, October 3 and 10 // 1 - 4p.m.
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The 7X7 Art Galleries are a consortium of art galleries in seven downtown Portland churches, including First Unitarian Portland, which supports the work of artists and celebrates the creative spirit through art exhibitions. This is your opportunity to take a downtown walking tour of the current exhibit, “FOOTPRINTS: Immigration/Migration.” Galleries and their addresses are listed on the FOOTPRINTS brochure also linked on the church website. Start wherever you wish and end wherever you must. This is a self-guided tour.
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COMMUNITY NEED! - Help a Family with Meals
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A family new to our church could use some help with meals. Heather and Naas recently moved here from out of state and Nass is in treatment for an aggressive cancer. Some good friends of theirs who are active in the church reached out to see if folks from the church could help.
Heather and Nass live in outer SE. Their friends, who could take meals to them, live in close in SW.
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Our church year started with Homecoming Sunday on September 12. Though we all had hoped we would be back together, we find ourselves starting our second year as a virtual church. In the last few weeks, a group of Lay Ministers and volunteers has been calling congregants to see how everyone is doing. As you might expect, there is a wide range of experiences and feelings in our community. The one constant we have heard is that everyone understands that continuing to be cautious is the right decision for the church. The Board is grateful for all the volunteers who are keeping us in touch...continued.
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Naming First Unitarian Foundation in Your Will or Estate PlanHelp assure the long-term sustainability of this beloved congregation by including First Unitarian Portland in your will or estate plan.
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Have a Submission for E-News?If you have a church-related submission you would like published in our weekly Front Steps (E-News), please submit it here with subject line “For E-News.”
Submission deadline is noon on Tuesdays.
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Sunday Live StreamÂ
& Social Schedule
Join us LIVE from your computer or smart device by clicking on the links below. Â
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October Shared Plate
For the month of October, we share our plate with Honor the Earth, a Native organization who provides financial and organizing support to Native environmental initiatives. Honor the Earth works closely with other women-led Indigenous groups fighting to Stop Line 3 tar sands oil pipeline.Â
Honor the Earth creates awareness and support to Native environmental issues and develops needed financial and political resources for the survival of sustainable Native Communities. Honor the Earth develops these resources by using music, the arts, the media, and Indigenous wisdom to ask people to recognize our joint dependency on the Earth and be a voice for those not heard.
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Want to know what this church has to offer? Show up for events/classes/socials and  stay engaged!
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Trying to find connection with those in the congregation with similar interests?
Contact one of the many groups run by members of the church and connect.
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