🥞 Pancake Breakfast at 8:45 a.m. 🥞
🌀 Labyrinth at 9:30 a.m. 🌀
Sunday Worship at 10:15 a.m.
Children & youth start in the Sanctuary at 10:15 a.m. then head to RE classes. Nursery and toddler care available during worship.
Social Hour:Â Buchan Hall after the service.
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Happy New Year! Our overarching spiritual theme of the year is “Weaving Community,” and this month we are focused on the topic of creation. As Unitarian Universalists, one of our main sources of wisdom is woven from humanist teachings, including what we learn from the sciences and the natural world. How does the scientific creation story, the Big Bang, which leads to our very existence, inspire us to lead lives of meaning and purpose?
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Welcome to a New Year at First Unitarian Portland! It is a first Sunday of the month, which is a great time to join us in person. And, of course, we are delighted to host you online as well.
- There will be community building time before the worship with a pancake breakfast in Buchan at 8:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
- Our Learning Community second semester kicks-off again this Sunday, so it is a great time to invite friends and neighbor’s children and youth to check us out. You can register for the Learning Community here. (Children and Youth start in worship at 10:15 a.m., and then head to classes and youth group.)
- Our Labyrinth will be in Fuller starting at 9:30 a.m. and following the service. Share in a New Year’s ritual of turning through the twists of the labyrinth to mark the turning of the year. Hold a question in your heart and listen for any answers that appear on the journey.Â
We look forward to seeing you here on Sunday.Â
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NEW! — Gathered Voices for the New Year
This Sunday only, January 4, 8:45 a.m.
Location: Main Sanctuary
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To mark the first Sunday of the year, we invite all who enjoy singing to join our voices as the New Year Community Choir. Meet in the Main Sanctuary at 8:45 a.m. to learn the music for the morning’s service.
Come as you are. Sing just once. No commitment beyond this Sunday morning.
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NEW! — Pancake Breakfast
Sunday, January 4, 8:45 - 10 a.m.
Location: Buchan Hall
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Join us for complimentary, delicious pancakes in Buchan Hall from 8:45 to 10 a.m. on the first Sunday of the month. Our scrumptious plain, blueberry, chocolate, and blueberry-chocolate pancakes are fresh off the griddle. All are welcome!
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First Steps Class on January 4
Sunday, January 4, 11:45 a.m.
Location: Channing Room
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Please join us for January's First Steps tour and orientation to First Unitarian Portland this Sunday, January 4, at 11:45 a.m. We will meet in Channing Room A101 to get to know each other, learn a little about First Unitarian Portland, and take a tour of the campus.
Session will conclude by 1 p.m.
If you need directions on location of the room, stop by the Welcome Desk or First Connections table or ask anyone wearing a rainbow lanyard. They will happily guide you.
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NEW! — Bookstore Table in Buchan This Sunday
Sunday, January 4, during social hour
Location: Buchan Hall
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Happy New Year Bookstore Friends! We’ll be in the Buchan Atrium this first Sunday in 2026 – as we are the first Sunday in each month. Our little blank notebooks are in stock in a rainbow of colors for $2 each. Just the right thing for your resolutions or your to-do lists!
You’ll also find a variety of good reads and inspirational books. Note that the new edition of the First Unitarian T-shirts are stocked in the Fuller Bookstore. They are a great hunter green with a new graphic on the back. Adult sizes XS – XXL. Still a few of the navy blue shirts left. We’ll be open in Fuller Hall on January 11.
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The Alliance Presents "Weaving Community with Ukrainians"
Wednesday, January 7, 10:30 a.m.
Location: Eliot Chapel
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Join Rick and Maxine Lathrop, Global Service Corps Ukraine Program founders and 1st U members, for a community gathering with other Alliance members and virtually with their friends in Ukraine who participate in their Drop-in Café Conversation Clubs. Hear their story of the Ukraine Program, listen as Alliance and Ukrainian participants share their experiences, and enjoy a chance to connect directly with Ukrainians. What began as wartime support has grown into a vibrant community of friendship across the miles.
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Neighbor-to-Neighbor Interfaith Witness at ICE
Wednesday, January 7, 2 - 2:45 p.m.
Location:Â Next to the ICE building, at the intersection of SW Moody & SW Bancroft
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Neighbor-to-Neighbor Interfaith Witness at ICE is an opportunity for faith communities to be in solidarity, declaring our moral outrage at the cruel practices of abducting community members, terrorizing communities, and separating families, in the name of an inhumane political agenda. We will demonstrate that neighbors show up for neighbors. We will be shoulder-to-shoulder to bear witness to our outrage, deepen our relationships, and build solidarity among our interfaith communities. Please dress accordingly for the weather. Please do not bring signs. We will provide whatever is needed for the ritual.
This series is supported by Together Lab, which has been organizing interfaith clergy to be a daily moral presence at the ICE facility on Macadam and at the Federal Courthouse downtown, as well as organizing neighbor-to-neighbor solidarity with teachers and families around Portland.
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NEW! — Writing Life Stories: Trying New Approaches
Mondays, Jan. 12 & 26, and Feb. 9 & 23, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Location: First Unitarian
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Why join a writing group? Maybe you’ve been trying to make sense of the confusing event in your past or a puzzling family member. Maybe you want to write down and self-publish family stories to share with family and friends. Maybe writing stretches your brain and you like the feeling. Our general process will be to use an idea or prompt that inspires us to write for 10 to 15 minutes, followed by reading aloud to the group (you’ll have an option to pass). All levels of experience are welcome. Please commit to all four sessions. Facilitated by Suzanne K.
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NEW! — Special Welcome to New Families
Rev. Leah Ongiri, Acting Director of Lifespan Faith Formation & Family Ministries
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Around the Church
Enjoyed coming to gatherings at First Unitarian Portland? Consider contributing to sustaining our community. Your support goes a long way in fostering meaningful connections. Thank you!
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Did you take any pictures at our Christmas Eve or Pageant services, or any other First U events? We'd love to see them!
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Our K-1st grade RE class is creating a village of designed and decorated cardboard boxes big enough for children to play in. Appliance sized or similar is perfect. If you have one or more to donate, please bring to room A200 on Sunday mornings.
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CHECK WEEKLY — January 4 Newsletter
Rev. Leah Ongiri, Acting Director of Lifespan Faith Formation and Family Ministries
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Happy 2026! Let us welcome the new year with love and intention as we weave community here at church. Thank you for trusting us by being a part of it all. Â
If your child[ren] or youth are enrolled in OWL, you should have gotten an email reminder about this Sunday's required family meeting. See you then and there!
If you're new, come check us out! This is a great time to visit and get plugged in...MORE
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As we reflect on two years of the 13 Salmon Shower Project, we are overwhelmed with gratitude for the compassion of this congregation. Together, we've provided a safe space for showers, clean clothes, and connection for more than 2,000 of our unhoused neighbors.
Winter is here, bringing a harsh reality for those without housing. These three essentials can help protect our guests from the cold:
- Beanies / knitted hats (black or gray preferred)
- Warm gloves
- Men's sweatpants (small & med)
Drop off your items in the marked cabinet in Fuller Hall during church hours or during Shower Project hours (Wednesdays and Thursdays between noon and 4 p.m. at 13th and Salmon). Thank you for your support! Starting on Sunday, November 30, these gifts can be delivered to the Giving Trees located in the Sanctuary lobby and Buchan atrium.
If you’d like to offer a financial contribution directly to the Shower Project, please donate here.
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Food Insecurity During the Holidays
Location:Â COHHO bins in Fuller Hall
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Even before the recent government shutdown, our systems were straining. When SNAP payments halted, thousands of neighbors suddenly lost the support they were told they could rely on. It was a stark reminder: federal systems can falter, but our community continues to care for one another. Each month brings new challenges for neighbors simply trying to keep food on the table.
At this year-end giving season, we invite you to consider the following... your generosity keeps food at the center for food-insecure neighbors. When you give, you're doing much more than filling a pantry shelf. You're helping to strengthen someone's health, to stabilize someone's housing, and to build someone's sense of community.
What and how can you give? First things first - go gleaning in your kitchen cupboards! You might have some shelf-stable jars, cartons or boxes that you forgot you had or don’t intend to consume. Donate them to Lift UP. Just put them in the COHHO cabinets under the clock in Fuller Hall; we’ll deliver them to Lift UP. Secondly, when you shop for groceries, buy extra pasta, nut butter, almond milk, or soup cartons to put in those COHHO cabinets. Lastly, consider making a financial donation to Lift UP (or the Oregon Food Bank). They can purchase in bulk and make your money go farther than you can.
However you can contribute during this especially challenging holiday season, we thank you. Every small act strengthens the foundation beneath us all.
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CHECK WEEKLY — Art for Social Justice
Curated by Ethel G., Speaking of Justice Editorial Team
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The Speaking of Justice Editorial Team offers weekly art to deepen our connection to the work for social justice and to build the Beloved Community.
Naomi Shihab Nye is a Palestinian American poet, children’s author, essayist, and educator whose work often revolves around her upbringing and experiences as an Arab American. Naomi Shihab Nye's poetry often uses everyday life to explore cultural issues and connections between diverse people.
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In the Community
The McKinney Bock family shares the hard news that Dan’s father Edward Bock (Ed to friends and Pappy to the grandchildren) died on Saturday, December 27, in Colorado. Dan is there now, while the rest of the family is home in Portland. They appreciate being able to share this grief with us all.Â
Member Julie Grice reports she made good progress in the hospital last week. She plans to move to rehab this week and continue her progress. Julie says she had a good Christmas and is grateful for the people from church who have visited her, including some carolers.
Killian Mustain, grandson of member Barbara Morrison, married Shalyn Hockett on December 17 in Kenmare, Ireland. Killian had previously been a part of the RE program. Barbara and her partner Dave Kovich were able to attend the wedding. We wish the couple much happiness!
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- Contact a Minister: Our ministers are available for pastoral support to congregants in need and to officiate at rites of passages including memorial services and weddings. Call the church office at 503-228-6389, or send an email.
- Contact a Lay Minister: Lay Ministers support the pastoral work of the ministerial staff. They are church members who offer one-to-one caring and support for folks in times of need. Call the church office at 503-228-6389, or send an email. You can learn more here.
- Friend to Friend Outreach Program: This program provides connection to seniors and individuals who may be homebound and unable to attend church regularly. It offers members up to four in-person visits per year from a Lay Minister. Send an email to Lay Minister Steve K.
- Lotsa Helping Hands Support Network: This care calendar enables volunteers to provide meals or visits for congregants going through challenging times. For support or questions, email coordinator Leslie C. To volunteer, send a request here.
- Join an Affinity or Support Group:Â Build community through our identity-based affinity groups and experience-specific support groups. Learn about them here.
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Do you have a birth in the family, a graduation, an anniversary, a memorial, or other milestones to share?
You can acknowledge it to the entire congregation by sponsoring a floral bouquet. As we connect with friends, say it with flowers on the Chancel.
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Got something for Front Steps? Send in your church-related submission for our weekly publication. Submit it here (preferred) or email us here with "Front Steps" as the subject line.
Deadline: Tuesdays at 5 p.m.
If your submission is urgent and couldn’t be sent before the deadline, please include “URGENT” in the subject line.
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| January's Plate Share
This church year, we are focusing our Sunday plate offerings with organizations and coalitions with which First Unitarian Portland collaborates directly. For the month of January, we share our plate with the Interfaith Alliance on Poverty, of which we are a member. The Interfaith Alliance on Poverty is a faith-based community of congregations called by our shared social justice values to alleviate poverty. The Alliance works to educate ourselves and others about the systemic causes of poverty and advocate for changes in policies in partnership with experienced organizations.
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| Want to know what this church has to offer? Visit our Calendar by clicking above to see our list of events/classes/socials!
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