Sunday Worship at 10:15 a.m.
Care for nursery & toddlers is available during worship. Ages 3 through 6-ish are invited to play games and do crafts. Older children welcome in service. The full Learning Community (RE) program resumes in the fall.
Social Hour: Fuller Hall after the service.
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Blessings and Benedictions
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Poet Jan Richardson writes, “… a blessing does not end. This is part of the fundamental nature of a blessing: the energy and the grace of it cannot dissipate or disappear.” Let us reflect on the blessings that endure in the midst of change and multiply when we make commitments to one another, even if just for a season.
This will be Rev. Danielle's final service with us!
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Ministerial BlogWith Courage and Faith
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Dear Ones,
After two years ministering amongst you all, the time has come to say “farewell.” I know colleagues who have had the privilege of officiating the weddings of babies they dedicated, so in the grand scheme of ministry, two years is not very long at all. And yet, the two years we’ve spent together have not been ordinary. They’ve been marked by deep, painful conflicts and divisions inside and outside of these church walls. We’ve joined in protests together against the rising tide of authoritarianism and Christian nationalism in our nation, and we’ve tried to find our way forward to healing and health following protests in our own sanctuary. And there has been so much that has been very very good. We’ve served over 1,200 of our neighbors in the shower project, deepened our faith through classes and community circles, sung hymns and joined in prayer, welcomed the returning light of winter solstice, and shared communion on Maundy Thursday. And you all showed me such love and support as I faced roadblocks and unexpected turns on my vocational journey...MORE
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NEW! — Our First Summer Gardening Day!
Saturday, June 28, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Location: Meet on the corner of 12th Ave. and Main St.
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Please bring your own water, protection from the sun, and hand tools. We'll bring trash bags and larger gardening tools.
No planting this month, just maintenance.
Hope to see you there!
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Summer Community Choir
Sundays through August 31, 8:45 a.m.
Location: Main Sanctuary
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Our summer choir is “come one, come all!”
If you’d like to sing, show up in the Main Sanctuary at 8:45 a.m. before the service on the Sunday/s of your choice to learn that day’s music.
No commitment required! Sing once, or every week, or anything in between — whatever fits for you.
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NEW! — Share Your Garden Bounty
Sundays through August 31, during social hour
Location: Fuller Hall
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Do you have a flourishing garden brimming with fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers? Share your garden’s bounty with our community by bringing it on Sundays to the First Share table in Fuller Hall during social hour. All are welcome to enjoy the offerings—let's celebrate the season's abundance together.
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Sign Up Now for Summer Yoga!
Sundays, July 6 & 20, August 3 & 17, 9 - 10 a.m.
Location: Room A108
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There is still time to register for the July 6 Sunday summer yoga with our own Ginny K!
This summer, we will have 4 pre-service sessions. The first will take place on July 6 at 9 a.m. Class is limited to 15 folks and all levels are welcome to attend.
For more information and to reserve your spot for the first session, visit this form. Hope to see you there!
Each session requires separate registration. On July 7, the sign up form will be available for the July 20 session.
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Check Out Our 2025 Summer Program Guide
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Beginning this Sunday, First Unitarian Portland will be on our summer schedule! Sunday worship services continue at 10:15 a.m. followed by social hour, a few new offerings will appear, and some groups and activities will pause until the new church program year begins in September.
To find out more, visit our Summer Program Guide on our website. This will be updated throughout the summer with any additions or changes.
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Committee on Right Relations Applications Due July 15!
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First Unitarian Portland is establishing a Committee on Right Relations to serve our community. This independent committee will provide us with education and skills, processes and procedures, and direct assistance to address conflict within our church. Next steps are to select the individuals who will serve on this committee.
To be in Right Relations is to experience a sense of wellbeing that happens when we bring our best selves to all our interactions to resolve inevitable conflicts in a constructive way. A covenant is a set of promises we make to one another in community. Thus, to covenant with one another about right relations is to engage in the spiritual and everyday practice of building and maintaining healthy connections.
The Committee on Right Relations is chartered to:
- Tend the Church Covenant and the Covenant of Right Relations and support the congregation as it strives to live into the Covenants.
- Foster a vision of conflict as an opportunity for understanding, healing and growth.
- Model, teach, foster and support faithful communication and healthy and respectful relations.
- Assist congregants and the Church to practice creative conflict engagement and restoration of right relations.
Seeking Applications
- If you are interested in applying to be a member of the Committee on Right Relations, or if you know a congregant who would be great at this work, a link to the application can be found here, including criteria, selection process, and desired skills and abilities
- Applications are due by July 15, followed by a selection process. The intention is to have a group of names for Board approval at the September 3 Board meeting and announce the Committee on Right Relations to the Congregation later that month.
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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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NEW! — Your Bookstore Asks for Assistance from 4th, 5th, and 6th Graders!
Location: Fuller Hall
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Are you going into the 4th, 5th, or 6th grade? Are you willing to help our First Unitarian Bookstore by giving us some ideas? We’re looking for the names of books you have liked and books you are interested in reading. Do you like to read about people who really lived or are alive now? Do you like to read about animals or nature, insects or fish? Do you like to read mysteries or fantasy stories? Do you like to read about space, our solar system, stars? Do you like to read poetry? What are you interested in? Please write down your ideas and bring them to the Bookstore table in Fuller Hall during coffee hour. We ask for your help and we thank you for giving it!
We have ordered some of the books featured at the UU General Assembly and should have them within a couple of weeks.
Thank you very much visiting the Bookstore during this just-ending church year! It’s been great to meet visitors and new members. We’ve heard about bookstores in churches from other parts of the country – and we’ve received some good ideas. Thank you to our longtime customers for regularly checking out the new additions, and for bringing your visiting friends and family to see us! We appreciate you!
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Family Fun at UU Summer Camp
Location: Seabeck Conference Center, Seabeck, Washington
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Did you know that over 30 First Unitarian Portland families and members regularly attend the Eliot Institute UU summer camps? Some have been attending for generations! It is held at the Seabeck Conference Center on Washington’s Hood Canal, only a 3 1/2 hour drive from Portland. It’s magical and fantastic for all ages.
Summer camps are July 12 to 19 or August 2 to 9. Creative Arts Eliot is August 9 to 13.
Learn more at these links:
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CHECK MONTHLY — July Newsletter
Rev. Leah Ongiri, Acting Director of Lifespan Faith Formation and Family Ministries
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This e-news is monthly in June, July, and August.
Dear Learning Community,
As we plan for next church year, let us give gratitude for the one just completed. One way to enact a sense of being grateful is to offer feedback. If you'd like to help us think about what went well and which areas might need more attention, please complete this simple form. Kids are invited to share thoughts, experiences, and ideas, too.
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NEW! — All-Church Action! Postcard Party
Sunday, July 6, during social hour
Location: Daisy Bingham Room
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Join us after the service on Sunday, July 6, for a postcard-writing party! We’ll be sending pro-democracy messages to our representatives, grounded in our UU values of justice, equity, and compassion. Together, we can strengthen our shared commitment to a more inclusive and participatory democracy!
When and where? Sunday, July 6, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Daisy Bingham. Supplies will be provided – bring your favorite pen, if you’d like. All are welcome!
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NEW! — Call to Action: No War on Iran! No Genocide in Palestine. No Exceptions.
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The UUA's Side With Love team shares:
We don’t retreat. We rise.
The UUA has joined a growing prophetic choir of voices, including Unitarian Universalist Advocacy Network of Illinois, Unitarian Universalist Refugee & Immigrant Services & Education, and Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East, declaring:
No war on Iran
No genocide in Palestine
U.S. out of everywhere
Fund life, not death
We are asking you to join us. Add your voice. The cost of war is never paid by the people in power. It’s paid in blood by civilians, by working-class people, by children and the elderly.
Add your voice and be included in upcoming actions. Sign now.
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Join Our Food Drive
Location: Fuller Hall
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Thank you for helping to make a difference in the health and well-being of the many who are food-insecure by responding to our request for food donations.
We delivered them to Lift UP, a local non-profit that distributes food to individuals and families in the pantry they operate (Preston’s Pantry) and in 50 affordable housing buildings in Northwest and Downtown Portland.
Sadly, the need continues. So, please remember that fact the next time you go food shopping. And purchase whole grain pasta; brown rice; low-sodium broths, veggies and sauces; canned tuna, salmon or meat; nut butters, and/or shelf-stable milks. Then drop off the items in the COHHO bins located in Fuller Hall by the kitchen. Every two weeks we will gather your donations and deliver them to Lift UP’s warehouse. Or, you can make a financial donation directly to Lift UP.
Thank you so much!
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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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May/June Art Wall Exhibition
Artwork by Julian Hunter
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Julian Hunter has been painting for the past sixty years. He has developed a painting method that harnesses the latest color pencil & acrylic layering, a technique to empower the painter with a high degree of artistic control that has never been possible before.
As an artist, he has come to believe that beauty is not out there waiting to be discovered. Rather, beauty is created by the human act of noticing and appreciating natural wonders. He feels that his primary task as an artist is to notice and to appreciate the hidden secrets of natural beauty in nature's purest form, and only then to share his experiences with others through his interpretation.
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Recurring Workshops, Classes & Gatherings
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| During our summer schedule, some groups and activities will pause until the new church program year begins in September. Check out our Summer Program Guide on our website to learn more.
For information about which groups are meeting over the summer, please visit our Community Groups & Activities page and contact the specific group in which you are interested.
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Got something for Front Steps? Send in your church-related submission for our weekly publication. Use "Front Steps" as the subject line and email us here.
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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| Livestream Schedule
Friday Vespers is on break until July 18! Email Sophia D. to receive a weekly reminder.
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| This Week's Shower Project Request
Your donations make a big difference in the lives of those we serve. All donations are greatly appreciated. At this time, we are in special need of the following items:
- New boxer briefs (M-L)
- New men's white t-shirts (M-L)
- Men's pants (32-36)
- Men's shorts (M-L)
- Women's new underwear (S-L)
- Sports bras (M-L)
- Hoodies (all sizes)
- Blankets
- Raincoats (all sizes)
Please bring your items to donate to the cabinet in Fuller Hall, next to the kitchen. Thank you for your support!
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| June's
Shared Plate
For the month of June, we share our plate with the Oregon for All Coalition. Earlier this year, First Unitarian joined the coalition because we share the value of caring for each other and protecting our communities against people who try to divide us. Hardworking immigrants are part of our families, communities, workplaces, and places of worship and should be safe from harassment, just like any other Oregonian.
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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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