Please Join Our Live Stream
Sunday, December 6Worship Service at 10:15 a.m. PDT
Family Worship Service at 9:15 a.m. PDT
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Waiting for a Miracle
Rev. Bill Sinkford
Advent, in the Christian tradition, is a time of waiting, a time of waiting for the Christmas miracle. For most liberal religious folks this is metaphor, not truth. But metaphor can point to truth. What miracle are you yearning for? What miracle are we waiting for? What preparation should we make in our hearts, even if our heads reject the possibility of miracles?
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Bill's BlogWe Are the Ones
This Sunday will be the first Sunday of Advent in the Christian liturgical calendar. In that tradition, Advent is a time of waiting and personal preparation to receive the mystery and the miracle of the birth of Jesus.
Mystery is our spiritual theme for December and I am looking forward to exploring it from the pulpit. Our religious tradition(s) have a complicated relationship to the idea of miracles and our experience of mystery. But like many of you, I find myself waiting for miraculous changes…for vaccines to end the pandemic, for a new administration to end the lies and mean-spiritedness, for a New Year to allow us to put the past year behind us. Advent offers a good and very timely opportunity for some serious reflection...continued.
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Family WorshipMystery & an Opportunity to Wonder
We will introduce our spiritual theme for December, Mystery. Nicole will bring out the Wonder Box and will be sharing excerpts from credo statements from our past middle schoolers.
Is mystery something to fear? An opportunity to wonder? We all hold a piece of the truth. Cassandra will offer a poem for our prayer time, and Dustin will share a song.
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| Featured NewsAll timestamps are scheduled in Pacific Standard Time (PST) unless stated otherwise.
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Holiday Giving Tree Drive-by Drop-off this Weekend!
Drop-Off On: Saturday, December 5 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Curbside Drop-Off: Buchan Building/Eliot Center Entrance, 1226 SW Salmon St. LAST CHANCE!
Your commitment and generosity to the Giving Trees (aka Mitten Trees), make a serious difference every holiday. This year with the added stressors of a pandemic, we hope you will join First Unitarian in sharing with our Portland neighbors this winter.
Come alongside with the Learning Community, Animal Ministry and Mental Health Action Group on behalf of First U PDX, by signing up to donate items or just show up with your donation.
Drop-off details: Drive or bike up to the curb. A volunteer will have a bin for you to drop items from your car window, or pop your trunk for unloading larger items such as bags of pet food.
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Don't Shoot PDX - Paw Team - Central City Concern
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First U PDX! Adopt-a-PHFS Family for the Holidays!
A big thank you, all gifts have been accounted for!
COHHO thanks all who signed up to purchase gifts for the four PHFS families we “adopted” this year. All items are accounted for at this time. As in previous years, you’ve stepped up with generosity of spirit and credit card!
For those who hadn't signed up, you can still donate Fred Meyer or Target gift cards for the families before December 13. Write us here to work out the arrangements.
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Spotlight on the Committee on Hunger & Homelessness
A Home For Everyone: By Sarah Ferguson
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Help Those in Need this Holiday Season
Here are some ways to support people in need both within our church community and in our larger community this season. These are organizations in concert with our own church mission:
First Unitarian Emergency Fund for members
This fund helps members facing some kind of critical need like loss of housing, utility shutoff or some other unexpected, necessary expense. It is part of how we build Beloved Community in our congregation.
Outside In
Since 1968 when it was founded in the basement of our church, Outside In has transformed thousands of lives by helping break the cycles of chronic homelessness, poverty, and poor health among Portland’s LGBTQIA+ community, people of color, those experiencing homelessness, and the underserved.
Clay Street Table
Clay Street Table, which operates out of St. Stephen’s Parish, just up the street from the church, strives to “feed those who are hungry in body and in spirit.” In 2019 Clay Street provided over 140,000 meals of food and groceries to youth and adults in our downtown community.
Oregon Worker Relief Fund
The Oregon Worker Relief Fund provides financial support directly to Oregonians who have lost their jobs yet are ineligible for Unemployment Insurance and federal stimulus relief due to their immigration status, and now face hunger, homelessness, and economic hardship.
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| | Upcoming Events, Workshops & Classes
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Join us to Imagine the People’s Inauguration
Tuesday, December 8, 2020 4:30-5:30 p.m.
First Unitarian will partner with Oregon's Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice to host a The People’s Inauguration event on January 21, 2021. In the next coming weeks, we'll continue to imagine how we will stay engaged in building the Beloved Community.
What role do you want to play in our collective action? How can we support each other in this important work for a healthy democracy? How does the People's Inauguration intersect with our faith principles, helping us to put our faith into action? Please join us on December 8 at this link.
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Write for Rights on International Human Rights Day
All are welcome! Your words have power!
Thursday, December 10, 7:00 p.m.
First Unitarian Portland has hosted a local Amnesty International chapter for several years. For this year's International Human Rights Day they have invited First Unitarian congregants to join them in their virtual letter-writing event.
Across the globe, supporters will come together on this day for Amnesty Inter-national’s Write For Rights campaign, and will write letters for those whose basic rights are being attacked. Grab a drink, a snack, and a seat at your home table to join us. Along with pen, paper, envelopes and stamps, grab a warm drink and cozy seat at your home table to join us at this link.
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Caring Circle for Parents
Mondays, December 14, 28, January 11, 25
From 7 - 8 p.m
An ongoing commitment is not required.
In these challenging times for families, our lay ministers invite you to join a Caring Circle for parents. This small group will meet every other week to provide listening and support to one another.
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Program ResourcesAdult Programs, Social Justice, Learning Community, Music & Arts
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Send Us Your Photos & Be Part of Family Worship
We invite you to submit photos of your family member for inclusion in our weekly worship. Seeing each other in this way helps us stay connected. Send pictures of your family tuning in at home, of activities we do during worship, projects worked on from our monthly mailers, or any other photos you want to share. Thank you to those of you who have sent pictures! Please send photos to this email.
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Monthly Mailers & Zoom Gatherings
Registered families should have received their November mailer packets for the theme of Prayer. Watch your Learning Community news for details about a zoom session for our younger age groups as we round out the month.
Please share your feedback about the mailer packets and zoom sessions which will help us in planning future months.
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Did You Pre-Order an Alliance Wreath for Church Pick-Up?
Stay safe and remain masked!
Pick-up days: Friday, December 4 and Saturday, December 5
Pick-up time: From 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Pick-up location: Church Office Garage, 1034 SW 13th Avenue
Please note, wreaths will NOT be available for sale. Pick-up is for pre-ordered wreaths only. If you purchased a wreath to be shipped, they will be going out in the mail.....
By car, head south on SW 13th, pull in near or if space is open, right in front of open garage door between Salmon & Main. A volunteer will take your name and deliver your order. If on foot, stop in front of open garage.
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Vesper Prayer Service
Every Friday at 5 p.m.
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, but an ongoing commitment is not required.
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Loving Kindness Meditation
Every Monday, 8 – 8:30 p.m.
Loving-Kindness towards self and others is a basic foundational view of Buddhism and other religions. Intern Minister Stacey Mitchell will gently guide you through this spiritual practice which cultivates benevolence, kindness, and amity.
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Honoring of Land & People
Click Photo for full-size Grand Ronde poster.
First Unitarian Church is located in the heart of downtown Portland. We honor the indigenous people on whose traditional and ancestral land we sit.
We recognize the Multnomah, Clackamas, Clowwewalla (or Willamette-Tumwater) and Cascades (or Watlala) bands of Chinookan peoples, and the Tualatin Band of Kalapuya.
These indigenous peoples signed the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855 and were later forcibly removed from their homelands to the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation; their descendants live today as members of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. Many other indigenous nations of the Columbia River have connections to this place as well, and their descendants also live on.
We acknowledge the ancestors and survivors of this place and recognize that we are here because of the sacrifices forced upon them. We honor their legacy, their lives, and their descendants who carry on Tribal traditions for present and future generations.
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Art For Social Justice
The Speaking of Justice Editorial Team offers weekly art to deepen our connection to the work for social justice and building the beloved community.
Emma’s Revolution Listen to Holly Near with Emma’s Revolution sing Silence and Lies.
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In the Community
Member Warren White received a kidney transplant last month and is now recovering. Warren waited for the right kidney to be found for a long time and we celebrate with him.
Member Ellen Zacny asks for prayers for the family of her friend of 40 years, Sue Wittmer, who died on November 22. Sue was navigating her way through dementia, but tested positive for COVID-19 at a rehab facility and died peacefully under hospice care.
Member Sarah McKenzie joyfully announces the birth of her granddaughter Maya Anjali McKenzie Parpia on November 25. Grandma is so proud and grateful.
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A Note From Your Emergency Planning Team
Emergencies by their very nature take us by surprise.
COVID-19 made us all conscious of how important it is to plan for contingencies. Now is a perfect time to pull items together in case you need to leave home in a moment’s notice. It is easy to procrastinate, but please DON’T! If needed, you will be forever grateful.
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Board Meeting Reminder
TONIGHT – Thursday, December 3 at 7 p.m.
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Nominating Committee in Search of a Few Good Candidates
Are you a member of First Unitarian and wondering how you can give back? Are you wanting to help build the beloved community, seeing representation of all of our members in the leadership of our church?
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Message from our Board Moderator
We made it through the election and have reason to hope for healing as we look to a new year and a new administration. The prayer vigil offered by Rev. Bill, Rev. Tom, and Intern Minister Stacey on election eve was a time of calm and blessing in the frenzy of that night.
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As Rev. Bill reported, we prevailed in the lawsuit we joined with the Western States Association to protect our right to bear witness to, and protest, oppression free from interference by federal officers. Not only were we successful in protecting our rights in Portland, we also provided a framework that will help other communities of faith protect their right to express their faith through action. This is truly an example of thinking globally and acting locally. Thank you to Rev. Bill, Dana Buhl and our social justice groups for all they have done to help us put our faith into action...continued.
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Faked Email Messages “from Rev. Bill”
Congregants receiving spoofed emails from Reverend Bill
Please only open messages from this email address bsinkford@firstunitarianportland.org. If the sender’s email isn’t EXACTLY this email address, it isn’t from Reverend Bill
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First Unitarian's Response to Covid-19
Here are a few important updates that affect our life together.
Sunday Worship
Staying Connected
Church Communications: Do you receive messages from the church including this weekly E-News and our Staying Connected emails? To receive church emails send a note to etafuri@firstunitarianportland.org.
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Naming First Unitarian Foundation in Your Will or Estate Plan
Help 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 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 Tuesday.
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Sunday Live Stream & Social ScheduleJoin us LIVE from your computer or smart device by clicking on the links below.
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December Shared PlateFor the month of December, we share our plate with three organizations providing critical services in our community. Outside In, located next to the church, provides a safe, supportive and inclusive place for health care and other services to help the underserved and people experiencing houselessness achieve independence. First Unitarian continues to share our reception hall for Outside In's food pantry.
Our Committee on Hunger and Homelessness partners with Clay Street Table, to help provide meals of food and groceries to youth and adults in our church's downtown community.
The Oregon Worker Relief Fund provides financial support directly to Oregonians who have lost their jobs yet are ineligible for Unemployment Insurance and federal stimulus relief due to their immigration status. As the pandemic stretches on, and we enter the coldest time of the year, caring for unhoused and low-income neighbors and our immigrant siblings is critical.
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Speaking of Justice: Weekly Update 12/3
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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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Moved recently? Changed your phone number or e-mail? Fill out this form.
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