Sunday Worship at 10:15 a.m.
Learning Community (RE) Holiday: No programming for ages 3 through 6-ish this Sunday. Care for nursery & toddlers is available during worship. The full Learning Community (RE) program resumes in the fall.
Social Hour:Â Fuller Hall after the service.
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Gendernauts
Rev. Stephani Skalak, Guest Minister
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Instead of constantly testing the boundary of what femininity allows and what masculinity forbids, our nonbinary siblings are attempting to inhabit a third place. They are gendernauts, stepping outside of the binary world to boldly go where no one has gone before.
Rev. Stephani Skalak is a hospital chaplain working for Providence Health System. She was the Intern Minister at the UUC at Willamette Falls in Oregon City for two years. She has a Master of Divinity from Meadville Lombard Theological School and a BA in International Relations from The American University. She lives in Portland, with her love, Mark, and their two young adult children, Ukiah and Seneca.
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Ministerial BlogA Glimpse from General Assembly
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A number of us traveled to Baltimore, MD, in-person or virtually to attend Religious Professional Days followed by the Annual General Assembly (GA) of the Unitarian Universalist Association. This is the annual conference where ministers, other religious professionals, and lay leaders gather to do the business of our wider association, to network with and learn from one another, and to attend insightful workshops and meaningful worship. It is always inspiring to gather with 3,000 to 4,000 UUs from across the country and to feel the power of our collective faith and what’s possible. Continue reading for a glimpse of some of what happened...MORE
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NOTICE: Email Scams Have Returned!
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Several people have recently received fraudulent emails that appear to come from our Senior Minister, Rev. Alison. You might have received one, too. These emails may ask you to:
- Purchase gift cards or send gift card numbers
- Transfer or send money
- Update or confirm bank account information
Please know that Rev. Alison and our church staff will never ask for money, gift cards, or personal financial information over email or text.
These messages may look convincing, even using Rev. Alison’s name and a familiar tone. But they often come from unusual email addresses and carry an urgent or secretive tone (e.g., "Please don’t tell anyone," or "I need this quickly"). Remember, First Unitarian ministers' and staff members' email addresses ALWAYS end in firstunitarianportland.org.
What NOT To Do:
- Do not reply to suspicious messages.
- Do not click any links or open attachments.
- Do not send any money or gift cards.
If you’re unsure about a message, call the church office directly to verify (503-228-6389). You can also report scam emails to your email provider as "phishing."
Stay vigilant and check in with us if anything seems off. We want to make sure everyone stays safe online.
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Sign Up 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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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! — Immediate Action Needed!
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Let’s defeat the Budget Reconciliation Bill! Email or call your Representative in the US Congress immediately and ask them to oppose this terrible bill. Also, call your friends and family in Oregon and other states asking them to contact their Representatives as soon as possible. Find your Representative here.
If this bill is passed it will have a devastating impact on everyone in the United States. Here are two examples of the impact:
Impacts on Oregon residents
- Up to 20% of Oregonians on Medicaid could lose coverage, the highest projected loss of any state
- Cuts of over $290 billion in SNAP (food assistance) would jeopardize food access for nearly 800,000 Oregon families
- $350 billion would be slashed from student financial aid programs
Impact on Immigration
$165 billion will be allocated to immigration enforcement, to include:
- $45 billion for new detention facilities (a 265% increase over current ICE budget)
- $29.9 billion for enforcement (triple current ICE budget)
- $34.4 billion for continued construction of a border wall
- New $10 billion DHS fund to address “safeguarding the borders”
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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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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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Did you miss Rev. Danielle's final ministerial blog? You can read "With Courage and Faith" from June 26 on our website here.
We wish her the very best as she begins her new position as the minister of First Church in Salem, Massachusetts.
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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.Â
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.Â
- Model, teach, foster and support faithful communication and healthy and respectful relations.Â
- 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! — Welcoming Our New Welcome Desk
Location: Narthex (Lobby)
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Something new and exciting arrived! You might have noticed that there is a new, beautiful Welcome Desk in the main sanctuary lobby (also known as the narthex). Thanks to all of you who have made this wonderful, welcoming addition possible, from funds allocated from this year's successful auction. Member Michael M. crafted this beautiful, functional, custom piece with the design input from Kathy L., Marti Y., and Jen Thomas. We look forward to an official celebration of this addition this fall as we kick off the program year.
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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! Thank you to the young people who have already given us their titles! We appreciate your help!
Update: 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 for 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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Our Learning Community Newsletter is published 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.Â
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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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NEW! — Hunger Isn't On Vacation... Summer Food Drive Begins!
Location: Fuller Hall
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The cost of housing, food and other living expenses continue to rise in the Portland area. Some people are forced to choose between paying rent and buying food. So they skimp on meals and go hungry, but at least have a place to live.
How can we help? By continuing to shop for them as well as for ourselves when we're at the grocery store. Please 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. Your thoughtfulness will be much appreciated. 💖
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In the Community
Member Jean Boyce died on June 6 at the age of 100. She moved to Portland 15 years ago and during that time lived with her daughter Robin, also a member. She sang in our choir for many years. Jean was an educator, teaching students from preschool to grad school. We hold Robin and her extended family at this time of loss.Â
Member Mike Couch died early on the morning of June 25 at the age of 68, after living with Alzheimer's Disease for the past twelve years. Mike was a long-time member of First Unitarian, and leaves behind his wife Kathy, son Jack, siblings, and the many people who loved him. A Celebration of Life is planned for Mike on September 6 at 2 p.m. in the Eliot Chapel.
Member Sean Phillips shares that his cancer symptoms have returned, resulting in intensive treatment and much discomfort. This comes at a difficult time, as his wife, member Aidee Martinez Medina, is recovering from surgery. Sean and Aidee regularly attend online and are grateful for the care and concern of the church community. We hold them in their hearts at this time.
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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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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:
- Men's jeans/pants/sweats (32 - 36)
- New men's t-shirts (M - L)
- New boxer briefs (M - L)
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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| July 6's Shared Plate
"DRUUMM is the oldest and largest Unitarian Universalist People of Color ministry and anti-racist community organization based in North America. DRUUMM traces our lineage to Black and African American Unitarian and Universalist communities, Latino/a UU Networking Association, ministers and religious professionals of color, and youth and young adults of color who have organized to resist racism, nurture our faith formation, and build the beloved community. DRUUMM continues to lead efforts to fulfill the Journey Towards Wholeness Resolution towards becoming an anti-racist, anti-oppressive, multicultural UUA, creating spaces for youth, young adults, and our families of color."
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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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