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: Fuller Hall after the service.
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| Front Steps Deadline Change for Thanksgiving
All submissions for next week's Front Steps are due by Monday at 5 p.m. 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.
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Welcome to our annual Celebration Sunday – the final public day of the “Weaving Threads of Generosity” Campaign for 2026. Part of weaving our community into the future is about understanding how the threads of our history and present have been interwoven by our members along with the greater context in which we live – the happenings in our city and country, technological advances, movements for justice, and more. Let us celebrate and understand who we are as we aim to understand our mission and imagine what comes next.
Our plate offering this Sunday will go to our 2026 Campaign, Weaving Threads of Generosity.
Thank you for supporting our community!
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Deep gratitude goes to everyone who has Pledged a gift for 2026!
You have helped us raise $1,143,621, 77% of our goal. These vital resources will be used to keep the church healthy and active.
If you haven't yet Pledged, we hope you will today.
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| Help us raise an additional $320,000, and get in your pledge before Sunday! We need your support to reach our goal.
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Ministerial Blog
Trans Day of Remembrance
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Today is a day when we honor the lives lost due to anti-trans bigotry and violence. This is an important act of awareness every year, but it is especially vital in a year when Christian nationalists have focused abusive rhetoric on trans and non-binary youth and adults. This has led to the loss of at least 58 beloveds in the United States and all the gifts they brought to life in the world...MORE
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Advent by Email Starts Soon
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The sun has made its way around once again and we are getting ready for Advent By Email. As with last year, a reading and prompt for contemplation will be delivered to your email each day beginning December 1 and finishing on December 25.
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NEW! — Matins for Advent
Mondays, December 1 through 22, 9 - 9:30 a.m.
Location: Zoom
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Do you love the Christmas pageant and the traditions of the Advent and Christmas stories? What if the symbols of the season have a deeper spiritual meaning for our lives than we may have considered?
Join Matins for Advent to learn more about a unique UU perspective on the metaphors of the season.
A quiet Zoom service of reflection, prayer, music, and poetry. Offered on Monday mornings, December 1, 8, 15, and 22.
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NEW! — Neighbor-to-Neighbor Interfaith Witness at ICE
Wednesday, December 3, 2 - 2:45 p.m.
Location: Next to the ICE building, at the intersection of SW Moody & SW Bancroft
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First Unitarian is proud to co-sponsor, along with other downtown congregations, the first of a series of interfaith witness rituals at the ICE building. 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. Rev. Alison and other downtown clergy will lead us in a ritual of solidarity on December 3.
Neighbor-to-Neighbor Witness at ICE will take place from 2 - 2:45 p.m. on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month, at least through the winter. Each witness ritual will be sponsored by a neighborhood or geographic region, starting with downtown faith communities. 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. We hope that in addition to attending on December 3rd, you will mark your calendars through March for this steady stream of neighbors showing up for neighbors.
Please dress accordingly for the weather. We ask that you not bring signs. We will provide whatever is needed for the ritual.
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NEW! — Alliance Treasures & Cookie Sale
Sundays, December 7 and 14, after the service
Location: Buchan Hall
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Come one, come all to the Alliance Treasures & Cookie Sale in Buchan Hall after the services on December 7 and 14.
You’ll find lots of jewelry, beautiful scarves, Christmas treasures, and unique handmade items, as well as homemade cookies galore!
(You could even buy some to freeze and save for the Christmas Cookie Potluck on December 21!)
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Registration for OWL Available Now: Classes for Adults and Youth
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We have a long tradition of offering Our Whole Lives (OWL) lifespan sexuality education.
OWL values:
- Self worth
- Sexual health
- Responsibility
- Justice/inclusivity
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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! — 🔵 Bookstore Blue Dot Sale Continues! 🔵
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The Bookstore’s Blue Dot Sale on many justice books continues this Sunday. You’ll find 50% off on many books in our two big justice sections: Creation Justice, Racial Justice, Economic Justice Gender and Sexual Justice, Political Justice, and more!
Thank you to all who support our little independent bookstore with your purchases, special orders, suggestions — and to our wonderful Bookstore Volunteers who make it all work. The Volunteer group includes a dozen people who donate approximately 2-3 hours of their time each month. Let our Cashier know if you might be interested in joining the team.
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CHECK WEEKLY — November 23 & 30 Newsletter
Rev. Leah Ongiri, Acting Director of Lifespan Faith Formation and Family Ministries
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Dear Ones,
Notice something new at the Buchan Welcome Desk? Thanks to all the Learning Community members who wove these lovely squares. Artist Alyssa Leigh Smith's display design showcases each maker's individual work, emphaizes the collaborative nature of the art project, and will accommodate more pieces being added later.
Stay tuned for more weaving opportunities—literally and metaphorically. It's good to be woven together...MORE
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With Gratitude for the Good News
This Sunday, November 23, 8:45 - 10 a.m.
Location: Buchan 102 or online
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In this season of gratitude, join members of Community for Earth as we celebrate recent climate success stories. The Trump administration’s ruthless actions to undermine climate work are serious but not the whole story. Recent successes include the astonishing growth of solar energy around the world; Governor Kotek’s executive order to accelerate climate protections of Oregon lands and waters; progress in Oregon’s divestment movement; and more. We’ll take turns recounting success stories in a spirit of gratitude.
Bring your own success story to share, or just come to listen and enjoy some snacks and community. Meet in person in Buchan 102 (8:45 a.m. social time, 9 a.m. session start), or request a Zoom link to join online here.
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NEW! — Faithful Resistance: The Power of Noncooperation
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Join Dana Buhl, Director of Social Justice, and Mary Ann B. to explore how we as Unitarian Universalists can work together to resist authoritarianism, grounded in our faith and acting in community. We’ll learn about the local and national movement to build people power through the nonviolent strategy of noncooperation.
This will be a 90-minute interactive workshop. Space is limited and registration is required. Please register here.
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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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NEW! — They Need Us More Than Ever
Location: COHHO bins in Fuller Hall
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Food is a human right and access to it should never be in question. Yet it has been, especially with the significant changes to SNAP eligibility and the federal government’s unprecedented funding cuts. And let’s not forget November’s SNAP interruption! Besides causing fear, anxiety and stress for the Portland area’s most vulnerable, these changes have strained the capabilities of food pantries like Lift UP, which is reporting a steady and heavy increase in food assistance requests.
How can you help? 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 these especially challenging times, we thank you. Every small act strengthens the foundation beneath us all.
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NEW! — Listen In to Learn About Our Organizing Partners for Immigrant Justice
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Two of First Unitarian's community partner organizations were highlighted on OPB's Think Out Loud in recent weeks. We hope that you can listen in to learn more about the Portland Immigrant RIghts Coalition (PIRC) aired on October 27 and the Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice (IMIrJ), our November shared plate recipient, aired on November 17.
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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.
During this Native American Heritage Month, it is good to honor Lyla June, who is a co-founder of The Taos Peace and Reconciliation Council, which works to heal intergenerational trauma and ethnic division in the northern New Mexico. She is a walker within the Nihigaal Bee Iiná Movement, a 1,000-mile prayer walk through Diné Tah (the Navajo homeland) that is exposing the exploitation of Diné land and people by uranium, coal, oil, and gas industries. To listen to her song "All Nations Rise," click the video:
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In the Community
Member Judy Holmboe died on Thursday, November 13, at the age of 79. She was a resident of Mary’s Woods Retirement community and for much of her life she was a high school teacher. She joined the church in 2017 and was a member of the Alliance. She leaves two daughters and three grandchildren.
Member Sheila Jakobsen died on October 28 at the age of 84. Professionally Sheila was a teacher and inspired many students over many years. She joined our church in 1993 and served as a lay minister. She leaves two sons and two grandchildren as well as a large extended family.
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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: 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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November & December Art Wall Exhibition
Biennial Congregant Art Show
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Come down to Fuller Hall to see the talented artists we have in the congregation during November and December!
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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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| 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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