| Sunday ServicesSunday, Sept. 16: Services at 9:15 and 11:15 a.m.
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It Was the Best of Times; It Was the Worst of Times-Rev. Bill Sinkford
Dueling narratives, tailored to our prejudices and playing to our fears, are testing the integrity of our civic life. They are also building walls of certainty to separate us. As religious people who resist certainty, what paths can we point to that might lead back to a collective narrative of hope?
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Bill's BlogThe rhythms of the Jewish High Holy Days, this period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, are moving me deeply this year. I seem to need to tell those I love that I love them more often and to let them know that I know I’ve not been perfect this last year. And I find myself acknowledging hurts I have been holding onto and opening my heart a little wider…to others and even to myself. Perhaps the divisiveness of our current politics makes the goal of atonement more urgent. To Atone. To be “At One.” Atonement calls us to make amends for wrongs done, for responsibilities unattended, for failures of attention to our ...Continued
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Social Justice E-MagazineWe are excited to announce the launch of First Unitarian Portland’s Social Justice E-Magazine! We are calling it, Speaking of Justice: Faith in Action! Inside is a welcome letter, along with a deeper look into how our congregation is living out the call for social justice action. If you’d like to receive this directly to your email once a month, please sign up here. We look forward to sharing the journey with you.
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Parking
As a downtown church, we compete with many other activities for on-street parking. We encourage congregants to use Portland’s transit system (the streetcar stops one block from the church), carpool (a great way to build community), or ride your bike (it’s good for your heart). Here are parking options for those who drive:
Sunday Parking - U-Park — S.W. 12th between Main and Salmon:
No charge Sundays, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. - City Center — S.W. 11th and Main:
No charge Sundays, 8 a.m.–2 p.m. - Lawyer’s Lot — S.W. Main between 12th & 13th:
No charge Sundays, 8 a.m.–2 p.m. This lot is never available weekday evenings.
Monday–Thursday Evenings
U-Park — S.W. 12th and Main:
No charge 5:30–10:30 p.m. with a parking permit.
Permits are $30 per each half church year (Sept.–Jan. and Feb.–June) and may be obtained from the church office (Mon.–Thurs.), 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
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Race For the Cure: Bridge Closures This Sunday!
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| Report Back from Faith Floods the Desert
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Sunday, Sept. 16 from 1–2:30 p.m. in Buchan Reception Hall
Please join members of our First Unitarian Portland delegation to the U.S./Mexico border to hear about their journey and witness for immigrant justice. There will be an opportunity to ask questions after they reflect on their call to action. Faith Floods the Desert was an action of solidarity with No More Deaths/No Más Muertes, a volunteer organization that provides humanitarian aid to migrants crossing from Mexico to the United States by foot through the desert. They returned in August and are glad for the opportunity to share what they saw and learned. Childcare is available. Check in at the Eliot Info desk.
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Africa Connections Is Hosting a Sale by Quilts for EmpowermentSunday, Sept. 16, in Margaret Fuller Hall, following both services. Proceeds go toward strengthening self sufficiency in Kenyan female survivors of obstetric fistula surgery and sexual abuse.
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| First Unitarian Asylee Respite Center Now Open
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The Respite Center is now open and has already received guests released from Sheridan prison as they transition from unjust incarceration into community life in the U.S. They stay in the Respite Center for a couple of days before traveling on to their sponsors in other parts of the country. We are grateful to be a part of their welcoming and healing. If you are available to volunteer as an on-site host for several hours, let Doug Brown ( remedymandb@gmail.com) and he will add you to the Lotsa Helping Hands calendar. We are hoping for two people for each daytime shift. French proficiency is a plus! If you can help with periodic cleaning, stocking supplies, laundry, and other activities, please let Lena Lee ( helena.lee37@gmail.com) know.
We still need the following donations: - track phones with calling cards
- lightly used or new medium or large: sweatshirts or fleece pullovers, sweatpants
- Target gift cards ($25-$50)
if you'd like to contribute financially, please make your check payable to First Unitarian Portland and write "Respite Center" on the memo line. Thanks to the many volunteers who cleaned, donated needed items and money, organized donations, shopped for supplies, transported and assembled beds, cleaned carpets, floors, bathrooms, and so much more! Our community is in action for justice!
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You Can Ring Our Bells!
Enrollment for our handbell choirs is now open. All of our ensembles are now truly intergenerational, with opportunities for ringers at every age and every level. Reach out to our new Associate Director of Music for Handbell Programs, Amanda DuPriest, at adupriest@firstunitarianportland.org to get signed up!
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Where Will You Be on Sept. 15?The board of Oregon Unitarian Universalist Voices for Justice hopes you answer, “At the annual OR UU Voices for Justice Meeting." OR UU Voices for Justice strives to unite all the UU congregations in Oregon to give voice to our shared desire for economic, social, environmental, and political justice. And therefore, we gather once a year to bring our voices together at our annual Justice Meeting. This year’s theme is: Our Children, Our Future We will feature a youth panel discussion. Additionally, there will be time for raising up our voices in song, for lunch, and breakout sessions. Take a look at our conference agenda here.
Learn more here.
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COHHO
The Committee for Hunger and Homelessness (COHHO) is accepting gift cards for families from 13 Salmon who have moved to Lents. Please help get their lives off to a great start by purchasing gift cards from Fred Meyer, Safeway, and Target. These can be purchased at the SCRIP table in Margaret Fuller Hall on Sunday mornings. That’s all you need to do. A COHHO member will pick up and deliver the following week.
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Each fourth Sunday, meet the Soul Box team in Daisy Bingham Hall during coffee hours, to make a box, or two, or more. Why are we making these boxes? The project is to bring more awareness to the scope of the public health issue of gun violence. We are contributing to a state-wide campaign to collect and display 36,000 boxes (representing the average number of people shot and killed per year in the United States) in the Art Gallery at the Oregon State Capitol in Feb. 2019.
The Peace Action Group has accepted the challenge to contribute 400 boxes per month by Feb. 2019. Help us meet and exceed that goal by coming to the coffee hours, but also by making boxes at home. In fact, we at First Unitarian Portland have already contributed over 1,000 boxes, and the majority of those boxes came from individuals, some of whom hold box-making parties at home. Stop by the Peace Action table for a flyer on how to hold a party, and instructions on box making.
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#MeToo Women’s Reflection Circles RegistrationIf you are a woman interested in connecting with other women to explore your experience of patriarchy, you are invited to participate in a reflection circle. Sunday group meets from 1 –3 pm on 9/23, 9/30, 10/7, and 10/14. Tuesday group meets from 1-3 p.m. on 9/25, 10/9, 10/23, 11/6. Monday group meets from 7-9 p.m. on 10/8, 10/15, 10/22, 10/29. To register, please e-mail Kerry Heintze, kheintze@firstunitarianportland.org. Include your name, e-mail address, phone number, and your preferred group.
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Interested in Wellspring Program This Fall?Wellspring is a 10-month program of spiritual deepening that will be offered beginning next month. In the program, participants are asked to work toward a daily spiritual practice; to meet twice a month with a small group to engage with topics ranging from UU history to world religions; to prepare for those gatherings through readings; to meet with a spiritual guide or mentor; and finally, to reflect on how all of those things affect our spiritual lives. We still have some spaces in the program for this year. There will be a Tuesday afternoon group and also a Tuesday evening group. They will meet on the first and third weeks of the month, beginning in October. There will also be an introductory retreat on Sept. 22.
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Rikers: An American JailTuesday, Sept. 25 (6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.)
Eliot Chapel
Bill Moyers’ documentary, Rikers: An American Jail, focuses on the crisis of mass incarceration by shining a spotlight on Rikers Island, where on any given day, more than 7,500 people are detained, almost 80% of whom have not yet been found guilty of the charges they face. Presented by Ending the New Jim Crow and Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon. Everyone welcome. Free; donations welcome. For more information: kathryn@withyscott.com
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Men’s Community
We are hosting an orientation and gathering on Sunday, Sept. 30 at 1 p.m. following the second service in Daisy Bingham. The group will provide pizza (bring your own soda). Agenda is to summarize past activities, functions, and participation into our common future.
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| Register Now for the Fair Housing Council of Oregon Historic Bus Tour
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Tuesday, Oct. 9 from 7:45 a.m.–12 p.m. Optional debrief and brown-bag lunch 12–2 p.m. Thanks to a generous gift from a First Unitarian Portland congregant, our Social Justice, Family Ministries, and Adult Faith Formation programs are collaborating to offer this inter-generational tour of the Civil Rights Housing History of Portland. The tour is run by the Fair Housing Council of Oregon and is designed to look at Portland civil rights history and how it relates to the challenges we face today. The four-hour bus tour visits sites throughout Portland and features personal stories from guest presenters with first-hand experiences to share. Adults (18 and older): $35; 22 seats available. We invite those who are able to pay more to help support the Summer 2019 YRUU Civil Rights History Pilgrimage to Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee. Financial ability should not be a barrier. Seats are limited, so we recommend adults register here as soon as possible. For questions about adult seats, please contact nbeezley@firstunitarianportland.org.
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September's Art WallJan Katz is featured on the Art Wall in September. Come see the range of her work, from abstract to realistic, all filled with joy and energy.
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BookstoreMost books for Wellspring 1 and Wellspring 2 classes are now available–some are discounted. Limited supplies of some titles, so don’t delay. Lots of other great books to choose from also–See you at the bookstore.
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Program EventsAdult Programs, Learning Community, Music & Arts, Social Justice
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Sunday Afternoon Child Care BeginsEach Sunday afternoon, we'll be offering child care from 1–3 p.m. for group meetings and events happening after services.Please check in at the Eliot Center Info desk if you need care for children age 4 months and older. Please note that when care is not requested by 1 p.m., staff will be released. Contact cscheffman@firstunitarianportland.org with questions.
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Learning Community PotluckSaturday, Sept. 29, 5 p.m.
Families registered in the Learning Community are invited to a meet, greet, and eat! You will receive an email invitation to RSVP.
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Teachers Still NeededWe still need volunteer teachers to complete a few of our teaching teams. Co-leading a class in the Learning Community is a good way to explore your spirituality as well as to help young people discover theirs. Larger teaching teams allow for more flexibility to work with your availability. Please contact Rev. Mary Gear or Cassandra Scheffman for more information.
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Seeking Paid Childcare Providers
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| Get InvolvedMake a difference in the First Unitarian Portland community
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Aid Asylum SeekersWith the recent move of our 13 Salmon Families to a larger facility, we are now using this space to aid asylum seekers who are being released from detention at the Sheridan Prison. We are providing short-term shelter for men, for one to three days before they are sent to their sponsor site outside of Oregon. A frightening, emotional time, we are trying to make their stay as comfortable as possible.
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Spiritual Director Training Program
Might the next step in your spiritual journey be participating in a spiritual director training program? New 10-month training programs have just started. They meet on the first Tuesday morning or second Tuesday evening each month.
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Spare Bedroom
Do you have a spare bedroom you could make available to other UUs visiting Portland? Our Bed & Breakfast program is in need of hosts. You provide bed and a simple breakfast. Proceeds go to the church. To learn more, contact Ruth Robinson: mickrob@comcast.net or 503-246-2131.
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Social Hour Helpers Needed Sunday Mornings
With two services continuing throughout the year, we need a few more beverage service helpers and subs on Sundays in Margaret Fuller Hall. Choose one Sunday each month, either 8–10:50 a.m. or 10:45 a.m.–1 p.m., with time to attend service in between. Please contact Emily at 541-408-1516 or ewh1960@gmail.com. Training provided by experienced volunteers.
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Attention LiveStream Viewers
Do you regularly watch First Unitarian’s Sunday services in real time on Sunday mornings? Are you adept at sending and receiving text messages?
Our Sunday morning sound and video technicians could use help from a couple of techy types out in cyberland to let them know when there is a livestream glitch while the service is being streamed. Please email the church office (office@firstunitarianportland.org) if you’re interested in volunteering for this important job. We need you!
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| Help Wanted!A team of volunteers has formed to address the unrelentingly vigorous weeds in the beds around our church campus, and we need more help! Projects will be planned to control weed growth and highlight our native plants. If you would like to spend a couple of hours with the team, please contact Marti Yoder at marti.yoder@gmail.com and have your name added to the notification list. More hands are needed to make this light work.
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| Seeking Sunday Welcoming Volunteers
If you like to greet people and make them feel welcome, this volunteer opportunity is for you: become a Welcome Desk or Newcomer Table host before or after a Sunday service.
This is a great way to connect with congregation members and newcomers. Contact Membership Chair Ed McClaran or call 971-279-2778.
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| Sunday Drivers Needed
Can you provide an occasional ride to Sunday services for a neighbor? Do you, or someone you know, need help getting to church?
Our First Unitarian Neighborhood Connections rideshare program helps match riders with drivers in Portland and Lake Oswego, and is organized by ZIP code. To learn more, contact Leslie Comnes, 503-236-2963.
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| Seeking Ushers
Here's a great volunteer opportunity: Become an usher and connect more deeply to members of our congregation. Won't you join our team? Contact usher coordinator Dev Dion or call 503-805-5899. Thank you.
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In the CommunityCommunity milestones, joys, and sorrows Laurie Lester and Bob Bonner are delighted to announce the arrival of their third grandchild and Laurie's first, Hasante Isaiah Sanders, born on August 6, to Laurie's son Carlos Lester Nall and Kia Sanders, in Stafford, VA. His grandparents traveled east to meet him in mid-August and Laurie is counting the days until she can hold Hasante again in October, even as she lobbies behind the scenes to get the young family to move to the Pacific Time Zone!
Lynne and Warren Bacon's son, Matt Bacon-Brenes, currently serving as Oregon's Teacher of the Year, has been named one of five national finalists for the NEA Foundation's Horace Mann Excellence in Teaching Award. The top winner will be announced in February when all will be honored at a gala celebrating educators in Washington, D.C. Congratulations to Matt and his "over the moon" parents!
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Naming First Unitarian Foundation in Your Will or Estate PlanHelp assure the long-term sustainability of this beloved congregation by including First Unitarian Portland in your will or estate plan.
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Sunday Attendance1st Service: 323
2nd Service: 405
Live Stream: 86
Musicaians: 30
Total: 844
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Add to Our Media Collection
Taken any nice photos of First Unitarian Portland or its events? Send them our way to help build our media collection! Sending us your photos gives us permission to publish and/or use images for publications, website content, and social media. If you'd like to limit your permission, just let us know. Please email your photos to photos@firstunitarianportland.org or click here.
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Ongoing GroupsThe following church groups meet on a regular schedule during our program year (approximately September through May or June). Many groups meet on an irregular basis. Many groups take the summer months off, so if you are unsure about a particular group's schedule, please contact the individual listed.
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| Africa Connections
This church social justice group supports advocacy and outreach work in communities in Kenya and Zimbabwe that have been deeply impacted by HIV AIDS. We do this through support of the IMANI Project, Zimbabwe Artists Project, and Quilts for Empowerment. Questions? Email Annie Bennett.
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The Alliance
The Alliance meets September through May, usually on the first Wednesday of the month, for a luncheon, business meeting, and program. Visit the Alliance web page. Questions? Email Alliance.
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| Animal Ministry Group
Normally meets on the fourth Sunday, 12:45 p.m., A303. Visit the Animal Ministry web page for special meeting times. Questions? 503-520-9012.
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Caregiver Support GroupWe usually meet the fourth Sunday of the month, September through May. We do not meet during the summer and will resume Sept. 23, 2018.
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| Children's Mosaic Restoration Group
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| Committee on Hunger & Homelessness (COHHO)Meets monthly September through May on the third Sunday at 12:30 p.m. in A303, the Fireside Room, or visit our table in Margaret Fuller Hall on the second and fourth Sundays. Questions? Email co-chairs Mary Andrews and Ellen Vanderslice.
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Community for Earth (CFE)
The Community for Earth (CFE) is again selling the eco-friendly and community supportive Chinook book—each with its own app ($25)—and individual apps ($15). Use of the wide variety of coupons frequently more than covers the cost of the Chinook book and/or app. Buy yours today in our Beacon Bookstore. Cash sales at the CFE table. Questions? Susan Weinstein at 360-440-0564.
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| Contemplative Practice Group Second and fourth Tuesdays, 6:30–8 p.m., A301. Offers a regular opportunity for building community through silent meditation, mindfulness poetry, and deep discussion on church themes. Questions? Ron Walker.
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| Economic Justice Action Group (EJAG)The Economic Justice Action Group (EJAG) educates and advocates on issues of economic justice. Watch for our speaker, book, and movie events. Stop by our table for the latest information on fair trade, health care, democracy, and inequality and its dimensions. We meet the third Sunday of every month, September to June, at 9 a.m. in the Fireside Room. Contact: Michael Wade for more information.
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| Ending the New Jim Crow—Healing the Justice System Usually, monthly on the fourth Tuesday, 6:30–8 p.m., B302. Questions? Kathryn Scotten.
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Good Times Committee
Join with fellow congregants for social gatherings—from happy hour to hikes, from dinners to plays. Learn more and sign up with Good Times during social hour on Sundays. Questions? Laura Gadley, 847-525-8700.
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Immigrant Justice Action Group (IJAG)
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LGBTQIA Pride Group
Find out the latest social events by picking up a flyer at our Pride Table in Margaret Fuller Hall for our monthly movie game night, monthly PDX roller skating, potlucks, and any projects being planned. Visit our Facebook page: First Unitarian Pride, Portland, OR for all of our events and the LGBTQIA events we are supporting in the Portland area.
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Meditation Group
Wednesday Night Meditation Group continues every Wednesday, 7–8:30 p.m., Eliot Chapel. Beginners welcomed. Questions? Mary Ann Harman.
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Monthly Grief GroupGrief is a common thread that connects many of us in our community. This drop-in group will hold compassionate organic space for listening, learning, and resources to live with the many forms of grief and caregiving. The group meets the third Sunday of each month from 1:15–2:45 p.m. in room B304 of the Buchan building. Facilitated by Rev. Rick Freeman and Sophia Douglas.
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| Parents of Teens Support Group, 1–2 p.m.
Second and fourth Sundays
Connect with parents of teens to talk and share parenting topics and the joys and challenges of navigating life as parents, with the guidance of a lay minister. We are an open group. Childcare provided.
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| Peace Action Group Monthly on the second Saturday, 10 a.m.–12 p.m., Channing Room. Questions? Tess Beistel, Terri Shofner, Brianna Bragg.
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Quilts of Love Group3rd Thursday meeting is now 10 to 11:30., B310. Sew-in is on the first Thursday at Modern Domestic, 1408 NE Alberta St., from 10:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. This group creates quilts for families served by Portland Homeless Family Solutions as they transition from the shelter to a permanent home. More. Questions? Contact is Kathleen Vinson 503-477-6001
3rd Thursday meeting is now 10 to 11:30.
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| Sunday Morning T'ai Chi Chih
Sunday morning T'ai Chi Chih, 8:30–9 a.m.; check the sign board in the Buchan building for meeting locations. Questions? Email Adult Programs.
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UU Knitting GroupThe knitting circle meets on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month during the church year. Questions? Susan Pryor, 503-894-9945.
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| UU Men's Community
Third Saturday, 9 a.m., Channing Room. An open group where men of all ages can share life experiences, learn from each other, develop friendships, support one another, and have fun. Questions? Richard Turner 503-734-5854; more info here.
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| UU Movie Group
Meets on the fourth Sunday of the month over a potluck meal at members’ homes. For more information, contact Nancy Panitch, 503-318-0776, or Ellie Kirkham, 971-544-7003. More info at the Good Times table in Margaret Fuller Hall.
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| UU Poetry Group
Twice monthly, on the second and fourth Thursdays, 7 p.m., Channing Room. Questions? Albert Starr.
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UUA Outreach GroupMonthly on the last Wednesday at 7 p.m., usually in B310, but check the sign board when entering.
If your interest lies in the larger picture of UU ministry, join us! Questions? Bill Pryor, 503-894-9945. We'd love to hear from you.
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Women’s CirclesI: First and third Mondays at 7 p.m. Questions? Tess Beistel, 503-257-2042.
II: Second and fourth Mondays at 7 p.m. Questions? Kim, 503-869-1486.
III: First and third Wednesdays from 10–11:30 a.m. Questions? Dorothy Lewis, 503-292-1337.
IV: Twice a month on Wednesday evenings. We are looking for participants of all ages for supportive sharing and discussion about such topics as parenting and spirituality. Questions? Amy, 503-241-5451.
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Update Your Records with UsHave you moved recently? Changed your phone number or e-mail address? Anything else you'd like to let First Unitarian know?
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Do You Have an Item for E-news and/or the Sunday Bulletin?If you have an item you’d like published in our weekly Front Steps (eNews) or the Sunday Bulletin, please submit it to:
Communications@firstunitarianportland.org and include in the subject line “For eNews” –or– “For Sunday Bulletin” –or– “For eNews and Sunday Bulletin.”
This will get to all the right people. Deadline for submissions is noon on Wednesday. Because space is limited in our Sunday Bulletin, we’re unable to run articles for more than a week or two in advance, depending on the number of submissions. Articles may need to be shortened if space is tight.
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Sunday Livestream
Join us LIVE from your computer or smartphone on Sunday at 9:15 & 11:15 a.m.
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For the month of September, our shared plate recipient is Innovation Law Lab, a team of lawyers and advocates who work where the threat to human rights is greatest, where people and legal systems are most vulnerable to attack. Lawyers from ILL are representing 80 asylum seekers currently held in Sheridan Prison. They have secured positive decisions on 100% of credible fear interviews for these detainees and are working for their immediate release. Our church is partnering with ILL to transfer the asylees from prison to their sponsoring hosts. Our witness, words, and actions make a huge difference by focusing on the need for due process–elevating humanity over fear and liberty over tyranny.
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