Ministerial Blog

Ethics of Artificial Intelligence

Rev. Alison Miller, Senior Minister

You would have to be hiding under a rock not to be aware of how prevalent the influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming in our world. Yet, many people – most of us – don’t really understand how it works, its limitations, its possibilities, or its plethora of ethical considerations. The Sewell Lecture with Dr. Sylvester Johnson on April 25 at 1 p.m. in our sanctuary will help all of us – novices and those with greater understanding – be able to examine how AI is, will be, and could be shaping our world for the better and for the worse...MORE

NEW! — The Auction Catalog is Now Available!

Breaking news: ARE YOU READY??? The incredible, magnificent auction catalog for 2026 is now available online for your viewing pleasure. There is so much good stuff from our very generous donors. Be ready! Click here for the auction home page.

You must register to bid unless you were registered last year. Register for bidding here.

The actual bidding begins online this Sunday, April 19, at 8 a.m. and goes online through May 3.

Come to Fuller Hall this Sunday for the catalog display and an opportunity to buy a delicious Alliance pie and perhaps raffle tickets for fun kid prizes. Rev. Tom is offering the book collection from his private library for $5 each and there will also be coffee table books and lovely cards. Maybe become a Sponsor. And most importantly, be ready to BID HIGH so we KEEP DRY! See you in Fuller this Sunday!

NEW! — Honoring Rev. Tom

Deadline: May 18

Plans are underway for honoring Rev. Tom and his 31-year legacy in our church.

Part of that includes a book of memories, photos, stories and well wishes. Please take a bit of time and join us to create a lasting gift of love for Rev. Tom, by sharing your words, memories, and photos.

To create your page, click on this link and follow the instructions.

Please complete your page by May 18. We will present it to Rev. Tom at his retirement celebration on June 14.

If you need help with your page, email Kathy L.

NEW! — Beltane / Gaelic May Day

Wednesday, April 29, 6 - 7 p.m.

Location: Buchan Hall

Rev. Charlotte Cramer

Join Rev. Charlotte Cramer for a Beltane celebration, another in a series of earth-based rituals following the Wheel of the Year. These rituals are simple and accessible to all, rooted in the earth and human experience, and for any faith background or belief system. Click here for more information about the full series.

On Wednesday, April 29, we will be celebrating the fullness of spring, your goals for the summer, and the joy of togetherness!

Note: This event will take place in Buchan Hall. Please enter through the Salmon Street entrance (1226 SW Salmon St).

NEW! — A Big Thank You!

Please join us in expressing our gratitude to retiring front office volunteer, Anne Mabley. Anne has been a steady presence in our front office for many years' worth of Thursday mornings! She has also baked delicious cookies, and bars, and cakes, and pies for staff and congregants visiting the church office to enjoy. We are missing you, Anne. Thank you, and best wishes in your retirement.  

Strategic Planning... What's Happening?

A number of you have asked about the status of our Strategic Planning Process. We are continuing to move forward, but given the number of staffing transitions we are working on this spring, the energy around strategic planning has shifted to these changes for the moment. Engaging the whole congregation in the mission and vision work has moved to our next program year, but this work remains a key priority. We’ll continue to invite input from groups and individuals across the community and will share updates as things progress.

We All Need a Village: Weaving Community as We Age

Sunday, April 19, 11:45 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Location: Buchan Hall

First Unitarian's Senior Engagement (FUSE)

Rev. Tom will facilitate panelists from Villages NW. Learn about aging in place and solo aging! Snacks & beverages provided.

FUSE works to increase meaningful connections, help members experiencing loneliness, and enhance the spiritual well-being and centeredness of members.

Marilyn Sewell Social Justice Lecture 

Saturday, April 25, 1 - 4:30 pm

Location: Main Street Sanctuary

Sylvester Johnson, Professor of Black Studies at Northwestern University and one of the leading scholars in the country on Artificial Intelligence, race, religion, and society, will present a lecture entitled “AI as a Tool for Oppression and for Resistance & Liberation”. This lecture will explore tensions between state-sponsored surveillance and the growth of civic technology. Will AI ultimately serve to reinforce systems of oppression or will it enable new forms of resistance and liberation? It’s up to us! 

Following the lecture and Q&A, there will be a brief reception from 2:30-3:00 and then an optional workshop from 3:00 – 4:30, where we gather to identify specific actions that we can take in our community focused on social justice.

Tickets are free but registration is required. Click here to register for either the lecture or the lecture plus the workshop. Free parking will be available in the church parking lot on SW 12th. 

NEW! — Vigils for Troubling Times

Tuesday, March 24, 5:30 p.m. and every 4th Tuesday through June

Location: Virtual

Are you struggling to cope with the daily news and events in these dark times? Join us for Vigils for Troubling Times, a quiet service of music, poetry, prayer, reflection, and meditation offered online.

Join us on Tuesday, April 28, at 5:30 p.m. and continuing on the 4th Tuesday of each month.

Click here to join on Zoom. If you would like a monthly reminder, email Karen S.

An Announcement from the Foundation

Dear Friends,

The First Unitarian Church of Portland Foundation Board of Stewards recently completed a comprehensive review of investment advisory services for our $3 million endowment fund.

Following a structured evaluation process, the Board has selected a new investment advisory firm to manage the endowment going forward. This decision reflects our commitment to:

• Long-term financial sustainability;
• Responsible annual distributions of 4–5%; and
• Strong alignment with our Environment, Social and Governance values in our investments.

The Board is grateful for the service provided by our prior advisor and is confident that this transition positions the Foundation for continued strength and mission alignment.

The new investment advisory firm is Becker Capital Management, a Portland firm with 50+ years of experience.

The transition is being conducted carefully and methodically to ensure continuity, minimize transaction costs, and maintain portfolio integrity.

As always, the Foundation exists to support the long-term mission of First Unitarian. We remain committed to prudent stewardship of these entrusted resources.

If you have questions, please feel free to email me or Sarabelle Hitchner, Chair of our Investment Advisory Committee.

With appreciation,

Dev Dion, President, First Unitarian Church of Portland Foundation

NEW! — Do You Have Development and Grant-Seeking Experience?

Join a fun team supporting the financial success of the 13 Salmon Shower Project! The Shower Project Advisory Council meets via Zoom monthly. We are seeking a few new teammates, especially those with experience in nonprofit administration, development, or grant seeking. Please email Jamie M. or Ellen V.

Photo Request

What did you make with your Easter Sunday playdough or silly putty?

Thank you to Kim S. for her creation "Transformation" (left) and to Corbett G. for her "Happy Dog." (below)

Send us a picture here by email!

Thank You To Our First U Gardening Crew!

Many thanks to our volunteer gardeners who pitched in last week to spruce up the beds for Easter Sunday. 

And thanks to ALL of you who have given hours and labor—time and again—to keep the church gardens looking their best. It is a collective effort with the sextons, this group, Prosper Portland (which provides regular hosing down of our steps) and numerous volunteer and civic groups picking up trash in the neighborhood and on our block. Because of this combined effort, and the momentum we've built, the gardens are a lot easier to maintain each time — with beautiful results.

NEW! — Do You Know Who These People Are?

Abigail Adams, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Louisa May Alcott, Horatio Alger Sr., Ethan Allen, John Buehrens, Susan B. Anthony, Hosea Ballou, Phineas Taylor (PT) Barnum, Ysaye Maria Barnwell, Béla Bartók, Clara Barton, Ray Bradbury, Olympia Brown, Louise Carnegie, Neville Chamberlain, William Ellery Channing, Judy Chu, ee cummings, Charles Darwin, Francis David, Morris Dees, Charles Dickens, Dorothea Dix, Stanley Ann Dunham, Thomas Lamb Eliot, Millard Fillmore, Robert Fulghum, Buckminster Fuller, Margaret Fuller, Greta Gerwig, Horace Greeley, Phebe Ann Coffin Hannaford, Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Julia Ward Howe, Naomi King, W.M. Kiplinger, Bernard Maybeck, Herman Melville, Robert Millikan, Isaac Newton, Maurine Neuberger, Keith Olbermann, Linus Pauling, Utah Phillips, James Pierpont, Beatrix Potter, Sylvia Plath, Bonnie Raitt, James Reeb, Christopher Reeve, Paul Revere, Malvina Reynolds, May Sarton, Arthur Schlesinger, Albert Schweitzer, Pete Seeger, Rod Serling, William Sinkford, Adlai Stevenson, William Howard Taft, Kurt Vonnegut, Daniel Webster, Frank Lloyd Wright, N.C. Wyeth.

How many have you heard of? What is each known for? What do they have in common?

You’ll find more information in the Bookstore this Sunday.  

CHECK WEEKLY — April 19 Newsletter

Rev. Leah Ongiri, Acting Director of Lifespan Faith Formation and Family Ministries

I'm so pleased to share that our annual youth worship service is this Sunday!

Children in preschool and Kindy-1st grade classes will attend the first part of the service as usual, then head to their regular classes. Children and youth 2nd grade and above will attend the whole service...MORE

NEW! — CARD Meeting

This Saturday, April 18, 10:30 a.m.

Location: NE Portland

Care and Action for Reproductive Dignity (CARD)

Join us for an informative potluck this Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Holly B.’s house in NE Portland. Our potlucks are a fun blend of socializing, eating homemade dishes and collaborating on ways to continue improving access to reproductive healthcare.

Please email Holly B. for street address and your food offering. For general information regarding CARD or this meeting, email Marni T.

NEW! — Rumble on the River Data Centers Forum

Tuesday, April 28, 6:30 p.m.

Location: Main Sanctuary

Community for Earth (CFE) and Economic Justice Action Group (EJAG)

As a follow up to our Sewell Lecture about AI as a Tool for Oppression and for Resistance & Liberation, First Unitarian is hosting a session on data centers in Oregon. Aside from

providing limited long-term employment opportunities and receiving tax breaks, data centers demand extreme amounts of water, energy and land.

The excellent panel includes Klickitat Chief Wilbur Slockish, John DeVoe from WaterWatch, Kaleb Lay from Oregon Rural Action, Nellie McAdams from Oregon Agricultural Trust, Kelsey Shaw Nakama from Tualatin Riverkeepers, and Jody Wiser from Tax Fairness Oregon. Moderator: Barbara Bernstein, Filmmaker and host of KBOO Radio’s Locus Focus.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for tabling. Session begins at 6:30 p.m.

NEW! — Day Without An Immigrant Strike, Rally, and March

Friday, May 1, 2:30 p.m.

Location: Meet at Eliot Chapel

On May Day, Oregonians and businesses are asked to participate in a no school, no work, and no shopping day of action to highlight the Administration’s continued assault on immigrant families and workers overall. This May 1st, we will come together again to honor immigrant workers at a time when our immigrant community is being targeted. 

There will be a rally and march starting at 1:30 p.m. in the South Park Blocks in Portland. If you want to join with your fellow First Unitarian Portlanders, meet in front of the Eliot Chapel at 2:30 p.m. and we will head to the rally together.  

Follow these links to find out more about how to stay safe at rallies and marches, info on the Day Without an Immigrant event, and make a pledge to support your immigrant neighbors.

Shower Project Requests

Each week we offer unhoused neighbors a secure space to shower, enjoy a meal, get clean clothing, and experience refuge from conditions on the street.

We are always looking for more helping hands. Volunteers sign up for 2-hour shifts that work for their schedule - and enjoy meeting other congregants this way. If you're interested, please click here.

Your donations make a big difference in the lives of those we serve. We are in special need of the following items:

• Men's clothes, especially jeans/pants/sweats (30 - 36)
• Hoodies, sweatshirts, coats, and rain gear
• Boxer briefs - NEW (M, L)
• Women's underwear - NEW (S, M)
• Direct monetary donations

Drop off your items in the marked cabinet in Fuller Hall during Sunday church hours or during Shower Project hours (Wednesdays and Thursdays between noon and 4 p.m.).

For questions, email Casey C. Thank you!

CHECK WEEKLY — Art for Social Justice

Curated by Ethel G., Speaking of Justice Editorial Team

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.

Naomi Shihab Nye gives voice to her experience as an Arab-American through poems about heritage and peace that overflow with a humanitarian spirit.

March & April Art Wall Exhibition

Photographs by Dave Gallison