NOTE: THIS SERVICE WILL NOT BE LIVE STREAMED!



Children will be upstairs for Chalice Kids with Cheryl for the entire service this week.

Upcoming Gatherings

Feb. 5 | 10 am

Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations

Dwayne Tomah

Feb. 12 | 10 am

Alzheimer's Canyon

Jane Dwinell

Feb. 19 | 10 am

Our Family Ministry

Sandra Greenfield

Welcome Our

Guest Speaker, Kimayo!

Kimayo is a folk-pop artist who has been performing in New England since 2019. Her authentic and personal songs are relatable and vulnerable. Coming out as queer in Spring of 2021, her new music explores self-discovery with an adult contemporary sound. Through her music, Kimayo seeks to cultivate connection, solidarity, and hope for each of her listeners. Discover more through her website. Our Offertory will be Split the Plate to support the My Queer Faith Tour and Kimayo’s outreach mission bridging the LGBTQIA+ and faith communities.

Workshop with

Dwayne Tomah

February 5 | 11:30am-1pm |

Community Room

Please join us as Passamaquoddy storyteller and activist, Dwayne Tomah, leads us through a workshop to gain better understanding of the "Doctrine of Discovery." For over 500 years, this doctrine has provided legal cover for European nations to acquire land and dispossess Indigenous Peoples. Incredibly, this arcane doctrine remains a basis for federal laws! The workshop is is free and open to the public. A light lunch will also be served. Please register here.

Rev. Elaine's Travels!

Rev. Elaine will be traveling January 22nd-31st. Pastoral Care and other emergencies are being covered by Rev. Hillary from the Yarmouth UU Church. You can reach her through our Pastoral Care team by emailing Judy Micoleau, our chair of Pastoral Care.

Ministerial Search Committee Update

The Ministerial Search Committee is going all out to attract the next settled minister for First Parish. We have invited candidates to join us in Portland for a pre-candidating weekend and are putting together the weekend schedule to provide an opportunity for us to get to know candidates further and for them to learn more about all that First Parish and the wider Portland community has to offer. We are excited about the possibilities! If you have questions or comments, speak to a MSC team member at church on Sunday, or send an email.

You are invited to virtually join the Seminary for a Day on Saturday, January 28th, hosted by First Unitarian Portland in Oregon. This year’s spiritual theme is Transcendentalism. The keynote speaker is Rev. John Buehrens, a prolific author and the former UUA President from 1993 to 2001. Rev. Buehrens will offer a keynote on the first Unitarian Transcendentalist on the Pacific Coast, the Rev. Thomas Starr King. He exemplified key spiritual practices of the Transcendentalists that need renewal among us today: personal reflection (often in the form of keeping a journal), and deep interpersonal connections crossing conventional boundaries. For more information and to register for this event, please click here.

First Parish

Book Group

February 7th | 7-8 pm | online 

If you love reading, join us on Zoom to share and discuss books that we have recently enjoyed! This group meets on the first Tuesday of every month. Members free; $5 for non-members. To register and receive the Zoom link, email Betsy Garnett.

Wabanaki Stories At

Merrill Auditorium!

February 4th | 3pm

The land and waters known as Maine have been home to Wabanaki People for over 12,000 years. This vibrant production of Wabanaki stories and music spotlights five Wabanaki artists coming from several different nations and traditions. Musician Tania Morey (Tobique) sings of the Wolastoq; Jennifer Pictou (Mi’kmaq) regales with spirit stories told in the company of a large puppet; Dwayne Tomah (Passamaquoddy) shares stories that showcase his native language, Passamaquoddy; and Jason Brown aka Firefly (Penobscot) electrifies with cutting-edge technology blended with ancient frequencies. Director, artist and author Chris Newell (Passamaquoddy) intersperses each with music and narration. You can purchase tickets here!

 Pastoral Care Needs

If you wish to speak confidentially with a member of the Pastoral Care Team, please send an email to team leader Judy Micoleau and a member will get back to you as soon as possible. The Pastoral Care Team is also recruiting new members! If you are a compassionate and astute listener and have a desire to support FP members who are experiencing spiritual and emotional needs, we would love to meet with you. Please email Judy Micoleau if you are interested!

Come Sing With Us!

The First Parish Choir has resumed weekly rehearsals every Thursday evening from 7:00pm to 8:30pm and we're looking for new members! For more information please email our Music Director, Benjamin Holbrook.

What's Going On

Within The UUA?

If you are interested in learning about what is happening within the UUA, check out these regional and national websites!

Getting In Touch

With First Parish

It may take a few days to return phone messages, so email is the best way to reach all First Parish staff. Please remember that Laurie and Benjamin work part-time and may not respond to emails every day. Thank you for your patience and understanding!



Rev. Elaine Peresluha

Interim Minister

minister@firstparishportland.org



Hannah Gilman

Congregational Administrator

office@firstparishportland.org

Benjamin Holbrook

Music Director

musicdirector@firstparishportland.org

Laurie Hasty

Membership Coordinator

membership@firstparishportland.org

Moe Blanchard

Sexton

office@firstparishportland.org