We Commit Ourselves and Our Resources to 
Nurture the Spirit, Grow in Community, and Help Heal the World.
ONLINE Worship Service:

Sunday
January 23rd
10:00 am

UU History Sunday
Rev. Elaine Peresluha
NOTE: We will not be having in-person services for the time being. For more information on this, click here.
To find previous worship services prior to 12/5/21, go to our Facebook Page.
To find worship services after 12/5/21, go to our website.
Upcoming Worship Services
Jan. 30| 10 am
Does God Dream?
Mike Seavey
Feb. 6 |10 am
Reverence
Rev. Elaine Peresluha
Feb. 13 | 10 am
On The Side of Love
Rev. Elaine Peresluha
UU History Classes
January 23 & 30 | 1-3pm | online

Join us for this two-session workshop exploring the history and theology of this liberal religious faith tradition and of First Parish. This class is a requirement for anyone considering becoming a member of First Parish. Current members are also invited to participate and deepen their understanding of our history. Please contact Laurie at membership@firstparishportland.org to register and receive course materials.

January 23 - UU HISTORY led by Rev. Elaine and Toben Cooney-Callnan, Director of Faith Formation
January 30 - FIRST PARISH HISTORY led Kristina Minister and Charlie Micoleau
First Parish
Book Group
Feb. 1 | 7-8pm | 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, contact Betsy Garnett at ekgarnett@yahoo.com.
Cult of Art
Burlesque and
Variety Show!
Feb. 12 | 8pm-11pm |
Meeting House

Cult of Art is an organization that creates immersive and interactive experiences that incorporate ritual theater, performance, spiritual fellowship, comedy, mysticism, and art. First Parish will be the venue for this unique Burlesque and Variety show on February 12th! The show will be donating 20% of their profits to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation! Get your tickets here before they sell out! To learn more about Cult of Art, click here.
Warming Center Success!

As you may have heard, we have partnered with the city and many local organizations, including Preble Street, Portland Greater Health, Grace St. Ministry, and Spurwink, to open an Emergency Winter Warming Center. This has been a great success so far - with First Parish opening its Community Room during the day to the unhoused for warmth, coffee, and snacks. We are honored to be a part of the solution! If you would like to get involved, whether by donating time or food, please email Jeff Logan or email Hannah Gilman. You can learn more about the Warming Center's impact in our community here.
Join UU Outdoors!

Does spirituality and hiking sound interesting to you? Our UU Outdoors group is seeking a few more members! We meet once a month on the fourth Thursday, and we limit our membership to ten people. We enjoy meeting together, connecting with Nature and the greater Universe. We can hike, bird, paddle, snowshoe, and more! Each member volunteers to facilitate our monthly activity, selecting a location and incorporating a spiritual component to our outdoor adventure through poetry or prose. Members of UU Outdoors need to be experienced and comfortable with hiking as our group is not intended to be a training/education service to introduce newcomers to outdoor activities. If you are interested in learning more about joining our group, please email Lois Winter.
Wayside Pulpit

Breathing and Meditation
Wednesdays from Jan. 5 - Feb. 23 |
8-9 am | Zoom

The practice of pranayama is essential to a calm mind, a healthy body, and a free spirit. Through breathwork, kriyas, mudras and sutras we prepare for silence and stillness. Please email Susannah for information about sliding scale payment. You can find the Zoom link here.
Church For
EveryBody Update
We have installed the new TV in our Parish Hall! From this, we will be able to stream from the Meeting House and post important updates. We could not have completed this project without the incredibly generous donations of our members and friends. A huge thank you to all involved! You can watch the news coverage of the ribbon cutting ceremony here. You can read more about the project here.
 Pastoral Care Needs
 
If you wish to speak confidentially with a member of the Pastoral Care Team following our streaming services on Sundays, please send an email to team leader Judy Micoleau and a member will get back to you as soon as possible.
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 keep in mind that Toben and Laurie work part-time, and will return messages when they are able. Thank you for your patience and understanding!

Rev. Elaine Peresluha
Interim Minister

Hannah Gilman
Congregational Administrator

Toben Cooney-Callnan
Director of Faith Formation

Laurie Hasty
Membership Coordinator

Moe Blanchard
Sexton
425 Congress Street Portland, Maine 04101   207-773-5747  

 Nurture the Spirit, Grow in Community 
and Help Heal the World