Sermon Archive

While Wy’east has spent the last church year gently learning about and considering various aspects of the proposed Revised Article II, others have been ardently and actively engaged in crafting and seeking support for some changes to that revision. Four amendments to the proposed Revised Article II that have met the bar to be considered at this month’s General Assembly. This morning we will explore two of them: Adding the value of Peace and adding the value of Reason. We will hear briefly about the arguments for and against and spend some time engaging in our own exploration. 

Family Service at 9:30 AM

Listen to the service recording

Online (Zoom) Only Worship

Sunday at 10:30 AM

Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom

Meeting ID:  275 194 110

Phone In:  (669) 900-6833

At the end of June at the 2024 UU General Assembly, our congregation will have the opportunity to send two delegates to vote on whether to adopt a proposed revised Article II of the UUA bylaws (the section that currently contains our principles and sources). Over the course of the last church year, Rev. Leslie Becknell Marx and the Worship Committee have intentionally focused sermons and worship services on the values and inspirations articulated in that proposed language. This Sunday, step back and look at the proposal as a whole, compare it to the current language and provide space for us to explore together our questions,celebrations and concerns. 

We would love to hear your thoughts about the proposed Article II revision. Please complete this brief input form to help us prepare for this service. 

If you’d like to dive deeper in order to come prepared, here are some assembled resources to learn more

First-Sunday Monthly Potluck after Service!

Listen to the service recording here

Multi-Platform Worship (both in-person & online)

Sunday at 10:30 AM

Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom

Meeting ID:  275 194 110

Phone In:  (669) 900-6833

As T. Thorn Coyle says, “Practice makes possible.” How can the practice of covenant help us to navigate relationships in our lives and in our congregations? How do we practice covenant when things are hard? Rev. Erica Baron, Congregational Life Staff in the New England Region.

Rev. Erica Baron joined the New England region staff in 2019, focusing on helping congregations live into their missions and develop their gifts for spiritual leadership. Before joining the Congregational Life staff, she served as parish minister for the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Catskills in Kingston, NY, as well as the congregations in Rutland and Bennington, VT. She is a graduate of Andover Newton Theological School.

Family Service at 9:30 AM

Online (Zoom) Only Worship

Sunday at 10:30 AM

Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom

Meeting ID:  275 194 110

Phone In:  (669) 900-6833

The first Flower Ceremony was held in Prague, in June 1923, led by Rev. Norbert Čapek. For decades, this beloved tradition and its powerful history has welcomed Spring and provided meaning to hundreds of UU congregations. You are invited to bring a flower of some kind whether real or representational. What kind of beautiful bouquet can we make together?

Our service will be led by Stephani Skalak, who has been welcomed into preliminary fellowship by the UUA to become a UU minister. Stephani will reflect on how we can find spiritual discipline in our Unitarian Universalist “cafeteria style” tradition which draws from so many diverse inspirations?

Stephani Skalak has a Master of Divinity from the UU seminary Meadville Lombard and is currently a chaplain resident at Providence Portland Medical Center. In her career to date she has been an educator, an artist, and an activist. She has more than fifteen years of experience teaching media literacy and video production to youth and adults alike, encouraging them to use their voices for change. Earlier in her career, she worked for the Peace Corps both as HQ staff and as a volunteer in West Africa. Her undergraduate degree is in International Relations from The American University in Washington, DC. Stephani has experience in small group ministry within the UU tradition and has had a life-long love of learning other cultures. She lives in Portland, with her love, Mark, and their two teenage children, Kai and Seneca.

Multi-Platform Worship (both in-person & online)

Sunday at 10:30 AM

Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom

Meeting ID:  275 194 110

Phone In:  (669) 900-6833

Drought has reduced the water level of reservoirs, thus stopping rivers from flowing over dams, leading to  water pollution in the still water left behind and halting salmon reproduction. Tribes in Northern California and southern Oregon have effectively advocated dam removal along the Klamath River that divides the two states, focusing particularly on the need to protect wild salmon reproduction.  One of the tribal leaders, Brook Thompson, will tell us about the positive impacts of removing four dams along 420 miles of habitat in what has been the largest river restoration project in the U.S.  She will also tell us what’s needed next to assure river flow and renewed growth of salmon fishing. 

Brook Thompson is a Yurok and Karuk Native American from Northern California and Portland.  Brook fights for Native American water rights through public speaking, academic research, and frontline activism.  Brook has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Portland State University, an M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Stanford, and is now completing a PhD at UC Santa Cruz where she studies how Indigenous Knowledge can be better implemented through California water policy.  Thompson’s goal is to bring together water rights and Native American knowledge through engineering, public policy, and social action.  

Website:  https://www.brookmthompson.com  

E-mail:  brookmthompson@gmail.com 

Listen to the Service Recording  

Family Service at 9:30 AM

Special Collection: Save California Salmon

Online (Zoom) Only Worship

Sunday at 10:30 AM

Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom

Meeting ID:  275 194 110

Phone In:  (669) 900-6833

Explore the many wells we draw from as Unitarian Universalists. We are grounded in rich history, connected by shared values, and inspired by a diversity of sources. 

We will consider the revised language proposed in Article II of the UUA bylaws which replaces what we currently call our Sources with a similar section entitled Inspirations:

"Direct experiences of transcending mystery and wonder are primary sources of Unitarian Universalist inspiration. These experiences open our hearts, renew our spirits, and transform our lives. We draw upon, and are inspired by, sacred, secular, and scientific understandings that help us make meaning and live into our values. These sources ground us and sustain us in ordinary, difficult, and joyous times. We respect the histories, contexts, and cultures in which these sources were created and are currently practiced. Grateful for the experiences that move us, aware of the religious ancestries we inherit, and enlivened by the diversity which enriches our faith, we are called to ever deepen and expand our wisdom."

Listen to the Service Recording 
 

First-Sunday Monthly Potluck after Service!

Annual Budget Informational Meeting

Multi-Platform Worship (both in-person & online)

Sunday at 10:30 AM

Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom

Meeting ID:  275 194 110

Phone In:  (669) 900-6833

How can we use a religious framework to inspire individual action around climate justice and care for the planet? Community Activist Ahlam Osman joins us this morning to share about her work in the Green Islam Movement. Through her work with Faithfully Sustainable and the Somali Empowerment Circle, Ahlam Osman is rooting conversations about sustainability and other “green” issues in the heart of her faith community.

Ahlam Osman, Event Planner at Faithfully Sustainable, is dedicated to actively exploring the intersectionalities of climate justice, sustainability, and Islamic principles as a framework to bridge gaps in the environmentalism space. Her goal at F.S is to create platforms to address environmental justice and disparities within Muslim and Black immigrant communities. Ahlam is currently a student at Portland State studying community development, with a deep interest and passion for environmental sustainability & urban planning + design. Multi-faceted, she is committed to using her skill sets in problem-solving, community engagement, and creative thinking to bring equity to every facet of her work. Beyond her environmental efforts, Ahlam is one of three Co-founders of Above GRND Coffee (@abovegrndpdx) an upcoming coffee shop in her hometown, Portland, OR. This venture, driven by Ahlam's passion for the specialty coffee industry, will be one of the few Somali-owned coffee shops in the US. As an urbanist and multidisciplinary professional, this passion project shows her commitment to what she calls, community-economic development through place-making in Portland’s business landscape. 

Family Service at 9:30 AM

Listen to the Sermon Recording Here

Online (Zoom) Only Worship

Sunday at 10:30 AM

Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom

Meeting ID:  275 194 110

Phone In:  (669) 900-6833

Our focus on Equity in the month of April continues this Sunday with an opportunity to learn more about the Albina Vision Trust. JT Flowers, who handles Strategic Communications for the Trust will join us and share more about how the work of AVT (in the words articulated in the new Article II value of Equity) uses time, wisdom, attention, and money to build and sustain fully accessible and inclusive communities. JT Flowers handles Strategic Communications for the Albina Vision Trust (AVT)

Listen to JT Flower's talk (with an introductory section from the Albina Vision Trust website, read by Ruth Jenkins).

Listen to the Sermon

Multi-Platform Worship (both in-person & online)

Sunday at 10:30 AM

Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom

Meeting ID:  275 194 110

Phone In:  (669) 900-6833

At this time of spring and renewal, Rev. Sarah Schurr looks at the idea of hope. Some say hope is a platitude that keeps us happy with the status quo. Others say hope is essential, not only our wellbeing but to inspire our work to build a better world. Sarah is part of the field staff of the Pacific Western Region of the UUA and is their specialist in small congregations.

Family Service at 9:30 AM

Online (Zoom) Only Worship

Sunday at 10:30 AM

Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom

Meeting ID:  275 194 110

Phone In:  (669) 900-6833

We gather to celebrate the contribution that Wy’east UU Congregation makes to our members and wider community and to ensure that we bring our support to sustain its health and vibrancy. 

We will explore Equity, the final value from the proposed updates to our Unitarian Universalist Association’s bylaws, where it describes equity as follows:

“We declare that every person has the right to flourish with inherent dignity and worthiness.

We covenant to use our time, wisdom, attention, and money to build and sustain fully accessible and inclusive communities.”

First-Sunday Monthly Potluck after Service!

Listen to the recording here

Multi-Platform Worship (both in-person & online)

Sunday at 10:30 AM

Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom

Meeting ID:  275 194 110

Phone In:  (669) 900-6833