All UU members and friends are cordially invited to join First UU in Portland virtually for Seminary for a Day on Saturday, January 28, 9:30 am to 2;35 pm at First Unitarian Portland. This year’s spiritual theme is Transcendentalism. Cost is $35 for virtual ticket .

Our keynote speaker is Rev. John Buehrens. Rev. Buehrens served as UUA President, 1993-2001. A prolific author, his most recent one about our heritage is CONFLAGRATION: How the Transcendentalists Sparked the American Struggle for Racial, Gender, and Social Justice (Beacon, 2020).

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.

In addition, Rev. Buehrens will offer a workshop entitled, “God Optional: Theologies Among Us Today.” John Buehrens and Rebecca Ann Parker surveyed the hope-filled thought patterns in progressive religion today in their book, A House for Hope: The Promise of Progressive Religion in the 21st Century (Beacon, 2010). While their framework borrows from a heritage of Judeo-Christian systematic theology, it also makes room for humanist, indigenous, and non-Western a/theologies. All such thinking, however, needs to meet some overriding and important tests to be effective. Tests which will be revealed in the workshop.

Registration is open until 4:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on Sunday, January 22nd. You will receive a link to join via email on January 23rd.

If you have any questions or would like any additional descriptions please contact Kerry, kheintze@firstunitarianportland.org