Welcome to The Alliance!

So glad to have you on our website. Scroll down this page to see ALL that is coming right up.

January 8

Change of usual date! Please note.

Email Alliancersvp@firstunitarianportland.org for brown bag lunch following program ($5).

Thank you for supporting Alliance Greens and Holiday Sale!

Each year the Aliance donates thousands to community groups serving women, children and marginalized communities and the proceeds from the Holiday Sale go toward new grants in 2025!

Candidates are nominated by Alliance members. More information soon!

2024-2025 Alliance Programs

September 4 – Cindy Cumfer: Thomas Lamb Eliot and the Activist Women of First Unitarian Church

October 2 – League of Women Voters, Melanie Billings-Yun and Wynne Furth: Ranked choice voting and Portland’s new governance structure

November 13 (note change of date)- Danielle Garrett speaking on her experience with pilgrimage.

December 11 (note change of date) – Threads from Heart to Heart, our own Signe Lusk at the piano!

January 8 – Multnomah County Homelessness Response Plan – Ryan Diebert

February 5 – Friends of Tryon Creek – Gabe Sheoships, Executive Director

March 5 – Reproductive Rights and Women’s Health Care – Judith Arcana

April 2 – P;ear – Homeless Youth Art Project – Antonio Camacho Martinez, Program Director

May 7 – EcoTrust – Ronda Rutledge, Executive Director, Citizen of Cherokee Nation

Program Access

Alliance programs are offered in a hybrid manner, including both in-person and via Boxcast.

Eliot Chapel turns 100!

Thank you, Alliance (aka Ladies’ Sewing Circle)!!

History Notes:  Burrage, Davison, Spaulding, Burrell, Atwood, and
Greenwood Clubs

1923 Alliance membership lists show 108 women enrolled: However, few
of them attended the first Wednesday monthly meetings, which featured
programs on topics such as architecture, gardens, modern literature,
and the Bible. The first Alliance program in the new Eliot church was
on September 3, 1924,  focusing on “The Life of William Ellery
Channing,” and took place not in Eliot Chapel but in the much smaller
Channing room, which would not have had space for 108 women! Instead
of attending monthly programs…… .
Unlike today, instead of attending programs with themes like “Eminent
Unitarians,” most of the 108 members chose to attend one or more of
the Alliance clubs active in 1923:
—Burrage club members made plum pudding, fruit cake, mince meat for
the pre-Thanksgiving sale; they sewed comforters and hooked rugs.
—Davison club members were teachers and business women and so met in
the evenings; they called new members and visited the sick.
—Spaulding club women sewed for Albertina Kerr home, made aprons, and
spent afternoons sewing and mending “for the hostess.” Many members
had small children.
—Burrell club met for lunch with a program and social hour. They made
layettes for families of veterans (using 100 yards of flannel one
year) and also made jellies and pickles to sell.
—Atwood club did “philanthropic work”and sewed for Waverly Baby Home.
—Greenwood club sold Christmas toys and cards with a focus on younger members.
Alliance members kept busy!!

Alliance plays a role in choosing the new church architect, 1923-24

Eliot Chapel’s SW 12th and Salmon Street site was favored by the church Board after consulting with Jamieson Kirkwood Parker, the selected architect. Parker’s wife Margaret Biddle Parker was an active Alliance member, for years arranging Sunday service decorations. And she was a fourth generation Unitarian…

Margaret Biddle Parker was an active Alliance member, whose great grandfather was Thomas Frazar, a founder of the Portland church in 1865 and also granddaughter of Rosa Burrell, an Alliance founding member and one of the first women on the church Board in 1893. Newly married in September, 1923, might Margaret have played a role in Jamieson’s selection as architect??

The Eliot Parsonage 1025 SW Park Ave

Alliance Mission

The Alliance of First Unitarian Church, begun in 1865, and open to all in our faith community, provides regular opportunities for fellowship, life-long learning and spiritual growth for its members as well as service to the church and larger fellowship.

Alliance Vision Statement

The Alliance seeks to be an active, visible part of First Unitarian Church that gathers in community and fellowship to promote and celebrate its history and the principles of Unitarian Universalism, engage in service to the church and the wider community, address unmet needs, care for one another and grow in mind and spirit

Alliance Allocations 2024

A core value of the Alliance is to provide meaningful service and contributions to First Unitarian Church and the broader community. To that end, the Alliance raises funds and allocates them as follows:

The Allocations Committee oversees the donation of funds to organizations that operate in our wider community. Guidelines and procedures have been revised to achieve a significant impact on any agency receiving Alliance support. Organizations which are recipients of grants allocated from the proceeds of our annual Greens Sale and Holiday Sale in December plus generous donations from members of the Alliance. Our thanks to all for making possible this highest donation amount ever!

• Afgan Support Network – $1,500
  • The Afghan Support Network empowers Afghans in Metro Portland through advocacy, services, and resources to build a future in which all Afghans prosper and contribute to the well-being and success of their community, ASN provides refugee support services, and one of their main activities is running a free food distribution program for families.
• Guerreras Network – $1,500
  • Guereras Latinas offers Latina Women in Portland a safe space to connect and access resources, services and opportunities to empower themselves through information, thus strengthening their leadership in order to advocate for the well-being of their families and community. The organization offers classes, workshops, and presentations and provides child care, hot meals and transportation costs to and from events.
• Family Promise of Tualatin Valley – $1,000
  • Their mission is to equip vulnerable families and individuals to end the cycle of homelessness through a community-based response. Family Promise serves children and families experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity. All of the clients have low or no income and many are part of historically marginalized communities such as BIPOC households, single-parent households, and recent immigrants.
• Ka Aha Lahui O Olekona ( KALO HCC) – $1,000
  • Their purpose is to actively participate in the promotion, perpetuation, and practice of the Native Hawaiian culture and values. Current activities include running a Community Pantry and Closet with culturally familiar foods, monthly food justice related actions, a Summer Youth Program focused on cultural knowledge sharing and skill building, COVID-19 resource distribution (Pacific Islanders are disproportionally affected by COVID), and management of a traditional garden where taro plants are being grown and adapted to PNW conditions.
• Betty Campbell/Jeanette Crawley Scholarship – $750
  • Scholarships are given to past students of Boise-Eliot/Humbolt School for higher education for up to four years. Award amounts vary according to need and usually range from $500-$4000.
• Bridging Voices – $750
  • Bridging Votes is a youth chorus for LGBTQ+ and allied youth, ages 13 – 21, and strives to be a safe, accessible place for youth to experience empowerment and unity through music. It is Portland’s first Queer/Straight Alliance Youth Chorus and is one of the largest choruses of its kind in the nation.
• Girls Build – $750
  • Girls Build train 8 – 15 year old girls to use tools – hand powered – with confidence to help them exist in the world with confidence. The idea is that these girls can be confident and understand how to approach projects, helping them get a “leg up” heading Into careers that pay family-supportive wages. Girls Build is based in Multnomah County, where in 2023 they served 250 girls. 440 girls were served state-wide.
• Supporting Our society – $750
  • Six young Portland women of color started the organization 10 years ago to empower families and young girls in a variety of ways. They collect and distribute winter coats and clothes in a dignified “shopping “ experience. They also mentor and support BIPOC teenage girls during their critical years of development through their Butterfly Program.

These were selected from among the 13 nominated local non-profit organizations as best meeting our criteria for serving Portland residents, particularly women and children from marginalized communities.

Luncheon Glimpses

Joining–and Why

Please consider joining the Alliance. In doing so you give to yourself the gift of learning, the chance to interact with interesting and lively women and men, and you are also a part of support for non-profit community agencies (see Alliance Allocations below).

Electronic membership form is under renovation. Please request a paper form.

To join, click here: https://forms.gle/7FniEZMSEUraN63z6

Please complete the form, send it electronically, and send your dues check to the *church or print out the form and send to the church, as directed on the form itself.

(*First Unitarian Church, Alliance Treasurer, 1034 SW 13th Street, Portland, OR 97201)

Our traditions are rooted in the service work of women in the early church and continue today. With involvement from our large and diverse membership, we raise funds for important projects in the larger community, supporting women, children, marginalized groups and special needs here at First Unitarian.  Traditionally, we have also been a support for memorial events.

Here we are!

More Reasons to Join

We are open to all who wish to carry our work forward. What a great time for you to be involved! Join our commitment to service now.

The Alliance traces its roots to the historic “Ladies Sewing Circle” which was instrumental in the founding of First Unitarian Church in the 1860s. The group has evolved to include anyone who wishes to join and strives to be representative in age, gender, race, and ethnicity of the larger church congregation.  We support our activities through an annual membership fee of $20. We engage with the church community by promoting friendships and working toward common goals. We raise additional funds each year, primarily through our annual Greens Sale in December, along with our Holiday Treasures and Bake Sale. These funds are awarded as monetary grants to support church and community, programs which primarily benefit women, children and marginalized groups. Alliance programs educate, entertain, and inspire.

We aim to lead by living our values forward. Please send an email, and any questions about your interest to alliance@firstunitarianportland.org

Leadership Team ’24-’25

Top row: Linda Nelson, Jan Clay, Cythia Sulaski, Bill Bateman, Mark Robinson, Harriet Shaklee

Front row: Linda Craig, Jill Duren, Nancy Panitch, Corbett Gordon, Kathy Ludlow, Evie Zaic.

Not pictured: Linda Aso, Wendy Rankin, Eunice Letzing, Mary Ella Kuster, Suzanne Kosanke, Maryann Roulier, Kathleen Vinson, Marie Jamison, Marti Anderson.

Leadership Team ’24-’25

Our elected/appointed Leadership Team is at work on the events for the year. It meets the third Thursday of each month at 10 am during the church year. All are welcome. 

Evie Zaic, Co-President

Harriet Shaklee, Co-President

Kathy Ludlow, Past President

Linda Craig, Treasurer

Jan Clay, Co-Secretary

Suzanne Kosanky, Co-Secretary

Wendy Rankin, Co-VP of Programs

Eunice Letzing, Co-VP of Programs

Corbett Gordon, Co-Luncheon Chair

Mark Robinson, Co-Luncheon Chair

Linda Nelson, Co-Membership Chair

Bill Bateman, Co-Membership Chair

Cynthia Sulaski, Allocations Chair

Maryann Roulier, Co-Publicity

Kathleen Vinson, Co-Publicity

Marie Jamison, Holiday Sale

Nancy Panitch, Co-Greens Chair

Marti Anderson, Co-Greens Chair

Mary Ella Kuster, Co-Greens Chair

Marie Jamieson, Holiday Sale Chair

Suzanne Kosanke, Archivist

Kathy Ludlow, Nominations Chair

Sue Holmes, Memorials

Leslie-Pohl-Kosbau, Posters

Jill Duren, Cares and Concerns

Our Sunny Leadership Retreat!

FINDING AND FUNDING UNMET NEEDS: MORE BACKGROUND

For a century and a half, the leadership spirit of The Alliance has identified needs and then addressed them. Frequently, this has entailed raising funds through women’s work and then gifting money or goods to the Church to enhance the spiritual lives of the church membership. It started with $30 sent to San Francisco to purchase the silver communion service still in use at First Unitarian. It has continued for generations.

As stated in our vision statement, the Alliance seeks to be an active, visible part of First Unitarian Church that gathers in community and fellowship to promote and celebrate its history and the principles of Unitarian Universalism, engage in service to the church and the wider community, address unmet needs, care for one another, and grow in mind and spirit. We continue to find ways to live our vision and values in community.

The Allocations Committee oversees the donation of funds to organizations that operate in our wider community. Guidelines and procedures have been revised to achieve a significant impact on any agency receiving Alliance support.

YOU can nominate local non-profits to be considered for these awards. When applications are open, we will provide a link to the short and straightforward form for nominations.

FIRST UNITARIAN ALLIANCE ALLOCATION  FUNDS

Donations are made by The Alliance each year with funds raised through the Annual Greens Sale. Criteria were rewritten in 2021 in keeping with infusing the 8th Principle throughout church initiatives.

• Greens Sale Proceeds Help Fund Agency Allocations: The Greens Sale is traditionally held in November and December; the sale includes the sale of wreaths and garlands for pick-up locally and shipping elsewhere.

A very emphatic footnote: The Alliance extends its thanks to all who bought greens. Your support every year makes possible the work which creates a beloved community.

Historic Leadership

HISTORY OF THE ALLIANCE

On December 13, 1865, seven Portland women met to form the Ladies Sewing Society. This new organization, now called the Alliance, was established to explore the possibility of forming a liberal faith community, specifically a Unitarian church, similar to the Unitarian churches on the east coast. Encouraged by the Rev. Thomas Starr King who had visited from San Francisco on a lecture tour, these like-minded women gathered together for support and companionship and to consider ways to fund a theologically liberal church community.

Building the Church

Given the culture of the times, few women were employed outside the home so they used their skills of sewing and cooking and entertaining to raise the money needed. With the first $30 earned, the women sent to San Francisco for a silver communion service which was used for many years for the Maundy Thursday service. By the end of 1866, they had raised $900 which was instrumental in financing the construction of a chapel at the corner of SW 7th and Yamhill Street and in the hiring of the first minister, Thomas Lamb Eliot.

In 1879 the women contributed $2000, about 11% of the total cost, toward the completion of a new, larger church building; they provided most of the furnishings. However, by the end of the 1800s the developing church suffered financial challenges threatening closure. The Alliance was able to provide significant support through a gift of $1,000 to pay off some debts and assumed a portion of the operating expenses.

Promoting Community

Over the years the Alliance continued to raise funds and promote the social life of the congregation in several ways. The women prepared lunches, dinners, picnics and teas which became popular fund raisers. These events often accompanied a lecture or book report presented by the minister or a local academic. During some years these talks raised more money than the popular December Bazaar.

Now called the Greens Sale, this yearly Alliance fund-raiser has taken many forms over the years, with emphasis on hand-made items and food, adding beautiful wreaths and other greens as well as quilts in the past couple of decades. Initially committees of the Alliance, named for prominent members (e.g., Atwood and Burrell clubs), met weekly to make items for the December sale. The last of these committees, the Greenleaf Club, continued into the 1990s as a social club before realigning with the Alliance.

Alliance women focused their time and talents to support many wider community needs. During the Second World War, one club reported that in one year they had made 110 boys woolen overcoats and were awaiting shipments of fabric to continue this service project. New and used clothing was gathered by the ton for the war effort, benefiting soldiers and civilians in the war zones.

On many occasions over the decades, the Alliance has sponsored educational, service and social groups within the church. For a time there was even an evening Alliance meeting for those not able to attend day-time events.

Changing Times

Historically the Alliance was the primary lay organization of the church. Over the years, volunteer and staff functions have grown. The music, education, and social justice programs and funding projects began to be offered and managed by ministers, church staff, and volunteers. Members of the church participate in knitting and quilting groups, social justice committees, the large music program, and religious education for children and adults. The fund-raising and administrative services of the church are fulfilled by professional paid staff.

Currently the Alliance continues to serve its growing membership and the larger church community. The Alliance offers educational programs and creates many opportunities for companionship and socializing. Members are engaged in worthwhile fund-raising projects such as the Greens Sale, which provides financial allocations from $4,000 to $8,000 to community groups as well as the church. After more than 150 years, the Alliance continues to take its direction from the mission of the church and from its own mission which guide its many activities in pursuit of the Beloved Community.

Adapted by the 2019-2020 Leadership Team from “The History of the Alliance,” January 5, 2013 by Helen Lee (1935-2014)