4/4 N.C. Kirk

The text below was emailed to the First Unitarian Church of Portland’s Board of Trustees, Executive Team, and primary UUA representative on April 4, 2025, in response to the Board’s March 11 letter demanding that the Congregant Action Team take down its website, among other things.

Dear First U PDX,

I used to call First U PDX my church. I used to be a proud UU. I used to give as much of myself as I could to this institution that used to nurture and nourish me. I used to invite people from the wider world into this place because I thought there was worth there.

None of that is true anymore. And reading your response to the Congregant Action Team's email makes me feel like that will never be true again.

I am so disappointed that a faith that upholds democracy as one of its principles cannot weather dissent. That it has been using its institutional power to shut down dissemination and demonstrations of congregations' reasonable thoughts and feelings to an upsetting series of events. That it refuses to allow the repercussion of and response to those events to play out without rewriting rules and moving goal posts.

The actions of the Congregant Action Team is EXACTLY the sort of work that is needed in the wider world in our current political climate. It is necessary and admirable to protest what one sees as unjust action. Necessary and admirable to attempt to hold power to account. Necessary and admirable to engage the entire community in well researched, well reasoned dialogue regarding the sources of conflict.

I thought these were practices UUs were encouraged to uphold. I thought shaping the kinds of people who undertake these actions, who push for growth, who demand justice was integral to the faith. How do you expect UUs to behave in a world that requires champions of democracy and justice if you are not willing to allow these actions within your walls. What lessons are you teaching to those in your care when you do everything in your power to silence those among you who reasonably disagree with you.

How dare you proclaim social justice from your pulpit. How dare you proclaim yourself as a beacon of hope.

N. C. Kirk