ANNOUNCEMENTS

January

This month, instead of kirtan on the last Sunday, January 25th, we will be holding a meditation service beginning with the energization exercises at 8:00 am followed by chanting (without kirtan) and periods of meditation until 10:45. You may enter at the usual times, 9:00 and at 9:45 during the chanting. A reading will be included at 10:00 am. The Reading Service will begin at 11:00 am.

The attendance at Portland Center’s Sunday School continues to grow. To provide support for the new children, Portland Center’s Teaching Team seeks to expand the number of teachers, co-teachers and classroom observers. SRF’s Youth Services Department has announced the latest in a series of recurring Teacher Training sessions beginning this Friday, January 16th, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm PST, for four consecutive Fridays via Zoom. These Foundational Teacher Training Sessions are a required step for those who may want to get started participating in our growing Sunday School program. Please speak with Darden, Mike or Shikha if you are interested.

Portland Center is looking for an amateur or semi-professional photographer to take pictures of events and activities at the Center for our newsletter, website and to occasionally share with SRF International Headquarters. If you have an interest, skills, and basic equipment, please contact anyone serving today or fill out a Volunteer Application form.

Just a reminder that if you have a cough, a cold, or are feeling ill, out of courtesy to others, please meditate at home.

If there are storm warnings such as for snow or ice, please check the Portland Center website for closure announcements. Email updates are also sent to those who have signed up for the e-newsletter.

We are collecting non-perishable food for the Vestal School community and for Portland Center members who may need additional support during these difficult times. Please place food items you wish to donate in the white box in the Information Room. The food on the table in the Family Room is available for any member in need.

PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENTS:

As a courtesy to those members who are allergic to fragrances, please refrain from wearing perfumes, colognes, or scented hair products when attending services at Portland Center.

Copies of the October – December Calendar of Services are available in the Information Room and foyer.

Thank you for supporting Portland Center with your skills and financial donations. If you would like to contribute online, you can send funds through Zelle to portlandcenterdonations@gmail.com or you may write a check. Checks payable to "Portland Center" will be deposited locally and support our Center's activities and expenses. Checks payable to "Self-Realization Fellowship" are sent to SRF headquarters in Los Angeles, to support SRF's worldwide activities. Checks may be mailed to our address at 356 NE 80th Avenue, Portland 97213.

The Book Room has received copies of the 2026 Wall Calendar and Engagement Calendar. We also have a fresh supply of the newest SRF publication, Solving the Mystery of Life. Please stop by and pick up your copy.

Volunteering at Portland Center is a wonderful addition to one's sadhana, or spiritual practice. The Flower Committee is seeking creative and dependable volunteers to help with the flower arrangements that are an integral part of Portland Center Inspirational and Commemorative services. Would you like to learn a new skill or expand your current flower skills? You may speak with someone serving today or fill out a Volunteer Application in the Foyer.

We encourage everyone to read Portland Center’s current e-newsletter, which contains important and inspiring information. You may sign up on our website or fill out a form at the Newcomers Desk, if you aren’t already receiving it.

Portland Center's website now includes a new section about the history of the Portland Center of SRF, originally compiled by the late Kent Hathaway. Follow the Home page tab to the “Our Center” page.

A reminder that our chapel is open every Tuesday evening from 6:30 to 9:30 for silent individual meditation. As this is not a conducted meditation, one my come and go at any time.

Our Kirtan Group leads the Sunday morning services on the last Sunday of each month, beginning at 8:00 with the SRF Energization Exercises. You may also enter or leave during periods of chanting at 9:00 and 10:00.

Also, those who wish to stay in the chapel a little longer to enjoy the meditative atmosphere generated during the morning are welcome to do so. We ask those who want to converse with one another after the service to kindly meet in the foyer or the Information Room, to preserve the silence of the chapel. Thank you for your consideration.

If you know of people in need of healing prayers, you may submit their name in the prayer box in the Information Room. These names are submitted confidentially to the Mother Center, where they are prayed for by the monastics every day for three months. You may also request prayers on SRF’s website at www.yogananda.org.