ANNOUNCEMENTS

April

Our chapel is available every Tuesday evening from 6:30-9:30 pm for silent open meditation, meaning you may come and go as your time allows. The silence and vibration of the chapel is conducive to deeper meditation and prayer.

There will be a Day of Service Saturday April 11th, to prepare the Center for the monastic visit. The day begins with an optional meditation at 9:30 am, followed by indoor and outdoor projects, and a vegetarian lunch, ending at 2:00 pm. Please join us for whatever time your schedule permits. There is a sign-up sheet in the Information Room so we can plan our lunch.

Brother Nikhilananda and Brahmachari Daniel will be visiting Portland Center between April 17th and 19th. Please see the flyer outlining the activities. The Friday outing at Mt. Tabor provides an opportunity to interact personally with the monastics. On Sunday, everyone is encouraged to bring a family member and/or friend to the monastic-led Inspirational Service, followed by refreshments in the Sunday School/Social Room.

On April 26th the Kirtan group will lead the devotional chanting. Energization Exercises begin at 8:00 am or you may enter at 8:15 am, 9:00 am and 10:00 am for the chanting interspersed with periods of meditation, followed by the 11:00 Inspirational Service.

There will be a General Membership meeting after the service on April 26th, providing a chance to give your input and hear the latest updates on the search for a new temple in the Portland area.

Portland Center will be having its annual Silent Retreat on September 19th. Flyers and registration will be available later this spring. But for now, save the date! If you would like to volunteer to help, please talk with Paulette or Claudia.

The Portland Center’s E-newsletter has been emailed to everyone on the mailing list. Check your in-boxes for the latest news.

The quarterly Calendar of Services, listing Inspirational Service topics and activities for April – June is available now in the Foyer. The back-to-back format lends itself to posting at home for quick reference.

PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Mark your calendar for Portland Center’s annual picnic on Saturday, July 18th.

You are invited to enjoy the Spring flowers blooming in our back meditation garden. Please enter and exit through the Sunday School/Social Room door.

We are seeking volunteers to help with some of the tasks related to our altar and commemorative service flowers. The E-newsletter and website have additional details. You may also speak with Paulette Fritsch, our Volunteer Coordinator, or sign up to volunteer on the Portland Center website or in the foyer.

Hunger doesn’t stop after the holidays. We are continuing to collect non-perishable food items for our neighboring school, which you may leave in the white box in the Information Room. The table in the Family Room has items available for members in need.

Those who wish to stay in the chapel a little longer to enjoy the meditative atmosphere 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 Information Room to preserve the silence of the chapel. Thank you for your consideration.

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.

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.

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.