ANNOUNCEMENTS

December

We extend our thanks to all who came to the Christmas Craft and Bake Sale last Sunday. The Sale will take place again on Sunday December 7th after services. Please join us for baked goodies, beautiful crafts, and some special discounts. The Book Room will be closed, but best-selling items from the Book Room will be on sale, including calendars and the newest SRF Magazine. Items are available only by check or credit card.

Christmas cards for SRF President Chidananda and Brother Devananda are available for signing in the foyer.

Friday December 12th we will carpool from Portland Center to The Grotto for an outing and tour of the Grotto with SRF monastics Brother Sarvanana and Brahmachari Rahul, who will be visiting Portland Center. Lunch will follow at the Center. A sign-up sheet is in the Foyer to help plan for food. Kriya checks will be available beginning at 1:00 p.m. following the lunch, and on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. following the potluck. You may sign-up by emailing PortlandCenterSRF@gmail.com or at the lunches. More information is available on the Holiday Flyer.

Many years ago, Paramahansa Yogananda established the custom of setting aside one day of the Christmas season for an all-day meditation, so that devotees might spend an entire day united in spiritual effort and in deepening communion with God and Christ. Many Self-Realization Fellowship devotees have come to regard the All-Day Christmas Meditation as the most important event of the year. They find that the blessings from even one day fully dedicated to God are permanent in their effect, especially when that day has been preceded by faithful daily meditation throughout the Christmas season.

Saturday December 13th Brother Sarvanana and Brahmachari Rahul will lead the All-Day Christmas Meditation from 10 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. No one will be admitted after 10:00 a.m. There will be an intermission at 2:00 p.m., at which time anyone who wishes to leave may do so. As a general rule, no one should come in for the second half who has not already attended the first period of meditation. If you can only attend part of the day please come for the morning only. Remember to dress warmly and please wear clothing that is quiet and does not rustle.

Sunday December 14th the SRF monastics will lead the meditations and Inspirational Service. Energization Exercises will begin at 9:40 a.m., weather permitting. A Christmas Vegetarian Potluck will follow the Service. Please bring a dish to share. If it needs to be served warm, please bring it in a warmer with an extension cord, as Portland Center does not have cooking facilities.

In these difficult times, we are aware that members of our Center and members of our local community can benefit from support. We are collecting non-perishable food for the Vestal School community and for Portland Center members. Please place food items you wish to donate in the white box in the Information Room. Portland Center members may access the box in the Family Room closet for their own needs.

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.