Community❯Support Groups

SA Group will meet in the library and SANon will meet in the Garden Room every Sunday evening unless otherwise noted. Groups are renting our spaces.

The BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) affinity group meets on the 2nd Sunday of the month after service. We hope you can join us!

A Celebration of Life for Dr. Stephen Dow Beckham will be held on Sunday, November 1, at 1 p.m. in Agnes Flanagan Chapel at Lewis & Clark College, with a reception to follow in Stamm in the Fowler Student Center.

The service will also be livestreamed and can be accessed here:
https://lclark-edu.zoom.us/j/81094563724

The Portland Grief House invites you to join The Lost Table, a welcoming space to gather in community, remember those we’ve lost, and share in the traditions that help us keep them close. Bring a dish, pull up a chair, and make a place at the table for the dead. Grief can be hard to understand, and sometimes what we need most is community, ritual, conversation, and food.

Together, we’ll explore how different cultures and traditions call to, honor, and make offerings to those who have died. In the spirit of Día de Muertos, we’ll create a shared space where the living and the dead can gather around the same table.

We’ll begin with a creative activity led by Mario Mesquita, inviting us to reflect on memory, food, and our relationships with those we’ve lost. Participants will be introduced to the ritual elements that will carry us through the evening.

Laura Green will lead a community conversation about intercultural traditions of Día de Muertos and other ways communities call to and remember their dead. Participants will have an opportunity to share stories, traditions, and memories, and to dedicate an offering to someone they have lost.

Bea Yeh will introduce the tradition of Hungry Ghost and lead us in making an offering to the dead. We’ll set places at our table for those who are no longer with us and share food as an act of remembrance and connection.

Our community offerings and tributes will be gathered at Ximena Morales’s altar, creating a shared space of remembrance that connects the different traditions and offerings brought into the room.

Throughout the evening, we’ll create something together through words, offerings, and remembrance. We’ll dedicate a community poem to the dead and close our gathering with a collective ritual of words, sound, and stillness.

Please bring:

• A dish to share, plus any serving utensils it needs. Consider bringing something that reminds you of a loved one or connects you to a family or cultural tradition.
• Please label your food with a card identifying any allergens or dietary considerations.
• Your own dinnerware (plate, bowl, utensils, napkin).
• A beverage for yourself, if you’d like something other than water.
• A photograph, name, or other small tribute to a loved one for the community altar, if you’d like.
• Please do not bring chips, salsa, or guacamole—Milagro will provide these.

The Portland Grief House is honored to continue this tradition, originally started by Side Yard Farm. El Centro Milagro is excited to partner with Portland Grief House to create a space for English- and Spanish-speaking community members to gather, remember, share traditions, and honor the dead together.

Schedule
4:00–4:30 PM — Opening Ritual & Activity
4:30–5:45 PM — Community Conversation & Offerings
5:45 PM — Dedication & Closing

Estimated Running Time: 3 hours
Age Recommendation: Ages 10+

Create a safe container for energetic care and receiving spiritual gifts (and clearing). This is at the tail end of Samhain, when the energies of souls and ancestral energies are easily accessible for transformation. This entire year is one for massive spiritual growth. So it may just be a continuation of clearing, alignment and manifestation for you. In this ceremony, support your body and spirit to receive a direct experience.

With a strong container and thorough marriage of shamanic healing and sound, call on ancient guides, rhythms, ancestors, and the Great Mystery to clear what no longer serves you. Prepare by bringing something for the altar and wearing comfortable clothing. Join Amy Kimmick of Temple Medicine Healing and Madeline Leigh, Mistress of Sound of Shady Pines Radio, for this powerful gateway experience. Open pathways for your deepest intentions to take root.

With divine guides and multidimensionality over the years, accessing this infinite, beautiful portal of awakening will be effortless. You will attune to your true nature.

The Portland Grief House invites you to join The Lost Table, a resilient, welcoming space to gather in community and share experiences of loss. Bring a dish, pull up a chair, and share your heart in good company. Grief can be hard to understand, and sometimes what is needed most is community, conversation, and food. During the gathering, each participant will have a few minutes to share their grief in whatever way feels right—whether it's someone who is missed, something that has changed, a loss being carried, or an experience that continues to shape. While one person shares, the rest will listen with care and presence. Save time at the end of the evening to thank one another and connect, but please refrain from interrupting or responding during the sharing portion.

Día de Muertos and the month of November invite you to reflect on and remember loved ones who have passed—a time to celebrate their lives and meet death not with fear, but with love, memory, storytelling, and even humor. Mario Mesquita will lead an opening creative activity exploring memory and the role of cuisine in honoring loved ones, building toward a collective community tribute. Participants are welcome to bring a photograph of a loved one or create an offering featuring their loved one's name.

Bea Ogden will present the Hungry Ghost tradition and make an offering for the community ofrenda, opening a cultural exchange around how different traditions honor and remember the dead. Mario and Bea will also guide participants in writing a community poem, inviting each person to contribute a line or dedication to place on the altar.

Please bring:

• A dish to share, along with any serving utensils it requires. You're welcome to bring something simple—such as a bag of chips or fresh fruit—or a favorite dish that reminds you of a loved one.
• Your own dinnerware (plate, bowl, utensils, and napkin).
• Optional: A beverage for yourself if you would like something other than water.
• Optional: A photograph of a loved one to include in our community tribute

The Portland Grief House is honored to continue this tradition, originally started by Side Yard Farm. El Centro Milagro is excited to partner with Portland Grief House to create a welcoming space for both English- and Spanish-speaking community members to gather, remember, and heal together.

Portland Grief House les invita a unirse a La Mesa Perdida, un espacio resiliente y acogedor para reunirnos en comunidad y compartir nuestras experiencias de pérdida. Traigan un platillo, acerquen una silla y compartan su corazón en buena compañía. El duelo puede ser difícil de comprender y, a veces, lo que más necesitamos es comunidad, conversación y comida. Durante el encuentro, cada participante tendrá unos minutos para compartir su duelo de la manera que le resulte más natural: alguien a quien extrañamos, algo que ha cambiado, una pérdida que llevamos con nosotros, o una experiencia que sigue marcando nuestra vida. Mientras una persona comparte, el resto escucha con atención y presencia. Guardaremos tiempo al final de la noche para agradecer y conectar, pero pedimos que los participantes se abstengan de interrumpir ni de responder durante el momento de compartir.

El Día de Muertos y el mes de noviembre nos invitan a reflexionar y recordar a nuestros seres queridos fallecidos—un tiempo para celebrar sus vidas y enfrentar la muerte no con miedo, sino con amor, memoria, relatos e incluso humor. Mario Mesquita dirigirá una actividad creativa de apertura que explora la memoria y el papel de la cocina para honrar a nuestros seres queridos, construyendo hacia un tributo colectivo. Los participantes pueden traer una fotografía de un ser querido, o crear una ofrenda con el nombre de su ser querido.

Bea Ogden presentará la tradición del Fantasma Hambriento y hará una ofrenda a nuestra ofrenda comunitaria, abriendo un intercambio cultural sobre cómo distintas tradiciones honran y recuerdan a los difuntos. Mario y Bea también guiarán a los participantes en la escritura de un poema comunitario, invitando a cada persona a aportar una línea o dedicatoria para colocar en el altar.

Por favor traigan:

• Un platillo para compartir, junto con los utensilios de servir que necesite. Algo sencillo es bienvenido—como una bolsa de papas fritas o fruta fresca—o un platillo favorito que les recuerde a un ser querido.
• Su propia vajilla (plato, tazón, cubiertos y servilleta).
• Una bebida para ustedes mismos, si desean algo más que agua.
• Una fotografía de un ser querido para incluir en nuestro tributo comunitario (opcional).

Portland Grief House se siente honrado de continuar esta tradición, iniciada originalmente por Side Yard Farm. El Centro Milagro se emociona de asociarse con Portland Grief House para crear un espacio acogedor donde los miembros de las comunidades de habla inglesa y española puedan reunirse, recordar y sanar juntos.

Presenting the sights, sounds and sensations of the season, The Grotto’s Christmas Festival of Lights is the largest Christmas choral festival in the world. The festival features nearly 160 indoor holiday concerts performed by many of the region’s finest school, church and civic choirs. Offering a family-oriented blend of traditional celebration and serene reflection, the festival theme captures the special season of hope that Christmas brings to many thousands of families across the Pacific Northwest.

• Choirs in the Chapel: Enjoy the amazing sounds of local schools, churches and civic groups as they perform inside the Chapel of Mary, with its cathedral-like acoustics.
• Fun for Everyone: Continuous entertainment for all ages is offered in The Grotto’s plaza area, including outdoor caroling, puppet shows, and an assortment of musical guests.
• Puppet Show: At the top of each hour in the plaza tent, enjoy a puppet show.
• Caroling: The Grotto Carolers perform every hour at the bottom of the hour in the plaza tent. Sing along to your favorite Christmas songs.
• Snacks and Drinks: Find snacks and drinks available for purchase inside the Interpretive Center, next to the Chapel.

The Festival of Lights is a walk-through event, and visitors can expect to walk approximately a quarter of a mile. All entertainment areas are either indoors or tented; however, visitors should dress accordingly for the weather. Rubber-soled shoes, warm socks, gloves, and ear coverings are recommended, especially on colder nights. The average festival visit lasts between 60 and 90 minutes. Visitors wishing to hear a specific concert should arrive 30 to 45 minutes before the scheduled concert time.

Join Rabbi Cantor Eyal Bitton for a musical journey through Moroccan and Sephardic synagogue traditions. Through live demonstration, audio and video examples, we will explore the distinctive sounds of nusach, tefillah, Torah reading, and Haftarah chanting, comparing Moroccan and Sephardic traditions with Ashkenazi ones. Come listen, learn, and discover the sacred logic behind the melody.

Questions? Email Mel!

Mantra, music, and storytelling to awaken the heart. Sacred Dharma is a Pacific Northwest kirtan-fusion jam band. At its core, they facilitate the devotional practice of chanting Sanskrit mantra. The music is colored by world influences ranging from Indian classical to jazz and psychedelic rock, enhancing the mood so that each repetition of the Name can awaken the heart.

Led by Sitaram Dass with Jeanette Kangas on tabla, Clark Stacer on bass, Lance Jordan on guitar, and a rotating selection of some of the PNW's finest musicians.

Sitaram Dass (he/him) spent several years serving his beloved teacher Ram Dass on Maui, where he was shown the path of Bhakti, the yoga of service and devotion to God. He is an author, teacher, kirtan singer, and spiritual counselor. As the director of the Sacred Community Project, he works to provide affordable, free, and donation-based offerings as a praxis of Sacred Community.

$25 Advance / $30 Door

(No one turned away for lack of funds)

Get ready for a sweet and festive time at our Gingerbread Bash! Come dressed in your favorite ugly Christmas sweater and join us for a fun-filled celebration as we decorate gingerbread mangers, play exciting games, sip on delicious hot chocolate, and enjoy the joy of the Christmas season together!

Most importantly, we’ll discover the true meaning of Christmas as we learn about Jesus and celebrate the greatest gift of all, His birth!

Offering recovery services for ages 14-35:

• Peer Mentoring
• Treatment
• Housing
• Mental Health
• Family Support

Join the Portland Insight Meditation Community (PIMC) every Sunday morning for a welcoming, community-centered meditation practice rooted in the Insight (Vipassana) tradition.

Each weekly gathering includes periods of guided and silent meditation, a Dharma talk or reflection, and time for inquiry or community sharing. The program is led by a rotating group of teachers, including PIMC’s resident teachers, visiting guest teachers, and—on some weeks—experienced community members in peer-led formats.

Sunday mornings at PIMC are designed to be accessible to both newcomers and experienced practitioners. Instruction is offered in a clear and inclusive manner.

• Community members 50 and up
• Aging Solo Seniors
• Anyone who cares for someone age 50 and up
• Businesses and Organizations that work with clients ages 50 and up or caregivers
• Businesses and Organizations that offer products and services for clients age 50 and up or caregivers
• EVERYONE IS WELCOME feel free to share the information, social media posts on Villages Clark County or the attached flyer

HOPE Dementia Support presents “Meet Me at the Movies” at the Kiggins Theatre, 1011 Main St., Vancouver. A different musical will start at 1:00 p.m. on the second Friday of every month. Visit kigginstheatre.com to see what musical will be shown next. The cost is $10 per person.

The CNS Sisterhood would like to invite all women and those who identify as women to participate in their Interfaith Group. This group brings CNS members together with women of other faiths to learn, grow, and create opportunities to develop friendships. CNS Sisterhood Interfaith group meets most first Wednesdays of the month at 7:00pm. Please see each individual event for the accurate date.

To register, or for more information, please contact Michelle Imori-Goldenberg.

A safe place where ALL are welcome to be themselves. Find support, eat snacks, get creative, discuss favorite books, and more! Bring a friend, or make a new one. For grades 5-8.

Queer Youth Club is a youth-run club for that unites LGBTQIA+ and allied youth from neighboring schools. Email [email protected] for more information.

Join us for a Cantor Shabbat! Cantor Green, guest Cantor Marshall Portnoy, and our congregational choirs will lead us in prayer on Friday, November 6.

Marshall Portnoy is the Cantor Emeritus of Main Line Reform Temple in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. He has served two congregations full-time in his career: Congregation Adath Jeshurun in Louisville, Kentucky, from 1971 to 1994; and Main Line Reform Temple from 1994 to 2018. A graduate of Yale, Cantor Portnoy was invested both by the Jewish Theological Seminary and the Hebrew Union College. His two-volume work, The Art of Cantillation, now in its third edition, has for more than twenty-five years brought the skill and the joy of reading Torah and Haftarah to tens of thousands throughout the globe, and regularly remains among the most popular volumes of Behrman House Publications. His musical works are widely performed throughout the United States, and he is the recipient of frequent commissions. Of his CD Songs of Renewal, Debbie Friedman wrote, “Thoughtful and gentle, mindful and kind, this loving soul takes the listener, with every note he sings, to a place of hope and calm.” This is the only CD by another composer for which Debbie Friedman wrote liner notes.

The Marshall Portnoy Anthology was recently published by Transcontinental Music Publications. It contains thirty-four pieces, many familiar but in new arrangements for solo voice and duets (including “Meditation”,“I Still Believe” “God Bless This House” and “Birth is a Beginning”), many previously unpublished (“Reckoning,” “Od Yishama,” and “Miracles”), as well as songs for children (“Our Sukkah is a Little Hut,” “The Four Questions,” “Eitz Yafeh” and many others)..

Cantor Portnoy is the founder and President of the Bloom Jewish Music Foundation, which dispenses funds each year for the composition and performance of new Jewish music. He is also widely acknowledged as the music scholar who “cracked the code” to Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations.

A night of Connection a Night to bring us together. With a community meal, inspirational story, m usic, art and collaboration on designing the Moreland Presbyterian Christmas Pageant! Registration Required https://morelandprespdx.breezechms.com/form/KidsConnect2026

We know it’s a little early to start planning for summer… but our friends from URJ Camp Kalsman will join us at Mishpasha Minyan to share a little sunshine and let us know more about their sleepaway programs!

Join us for a Death Café—an open, group-directed conversation about death with no set agenda or themes. This is a space for thoughtful discussion, not a grief support or counseling session. Together, we’ll explore ideas and questions about death and dying in a respectful, welcoming environment.

The National Alliance on Mental Health Southwest Washington offers a Veterans Support Group from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on the first and third Mondays of every month at 907 Harney St., Vancouver. Learn more at namiswwa.org.

KJV Acoustic Christian Music will host Jesus and Friends: An Evening of Acoustic Christian Music from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on the second Friday of each month at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 1309 Franklin St., Vancouver. Attendees will hear modern Christian music performed on acoustic instruments. Admission is free but donations are encouraged.

Plum Blossom Zendo meets 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays on the first floor of Vancouver United Church of Christ, 1220 N.E. 68th St., Vancouver. There is Zen meditation, a dharma talk and discussion time. For more details, see zendust.org/vancouver/.

Come hang out with Cantor Bitton and CNS Men’s Club for pizza, salad, beer, camaraderie and discussion! Come meet new friends, eat some pizza, have a beer, and maybe learn something!

Grab some lunch at Kiddush and bring it upstairs for Tea & Talmud! Teens ages 12–18 are invited to hang out with friends, enjoy good conversation, and explore Jewish texts and traditions together in a relaxed, welcoming space.

A Celebration of Life for Dr. Stephen Dow Beckham will be held on Sunday, November 1, at 1 p.m. in Agnes Flanagan Chapel at Lewis & Clark College, with a reception to follow in Stamm in the Fowler Student Center.

The service will also be livestreamed and can be accessed here:
https://lclark-edu.zoom.us/j/81094563724

Join VFW Post 12140 for a Veterans Day ceremony at Foothills Park in Lake Oswego, featuring the dedication of a new Woody Williams Foundation Gold Star Families Monument. We will honor America's veterans, recognize military families, and remember the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The ceremony will include the presentation of the colors, the national anthem, an invocation, remarks from local veterans, and participation from community organizations that serve veterans, military families, first responders, and the broader community.

Please join us for this meaningful tribute to our fallen heroes and the families who carry their legacy.

Join our clergy and educators for a monthly conversation that will deepen your connection with our traditions while engaging in real talk about practical ways to bring these observances to life in your own home. We’ll start with texts that explain the roots of our rituals and then branch out with interesting and creative practices and innovations throughout time.

Join us each month to discuss infant and toddler feeding in a supportive, community environment. Led by International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs), this group covers a wide range of topics, including breast/bodyfeeding, pumping, bottle feeding, introducing solids, and weaning.

Because feeding is deeply connected to daily life, we also welcome open discussions on related parenting topics such as sleep patterns, soothing a crying baby, and navigating the postpartum adjustment. Come connect, share experiences, and get expert guidance on your family's feeding journey.

5:30-7:30pm, every Sunday Contact: Irene, [email protected]

Contacts: Kirsten Marsh and Alice Lewis

This BIPOC support space is facilitated by Sielo Kaí Solar (he/him/el), a peer support worker who identifies as 2S, trans, disabled, mixed race, and a first-generation Mexican-American. As an artist, abolitionist, and community-centered facilitator, Sielo brings a warm, creative, and welcoming energy to the space.

Participants are invited to gather in a relaxed and flexible environment to snack, make art, chat, and play games as they wish. This space is intended to foster connection, creativity, and community care, allowing everyone to show up as they are and engage in ways that feel most comfortable.

First Sunday: Christian Harmony Third Sunday: 2025 Sacred Harp (Green) Book

Wacheno Welcome Center Conference Room (WC225) Monday, November 16, 2026, 12 – 1pm Join NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) for our weekly club meetings. We meet on Mondays, from noon – 1 p.m. in the Multicultural Center, room 161, located in the Wacheno Welcome Center, Oregon City Campus. Come for friendship, laughs, and community, because your mental health matters.

All Saints' Day

November 1, 2026

See more details

Spiritual reading, meditation, and follow up sharing. Open to all. Meets every Monday from 8 – 8:30 p.m. on Zoom. For more information, email Katie R.

Dementia-Friendly Clark County hosts a Memory Cafe at 10 a.m. on the first Friday of the month at Prairie Tavern, 14925 N.E. Caples Rd., Brush Prairie. Memory Cafe provides a welcoming space for people living with dementia and their caregivers to socialize, enjoy refreshments and participate in activities. Sign up at eventbrite.com or call 360-513-5754.

Our mission is to provide a safe, compassionate, and inclusive space where individuals experiencing grief can find understanding, connection, and community. Through shared experiences, emotional support, and guided healing resources, we aim to empower each person to navigate their grief at their own pace. We honor every story, validate every emotion, and walk alongside one another as we move toward renewed strength, resilience, and meaning.

Please contact Vishal Nair at 360.823.9208 or [email protected] with any questions!