Dear Jenn,

We hope you’ll join us for our annual State of the Church meeting this Sunday, Feb. 12, at 1 p.m. This mid-year “check-in” will be a multi-platform meeting held in the Sanctuary and live-streamed meeting-style on Zoom, and will include updates from the board and staff on our annual work plan, finances, music ministries, online engagement, the development of a Covenant and Right Relations Team, and our Visionary Goals process. We’ll also be looking ahead to our congregation’s Annual Meeting on June 4 and the upcoming UUA General Assembly which will take place June 21–25, 2023. And perhaps most importantly, we will share invitations to get involved in what’s coming up at church!

Join us at 1 p.m Sunday for the State of the Church meeting in person in the Sanctuary or on Zoom here.

We’re also now at the point of welcoming the whole church community into the important process of Visionary Goals Planning, charting the future of the church for the next five years and beyond, via a series of upcoming workshops.

Last week, church Board leadership along with Laura Park, our consultant in this process, went live on Zoom to share an introduction to the Visionary Goals Planning process. If you missed it, the recording is available here. We highly recommend taking time to listen to board executive team members Daryn Woodson, Rebecca Slaby, Ben Miles, and Matt Keller, along with Rev. Arif Mamdani and Laura Park, share what’s happened in the process so far, why it's important, and how we hope you'll be involved.

The church’s Visionary Goals are what the board uses to discern and guide the church’s overall direction. From that, staff use the board’s direction to develop their annual work plan. You’re probably at least somewhat familiar with the Visionary Goals that have been guiding our work for the past five years; you can read them here. It’s normal for churches and organizations to refresh and update their Visionary Goals regularly—often about every five years—and that’s where we’re at now. The First Universalist Board of Trustees has been laying the groundwork for this process in the first half of this church year, and now it’s time to invite the whole congregation to participate in what is next.

As Laura Park shares in the introduction to the process, "These visionary goals that you are going to help your board establish are going to set the very foundation for everything that happens in your church. They are not operational, this is not about the programmatic implementation of these visionary goals, these conversations are really about that highest level articulation of what brings meaning and purpose to your covenanted religious community—what are the shared purposes that we will try to embody together?"

To do this work together, we're inviting you to participate in one of about a dozen Visionary Goals Workshops that we’ll be holding over the next month and a half. 

In these workshops, we'll come together to share and to listen to what we long for for our church, for our relationships with each other, and for the impact we have in the larger world, so that our board can help to steward us toward the future that is seeking to emerge from among us. You might imagine this as a figurative vision board that we make together that guides our lives together over the next five years.

We expect to have finalized workshop dates ready to share within the next few days, so please watch for those soon. If you'd prefer to receive an email when dates become available, please sign up here.

We are also still looking for a few volunteers to facilitate some of these workshops. Training is provided and will be happening on Saturday, Feb. 18. If you have an interest in group facilitation and this is a way you can imagine offering your gifts and service to the church, please reach out to Christa Anders for more information.

We hope that you will give generously of your time and your attention by participating in an upcoming workshop with fellow church members and friends, as together we joyfully envision and shape the future of our church.

An Introduction to Our Visionary Goals Process

Recorded on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023

with Rev. Arif Mamdani, Laura Park (Unity Consulting), and First Universalist Trustees Daryn Woodson, Rebecca Slaby, Benjamin Miles, and Matt Keller

Intro

State of the Church Meeting

Visionary Goals Process

Sunday Worship

Sunday, Feb. 12, 9 & 11 a.m.: "Are We Sleeping Through a Revolution?"

Happening After Worship

Sunday, Feb. 5 Recording: "Accompaniment"

Cycle of Life

News & Features

Reimagining Music at

First Universalist

Meet Bookkeeper

Jie Wronski-Riley

New Chancel Decor

New Books in the Church Library

Calendar

Family Hearty Parties

Community Dinner

Daytime Connections

February Board Meeting

REP: Partnership in Process

Sunday with the EJ Team

Dinner Church for BIPOC

LGBT Spirituality

Grief Group

Habitat for Humanity Build

Affiliated Organizations

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Sunday, Feb. 12 — 9 & 11 a.m.

"Are We Sleeping Through a Revolution?"

Multiple choice question: 

Who said: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice”?

1. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
2. Theodore Parker
3. None of the above

Join us this Sunday morning to learn the answer, not just for this question but more so for what these ministers and theologians had to say to Unitarians and Universalists in the past, and what their words say to us today. In particular, how do their words point us toward two essential movements in our spiritual and religious lives and what do they call us to today?

Worship leaders: Rev. Arif Mamdani, Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, Rev. Ashley Harness, and Franco Holder

ORDER OF SERVICE

IN PERSON AT 9 & 11 A.M. (masks required in sanctuary)

This Sunday, we worship in person at 9 and 11 a.m. Masks are required in the sanctuary for ages 2 and up; please review our Covid-19 Gathering Guidelines. Can you usher or greet? Sign up here!. Please note that Winter Parking Restrictions (single sided parking) are now in place in Minneapolis.

ONLINE AT 11 A.M.

This service is live-streamed at 11 a.m. Join the Zoom livestream here (Webinar ID: 861 805 984) or watch on YouTube. The recording will be available here after worship.

CHILDREN & YOUTH

Childcare for Nursery through Pre-K starts at 8:45/10:45 a.m. Registered children and youth in K through 12th grade begin their morning in the sanctuary with their families before being dismissed to Religious Education Classes. All ages are always welcome in the sanctuary! Learn more here.

State of the Church Meeting

1–2 p.m. in the Sanctuary and on Zoom (join here)

Join us for our annual State of the Church meeting for updates from the board and staff on our annual work plan, finances, the development of a Covenant and Right Relations Team, music ministries, online engagement, and our Visionary Goals process. We’ll also be looking ahead to our congregation’s Annual Meeting on June 4 and the upcoming UUA General Assembly which will take place in June 2023.

From Sunday, Feb. 5:

"Accompaniment: Sanctuary & Resistance

in the Struggle for Immigration Justice"

The Sanctuary and Resistance Team works to accompany immigrants in the struggle within an immigration system which criminalizes migration, incarcerates immigrants in detention, and separates families. In this service, we explore how our UU faith and this congregation give us the courage, strength, and hope to accompany immigrant partners in the struggle for justice in our immigration system.



Watch the Feb. 5 service here

Listen to the Feb. 5 podcast here

Podcast Archive | Recording Archive 

We celebrate with Rev. Arif Mamdani who was granted a second renewal by the Ministerial Fellowship Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Association. This means that he is two-thirds of the way toward final fellowship. Rev. Arif is grateful for the love and care of his Committee on Ministry and this congregation.

Our love and care is with our Senior Minister, Rev. Jen Crow, who started a six-week leave earlier this week to care for herself in the midst of caring for two family members and a dear friend, all of whom are sick with cancer. We pray that Rev. Jen finds time and space for her own care and healing while tending to the care of those she loves.

If you are experiencing a crisis or transition, celebrating a joy­ or marking a sorrow, please let us know. To be included in our Cycle of Life on Sunday in worship, or if you would like support, contact Rev. Arif Mamdani at arif@firstuniv.org or 612-825-1701.

The surveys and listening sessions to gather the thoughts and ideas of First U's members and friends have come to an end. We closed the online survey 2/2/2023 and completed all the listening sessions in January 2023.  

First of all, we want to send heartfelt thanks and gratitude to everyone who participated.  We very much appreciate that you chose to share some of your valuable time and energy participating in the process.  

What's next?  Over the course of the next month we will be crunching the data and sifting the ideas for your hopes, dreams, and themes for music at First Universalist Church.  When the data and ideas have taken shape, we will gladly share them.  

Warm regards, 



First Universalist Music Ministry Dream Team 

(Shelley des Islets, Ann Kay, Shelley Thron, Lou Quast, and Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout) 

This past summer, we were delighted to welcome Jie Wronski-Riley (they/them) to the First Universalist staff team as our new bookkeeper. We neglected to introduce Jie (whose name rhymes with "pie") here in the Liberal soon after they were hired, and want to make up for that now, especially since many of you will be communicating with them when our 2023–24 annual giving drive launches next month.

As bookkeeper, Jie is primarily responsible for gift and database management. They handle giving statements and provide data and statistics to staff, and they work closely with Finance Manager Brad Schmidt. Jie was raised UU and grew up in Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis. They have previously done work in restaurants, community organizing, and freelance photography. Jie enjoys being outside—camping, backpacking, and canoeing. In their free time, Jie does printmaking and is a voracious reader. 

Two fabric reproductions of NASA Hubble Space Telescope imagery are on display in the sanctuary. One is Orion Nebula, a swirl of intergalactic gases creating a colorful palette of pink, gold and deep purple with distant stars shining through. The second image is of the Lagoon Nebula. This darker image shows a cloud of deep red and orange over a background of bright turquoise with light from a star shining through.

The inspiration for creating these: in 1950 the late Rev. John Cummins visited the Charles Street Meeting House, a Boston Universalist church. On one wall was a 25-foot mural of the Andromeda Galaxy and on the opposite wall was an artist’s depiction of an atom. The art depicted the micro of our presence on earth and the infinity within each of us.

Submitted by Jennifer Kane

We're proud to feature two new books on the shelves in our First U library for you to check out!

For adult readers: Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Crisis by Britt Way, which illuminates how we can learn from the past, from our own emotions, and from each other to survive—and even thrive—in a changing world.

For young readers: Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh, which tells the inspiring story of the Mendez family’s fight for justice and equality in 1947.

Deepen your connections at church through one or more of the wide variety of opportunities we're offering now through May. Get details about all of our Winter/Spring Programs and register today!

Saturday, Feb. 11 in the Social Hall

RSVP REQUESTED

• 9–11 a.m. Families with babies–1st graders are invited for simpler crafts and a light brunch; older siblings are welcome.

• 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Families with 2nd–5th graders are invited for games, pizza lunch, and heart-shaped cookie decorating. Siblings are welcome.

Come celebrate Valentine’s Day, love, and friendship with the younger members of our church community. This is a wonderful way to connect with other families while your kids make some awesome memories and deepen their ties to their church community.

Wednesday, Feb. 15, 6–8 p.m. in the Social Hall

RSVP REQUESTED

This month's dinner will include a celebration of all who serve as church volunteers, helping with events, boards, committees, classes, congregational care, faithful action, groups, gatherings, hospitality, facilities, childcare, admin and worship. Thank you!

Swing by church for a delicious home-cooked meal at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 15. All are welcome and there is no charge. This month, we'll enjoy a taco bar with tortillas, tofu or taco meat, beans, rice, cheese, sour cream, lettuce and salsas. We always offer vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, nut free, and kid-friendly options. All church events are alcohol-free.

There will be cake for dessert to celebrate all our fabulous church volunteers.

Following dinner, join a breakout group to learn more about one of the many opportunities for deeper engagement at church:

• Immigration Justice / Sanctuary & Resistance Info Session Join members of the Sanctuary & Resistance Team to learn more about becoming an Immigration Court Observer (with Joan Naymark) or becoming part of a Core Team to prepare for and accompany future residents of our First Universalist apartment (with Jeanne Guignon).
• Developing Personal Spiritual Practices with the Seasons Anyone is welcome to join the young adults community for a conversation and workshop for dreaming up and designing individual rituals and spiritual practices that are meaningful and sustainable for you. We’ll get into bodies. We’ll look to the Earth for guidance. While we may practice individually, we do so as part of a community. Don’t go it alone!
• Senior Conversation Join a conversation with others ages 65 and up. We’ll explore the tasks of this period of life, with a particular focus on moving toward spiritual maturity and wisdom.
• Minneapolis People’s Climate & Equity Plan Info and Action Session: The Minneapolis City Council is in the process of deciding on a climate action plan for the city. Come learn more about how the People’s Climate & Equity Plan furthers environmental justice in our city. Led by Todd Pierson.
• Labyrinth Walk Come learn about the past and future possibilities for our labyrinth. Participants will have opportunity to engage in the spiritual practice of moving through the labyrinth. Led by Ann Hobbs, First U member
• The Spiritual Practice of Art Making Valentines for Volunteers, Grads and Elders! We’ll provide materials and a few ideas for inspiration. All ages are welcome.

Thursday, Feb. 16, 10 a.m. program in the Social Hall or on Zoom

Salad & Soup Lunch begins at 12 p.m.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Daytime Connections programs are offered on the third Thursday of each month, from October through May. They include fabulous presenters about fascinating topics, a delicious lunch, and an opportunity to meet new people and rekindle old friendships. 

On Feb. 16, join us for a program about Spiritual Technology. Rev Ashley Harness will be exploring how spirituality and technology intersect in our church lives. Welcome to the Cyber Age of Church. Rev. Ashley will also be telling us a little about herself and her ministry. Also we will learn how the Church databases work and how to sign into the new Church Directory. Join us for an interesting time.

Sign in and coffee at 9:45 a.m. Soup & salad lunch follows program at 12 p.m.: $5-15 sliding scale (more if you can; less if you can’t; no one will be turned away for lack of funds). Registration is requested a minimum of four days in advance.

Organized and hosted by the Daytime Connections Planning Team

Thursday, Feb. 16, 6:30 p.m.

Information will be available here next week.

Thursday, Feb. 16, 6–8 p.m. in the Cummins Room

REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Come lean in with us as we develop deeper connections with folks from Relationships Evolving Possibilities (REP), an organization guided by the values of Black love and liberation, ancestral knowledge, and radical consent. Bring a spirit of engagement and curiosity as we embody community and work together to create care and safety for all — especially those of us at the margins. Hosted by Rebecca Donley, Karen Heegaard and Denise Konen, First U members

Sunday, Feb. 19, 3–5 p.m., in the Cummins Room

Join the EJ team, and like-minded congregants, to explore and discuss our new Biodiversity working group and view this inspiring, and eye opening film, The Seeds of Vandana Shiva. Action steps will be shared related to the national Farm Bill due to be renewed this fall.

On the third Sunday of the month the Environmental Justice Team offers environmental justice movies to open a window into the world of the climate crisis and possible solutions and actions you can take now.

Wednesday, Feb. 22, 6–8 p.m. in the Cummins Room

RSVP REQUESTED

What’s Dinner Church? Pretty much what it sounds like-—we’ll have a meal together while creating a worshipful experience with music, words, and opportunities to share what’s on our hearts and minds. You’ll be fed in body and spirit while helping to create and sustain the community we all need. We gather on the last Wednesday of each month. BIPOC members and friends of the church are invited. Kids are welcome and encouraged to attend, and childcare staff will be available to support parents and caregivers.

Hosted by Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, Director of Worship Arts Ministries, Lóre Stevens, Cummins Ministerial Intern, and Rev. Arif Mamdani, Associate Minister 

Also offered Wednesdays, March 29, April 26 and May 31

Sundays, Feb. 12, March 12, April 9, & May 14, 3–4:30 p.m. on Zoom

REGISTRATION REQUIRED

This group meets on the second Sunday of each month to support us on our journeys through and with LGBT-specific theology. Any and all LGBT folks interested in LGBT theology are welcome. New members are always welcome. Facilitated by Kaden Colton, First U member

Sundays, Feb. 12 & 26, 4–5:30 p.m. on Zoom

REGISTER HERE

A twice-monthly gathering for those who are grappling with the web of feelings associated with loss. A group of souls who share, listen and care. A community interested in exploring new life invitations. Come as you are, when you feel moved to attend. We will be here for you. Facilitator: Rev. Karen Hutt, Community Minister

Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity is a long-standing Faithful Action Partner of First Universalist. Our next work day is scheduled for:

• Saturday, March 4 in North Minneapolis

The work day typically runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with lunch provided. Each work day is limited to 10 volunteers. There will be heat in the building but it is often uneven. Layered, warm clothes are your best bet.

Sign up to volunteer here. Three spots remain for the March build date!

Submitted by Karen Wills

Be in the know & prepared to cast an informed vote at General Assembly! Paula Cole Jones (originator of the 8th Principle & member of UUA Article II commission) leads a Zoom forum on Saturday, Feb.18 hosted by MUUSJA, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with rest breaks. Saturday participants are invited back on Tuesday, Feb. 21 from 6 to 8 p.m. Central for optional breakouts with your circles (e.g., RE teachers, social justice teams, young adults, youth). Requested donation to offset costs is $50 (or what you can) and can be made here.

Register here

AUW sponsors activities for people who identify as women, non-binary and/or gender fluid.

AUW Spring Retreat – April 28-30, 2023

The theme is Badass Women; it will be held at Camp Courage near Annandale. Registration is open and fees are reduced this year! Go here for more info and to register.

Hiking Group:  Meets most Saturdays at a park or trailhead. For questions, contact Marie Sorenson. February 11, 2pm: Normandale Lake, near 84th & Chalet Rd, Bloomington. Go south on Chalet Rd. and you will run into a big parking lot across from Lake. Meet by parking lot entrance. 1.9 loop with small active waterfall. February 18, 2pm; Bredesen Park, 5901 Olinger Blvd, Edina. February 25, 2pm; Fort Snelling State Park, 101 Snelling Lake Road, St. Paul. Requires a State Park annual or daily pass.

Game Group: Meets at the church on the second Thursday of the month to play board games and socialize. Request an invitation to our next meeting and be added to our email list by sending your name and email address to Anne Frenchick. Next date: March 9, 7 p.m.

Weekly Happy Hour: This online Zoom gathering is a way to stay connected with AUW friends. We meet at 7 p.m. every Thursday. Hosts are Liz and Carol. Here is the Zoom info to tune in: Evening Happy Hour

Women Who Read: We read books written by women. We host an in-person and a virtual meeting on the fourth Monday of each month. This month's book is Search by Michelle Huneven with a meeting on Feb. 27 in person and on Zoom. Request an email invitation to our next meeting and be added to our email list by sending your name and email address to Abbie Finger.

First Saturdays, 9:30 a.m.–noon in person at church

12 Step Spirituality meetings will gather in our church on the 1st Saturday of each month beginning on Oct. 1, 2022 and ending on May 6, 2023. The meeting focuses on people who are actively working a 12 step program. It is focused on the 11 step to the practice of Centering Prayer Meditation. Meeting details are available at 12stepspirituality.org.

Saturdays, 9:30–10:45 a.m. online via Zoom

This weekly online meeting focuses on people who are actively working in any of 12 Step programs. It is focused on the 11th step through the practice of Centering Prayer Meditation. Meeting details are available at 12stepspirituality.org.

Our full updated Covid policies are available here. A summary of updates (as of November 2022) to our masking policy is as follows:

Highlighted Updates: 

• Masks continue to be required in the sanctuary on Sunday mornings and for special services for everyone ages 2 and up 
• Masks are optional in the rest of the building outside of the sanctuary on Sunday mornings/for special services, and at all other times and for all other church activities, when Covid community levels are Low or Medium, with the following exception:
• Masking will be required in classrooms and small groups when a participant reaches out to Lauren Wyeth, Director of Spiritual Growth for All Ages, in advance to make that request. Lauren will hold the name of the person making the request confidential, and will alert the group leader and participants that masks are required for that in person small group or class. 
• When Covid community levels are High, masks are required throughout the whole church building.

Church Office & Building Access

The church office is open on Wednesdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The door bells are not monitored outside of this time. Access to the building at times on other days can be arranged by contacting Jim Poulter, Building & Office Manager, at jim@firstuniv.org.