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December 28, 2018 | Vol. 5 No. 52
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| SUNDAY WORSHIP AT FIRST UNIVERSALIST CHURCH |
Sunday, December 30, 10 a.m.
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"Coffee Klatch" by Ricardo Levins Morales (image used with permission)
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"Watch Night"
Rev. Karen Hutt
Join us at 10 a.m. for our annual post-Christmas Singing Sunday, a multigenerational service led this year by Rev. Karen Hutt. Our Youth Cultural Exchange (YCE) guests from Nicaragua and their First Universalist "siblings" will be part of this special, celebratory service, too.
Please join us for worship at 10 a.m.!
Please note: this is a multigenerational service; there will be no Religious Education this Sunday during worship.
December Worship Theme: Sanctuary
In ancient times, finding an inn was more than finding a place to spend the night. Certainly, the inn was a place for the traveler to rest, but it also provided safety and healing to the wayfaring stranger. There were no hospitals in those times,
so the inn functioned as one. It was a place to tend to the physical body, and to gather one's spiritual resources for the continuing journey. When we hear the story of the Nativity, when an innkeeper provided a place for the Christ child to be born, perhaps we could imagine ourselves as the innkeeper, and our church as the inn, a place of respite and healing, a sanctuary. This is one of our strengths as a faith community. We are a sanctuary, a place one can go to find health, healing and community. When people ask, "What do you believe?" We might respond: "Come with me to a place on 34th and Dupont Avenue South. This is a place where people are nourished, where people begin ministries, where people invest in something beyond self interest, growing in community and ever widening circles of compassion." As writer and theologian Gary Gunderson writes: "I may have trouble articulating
what
I believe; it is easy to say
where
I believe." This month we explore the
where
of what we believe.
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Sunday, Jan. 6, 9:30 & 11:15 a.m.
Remembrance Sunday
Lead Minister: Rev. Justin Schroeder
Sunday, Jan. 13, 9:30 & 11:15 a.m.
Lead Minister: Rev. Ruth MacKenzie
The Visual Arts Committee has added holiday flourishes to our worship spaces and around the church building for the month of December - with best wishes to the congregation.
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December 23, 2018
"Spiritual Survival"
Rev. Jen Crow
December 16, 2018
Vivaldi's Gloria
First Universalist Choir
"Stories of Sanctuary"
Rev. Ruth MacKenzie
December 9, 2018
"The Sanctuary Is Burning"
Rev. Karen Hutt
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One Heart, One Mind:
A powerful conversation among diverse advocates to strengthen solidarity
Saturday, Jan. 5, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Social Hall
Diverse advocates and proponents of climate change and environmental and racial justice, water protection and like-minded initiatives: is it time for us to imagine strengthening our solidarity - intentionally? How can we manifest one heart and one mind? Join us in a powerful conversation led by Native American elder, Lemoine Lapoint, and his sons, Wakinyan and Thorne. Lunch included. Sign up by January 2 with John Saxhaug at john_saxhaug@yahoo.com.
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Remembrance Sunday
Sunday, Jan. 6, 9:30 & 11:15 a.m.
Remembrance Sunday is an annual service that is a time to remember and reflect on our losses over the past year and to honor those we love who have died. This service can also be a time to mark other significant losses in the life of your family, such as a separation or divorce, saying goodbye to friends who've moved away, or any number of other things. You're invited to bring a photo or memento of a loved one(s) you are remembering to the sanctuary for our shared altar on Sunday, Jan. 6.
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Daytime Connections: Turning Points
Thursday, Jan. 17, 11 a.m., Social Hall
What are your turning points? Hear from members of the Peace and Social Justice Writers Group at The Loft Literary Center, who reveal riveting accounts of a generation touched by the turbulent winds of mid-century America. They found purpose, meaning, and ultimately, creative ways to transform society. We will share our own turning points and turbulent times. Lunch is served at 1 p.m. following the program; a sliding scale donation of $5-15 is suggested.
Through
Daytime Connections
, older adults at First Universalist empower each other to live intentional, joyful, purposeful, and spiritually fulfilled lives.
To register,
contact Sandy DiNanni at
sandy@firstuniv.org
or 612-825-1701.
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12-Step Spirituality
Saturday, Jan. 19, 9 a.m.-noon
These drop-in sessions, offered monthly October through May, are designed for those actively working a 12 Step program, as well as those wanting to explore & deepen their spirituality through meditation.
Each session includes Centering Prayer meditation instruction, two 20-minute Centering Prayer sessions, reading from 12 Step literature, and presenters sharing personal experiences and sharing on selected topics.
The topics for Saturday, Jan. 19 are: Steps 4 and 5, self-compassion.
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Save the Date:
Thursday, Jan. 24 7 - 9 p.m.
Immigrant Moral Witness, Moral Action: A Conversation with Local Leaders
First Universalist Church's Sanctuary and Resistance Team is excited to welcome two local leaders to our ongoing conversations about ways to provide effective support to local immigrants, refugees, and their families. Gerardo Guerrero Gomez, the Mexico Consul General of the St. Paul office, and Michelle Rivero, the Director of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs of Minneapolis, will each describe the work of their offices, offer many suggestions about additional effective actions we can take, and answer questions. The need for this forum came from the experience of participants in the Immigration Court Observers program, which will also be described.
More information and RSVP to follow in January.
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Habitat for Humanity 2019 Winter Work Days
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First Universalist has three Habitat for Humanity work days coming up in early 2019, and we'd love to have you on the crew! The dates are Thursdays, Jan. 10, Feb. 14 and March 14.
Volunteers must be at least 16, and sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds must be accompanied by an adult. The work day is from 8:15 a.m. until 4 p.m., and lunch will be provided.
Worried that you don't know much about building and using tools? No worries! Your fellow volunteers and the Habitat site supervisor are there to help you.
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Calendar year 2018 is quickly coming to an end. If you would like to make a financial gift prior to the end of the year, donations must be transferred, postmarked, made online or dropped off at the church office no later than Monday, Dec. 31. Please be aware that the church office will be closed Friday, Dec. 21 through Wednesday, Jan. 1. Contributions can be dropped off in person with a staff member at the information desk in the social hall before or after services on Sundays, Dec. 23 and 30. If you have questions, contact Chelsea Bertsch at 612-825-1701 ext. 107 or chelsea@firstuniv.org. Thank you to all for your ongoing support and generosity to First Universalist Church!
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Join the UU Church of Tucson in Border Ministry
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First Universalist's Sanctuary and Resistance team is organizing a small group of folks to volunteer with No Más Muertes, a humanitarian aid group, in the borderlands for a week in March. We are looking for people to join us.
No Más Muertes, or No More Deaths, is a ministry of the UU church of Tucson, AZ. Their mission is to "end death and suffering in the borderlands through civil initiative." Their Desert Aid program distributes water, food, and supplies on known migration routes in the Sonoran Desert, and provides emergency medical care to any folks they encounter. Volunteers spend a week camping in the desert, driving and hiking to do supply drops. "We see volunteering as an opportunity to directly serve people in migration, build solidarity between a borderland church and our own, and learn new ways to strengthen our sanctuary and resistance practices."
The week we are applying to volunteer is March 16-22. No Más Muertes requires volunteers to fill out an application, which is due January 1st. The application requires some short-answer questions and a letter of reference. Because the due date is so soon, please let me know as soon as possible if you are interested in volunteering. Email Justine at
ju.jones1515@gmail.com
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AUW Women's Spring Retreat - Save the Date
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The Association of Universalist Women is planning another wonderful women's spring retreat. Mark your calendar now!
WHEN: April 12-14, 2019. Last year's unexpected snow storm gave some of us the opportunity to stay a THIRD night, and we loved it. Therefore, this year there will be an option of staying an extra night until the 15th.
THEME
: Our Stories Anew: What is needed now?
WHO
: Featuring Rev. Kelli Clement (keynote) and Rev. Karen Hutt
WHERE
: Koinonia Retreat Center, South Haven
WORKSHOPS
: If you have an idea for a workshop, contact Kathy Urberg at
Kathyurberg@gmail.com
HOW TO REGISTER
: Stay tuned - registration information coming by February
QUESTIONS
: Contact Kit Ketchum
kitketchum@hotmail.com
or Martha Easter-Wells
mm3second@aol.com
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Thanks for Donations for Augsburg Fairview Academy!
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Thanks to the many congregants who have generously donated food and winter clothing to the students of Augsburg Fairview Academy (AFA) - you make a difference!
First Universalist is the primary sponsor of Food and Clothing Closets at Augsburg Fairview Academy, a public charter high school located within two miles of church. The 100+ high school students come from diverse backgrounds including African American, Somali, and Native American. Many are homeless or marginally housed during the school year. We are experiencing a higher than typical need for food this year and your contributions of the following are gratefully received:
- Microwavable single serving dinners
- Snacks: granola bars, fruit cups, small packages of nuts or raisins, crackers
- Winter teen clothing: winter jackets, scarves, gloves and hats; hoodies, jeans (clothing in good repair, clean, and teen appropriate)
- Winter toiletries: chapstick and lotions, men's and women's deodorant, toothbrushes and toothpaste, ethnic hair products, sanitary products, condoms
Bring items to the Hub on Sundays or drop off during the week at the shelves labeled for AFA by the 34th Street entrance.
Thank you for your generosity!
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| RESOURCES & CONTACT INFORMATION |
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Cycle of Life and Pastoral Care
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Let Us Keep You in Our Thoughts and Prayers
If you are experiencing a crisis or transition, or celebrating a joy, please let us know. To be included in our Cycle of Life each Sunday in worship, contact Sandy DiNanni at
sandy@firstuniv.org or 612-825-1701. If you would like support, call the office at 612-825-1701 or contact any member of our
Pastoral Visitors Team.
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Congregational Care: Caring Corner
Write a note to a congregant who could use support! There are cards available in the library, which is located off of the Social Hall. You are welcome to stop by and write a card at any time. Just leave it in the basket and the church will mail it for you. Learn more about congregational care on our website.
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Planned Giving & the Heritage Circle
Please let us know
when you designate First Universalist Church as a beneficiary in your will or estate plan so we can thank you for your generous commitment and welcome you to the Heritage Circle. The church office and the Planned Giving Committee can help you. Learn more on our website.
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Join Our Mailing List
Subscribe to
The Weekly Liberal
here.
Sign up to receive our weekly Children Youth & Family Ministries news
here.
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Church Office Hours
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Sundays 9
a.m.-1 p.m.
Mondays-Thursdays 9
a.m.-8 p.m.
Closed Fridays and Saturdays
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Weekly Liberal Submissions
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Do you have an announcement that you'd like published in
The Weekly Liberal? Fill out our
online submission form. Edits for length and/or content may occur.
The Weekly Liberal
is compiled and edited by Communications Manager Jenn Stromberg. Past issues, deadlines, and policies can be found on our
website
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Contact Us
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First Universalist Church of Minneapolis
3400 Dupont Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55408
612-825-1701
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First Universalist Church of Minneapolis
3400 Dupont Avenue S.
Minneapolis, MN 55408
612-825-1701
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