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May 23, 2019 | Vol. 6 No. 21
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Rev. Jen Crow |
Thank you to everyone who contributed to help us Close the Gap this spring. Thanks to your generous financial gifts, we raised $27,500! Church members offered a matching gift of $15,000, which nearly doubled our total. That's amazing. This church matters to you, its financial health matters to you, and so many of you stretched to help us end this fiscal year in the best position possible. We are incredibly grateful. If you haven't had a chance to participate yet, we still need you. Please call the church office, email our finance staff (
chelsea@firstuniv.org
or
brad@firstuniv.org
) or give online at
tinyurl.com/CloseGap2019
. Every gift matters.
Even though our Close the Gap effort has been a huge success, unfortunately, we are still projecting a significant deficit for this fiscal year ending on June 30. The cold winter, unexpected repairs, loss of a major annual gift, and other factors that we might usually be able to absorb in a typical financial year have all contributed to this projected deficit. Adjustments have been made in staff hours and in expenses to help ameliorate this situation, and your Board and staff have been monitoring church finances closely - always balancing our drive to achieve our mission with our financial realities.
Please join us for the church's Annual Meeting on June 2 after the service to learn more about our finances for this year and next. We are pleased to be proposing a balanced budget for the 2019-2020 church year that expresses our values and keeps us moving toward our mission and vision.
In faith,
Jen
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Summer Sunday Worship at 10 a.m. Begins this Week
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Worship Services are held at 10 a.m. only on Summer Sundays, Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. Please join us for worship at 10 a.m. beginning this Sunday, May 26.
See you in church!
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Sunday, May 26, 10 a.m.
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Memorial Day Sunday |
Rev. Ruth MacKenzie
The poet Wendell Berry writes, "Any man's [person's] death could end the story: his [their] mourners having accompanied him to the grave through all he knew, turn back, leaving him complete. But this is not the story of life. It is the story of lives, knit together, overlapping in succession."
This Memorial Sunday, we will remember the history of Memorial Day and those who have served in this knitting together of lives. Please join us for worship at 10 a.m.!
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Sunday, June 2, 10 a.m.
Rev. Jen Crow and Rev. Justin Schroeder
Flower Communion Sunday
Multigenerational Worship
Sunday, June 9, 10 a.m.
Worship Leader: Jaylani Hussein, Executive Director of CAIR MN
Sunday, June 16, 10 a.m.
Lead Minister: Rev. Justin Schroeder
First Universalist Summer Choir
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May 12, 2019
"Our First Sound"
Rev. Karen Hutt
May 5, 2019
"The Constant, Part 2"
Rev. Justin Schroeder
April 28, 2019
"Ours to Complete"
Rev. Jen Crow
Choir-led worship: Mozart's
Requiem
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| May Worship Theme: Thresholds |
 The nature of thresholds is that there is one foot in what was, and one foot in what is to become. We may look back, wondering if this step is the right step. We may look forward with resolve and anticipation. The spiritual life is one in which being present to threshold moments is an opportunity in pausing, noticing, remembering, and dreaming. This month we practice suspending our wish to know, our penchant for planning, and surrender ourselves to the deep life of thresholds, of not knowing, and living into our bravery and our love.
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| Updated May 12 Podcast: Coming of Age Credos Added |
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Five members of the Coming of Age Class (on the chancel at right) shared excerpts from their credos on Sunday, May 12.
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This week's podcast is an update of the service on Sunday, May 12. It now includes credos from our Coming of Age Youth. Coming of Age is a beloved tradition in Unitarian Universalism. Instead of asking our youth to sign on to a particular creed or dogma, we charge them with discerning for themselves what they hold dear, using the 7 Principles as a guide. To round out the Coming of Age experience, each student is asked to distill their core beliefs about life, God, and humanity into a personal statement of belief.
Hear
wisdom, humor, and insights from five members of our 2019 Coming of Age class on the podcast.
Listen also to Rev. Karen Hutt's Mother's Day sermon, "Our First Sound" - a simultaneously humorous and heartbreaking meditation on mamas.
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Community Conversation:
Environmental Justice
Tuesday, May 28, 6-8 p.m., Sanctuary
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, of MN's 5th Congressional District, and a panel of local leaders in the environmental movement will address social justice, the climate crisis, fossil fuel subsidies, zero waste, and the Green New Deal. Learn about several relevant pieces of legislation being introduced in the US Congress, as well as local initiatives and actions. Free and open to the public. Hosted by the Environmental Justice team here at church.
Pre-registration required
. The location of this event is being provided only to registered attendees (and our congregation); do share with friends but please refrain from sharing the event location on social media.
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Flower Communion Sunday
Sunday, June 2, 10 a.m., Sanctuary
Join us at 10 a.m. on Sunday, June 2 for our annual Flower Communion Sunday worship service. Flower Communion is an annual ritual that celebrates beauty, human uniqueness, diversity, and community. Please bring a flower or two!
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Celebrating Rev. Elaine Aron Tenbrink
Sunday, June 2, 11-11:30 a.m.
Please join us in the social hall
for a celebration in honor of Rev. Elaine on June 2 between the service and the Annual Meeting. Our "Celebrating Elaine" Team invites you to celebrate Elaine's incredible contributions to our community and her decision to make a life-giving transformation to "where love is calling her next," with cake, music, festivities - and, of course, Elaine! - on her last day as minister at First Universalist.
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Annual Meeting of the Membership
Sunday, June 2, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
The Annual Meeting of the Congregation will be held following our Flower Communion Service (and celebration of Rev. Elaine) on Sunday, June 2, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Sanctuary. This year our church business includes approval of the annual budget, the election of members to the Board of Trustees, the Foundation Board, and the Nominating Committee, two resolutions brought forth by congregants and approved by the board, and an update on co-location conversations. This is a time when we conduct the business of this church that only church members can do. We need a quorum to conduct the meeting - please give us the gift of your time so that we may complete this work!
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June 9: Lunch and an Outdoor Puppet Show!
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First Universalist is excited to host Open Eye Figure Theatre's Driveway Tour production of "Ms. Marvel's Sandbox Circus" on Sunday, June 9 at 1 p.m.! This all-ages outdoor puppet show features the cat Ms. Marvel, a madcap, merry-maker that lives and prowls the neighborhood. Every summer, Ms. Marvel transforms the sandbox into an amazing circus where a cavalcade of antics, thrills, chills, and spills await. Step right up to Ms. Marvel's Sandbox Circus and witness the Acrobatic Ants, the Daredevil Squirrel, the Caterpillar Catapult and the Earthworm Orchestra!
The children of Religious Education invite the whole community to join us at 11:15 a.m. for a BBQ lunch following the worship service (vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options available) and stay for the show at 1 p.m.! It's open to all (invite your friends!) and free to attend. Lunch and lemonade sales will help cover costs, and free-will donations are encouraged. Bring your lawn chair - we'll be outside in the parking lot for lunch and the show. In case of rain, we'll move inside.
Open Eye Figure Theatre's award-winning Driveway Tour performs all-ages outdoor puppet shows in backyards, front yards, and parks throughout the Twin Cities, bringing communities together with original family-friendly theatre.
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Church Office and Building Closed Memorial Day
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The church office and building will be closed this Monday, May 27 in observance of Memorial Day. The office will reopen on Tuesday, May 28 at 9 a.m.
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Ushers for 10 a.m. summer services are needed - please sign up now! Whether you're new to First Universalist or have been around for a long time, ushering is a great way to connect with people and help create a welcoming space for all who visit our church.
Usher once a month or whenever it fits your schedule. Arrival time is 20 minutes before the start of the service and duties conclude when it ends. Short and sweet - yet a very important role! Contact Karen Larson at karentischlerlarson@gmail.com to sign up or ask questions.
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Habitat for Humanity Summer Work Week is June 24-28
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First Universalist's Habitat for Humanity Summer Work Week is just around the corner! Our week is
Monday, June 24 through Friday, June 28.
Our build site is in Richfield.
Please consider joining in. We need about 75 volunteers in all (15 per day). Volunteers must be over sixteen years of age, 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 every day by members of the congregation.
Concerned that you don't know much about building or using tools? No worries! All you need is a willingness to learn and to work hard to help a deserving family in our community achieve the dream of owning a home.
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Lost & Found: Are You Missing Something?
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The lost and found cabinet is located in the lower narthex coat closet (the one closer to the women's restroom). Next time you're at church, please check this cabinet to see if there is something that belongs to you! We'll be cleaning it out at the end of May and donating any unclaimed items.
We have a separate lost and found bin in the church office for smaller and more valuable items such as jewelry and electronics. There is currently an iPhone, a set of keys, several pairs of glasses, a watch, rings, and a necklace in that lost and found bin. If you suspect that one of these items might be yours, or if you're missing something smaller/more valuable that you might have left at church, please call the church office with a description of the item you lost: 612-825-1701 Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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Seeking Delegates to UUA General Assembly 2019
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General Assembly (GA) is the annual meeting of our Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). Attendees worship, witness, learn, connect, and make policy for the Association through democratic process. Anyone may attend; congregations must certify annually to send voting delegates. General Assembly 2019 will take place in Spokane, WA, (and online) June 19-23.
If you wish to attend as one of First Universalist Church's official 20 delegates,
please talk to someone on the Nominating Committee or email nomination@firstuniv.org by May 27
.
In order to be a delegate, you must be an active member of First Universalist Church.
Delegates need to be officially approved by the congregation at our annual meeting on June 2.
Registration info and more is available here.
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Space Reservations for Meetings and Events
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Are you responsible for reserving meeting space for a church committee you serve on? Are you a volunteer planning a church-sponsored event?
Spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and requests must be communicated to Events Coordinator Lucia Webb.
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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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here.
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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
We encourage you to submit news!
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Contact Us
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First Universalist Church of Minneapolis
3400 Dupont Ave. S.,
Minneapolis, MN 55408
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First Universalist Church of Minneapolis
3400 Dupont Avenue S.
Minneapolis, MN 55408
612-825-1701
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