 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
March 28, 2019 | Vol. 6 No. 13
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Another World is Possible |
 |
|
|
Rev. Jen Crow |
As we continue our conversations with Shir Tikvah about the possibility of co-locating here at 3400 Dupont - creating a powerful center for healing and justice in a shared Uptown location - there is so much that I get excited about. I love the idea of using our building fully, reducing the two congregations' environmental footprint, and modeling a new way of being across faith traditions. And I keep wondering, what we might do together, to move Minneapolis in the direction of justice, equity, and compassion.
Some of you may remember several years ago, when First Universalist took up the project called
The House That Love Built
- when the children, youth and adults of our congregation worked together to build an entire home with Habitat for Humanity. Maybe you remember the way we blew through our fundraising goal; our winter and summer work weeks; and the relationship we built with the family that volunteered alongside us and moved in to new stability, empowerment, and independence. That project showed me that when our church community comes together, directing its energy and resources toward a shared focus, we can do powerful things.
The House That Love Built
project left me wondering then and now:
What could we do if we joined together, with Shir Tikvah and other faith communities, to listen to and support the vision of Minneapolis community members who are often ignored or pushed aside? How could our shared resources and commitment help change the community-chosen trajectory of our neighbors and ourselves for the better?
We know from experience that we can be powerful agents for change and possibility on our own at First Universalist. And we long for something more. Our visionary goals call us to a place where our sense of who we are is ever-expanding. Our church and our faith are asking us to expand our sense of we - and to do that, we will need to listen deeply to those whose life experiences are different than ours. We will need to listen for similarities and differences, seeking out and centering the voices of those who often live on the margins, building a shared sense of hopes and values for a more just, equitable, and compassionate world. When we do these things - I know that we can do more than build a house and support a single family. When we do these things, in the words of local artist and activist, Ricardo Levins Morales, "Another world is possible."
In the upcoming weeks and months, there will be several opportunities for us to get to know our neighbors and to build relationships with those whose life experiences are different from ours. In particular, I want to invite you to attend Shabbat service and stay for dinner at Shir Tikvah next Friday, April 5 at 6:30 p.m. (details below in the Calendar Highlights section). We have room for 20 more First Universalist members and friends at this generous offering. Also, please join us after the second service on April 14, here at First Universalist, for Judaism 101 for Unitarian Universalists, taught by Rabbis Arielle Lekach-Rosenberg and Michael Latz, of Shir Tikvah.
Together, another world is possible.
In faith,
Rev. Jen
|
|
|
Sunday, March 31, 9:30 & 11:15 a.m.
"It Takes A Village"
Me'Lea Connelly
|
|
|
Me'Lea Connelly |
This Sunday's guest speaker, Me'Lea Connelly, has a compelling spiritual, moral, and economic vision for a black-owned credit union in North Minneapolis. Learn more about how this vision came to be and how we can support it.
Join us for worship at 9:30 or 11:15 a.m.!
|
|
Sunday, April 7, 9:30 & 11:15 a.m.
Lead Minister: Rev. Elaine Aron Tenbrink
Sharing Sunday
Music: Give Get Sistet
Sunday, April 14, 9:30 & 11:15 a.m.
Lead Minister: Rev. Justin Schroeder
Sunday, April 21, 9:30 & 11:15 a.m.
Lead Minister: Rev. Ruth MacKenzie
Multigenerational Worship; Easter Sunday
Music: Soul Band
|
|
|
|
|
March 24, 2019
"Called to Beloved Community"
Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray
March 17, 2019
"Wisdom of Trees"
Rev. Ruth MacKenzie
March 10, 2019
"American Sacrifice"
Rev. Karen Hutt
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray: "Called to Beloved Community" |
|
|
|
Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray |
Sermon recap by First U staff member Liz Farmer
From Early Childhood RE, to Circles, to Faithful Action Committees, the UU faith goes beyond the "church social club" to actively resist the current political status quo. And that work of doing justice is inseparable from faith deeply rooted in love. This sermon is a unique opportunity to hear from UUA President Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray about how her childhood RE experience shaped her early life and her current approach to social justice. It is an invitation to engage deeply in a faith that combines inner work with outer action to love out loud.
Listen to Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray's March 24 sermon here.
|
|
|
|
|
Newcomer Circle
Tuesdays, April 2, 9, 16 & 23, 6:30-8 p.m.
Are you new to First Universalist? Whether you are a recent visitor or a new member, you're invited to join a Newcomer Circle. These four-session gatherings of 6-10 newcomers offer a chance to explore core Unitarian Universalist values, reflect on our spiritual journeys, and connect with other folks who are new to church. Sign up by emailing Sandy at sandy@firstuniv.org or calling 612-825-1701.
|
|
|
|
|
Shabbat Service & Dinner at Shir Tikvah
Friday, April 5, 6:30 p.m.
Shir Tikvah has extended an invitation to First Universalist members to attend a Shabbat service and dinner at Shir Tikvah on Friday, April 5. The service begins at 6:30 p.m. and dinner and conversation will follow.
As we explore co-location with Shir Tikvah, this is an opportunity for members of both of our congregations to get to know one another.
Space is limited and there are just a handful of spots still available.
If you are interested in attending, email
communications@firstuniv.org
. First-come, first-served; space is not guaranteed until you receive a confirmation email.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Artists' Reception with
Janet Houck and Fiona Payne
Sunday, April 7, 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Meet the artists! Work by mosaic artist Janet Houck and paper quilling artist Fiona Payne is currently on view in the Social Hall (through April 28). Janet and Fiona will be in the social hall for an artists' reception on Sunday, April 7 after both services. Read more about the artists and their work here.
|
|
|
|
|
Pathway to Membership Class
Saturday, April 13, 8:30 a.m.-noon
If First Universalist is feeling like your spiritual home, then we hope you'll take part in the
Pathway to Membership! Becoming a member is a symbolic, spiritual act of saying "yes" to growing your soul in this place, with these people, within our free faith tradition. This new member class is a great chance to build community, explore Unitarian Universalism, and learn how to get involved.
To register, contact Sandy at
Sandy@firstuniv.org
or 612-825-1701.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Co-Location Listening & Information Sessions
|
Please join us for one of several listening and information sessions about potential co-location with Shir Tikvah.
First Universalist
is currently in a period of discernment to determine whether co-location with Shir Tikvah is the right path for us as we continue in the planning process for our building project with funds raised by our recent capital campaign.
We strongly encourage every member to attend one of these sessions in order to be informed and have a chance to share input.
Thursday, April 11, 10 a.m.-noon (hosted by Daytime Connections and open to ALL)
Monday, April 15, 7-8:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 25, 7-8:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 5, 1-2:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 8, 7:45-9 p.m. for the Choir
Sunday, May 19, 1-2:30 p.m.
|
|
Your Fellow Members Are Counting on You!
|
Your fellow church community members are counting on you to do your part to help our ministry thrive!
I
f you are one of the 200+ individuals/families that we have yet to hear from about plans for financial support next year, please be in touch. Give us a call (612-825-1701), fill out a yellow giving card next time you're at church, or set up your giving
online
.
|
|
Security Update: New and Improved Keypad System
|
We will be installing a new keypad system at the parking lot door next week. The keypad system allows staff to grant access to the building outside of regular office hours (Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.) when needed.
The new technology comes with improved features that add flexibility and convenience, while helping us keep the church building even more secure.
I
f you have any questions about this change, please reach out to Lucia Webb at lucia@firstuniv.org.
|
|
Quilling by Fiona Payne and Mosaics by Janet Houck
|
Quilling art by Fiona Payne and mosaic art by Janet Houck is now on view in a new exhibit in the Social Hall through April 28.
Fiona Payne is a self-taught paper artist who has been practicing the art of quilling since 2013. Paper quilling involves rolling long, very narrow strips of paper tightly around a thin tool, forming spirals into a multitude of shapes, and then arranging those shapes to create a pattern or image. After experimenting with a few different styles of quilling, she found her niche in 2015: quilled paper mosaics. She says she loves the opportunity for both creativity and structure; it's like putting together a puzzle where you make up each piece as you go.
For artist
Janet Houck, mosaic is one of her favorite artistic expressions because it challenges and excites her in both the limitations of, and the variety of, the materials a mosaicist might use. She says: "In the creating, I enjoy the push and pull, the back and forth, between the mind's designing and the repetitive physical, almost meditative, movements of the hand's cutting, placing and adhering the tesserae - the small pieces of glass, tile or stone that make up a mosaic. In my work I'm inspired by color, shapes, textures, the written word, and the beauty of both the natural world and the world of the imagination."
The artists with be available to talk about their work at an Artist's Reception after both the first and second services Sunday, April 7.
|
|
Calling All Graduating Seniors!
|
|
|
|
Senior High Youth; Youth Sunday 2018 |
First Universalist wants to recognize and support all our graduating seniors as they leave high school and enter into a new chapter in their lives.
There are several special events coming up in May at church, including a two-session Graduating Senior Community Circle, a Senior Brunch and Bridging Ritual that families are invited to attend, and a simple moment of recognition in front of the congregation during the Youth Sunday service.
Please take a look at the details and sign up online for one, two, or all three opportunities.
|
|
Help Wanted: Make Chalice Pillows for Graduating Seniors
|
 The time has come to start making the beautiful
chalice
pillows that our graduating seniors receive each year during Youth Sunday. We need your help!
The first two meetings will be:
Sunday, March 31, 9 a.m.-noon at 7500 York Ave. S, Edina
Monday, April 1, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at 7500 York Ave. S, Edina
No experience, skills, or tools required, though all of these are welcomed. Ages 12 and older please (jobs involve hot irons and razor-sharp cutters and machine-powered needles). Come for all or part of the times.
For questions, please contact Carolyn Liebler (
liebler@umn.edu or 612-716-0665).
|
|
Church Leadership Application Deadline is April 2
|
The Nominating Committee is recruiting candidates for leadership positions on the
Board of Trustees, the Foundation Board, and the Nominating Committee for the next church year!
|
|
|
2018-19 Nominating Committee. Front: Suzann Willhite, Jim Ramnaraine;
Back: Marcia Wattson, Pat Gottschalk, Sharon Ramirez (not pictured: Greg Hoelzer)
|
Now is an exciting and important time to serve as we continue to build on the positive energy and growth of our congregation. Serving on one of these bodies provides unique opportunities to deepen and enrich your personal connection to the church while broadening your circle of relationships within our spiritual community and collaborating with our passionate ministers and lay leaders to advance the mission of the church.
The application deadline is April 2, 2019. Submit your application to
nomination@firstuniv.org or via the online form above.
|
|
ART for Action: Mosaic Mandala - March 30
|
 Join First Universalist members Debbie Cash and Denise Konen for a mosaic art session to help raise money for First Universalist's Sanctuary and Resistance fund.
The session will take place at Mosaic on a Stick, 1564 Lafond Avenue in St. Paul on Saturday, March 30 from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Create a beautiful 4.5" mandala mosaic using colored glass. Learn the basics of mandala design, how to use glass-cutting tools and grout your finished piece.
Debbie Cash will teach mosaic art skills, and Denise Konen will share what immigrants in the Twin Cities are facing and why we started the Sanctuary and Resistance Immigrant Fund.
Suggested donation is $50-$75. All funds (minus the cost of materials) help immigrants with legal assistance, housing costs and other needs when they are detained.
Class size limited to 15. Contact Denise Konen,
denise@netgains.net
to attend and/or to carpool.
|
|
Peace Circle Event: Climate Change & Nuclear Weapons
|
The
First Universalist Peace Circle invites you to: "Climate Change and Nuclear Weapons:
These Threats to Humanity Can Be Solved - and the time to act is Now!" on
Saturday, April 6,
9:30-11:30 a.m. in Room 201.
Eliminating nuclear weapons is just a matter of political will, and the Nuclear Ban Treaty now makes this a realistic possibility. By freeing up the trillions of dollars -- and a vast amount of scientific, engineering and technical expertise and equipment -- currently devoted to nuclear weapons, we can also begin to seriously address climate change. We need to be doing BOTH to prevent uncontrolled global warming AND nuclear winter.
Join Timmon Wallis, PhD and Vicki Elson, MA of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). Timmon and Vicki will talk about their involvement with the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which won ICAN the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize, and about the work they are doing now to promote the conversion of nuclear war preparations into a national plan for addressing climate change.
|
|
First Universalist is a Waxwing Farm CSA Pickup Location
|
|
First Universalist will be a pick up location for CSA shares from Waxwing Farm, located in Webster, MN, this year!
 CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. By purchasing a CSA share, you are helping to directly support the farm and contributing to a stronger local economy and a more sustainable food system.
The Waxwing Farm CSA season runs from early-June to mid-October. Waxwing CSA shares consist of a 3/4 bushel box containing 8 to 12 different vegetables that change with the seasons. There are two different share sizes, and CSA deliveries are made on Wednesdays.
If First Universalist is a convenient Wednesday pickup location for you, please consider signing up for a CSA share from Waxwing Farm! Learn more about the farm, the CSA program, and sign up for a share at waxwingfarm.com.
|
|
Mental Health Learning Opportunities
|
First Universalists's Mental Health Connect Ambassador Janet Houck shares the following upcoming opportunities in the community:
Post-Traumatic Stress from Bullying (Safe Space Healing Circle)
Thursday, April 4, 6-7:30 p.m.
Webber Park Library, 4440 Humboldt Ave. N. in Minneapolis
Developing Emotional Health: The Elements to Navigate This Thing Called Life
Thursday, April 11, 7-8 p.m.
Headway Emotional Health Services, 6425 Nicollet Ave. in Richfield
Interventions for Trauma Survivors
Monday, April 8, light supper at 5:45 p.m.; presentation from 6:30-8 p.m.
St. Joan of Arc Catholic Community, 4537 Third Ave. S. in Minneapolis
Gray Matters: Depression in Older Adults
Learn about the warning signs, risks and treatment for depression in older adults from Kay King of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
Thursday, April 11, 6:30-8 p.m.
St. Joan of Arc Catholic Community, 4537 Third Ave. S. in Minneapolis
|
|
Spring Donations for Augsburg Fairview Academy (AFA)
|
First Universalist is the primary sponsor of Food and Clothing Closets at
Augsburg Fairview Academy
(AFA), a public charter high school located within two miles of church. The 100+ high school students come from diverse backgrounds and many are homeless or marginally housed during the school year. Students have specifically requested the following:
- Microwavable single serving dinners - especially chili
- Clothing: all sizes of men and women's khakis and dress pants suitable for interviewing and work; leggings and tights; hoodies;
- Winter toiletries: chapstick and lotions, men and women's deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, ethnic hair products, sanitary products, condoms
Bring items to the Information Desk on Sundays or drop off during the week at the shelves labeled for AFA by the 34th Street entrance.
Thank you for your generosity!
|
|
AUW Women's Spring Retreat: Register by March 31
|
The Association of Universalist Women is hosting their annual Women's Spring Retreat April 12-15, "Telling Our Stories Anew: What is Needed Now?"
at Koinonia Retreat Center in South Haven.
Deadline for registration is March 31: www.auwfirstuniv.org
There will be keynote, ceremonies, and presentations by Rev. Kelli Clement and Rev. Karen Hutt.
Workshops and activities include: nature walks; What Are You Reading?; Classical Stretch; Lobbying 101; Healing Touch; Meditation; Poetry Out Loud; Saturday evening dance; movies; labyrinth; singing around the bonfire; sauna; Talent Show; Basketry; and MORE!
|
|
Space Reservations for Meetings and Events
|
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.
|
|
Cycle of Life and Pastoral Care
|
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.
|
|
|
Join Our Mailing List
Subscribe to
The Weekly Liberal
here.
Sign up to receive our weekly Children Youth & Family Ministries news
here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Church Office Hours
|
Sundays 9
a.m.-1 p.m.
Mondays-Thursdays 9
a.m.-8 p.m.
Closed Fridays and Saturdays
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weekly Liberal Submissions
We encourage you to submit news!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contact Us
|
First Universalist Church of Minneapolis
3400 Dupont Ave. S.,
Minneapolis, MN 55408
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
First Universalist Church of Minneapolis
3400 Dupont Avenue S.
Minneapolis, MN 55408
612-825-1701
|
|
| |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
