I’m delighted to share with you that on June 27, First Universalist Church has been invited to lead the Sunday morning worship at this year’s General Assembly! As the President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, Rev. Dr. Susan Frederick-Gray, explained, “First Universalist has been a model of shared ministry and what it means to put the work of dismantling white supremacy and building anti-racist, anti-oppressive practices at the center of their ministry. They have been on the front lines in support of the Movement for Black Lives in Minneapolis. Children and families are a vital part of their ministry, and their leadership exemplifies some of the best practices for the creativity, spiritual depth, and moral leadership that is possible when we embrace the work of shared ministry rooted in love and justice.” 

It’s a deep honor to lead this service for over 10,000 Unitarian Universalists and to be recognized for our collaborative, shared, justice-centered ministry.

This Sunday, as we launch our Annual Giving Campaign, and you consider your financial support of the church this coming year, know that this is the ministry you are making possible! Together, we are creating a new and vibrant multicultural, multiracial, multigenerational expression of Unitarian Universalism. And this year, as we prepare to return to “in person” church in the fall, and a new, more inclusive and accessible building, we want to continue to offer a vibrant online presence, because our congregation is now spread out all over the country and the world! 

In a congregation of over 1,100 adults and more than 500 children and youth, it takes an average gift of $1,200 per adult per year to support our annual operating budget and adequately fund our vision. For my family of four, that means an annual gift of $2,400 covers the cost of our fair share contribution. But we want to do so much more than just cover our fair share. We want to draw the circle wide, welcoming children and youth, families and individuals, who may never be able to contribute at this level financially. We know that each of us has so much to give and receive beyond our financial resources. Every gift of our time, our talent, and our financial resources counts. And we know that it takes all of us, giving what we can when we can, to keep our community sustained and growing. 

This coming week, you’ll be receiving a letter and an email inviting you to make your Annual Gift for the 2021-22 church year. You can easily set up recurring weekly or monthly gifts, or you can make your annual gift all at once. For different giving methods (check, stock, etc.), email Chelsea Bertsch at chelsea@firstuniv.org or call 612-825-1701 x107. Please set up your gift online or reach out to Chelsea by Sunday, April 18, so we can responsibly budget for our future and continue to live into our visionary goals, where our sense of who “we” are is ever-expanding.

Together, sharing what we can, we give, receive and grow, and we help First Universalist thrive and faithfully meet the challenges of our time. 

With gratitude,

Rev. Jen Crow

Co-Senior Minister

First Universalist Church of Minneapolis

Join Rev. Jen for a midweek worship experience for adults and older youth. This service is a brief time (20-30 minutes) of connection, centering, and reflection to help us find and keep our balance.

Enter the Wednesday Zoom webinar here. (webinar ID: 117-312-320). To join by phone (audio only), dial 1-312-626-6799 and enter the webinar ID.

Post-service Care Companions space (7:30 p.m.): Join the Zoom gathering here.

Our hearts are with the Peterson family. Allison Peterson’s mother, Bev Stursa, died Saturday, March 6 after a long struggle with Lewy Body dementia. Our thoughts are with Allison and Matt and their children Madeline and Aiden, and Allison’s sisters Brett and Kelly. 

Our hearts are also with the Colvin family. Barbara Colvin died Sunday, March 7 at the age of 94. She and her husband Jim were long time members of the church. You can find Barbara's obituary here. A service will be held when COVID-19 restrictions permit. May our love and care surround Barbara’s family and all who were touched by her life.

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, or if you would like support, contact Rev. Arif Mamdani at arif@firstuniv.org or 612-825-1701.

As we mark a year gone by in an ongoing pandemic, many have measured their experience of time in a new way. Perhaps it is in more frequent calls with loved ones, new recipes, or ceremonies and services attended from the couch (in jammies!). We have all adjusted, individually and collectively, to the realities of pandemic life. Perhaps you’ve realized through this time that church is more than a building, or even, as we approach Rev. Justin’s departure from First Universalist, more than a single person’s ministry. First Universalist has transformed the way we “do church,” from praying, to singing, to holding one another. As the congregation continues to endure the impact of this virus, despite the loneliness and heartbreak, may the next 365 days include a growing clarity of the church’s mission and purpose, an active commitment to dismantling white supremacy culture within ourselves and institutions, and a deeper knowing of who we are as we collectively measure and transform.

Listen to the podcast on Podbean or on Spotify, watch the entire service on YouTube, and find materials for further reflection in Sunday's Order of Service.

Image description: Still photo from the YouTube video from worship on Sunday, March 14 with a "play button" symbol superimposed.

We care for one another at First Universalist Church. We care about living our values and beliefs. We care about being engaged in the needs of the world and we care deeply about one another. At its core, care is about compassion. Care and compassion move us beyond sympathy to deep and profound empathy, to understanding and sharing the feelings of another, to suffering and rejoicing with another human being. This is the heart of caring. This month, we explore the rich ground of how we give and receive care, and how we can take care of ourselves, avoiding burnout and caregiving fatigue. You can learn more about our March worship theme on our website.

By Shelley Thron, member of choir, Family Practice Nurse Practitioner, friend of the church since 1994, member since 2009.

Language matters. Words matter. Creating space for silence matters. When Justin says, “Church, I love you,” I take that personally. I have never had any doubt that Justin feels and means those words as an honest reflection of his heart. In August of 2019 our son Taylor, a child of our church from preschool to college, took his own life and we couldn’t breathe. Without hesitation, but perhaps with trepidation, Justin stepped into the fog of our grief. Justin sat with us at our dining room table, lit our chalice, and made room for our shattered souls to inhale. He brought with him a presence and a heart open to our overflowing sorrow. He, like we, had no answers, no assurance, no spiritual insight. Instead, he sat with us in our bewilderment, our dream state of heartbreak, and he sat with us and our unanswerable questions. What I cherish most from that terrible time was the sense that Justin was genuinely walking with us, searching with us, as we tried to make sense of the unimaginable. I felt like we were in a sacred conversation. Together we were wrestling with invisible forces in our search for meaning and release from self-blame. Together we leaned into the darkness, looking for just enough ballast to take a step forward in any direction. In this sacred struggle I began to feel like my charred core of despair was being softened by loving kindness and deep compassion. The love Justin pours into the church community was loving us back.

I am so grateful that my thread, our family’s threads, were woven together with Justin’s thread during the last 12 years. The thread remains unbroken. A strong knot, made up of all our unique threads, holds firm as we anchor this present moment and face forward into what is next. Now as Justin takes a brave step into the unknown, following his thread, following the spun fibers of the love that is calling us, I have also taken this personally. The words Justin used to help us understand the choice he is making to step away from First UU were words of courage. In these words, I felt a tug on my own heart threads. I understood that I, too, could step away from the work I have been doing—good work, valuable work—and into an unknown future. I understood that I did not need to see the path before me clearly. I did not need to have the goal in sight. I needed only to hold onto the thread and let love illuminate my next step. Thank you, Justin, for everything. Thank you, Justin, for being with us these past twelve years and for being vulnerable enough to let us walk with you in person and in spirit as you travel on and off the page. 

If you have questions or comments about the Good Goodbye (GG) plans, please contact a member of the GG Team: Ginny McAninch, chair; Bette DeMars, Lena K. Gardner, Nancy Gaschott, Rich Jaeger, Frederic MacDonald-Dennis, and Karin Wille. Ginny McAninch can be reached by email at ginny.mc1947@gmail.com. Together, we will create a good goodbye!

Would you be interested in a low-commitment, one-time opportunity to connect with other adults who raised or are raising LGBTQ+ youth?

Let's gather for conversation and encouragement as we seek to celebrate and support our kids in being themselves and navigating the world beyond our families.

This will be a confidential meeting space.

We'll meet on Zoom this weekend or next week! Sign up and let us know about your availability here.

The Nominating Committee is recruiting candidates for leadership positions on the Board of Trustees, the Foundation Board, and the Nominating Committee for the 2021-2022 church year. It’s an exciting and important time to serve as we move forward with our building project, navigate Rev. Justin’s departure, and live into new ways of being present to each other as the pandemic continues.

Member of the Board of Trustees: Trustees partner with the congregation and professional staff in shaping the vision and long-term goals of the church. They articulate these aspirations through policy and collaborate with executive leadership to see they are fulfilled. A fuller description of the position can be found here on our website. 

Member of First Universalist Foundation Board: Board members serve as stewards of the Foundation endowment. The solicit and review grant applications and select grantees. A fuller description of the position can be found here on our website.

Member of Nominating Committee: Members screen and recommend candidates to the congregation for vacant positions on the Board of Trustees, the Foundation Board, and the Nominating Committee. A fuller position description can be found here on our website.

Requirements: You must be a member in good standing of the church. Elections occur at the Annual Meeting on Sunday, June 6.

Fill out the application form here. Applications are due by Friday, March 19, 2021. 

If you have questions, email nomination@firstuniv.org or contact any Nominating Committee member: Jim Ramnaraine (chair), Sharon Ramirez, Pat Gottschalk, Cathy Manning, Ray Dillon, and Valerie Garber.

Come and sign the Yes 4 Minneapolis petition: a first step to let voters decide the future of policing in Minneapolis through community engagement. Learn more about Yes 4 Minneapolis on their website.

WHERE: First Universalist parking lot (keep a COVID-safe distance: sign from your car or walk-up)

WHO: People registered to vote in Minneapolis

WHEN: Sunday, March 21, noon–3 p.m.

Yes 4 Minneapolis is a Black-led campaign composed of more than a dozen grassroots, community organizations that believe a people’s petition is the best path forward for implementing a new Department of Public Safety in Minneapolis.

A people’s petition is how Minneapolis residents can directly shape our city’s future. Here’s what it looks like: everyday community members from all 13 Wards come together and pose a question for all Minneapolis residents to vote on in the next election. Yes 4 Minneapolis' petition will give Minneapolis residents the choice to vote for keeping the Minneapolis Police Department as it is or to create a new Department of Public Safety.

Questions? Want more information? Want to sign but those times don’t work? Email church members Lyn Rabinovitch (lyn.rabinovitch@gmail.com), Bianca Zick (bianca.zick@gmail.com), or Lindsay Walz (hello@lindsaywalz.com).

The care team at First Universalist is here to help in a whole lot of ways—from phone calls to say we’re thinking about you to a listening ear when you need someone to accompany you through whatever’s happening in your life. COVID-19 has changed some of the ways we provide care, but there is a lot we’re still doing. Here is one of the ways we’re here to provide support:

WE CARE Meal Trains

Sick? Surgery? Caring for a family member or welcoming a new child? Something else? Sometimes, what helps more than anything is having church members bring healthy nourishing meals to your home. As one of our members recently said “it was such a gift to receive meals when my mom was sick. I could focus on taking care of her and when I wasn’t, I could just be with my family without worrying about getting dinner on the table.”

If you would like to receive a meal train, or if you would like to access any of our other caring resources, contact Rev. Arif Mamdani at arif@firstuniv.org 

The First Universalist Board of Trustees meets the third Thursday of most months at 6:30 p.m. The Board is currently meeting on Zoom. Information about the March Board meeting, including the agenda and Zoom information, is available here.

This meeting will be held in a breakout room of the regular post-worship All Identities Fellowship Hour space; zoom information can be found in this Sunday's Order of Service.

Julie Neraas, spiritual director and author of several books will be leading a series of four workshops on hope: what it is, how to cultivate it, and how to sustain it. As she writes, “Hope is a stupendous human quality, and in this challenging time in our complicated world, it may be our greatest need, its viability our greatest question."

Everywhere we look there is tumult and change, and if we are to have a future we must dramatically revise our ways of living. For hope to thrive, people have to feel as though they have a future. This is the anguish and urgency many young people — and others — feel. We need to embody an active and engaged hope.

This series is co-sponsored by the Association of Universalist Women (AUW) and the Young Adult group. To help defray costs, we’re inviting participants to contribute as you’re able: no one will be turned away due to lack of funds. We will be recording the workshop and it will be available to those who register in case participants are unable to attend all four sessions.

Hope might be one of the most important spiritual disciplines we can cultivate right now, so please do sign-up for this series here.

 Join the Zoom gathering here.

 Meeting ID: 875 6351 285; Passcode: 465132

Join the Zoom gathering here.

Meeting ID: 892 7317 6946; Passcode: 825136

Join the Zoom gathering here.

Meeting ID: 814 6743 2711; Passcode: 772008

If you’re ready to officially become a member of the church, we invite you to sign up for an upcoming Pathway to Membership session. There are two options available:

Through a combination of individual, small, and large group activities, we’ll help you understand membership at church and what it means to join the river of faith that is our collective religious life. This session, in preparation for our April 25 New Member Ceremony, will be led by Membership Coordinator, Liz Farmer. Those registered will receive additional details and the Zoom information via email. Please reach out to Liz with any questions at liz@firstuniv.org. Register here!

Newcomer Circles are four-session gatherings of 6-8 participants who are new-ish to First Universalist. If you’ve been joining us for worship or participating in small groups or other gatherings for a few months, we invite you to consider signing up for a Newcomer Circle. This is a great way to deepen your connection to the church and to meet others who are also early in their journey with the congregation. The next Newcomers Circle will take place on Wednesdays, April 7, 14, 21, and 28 from 5 – 6:30 p.m. Register here. If you’re brand new to us or simply testing the waters, we invite you to start by attending First Step, a brief orientation offered every first and third Sunday of the month, or by dropping into our post-worship fellowship hours.

Join First U Environmental Justice team members Susan Keller, Steve Merrill, Stan Sattinger, and Todd Pierson as they explore Hope Jahren’s book The Story of More, in which Jahren offers a unique take on the climate crisis and where we go from here. These discussions will focus not only on the ever increasing demand for more and subsequent impact on the earth, but also explore solutions, personal and local as well as national and international.

Sessions are planned for March 24 & 31. One-hour discussions will be held at noon and 4 p.m. each day.

Use this form to register for the book study.

You can find ways to get involved with our Faithful Action Partners in our March Faithful Action Newsletter. The newsletter contains opportunities to connect through volunteering, donating, advocating, and learning. Our Faithful Action Partners are community organizations that share our vision of love and justice. We work through Faithful Action Partnerships in order to leverage our energy, commitment and expertise. You can find more information about our Faithful Action Partnerships on our website.

Spiritual Care - Your ministers and program staff are here for one-on-one confidential conversations of support. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to any of us to connect. 

Counseling - The Walk In Counseling Center offers free counseling by phone or computer. Find out how to “walk in” on their website.

Cycle of Life - Every Sunday we name the challenges and joys that we are experiencing. If you would like us to name your joy or sorrow in worship on Sunday, please let Rev. Arif know (arif@firstuniv.org)

Love Kits - Are you or someone you love ill? Is your family struggling? Do you live alone or feel isolated? Do you know someone else from church who might be? If so, please let Rev. Karen (revkarenhutt@gmail.com) know so that a package full of love and support can be delivered to your home.

Meal Trains - If you or someone you know at church would welcome a meal to help them through a difficult time, loss, illness or injury — and having someone else do the cooking for a bit would help —please let us know. Contact Rev. Arif Mamdani at arif@firstuniv.org.

Minister’s Emergency Fund - For many of us, these are difficult financial times. If you need help with a car repair bill, making rent, a doctor’s bill, groceries, gas, a mortgage payment, affording your medication, a bus card, or any other financial situation - please be in touch. We have financial resources available. Please contact a minister/staff member. 

Mental Health Connect - www.mhconnect.org - Need help finding a therapist? Want to learn more about particular mental health conditions and resources? Check out Mental Health Connect, a local organization supported by congregations like ours, that provides community-based resources, support and education to improve access to mental health services and connect individuals and families with the services they need.