A few weeks ago when many of us gathered at the Lake Harriet Bandshell for our Sunday service, we centered our stories on the wisdom of the geese. We remembered together that when a goose gets sick or wounded, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again. Then, they launch out with another formation or catch up with the flock. We affirmed that if we have as much sense as a goose, we, too, will stick with each other when we are hurting and when we are well. The spoken and sung words we shared in that service were powerful - and just as powerful for me were the events unfolding behind the scenes that only a handful of us got to observe. 

The Lake Harriet Bandshell is full of birds. If you are sitting on the stage and you look up - they are everywhere. Just before the service, a bird fell from the high rafters and grazed my shoulder on its way down. Injured, it stayed still behind my chair for a time as we prepared for the service to begin. After a few moments of rest, it hopped to the back window of the stage, where it hunkered down away from the people and the noise. The service began, and I looked back to check on the injured bird, only to see that it was no longer alone. Throughout the service, other birds were flying down from the rafters, resting a foot or two away from the injured bird for a time, and then flying back up. At the end of the service, I looked back again and the injured bird was gone, restored by rest and company, I imagine, and off to rejoin its flock. 

A little later in the morning, the worship leaders were talking about what we’d seen with the injured bird - and Dr. Rideout offered another observation. “Did you see it?,” he asked. “Did you see the mother bird right above me, flying off and returning through the whole service, gathering food and returning to feed her three babies?” 

Right there, on a busy Sunday morning, when our nervousness about working together for the first time, about being together in community in person, about wanting to offer something important and worthy for the community - right there, amidst all of our anxiety and all of the work there was to do - the natural world beckoned us into an experience of the very lessons we were trying to teach. I couldn’t help but hear the words of Mary Oliver, in her poem, “Wild Geese,” sounding in my heart. She writes:

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, 

the world offers itself to your imagination, 

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting — 

over and over announcing your place 

in the family of things.

Beloveds, in the next few weeks there will be plenty of newness, anxiety, and work for many of us as the season begins to shift and the uncertainty and loss that comes as another wave of COVID-19 is upon us. Here at church, instead of welcoming each other into the sanctuary in our building at 3400 Dupont on the first Sunday after Labor Day, we’ll be greeting each other for Sunday services online and in-person outside at the Lyndale Gardens Amphitheatre on Sept. 12 and at Minnehaha Park on Sept. 19. We’ll have two in-person services on both of those days, at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., and we will be sharing a recording of the service later in the day for folks to experience online. 

My hope for all of us is that wherever we are, whoever we are, whatever is unfolding in our lives - we might let the call of the wild geese - the call of our community - welcome us into formation with each other - that we might open ourselves to the beauty and wonder unfolding all around us - and know again our place in the family of things. 

Rev. Jen Crow

Senior Minister

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.

Unitarian Universalism has Seven (going on eight) Principles. If you are like many Unitarian Universalists, you have some general knowledge about what the Principles are, you might have a couple of favorites, or there might be one you know particularly well. But to most UUs, the Principles are broad guiding lights, and are not always examined directly or individually. The Third Principle is no exception. This Principle guides UUs to "acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations." If you are like many Unitarian Universalists, this is easier said than done. 

The Reflection and Listening Guide in this week's Order of Service might be particularly useful, as Rev. Arif offers some thoughts on references to “god” which can be a contentious notion in UU spaces. You can listen to Sunday's service in our worship podcast on Spotify or Podbean, and you can watch Sunday's service on YouTube.

It has been a year and a half of steady change for all of us. As the fall approaches, your church leaders are preparing for one more change, as we transition from online-only offerings to multi-platform offerings — where community members can join us in-person and online for everything from worship to small groups. We are developing new guidelines for each ministry area that center the needs of the most vulnerable among us and support those most impacted by the intersecting crises of our day. We are striving to stay grounded in our core values while being flexible, responsive, and clear in all that we do.

In order to open up space for renewed creativity and energy as we prepare to enter this new church year, church staff will be away from email and meetings from 8/30-9/6. We know that some staff will continue to work as needed, especially our musicians, as they embrace the momentum of this week. Please extend patience to the staff as they take this time away from regular daily responsibilities.

There will be no Wednesday evening worship service on Sept. 1, and on Sunday, Sept. 5 we invite you join the virtual worship service of the First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee, with Rev. Dr. Sofia Betancourt preaching. You can learn more about the First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee here on their website, and you can learn more about the Sunday, Sept. 5 worship service here.

If you are experiencing a time of crisis or are in need of support, spiritual care from our ministers and staff will continue to be available, as always, by calling 612-825-1701 and following the prompts for pastoral care.

As the fall and our long-awaited hopes of a clear return to in-person worship, children, youth and family, music, small group, and faithful action ministries approaches, your Leadership Team has been leaning into our faith, following these guiding principles as we plan for the fall:

With our faith and these principles as our guide, we are shifting our plans for in-person gathering for the fall. Construction delays, a reassessment of when we’ll realistically be prepared to offer a welcoming and gracious return to worship in the sanctuary, and concerns about reopening as a fourth wave of COVID-19 hits Minnesota, have led us to change our plans for when we will gather again in our sanctuary.

On Sundays, Sept. 12 & 19, we will offer multigenerational worship in-person, offsite, in the church of the great outdoors. These services will also be available online later for on-demand streaming. On Sept. 12 we will gather at the Lyndale Gardens Amphitheater and on Sept. 19 at Minnehaha Falls Park. Activities for children and youth will be offered outside during part of the service on the 19th.

We hope for an in-person and online celebration of our renovated building and our re-gathered community on Sunday, Nov. 7. Religious Education classes for grades 6 and under will likely begin that Sunday, too.

As we look forward to returning to our building and to another season of programming in-person and online, we want to share some information about the shape of programming for the coming season so that we all know what to expect. With this information, we invite you to consider where and how you’d like to co-create and engage with adult programming at church.

First and foremost, know that all church policies and practices regarding COVID-19 apply to adult programming. Any in-person programming will require that participants observe appropriate spacing, masking, and any other requirements as per the current guidelines that the church is following. I sincerely hope that the pandemic recedes and allows for fewer precautions, but whatever course the pandemic takes in the next year, the church, and therefore adult programming, will follow guidance from the MN Dept of Health, the CDC, and from the Unitarian Universalist Association.

The last year+ of online programming has taught us a lot and significantly increased our comfort with running programming on zoom. While it isn’t a replacement for in-person connection, we also know that not only can online connection be quite good, it offers some unique benefits that just aren’t possible in-person. Given all that we’ve learned over the last year, here’s what programming will look like in the coming year.

Some groups will only meet online, some groups will only meet in-person, and some groups will be both in-person and online. In-person and online groups will start on or after September 19th, 2021. Here’s more information about each of these formats:

Online only groups: online only groups will meet online using church Zoom accounts as we have been since March of 2020.

In-person only groups: In-person groups will meet at the church and make use of our newly renovated classroom space, the Cummins Room, or the Social Hall for meeting space. Room assignments will be made based on availability and group size. Participants will be asked to follow COVID-19 precautions including distancing and masking.

Both online and in-person: So far, there are two versions of this “multiplatform” option for adult programming, and we may well develop more as we learn about the best uses of this form of developing and maintaining community:

Expect a list of programming and registration info to be available after Labor Day.

If you have questions or concerns about the different formats for meeting, please be in touch with Rev. Arif Mamdani or Liz Farmer. Both can be reached at 612.825.1701.

Now that we know how we’ll gather and when, I want to make a special invitation to you to get in touch with program ideas and to apply to be a small group leader.

Adult ministry small groups are one of the most important ways that the congregation creates and builds kinship at church. These facilitated groups offer a guided journey through a set of reflection questions that invite you to share within a small, supportive community how your spirit is moving and how the themes we’re considering as a church are taking shape in your life. They are one of the ways we give, receive, and grow together. Church staff and ministers provide training and support for group facilitators. Facilitating a small group is a learnable and transferable skill, you don’t have to be an extrovert, and it is often a deeply rewarding experience in itself. Apply here to be a small group facilitator.

And please be in touch with your ideas too! Whether a program idea becomes a program that the congregation can register for depends on a lot of things, including alignment with the church’s mission and vision, availability of facilitators, and timing. Let us know what programs you’re interested in this year! Groups/programs can be based on a desire to learn or share a spiritual practice, a shared identity, a specific conversation and question you want to hold in community, or a significant past or present life experience. Not sure about your idea? We’re here to listen and help discern!

With care,

Rev. Arif Mamdani

Submitted by Cheryl Ritenbaugh for the EJ Team:

We are thrilled to announce that the solar panels on the Religious Education roof are now installed, as you can see from the pictures below.  A small group (Bill Elwood, Todd Pierson, and Cheryl Ritenbaugh) met with the contractor and engineer from Impact Power Solutions on Wednesday, and learned about the progress. Harlan Limpert and his drone joined us for these wonderful pictures.

Next steps include the full wiring of the panels, connection to the inverter and to Xcel's grid, and then the switch will be thrown and the energy production will be live. We look forward to a formal dedication of the roof installation in the coming months.

We are deeply grateful to all who contributed to Phase 2 of construction and to the solar panels! This is one more step toward a zero emissions church that demonstrates our commitment to the UU 7th Principle of respect for all of creation.

Joining many other employers and organizations that have begun requiring vaccination against COVID in recent weeks, First Universalist will be implementing a COVID-19 vaccination policy that applies to staff and volunteers effective September 12, 2021.

The policy states, in part, that: "All First Universalist Church employees, contractors, Religious Education volunteers, choir members, musicians, guest worship leaders, greeters, ushers, and in-person small group leaders must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Sept. 12, 2021. Should an employee or volunteer have a disability, health condition, or a sincerely held religious belief that impacts compliance with this policy, First Universalist will attempt to provide reasonable accommodation. Such accommodations may include, but are not limited to, working offsite if the job duties make it reasonable for the employee/volunteer to do so."

Volunteers are needed to help distribute food and snacks from Every Meal at Augsburg Fairview Academy (AFA) on Friday afternoons, 1:30–3 p.m. beginning September 10. This will occur in the school cafeteria. Masking is required (AFA staff are 100% fully vaccinated; not all students are fully vaccinated). AFA is located at 2504 Columbus Ave. So.; there is ample parking on the street. For more information and/or to volunteer contact church member Cindy Marsh: cindy.marsh2588@gmail.com or 612-377-7555.

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

Tuesday, Aug 31 at 7 p.m.; Sunday, Sept. 5 at 11:30 a.m., on Zoom

Do you identify as someone in 12-Step recovery? Would you like to build community at church and add a layer of support for yourself and others? Join this drop-in group for UUs in 12-step based recovery from all kinds of addiction and family dysfunction. We’ll join in a time of silent meditation, explore a topic, and share our experience, strength, and hope with each other. Participation in the meeting is confidential, and no sign up is required. Join the Zoom gathering here (Meeting ID: 922 6965 4151; Passcode: 839388). Contact the church office to be put in touch with someone for more information.

The Senior Hiking group will meet at at Lake Rebecca Park on Thursday, September 24 at 10 a.m. No reservations required - just come! More information will be made available on our website closer to the date of the hike. You may also call Ward Lyndall at (612) 823-2385 for more info.

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.” To get set up with a meal train or to access any of our other caring resources, contact Rev. Arif Mamdani at arif@firstuniv.org 

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. 

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. 

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