Greetings! 

The wheel is turning in this cycle of life in so many ways right now, and we want to keep you in the loop on all that is going on - and invite your participation.

Religious Education Registration for the Fall is open, please let us know how we can expect your family to join us. 

As the wheel turns in this cycle of life, we acknowledge the loss of life as it has been, and welcome with joy the turns that are coming our way. I’m looking forward to being together in all the ways we can in the weeks ahead.

In gratitude,

Join Jill for a midweek worship experience for adults and older youth. This 30-minute service is a brief time of connection, centering, and reflection to help us find and keep our balance.

Jill Braithwaite has been a member of First Universalist Church since 2004 and has taught religious education and First Step classes and has served on the Board of Trustees and the Welcome Team. She has an M.A. in theology and the arts from United Theological Seminary and is currently studying there in the Master of Divinity program. She has worked in book publishing for more than 25 years. Jill loves tennis, art, novels, Unitarian Universalism, the North Shore, and her little dog, Betsy.

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.

We hold Mary Sorensen in our hearts as she prepares for shoulder surgery on June 8. She welcomes and appreciates our care and support.

We celebrate with Rev. Sara Smalley who has been selected as the new minister of the UU Fellowship of Northfield MN. She will take up her ministry with them in the late summer. We wish Rev. Sara all the best even as we’ll miss seeing her amongst us on Sunday mornings.

Our hearts are filled with joy and gladness for the engagement of Daryn Woodson and Ben Miles. Their wedding is planned for September and we wish them all love and happiness in their marriage.

We hold 6th grader Anika Yorkhall and her family in our prayers. She suffered a head injury on April 25 and has been dealing with severe concussion symptoms. It appears she has a long road of healing ahead.

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.

May 30 Worship: "Tending the Soil of Radical Imagination" with Rev. Ashley Horan

Memorial Day weekend in the Twin Cities marks a year since George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer, and a year since the world responded. That day, many realized what others have known for decades or even centuries: that policing cannot and should not go back to “normal.” Conversations about police abolition have become commonplace in the Twin Cities, thanks to long-term community organizers. When you hear the words “abolish the police,” what do you feel in your body? If your response is a tightening, a lurch, or numbness, you’re not alone. Many of us, especially white folks, have been conditioned to react this way, like there’s an immediate threat to our safety without the police around. We’ve been trained to lead with questions like, "what about the serial killers?" But that’s the wrong frame. Abolition necessarily asks, "what do we need to build to create the world we want to live in?" When you listen to Junauda Petrus’ poem, "Give the Police to the Grandmothers," what happens in your body? If it is a loosening, an opening, a "whoop!" then certainty our bodies can learn that response when we consider “abolition.” The Unitarian Universalist faith says that we must try, even if we don’t have the whole picture from the start. And we must be spiritually grounded enough in the present to dream of this world for the future, so that we may enact and embody as much of it as possible now. 

This Sunday especially, please access the many resources and materials in the Reflection and Listening Guide section of the Order of Service as you consider abolition. Listen to the service on Podbean or Spotify, or watch the service on YouTube.

Binge watching happens when the story we’re invested in ends with a cliffhanger, a revelation, or a surprising twist, and we’ve left wondering, “What happens next? What now?” and then, barely pausing, we click “Next Episode” and continue watching.

If only the questions of “What Now?” and “What Next?” were so easy to answer in real life! For nearly a year and a half now, we’ve been in pandemic reality, eliminating or limiting contact with beloved family and friends, creating new routines, diving into online school, navigating the slow return to in-person school, juggling roles, working to maintain mental health, losing jobs, getting vaccinated or wondering when we’ll be vaccinated, or worrying about being vaccinated, and struggling to make sense and meaning of what has happened. As we move into the summer, many of us are asking, “When will we be able to hug friends and family again? Sing together again? Return to church? How will we ensure a more fair and just post-pandemic world? What Now? What Next?”

These questions feel urgent because the answers no longer rest in a far-away-time or distant place. The questions are alive in our hearts and minds. But unlike on Hulu, or Netflix, or Amazon Prime, there’s no “Next Episode” button to click to arrive at the answer.

Instead, we are living in the tension of these questions. We can’t binge our way through them. As people of faith, perhaps we can reshape these questions and ask, “What is the spiritual work right now? What spiritual work comes next? How do we hold grief and gratitude, fear and excitement, uncertainty and new found clarity, all at the same time? How can we go slow, and thoughtfully, trusting that the answers will emerge?”

This summer, in worship, we’ll create space to honor and live with these questions, not rushing toward answers, but engaging in spiritual practices and timeless wisdom, as we prepare our hearts for flesh and blood community, for re-engaging with the world, for doing justice work, hand in hand and side by side, with our neighbors and friends.

At the Annual Meeting this Sunday, members of First Universalist Church will be voting on a Racial Justice Resolution. 

In this first video (8 minutes) Julica defines some of the phrases used in the resolution.

The second video (4 minutes) was originally created for the Abolition Circles to support folks in having feelingful and liberatory conversations. Please take time to watch these before Sunday!

Dear members: please plan to attend our virtual Annual Meeting of the Membership, this Sunday, June 6 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

We will be meeting via Zoom again this year. Please register here in advance; we'll do our best but cannot guarantee access to the Zoom webinar for day-of registrations.

Nonmembers are welcome to observe the meeting on YouTube.

A reminder that per our bylaws, only voting members can vote at the annual meeting. To be a voting member, you need to have officially joined the church and have made a pledge in any amount to the current or upcoming annual operating fund or have a ministerial waiver. Please contact Rev. Arif Mamdani at 612-825-1701 ext. 124 or arif@firstuniv.org to inquire about a waiver. 

Complete details, including the meeting agenda, slate of candidates, racial justice resolution text, and bylaws amendment are available on our website.

Please Take the Survey now! Every response is important and greatly appreciated. The Survey will close Sunday, June 6 at 11:59 p.m.

As we return to in-person gatherings, the church has put together these Gathering Guidelines, which we encourage you to read before joining us in person.

By Rev. Kate Tucker, Minister Emerita.

Dear Justin,

Remember early in your ministry when we read a book by Pastor Andy Stanley? It was a time when our ministers and staff were having important conversations about the meaning of deep hospitality, and about the congregational practices that strengthen that hospitality.

If I recall, Pastor Stanley used a “house” metaphor to describe this. He talked about how seekers and sojourners are welcomed into the foyer, and there they are offered ways and means to enter the living room, a place where conversations deepen, where relationships are created, and where activism beckons. From there, many move on into the kitchen where they become the leaders who nourish, guide, and equip the seekers who arrive in the foyer.

It’s not a perfect metaphor (not everyone wants to think about cooking) but we found it useful. For instance, it strengthened our commitment to small group ministry—the forming of small groups in which each member has an opportunity to listen and share and become more at home in this house of faith.

This is to thank you, Justin, for all the ways your ministry has lived out the foundational impulse of hospitality. You’ve helped the congregation draw the circle wider and deeper. Here’s a namaste bow to you, for your years of faithful and fruitful ministry. If I were speaking these words in person, from the chancel, on a Sunday morning, this is where we’d sing Hymn #155:

“Circle for the planet,

Circle for each soul,

For the children of our children,

Keep the circle whole”

Blessings to you as you go forth,

Kate

By Rev. Rob Eller-Isaacs. Rob Eller-Isaacs has been Co-Senior Minister of Unity Church in Saint Paul since 2000. He and his wife and partner in ministry, Janne, served as Rev. Schroeder’s Internship Supervisors and have always been key supporters of his ministry among us.

Ministry is serious business. Ministers attend to us at threshold moments. Such times are often frightening. Ministry takes courage. One of Justin’s great gifts is the ability to take the work seriously while maintaining a humble awareness of his own humanity. He is well aware of the importance of the church in our lives and still manages to meet the obligations of ministry with a playful spirit. That way of being in the world inspires others to take themselves less seriously while cleaving to the significance of our common commitments. There is nothing ponderous or puritanical about him.

I believe Janne and I were on sabbatical when word reached us that Justin had arrived to lead a service at Unity Church riding a unicycle. He peddled down the center aisle, carefully keeping his balance, as first laughter and then pure joy took hold of our usually staid congregation. I can only imagine that moment but I am convinced the reality far surpassed my fantasy of how it must have felt. How many ministers have the courage to be completely silly without eroding either their authority or, more importantly, their ability to accompany those they serve right into “the valley of the shadow of death.”

Now that same playfulness and courage call him on to new horizons. He knows and loves you well enough to know that you will bless him now as he has sought to bless you all these years.

By Juliana Keen. Juliana is a lifelong UU. She teaches in the social work programs at the University of MN and Augsburg University and most recently served as Sr. Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at Lutheran Social Service of MN.  

Dear First Universalist,

I want to express my gratitude for the many ways you have cared for our family over the past twelve years. Justin shared in his last sermon that when he was in the search process, I spent considerable time looking through profiles of congregations seeking a minister and that when I read your packet I felt a powerful recognition. He didn’t share in his sermon that we were at the hospital having our first child when the Search Committee called to invite him for an interview. His ministry with you and the beginning of our life as parents began at the same time. And for this entire time the church has cared for us with grace and love.

It was my birthday during the week he spent candidating, the church’s version of a final interview with the whole congregation. During his candidating week, meetings were scheduled morning through night with all the groups in the congregation. I expected my birthday to pass quietly with friends while Justin was in back-to-back meetings. I didn’t know that he and the search committee had conspired to put a fake meeting on the calendar my birthday evening so Justin and friends could throw me a surprise party.

This memory is the beginning of many ways you supported our family. Tucker and his brother Jesse were dedicated by Revs. Kate Tucker and Jen Crow and they grew up with First Universalist as a steady, loving presence in our lives. Their favorite memories are of sitting under the pews, playing in the church with Jen’s children, and of the extra graham crackers that the facilities staff would share with them.

Ministry is a demanding and consuming profession and for many it takes a toll on family life. While there have been difficult moments and long days, I feel grateful for the respect and kindness First Universalist showed to Justin and our family. We leave you with full hearts and deep gratitude that will stay with the four of us forever.

With love,

Juliana

General Assembly 2021 is fast approaching and you’re encouraged to attend! General Assembly is the largest gathering of Unitarian Universalists from around the country and the world. Often referred to as “GA,” it is an opportunity to connect with and learn from UUs, experience some of the best of UU worship, and for registered delegates (more on that in a moment), an opportunity to play a role and have a voice in the governance of our association of congregations. In other words, in the world of UU denominational life, it’s a pretty big deal, and it’s an even bigger deal this year for us at First Universalist because our worship team has been asked to lead Sunday worship at this year’s GA!

“General Assembly, which will be held this year from June 23-27, is an annual gathering of congregational delegates and other Unitarian Universalists. This is the second year it is being held virtually due to COVID. The official business of the Unitarian Universalist Association is conducted during General Assembly, but most of the time over the 5 days is taken up with amazing speakers, workshops, discussions, music, worship services and entertainment. There are so many events that one can’t possibly do them all. Many of us who enjoy attending GA frequently miss being in the physical presence of thousands of Unitarian Universalists. But after attending last year, I can say that virtual GA works. They have the technology down and it really does give a sense of being with many people

“There is usually a fair amount of expense to attending General Assembly for travel, hotels, meals and registration. This year it is much more accessible because the registration fee is only $200 for full access to all programming. There are just a few major events available without registering. I realize the $200 is a bit steep for a number of people. Do look on the registration page for the words “financial aid”. This year they are allowing people to opt into the cost reduction options during registration. The funds come from other registrants who have opted to pay extra. I would like to encourage members of this congregation to try GA out this year and sample the wealth of programming options. You can read all about GA and register here. If you register and you’re a member of First Universalist, please consider being one of our 22 congregational delegates, which will allow you to vote. First Universalist only rarely fills its delegate slate and so don’t be shy about including yourself.”

General Assembly is a wonderful way to connect to the wider community of UUs and to represent our church. If you’re interested in participating, please register, sign up to be a delegate if that’s calling to you, and as always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to be in touch! Questions can be directed to Rev. Arif Mamdani at arif@firstuniv.org.

The Faithful Action Council is happy to announce the June edition of our monthly Faithful Action newsletter! This newsletter contains information about our Faithful Action Community Partners and provides concrete ways to get involved and take action through our Faithful Action Community Partner organizations. Each month, this newsletter highlights invitations to volunteer, advocate, give, and learn with others at First Universalist and in our broader community through the work of our partner organizations. You can learn more about our community partner organizations and how to get involved in their work in our June Faithful Action Newsletter.

On Thursday, June 24, First Universalist Senior Hikes will resume after a one year delay due to the COVID pandemic. We know that many of our Seniors are now fully vaccinated and outdoor activities may be safely resumed. So, with no further ado, WELCOME BACK, HIKERS!!

Our site for kicking off the new hiking season will be the delightful Silverwood Park, located just north of Minneapolis at the intersection of Silver Lake Rd. and County Road E in St. Anthony Village. Directions to the park can be found on the Silverwood Park website.

Our trail is mostly paved and winds around a small lake with numerous interesting features. Enter the park from County Road E and drive to the large central parking area. We will meet on the front porch of the Visitor Center at 10 a.m.. We'll walk the trail at a leisurely pace, keeping an eye out for many trailside features such as gardens, a fishing pier and outdoor sculpture. Bring your own water.

The trail is less than two miles in length and the terrain is gentle. There are several alternate routes which can shorten the walk. There is a small cafe in the visitor center where those who wish to purchase lunch will find very pleasant outdoor eating areas. Or bring your own lunch. With expected beautiful weather we're looking forward to seeing our great fellow hikers again. For additional information please call Ward at (612) 823-2385. We'll see you on the trail!

We also look forward to worshipping with many of you in person, outside at the Lake Harriet Bandshell (4135 W Lake Harriet Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55409) on three dates this summer:

From Abhi Janamanchi, Senior Minister, Cedar Lane UU Church, Bethesda MD:

Please join Cedar Lane UU Church on Sunday, June 6, 5 p.m. (Eastern Time) for We Breathe Together: an interfaith, multicultural Spirit experience and fundraiser to gather in solidarity with the resilient people of India and to support COVID-19 relief efforts for India’s most marginalized communities. Learn more and register for the event on the event website.

We will hear from a diverse group of faith leaders and activists, and we will be joined by leading musicians and artists from India and the US. You can find the names, photos, and biographies of speakers and artists on the event website.

We will be raising funds for three NGOs doing amazing work on the ground in India: DISHA, KISLAY, and THE UMEED PROJECT. You can learn more about these organizations at the event website. You can make a donation here.

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 Care Companions Zoom Space

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.” Contact arif@firstuniv.org to get set up with a Meal Train. 

If you would like 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.