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October 24, 2019 | Vol. 6 No. 43
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Rev. Jen Crow,
Co-Senior Minister |
Love is an act of resistance. This is the phrase that anchors me as our country careens along a course that frustrates, angers, frightens and harms me and the people I love. Love is an act of resistance.
We start with ourselves. Caring for ourselves, the great guide, Audre Lorde, taught us, is "not self-indulgence, it is self preservation, and that is an act of political warfare." If we are to create change in this world, we must survive, keeping alive the wisdom and creativity that lives in each of our souls.
We start with each other. Revolutions, the great writer Toni Cade Bambara taught, come from relationships, not rhetoric. Revolutionary relationships cross boundaries and borders, they focus on an ethic of care and deep listening. In revolutionary relationships, we acknowledge our limitations, we take responsibility for harms done, and we begin again in love. Revolutionary relationships, not rhetoric, fuel revolutions.
We start with the world. Love, bell hooks thankfully continues to teach us, is not a feeling, but an action. How do we bring love to life in the world through our words and our deeds? Love in action will be the foundation of the world of equality and justice, wisdom, creativity and care we long for.
So in a time when the rhetoric of our country's leaders is often vile and hurtful, let us lean in to love as an act of resistance. Love for ourselves, love for each other, and love for the world we dream about that sometimes is and still can be.
How will you practice love this week?
Let me know.
Love,
Rev. Jen
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Sunday, Oct. 27, 9:30 & 11:15 a.m.
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Rev. Karen Hutt
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"History Is What We Make"
Rev. Karen Hutt
Ever wonder why and how our church was founded? What does it mean to celebrate the anniversary of a minister's ordination and installation? Are we consciously using our history to inform our future as a faith movement? Come let us remember and dream together. Join us for worship at 9:30 or 11:15 a.m.
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On the Podcast: "Where the Sky Meets the Sea"
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Sermon summary & reflections by Liz Farmer:
In this era of othering, loneliness, and social media highlight reels, it can be easy to feel that we are always on the edge of the in-groups of the world: people who've played by the culturally expected rules, who look like the people we see in movies and advertisements, or those who constantly seem to do, go, do, accomplish, etc... If we place ourselves at the center, rather than on the edges of our world, the people who we see in those ways are always on the horizon - visible, but a constantly-moving aspiration. Arif Mamdani asks us in his Oct. 20 sermon, "Is "belonging" a place we can never reach?" Even as we seek our sense of belonging with others - is it outside of ourselves? - we must remember that, when we don't know the way to belonging, we can find it by knowing who we are, knowing where we've been, and continuing to explore in, among, and beyond the edges of belonging.
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Sunday, Nov. 3, 9:30 & 11:15 a.m.
Rev. Justin Schroeder
Sunday, Nov. 10, 9:30 & 11:15 a.m.
Rev. Ruth MacKenzie
Sunday, Nov. 17, 9:30 & 11:15 a.m.
Rev. Justin Schroeder
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Oct. 20, 2019
"Where the Sky Meets the Sea"
- Arif Mamdani
Oct. 13, 2019
"Living Beyond the Binary"
- Rev. Jen Crow
Oct. 6, 2019
Mental Health Sunday
Listen to the podcast
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Film Screening & Discussion: "Get Out"
Thursday, Oct. 24, 6:30-9 p.m.
or Sunday, Oct. 27, 1-3:30 p.m.
Just in time for Halloween, don't miss this brilliantly provocative film. "Get Out" dwells on the mind and relies on the fear of the unknown while conveying subtle messages on racism and what it's like to be black in America.
Film screenings are drop-in events facilitated by members of our Racial Justice Education Team. Light snacks provided.
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Young Families Halloween Party
Saturday, Oct. 26, 9-11 a.m.
Celebrate Halloween with the littlest members of our church community.
All families with children in 1st grade and younger are invited to attend. Older siblings are welcome, too! We'll have games, music, crafts, and a Halloween costume parade. Enjoy a light breakfast and some coffee or cider, as well as seasonal treats.
RSVP here.
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Young Adults Brunch Potluck
Saturday, Oct. 26, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Are you in your 20s or 30s and looking to connect with other young adults in the First U community? Join First U Young Adults for a potluck feast in the Cummins Room. We'll get to know one another, meet Arif, Director of Membership and Adult Ministries, share our dreams for future young adult events and consider what congregational care might look like for young adults. If you're able, please bring a brunch dish to share, but all are welcome. Questions? Email Angela Bowles Edwards (
angelambedwards@gmail.com
).
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Sanctuary & Resistance Fun(d)raiser
Saturday, Oct. 26, 6-9 p.m.
Join together in community to donate to the Sanctuary and Resistance Fund and share in food, art, poetry and music
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Our goal is to raise $7,500 for 10 stipends ($750) for families experiencing detention and deportation. We will be taking donations at the door, but are asking people to register in advance. Everything raised will go directly to people affected.
If you cannot attend please donate online
. Checks made out to First Universalist Church, with S & R Fund in the memo line.
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Celebrating Sandy with an Aloha Luau on Oct. 27
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 Sandy DiNanni invites you to celebrate her 18 wonderful years with you here at church! (read her retirement announcement
here.)
Join us in the social hall on Sunday, Oct. 27 after the second service for an Aloha Luau (honoring Sandy's Hawaiian heritage)! Please bring a simple food item/dish to share. Beverages will be provided.
If you have any Hawaiian garb - shirts or muu muus, for instance - you're invited to wear them.
Cards for Sandy can be placed in the special keepsake box that is available in the Social Hall on Sundays and in the office during the week (please do not enclose cash/gift cards/checks). Those wishing to make a contribution to a gift fund for Sandy's retirement may do so here or by delivering/mailing a check to the church office made out to First Universalist Church with "Sandy Gift" in the memo line.
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Tuesdays, Nov. 5, 12, 19 & 26, 7-8:30 p.m.
Newcomer Circles are four-session gatherings of 6-10 participants who are new to First Universalist. They offer a chance to get to know Unitarian Universalism, reflect on our spiritual journeys, and connect with other folks who are new. Attendance at the first session is required. There are just two spots open in this Newcomer Circle, which will be led by Rev. Jen Crow; register here.
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Racial Justice & Our UU Faith Workshop
Saturdays, Nov. 9 & 16, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Join us for an interactive, reflective two-part workshop exploring a framework and tools for understanding race, racism, and whiteness and the spiritual imperative that drives our racial justice work.
This is a regularly offered workshop that this month will be led by Channing McKinley and Emily Wallace. Register here.
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Peace Circle Workshop: Depolarizing Within
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"Depolarizing Within: Becoming a Better Angel in your Own World" led by Carol Marchel
Saturday, Nov. 16, 9 a.m. to noon.
Much of today's epidemic of toxic polarization is driven by how we talk with like-minded people about those on the 'other side'. This workshop will: help you become more aware of polarization inside you and between us, teach you skill for being critical without demonizing, dismissing or stereotyping, and help you learn how to intervene in constructive ways in social conversations that veer into contempt and ridicule. Learn more and register
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Sunday, Dec. 1, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Social Hall
The Alternative Gift Fair will be held in the Social Hall on Sunday, Dec. 1 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This year's vendors include:
Under on Roof (Self- Sufficiency program of SAYFSM),
Mano a Mano,
Frybread Love/Project Offstreets,
Tibet Arts@the Midtown Global Market,
Sanctuary and Resistance Team,
Enchanted World Gallery,
Books for Bassodawish,
Honor the Earth, and
Winter Warm-up for Lovely. Read about each of these vendors here.
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Coming of Age Boston Pilgrimage
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Last weekend, our 2019 Coming of Age graduates made a pilgrimage to significant UU sites in the Boston area, including Walden Pond.
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Child Dedication is Nov. 3: Sign Your Child(ren) Up Now
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On Sunday, Nov. 3, we will celebrate Child Dedications, when parents will be on the chancel with their children, presenting themselves to the congregation and seeking the support of this religious community in bringing up their precious young ones. This is a vulnerable and holy act, and the promises we make to care for one another, and one another's children, are holy covenants.
In the Child Dedication ritual, we commit ourselves to the nurture of these children, recognizing the spark of the divine within them. We dedicate ourselves to them, honoring their inherent worth and dignity and our sacred responsibility to protect the light in each of their hearts. We witness as their parents name them and affirm their intentions to nourish, guide and cherish them. We recognize our interdependence and embrace the truth that children and families need communities of support to encourage and love them, to learn with and from them, to celebrate the milestones and hold hands through the inevitable challenges along the way. In the Child Dedication, we make visible the deepest longings of our hearts and the highest ideals of our church community.
Child Dedications take place during Sunday worship services twice a year. Infants and children of members (and those on the path to membership) may be dedicated.
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We are looking for more people who have a talent for making people feel welcome and are good at tending to the tasks that make our Sunday services run smoothly. There's no greater gift you can share than helping create a positive Sunday experience for our members and visitors.
For information on what exactly an usher does and how you can help, please contact Karen Larson at karentischlerlarson@gmail.com or sign up in the social hall at the Info Desk and we will contact you. You can even test-drive being an usher if you'd like. We'd love to show you what we do!
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MUUSJA Justice Awards Event
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Come celebrate in person or tune in online via Zoom, as First Universalist Youth Leaders of the 2018 March for Our Lives events (the rallies and forums to end gun violence) are honored with a MUUSJA 2019 Justice Award!
MUUSJA exists to connect justice-making UUs and our statewide and national partners, sharing resources and skills for effective action. This annual celebration and fundraiser is on
Friday, Oct. 25, 5:30-8:30 p.m. at United Theological Seminary.
Register to attend live or via Zoom at
www.muusja.org/event/muusja-jams/
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In the Community: Harper-Jordan Memorial Symposium
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 The Harper-Jordan Memorial Symposium, Wednesday, Oct. 30 - Saturday, Nov. 2, responds to a longing on the part of many Black Unitarian Universalists to more fully understand where we have been, who we are now, and how we hope to live out our Unitarian Universalism as Black people. This four-day gathering will offer a welcome reception on Wednesday evening; educative, informative, and interactive plenaries on Thursday and Friday; spiritual grounding and worship experiences that speak directly to our onsite learning; and many meaningful and joy-filled networking and community-building opportunities. We will conclude our time together with a worship service on Saturday morning, open to all, at Unity Church-Unitarian. We are opening ourselves up to an articulation of Unitarian Universalism that is unapologetically Black and proceeds from our co-creation and co-development, such that we might proclaim and clarify a vision for a Black Unitarian Universalism. The Symposium is open to everyone; space is prioritized for Black people, Indigenous people and People of Color. This exciting symposium is named for Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (abolitionist, suffragist, author, Unitarian) and Rev. Joseph Jordan (the first Black ordained Universalist). While the event itself is sold out, register to access the live stream here.
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Opportunity in October for a Family Giving Experience
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Submitted by First Universalist's Community Investment Team
 A recent
article in the Southwest Journal
featured the Wild Rumpus bookstore and its partnership with Books For Border Kids.
Parents (or grandparents) can go into the bookstore with their kids, and pick out one of their listed books, either in Spanish or bilingual. Wild Rumpus will mail it to their bookstore contact on the Mexican border, which will distribute books to refugee children on both sides of the border. This book drive ends October 31, so don't delay!
This teaching and giving opportunity is presented here by your Community Investment Team as there is not time for it to be a Sunday offering recipient. If you know an organization that shares our commitment to justice and equity, nominate them as a possible recipient
here.
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Meet Up with Beacon Housing Folks
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The vision of Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative is that all people have a home. In addition to meeting immediate needs through shelter, more than 90 congregations are building a power collaborative so that we can advance equity in housing and create more affordable homes in our communities.
On Sunday, Nov. 3 from 1-2 p.m. in the Cummins Room, come visit with others who share this vision - including Rev. Karen Hutt, Autumn Huiras, Peg Mitchell, and Sara McMullen - and hear from our Beacon organizer, Rev. Emily Goldthwaite Fries, about opportunities to get involved. Snacks will be available.
If needed, please
request childcare at least seven days in advance. Questions? Call Sara Mc Mullen,
Beacon Volunteer and First U member: 612-805-5059.
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Association of Universalist Women Fall Mini-Retreat
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All women are welcome to the Association of Universalist Women's Fall Mini-Retreat: "Sharing Stories in the Search for Meaning," on Saturday, Nov. 9, at First Universalist Church.
Drawing inspiration from Rev. Karen Hutt's leadership at our spring retreat, the Association of Universalist Women (AUW) will host a day of community, reflection, and storytelling led by Rev. Karen Hutt and storyteller Sue Searing.
Karen and Sue will lead participatory activities around the theme of storytelling, exploring both traditional stories (folk tales, fairy tales, myths, fables) and true stories (personal, family, historical). Both types of story can lead to individual and communal spiritual growth.
9:30 a.m. Registration and light refreshments;
10 a.m.-3 p.m Program (lunch will be provided).
The cost of the day is $25 for AUW members, $40 for non-members. No need to pre-register. Please bring cash or checks for payment at the event. You can pay AUW member dues
online here
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Questions? Email auw.firstuniv@gmail.com
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4th-6th Graders Seeking Donations
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In the Lodestone Religious Education curriculum, 4th-5th graders approach hard topics in a way that cultivates love and hope, leaning into the values and the community of their Unitarian Universalist faith. The first topic of the church year has been money, and their unit closes with a generosity project in which they'll be assembling care packages for people experiencing homelessness. Please support their efforts by bringing your donations to Room 202 by Sunday, October 27. They are collecting: c
hewy/soft granola bars (nut-free), g
oldfish crackers, t
una packs, s
mall bottles of water or juice boxes, s
ingle serve applesauce, h
otel-size shampoo or soap, c
omb or brush, t
oothbrush and small toothpaste, s
mall tissue or wet wipes packages, s
mall deodorant stick, l
ip balm.
Meanwhile, 6th graders are soliciting fabric donations for
Boomerang Bags.
Donated fabrics diverted from landfills are sewn by volunteers into beautiful and unique reusable bags. These bags are placed in bins in stores and people are encouraged to "borrow and bring back" or reuse over and over.
Boomerang Bags cut down on the need for single-use plastic and paper bags that are uneconomical and wasteful options for our communities, while also creating connection and community for volunteers.
Please bring your Boomerang Bag donations to Room 201 by Sunday, November 3. They are collecting: l
ightweight cotton fabric (minimum 1 yard in length), t
hread, and u
sed sewing machines in working condition.
Thanks for your support as we practice faith in action!
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Hats for the Homeless: Give the Gift of Warmth
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Submitted by Barb Melom
Now in our 11th year, First Universalist knitters are asked to knit a beautiful hat for The Hats for the Homeless project to sustain our tradition of bringing warmth and love to our neighbors experiencing homelessness. We need hats for school aged children, women, and men. Donated hats, scarves, and mittens will be distributed to schools, shelters, and community resources. If you are not a knitter, purchased items are appreciated too.
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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 Rev. Ruth MacKenzie at
ruth@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. If you call outside of office open hours, follow the prompts for pastoral care on the recording.
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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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Join Our Mailing List
Subscribe to
The Weekly Liberal
here.
Sign up to receive our weekly Children Youth & Family Ministries news
here.
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Church Office Hours
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Sundays 9
a.m.-1 p.m.
Monday - Thursday
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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