Join First U member Stephanie Vos 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.

About Stephanie: Stephanie Vos is an artist, healer, and teacher, and a member of First Universalist. You might recognize her from leading Wednesday night circles with Rev. Ruth, leading Religious Education programs and small groups, and serving as a worship associate and preacher with Rev. Karen. Stephanie worked professionally with writing, editing, meditation, and somatic therapy, and is now in formation to become a Universalist minister. She is also studying to become a doctor of chiropractic medicine. Her work has always focused on the mystery of dimensionality through embodiment, the interconnectedness of community, and reimagining our relationship with the natural world.

Connect to the live stream on Wednesday, July 7 between 6:55 and 7 p.m.: 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.

Spirit of Life

Spirit of Love

We pause for these moments of reflection and remembering.

We reflect in gratitude for our lives and the countless other beings who help to make our lives possible.

We reflect in compassion for all those suffering right now whether here in our congregation or in the wider world, we pray that they find a measure of peace and ease.

We hold in our hearts our joys and concerns and as we name them aloud or silently, we add to our heart’s voice all the joys and concerns from our congregation.

As we hold all these prayers in our heart, we pray that the grip of addiction be loosened, that the weight of oppression be lightened, that joy break through, and that love make every suffering bearable for us all.

May it be so, amen.

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.

You can find Sunday's service here on our YouTube channel. You can follow along with worship and find more information in Sunday's Order of Service.

For nearly a year and a half now, we’ve been in pandemic reality. 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?”

We are living in the tension of these questions. 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. Read more about our summer worship theme, "What Now? What Next?" on our website.

It is the church's policy to not hire church members/congregants for staff positions, but we enthusiastically welcome your help in spreading the word about this opening and helping us find the right person for the job!

The job description and application instructions can be found here. Please read about who we are looking for, and if there are folks in your networks who you think would be a good fit, we'd be grateful if you'd share this with them. Thank you!

The pandemic put the church’s Habitat for Humanity crew on hold for more than a year, but pent-up enthusiasm for building is emerging. The team will have a work day Friday, August 27, at a site to be announced, and then gear up for a full week in the summer of 2022. 

Details on signing up to volunteer with Habitat will come in an upcoming Liberal.

Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity is one of the church's Faithful Action Community Partners.

Find ways to get involved with our Faithful Action Partners in our July Faithful Action Newsletter. This 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.

Summer is for fun and building community! There are many groups meeting and programs happening at First U this summer, including gatherings for children, youth, and families, a Newcomers Circle, small groups, racial justice programming, a senior hiking group, and meditation and grief groups. As we navigate a summer of thresholds together, our commitment is to be as widely inclusive as possible! Learn more about our Summer 2021 groups and programs in our Summer 2021 Programs Flyer.

Deepen your connections in a small group this summer! Sunday Small Groups are a chance to gather with others to share what's stirring for you on a Sunday morning, to listen generously to each others' stories and reflections, and to find ourselves, our questions — and perhaps an invitation — within the sacred texts. No fixing, no saving, no advising, no correcting, just the simple act of offering care when others are speaking, and receiving care when it’s our turn to talk. Most of all, small groups are a chance to create and build together a space where all can be authentic in community.

Sunday Small Groups will meet for FOUR sessions: Sundays, July 11 – Aug. 1 from 11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m. on Zoom. Registration for this round of small groups will be open through July 5. Your attendance at all four sessions is valued and important, and helps your group generate trust, cohesion, and consistency. The groups will be facilitated by First Universalist members and seminary students who are skilled, experienced facilitators.

Find more information, details, FAQs and answers at firstuniversalistchurch.org/small-groups.

Abolition circles will meet at the following dates and times:

We don’t have to agree to be open to learning together! We ask participants to be sure to attend the first session, and participants are encouraged to attend all five sessions. Please register here. 

Contact Denise Konen at dkonen10@gmail.com with any questions.

How does your spirituality support your liberation from white-body supremacy? Where did you shape your beliefs about your life, Spirit, death and all things theological? Join Julica Hermann de la Fuente for some theological exploration in the park. The exact location of these gatherings will be determined based on the number of people who register. This space is specifically designed for BIPOC high school students and adults to explore together how we make meaning and how we get free. Learn more on our website and register here.

High school youth and adults are invited to gather outside for a five-session series about anti-racism and the challenges we encounter as we try to get free. Each session will begin with Julica sharing one of her favorite tools or frameworks to assess or make change, followed by guided small group conversations in racial or ethnic caucuses. The exact location of these gatherings will be determined based on the number of people who register. Learn more about the sessions on our website, and please sign up here for one, several, or all sessions.

Our popular Senior Hikes have resumed meeting at 10 a.m. on the fourth Thursday of every month. In July, our Senior Hike will meet at Murphy-Hanrehan Park. You can find more information about the park on the park's website. No reservations required - just come! Find more information on our website or call Ward Lyndall at (612) 823-2385. 

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), at 10 a.m. this Sunday, July 4, and on Sunday, August 15. Read the Liberal on the Thursday before each of these services for details!

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 Companions Zoom Space

Sometimes after a service you might find yourself stirred up and wanting to talk. Care companions are here after services to meet with you one on one. You can find us in this Zoom room after worship. For more information 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.