Hennepin Happenings
News & Events @ Hennepin Avenue UMC
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Artist-in-Residence Mikah Meyer
Sunday, February 16, 10am in Traditional Worship
Have you heard our Mikah Meyer sing?!? Countertenor and HAUMC Artist-in-Residence Mikah Meyer will move and inspire you with his singing of "We Are Not Alone," and "I am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger" during our Traditional Worship service on Sunday, February 16.
Mikah is also performing his "National Parks Cabaret" on Saturday, February 15, at 6:30pm at St. Luke Presbyterian Church, 3121 Groveland School Road in Minnetonka.
Mikah is the creator of multimedia musical show about his nonstop, 3-year road trip to all 419 National Park Service sites. As heard on NPR, Mikah lived in a cargo van while traveling 200,000 miles to set a world record as the first person to experience all of America's NPS sites in one continuous journey.
His National Parks Cabaret takes the audience on a journey through the genesis of Mikah's record-shattering trip, the struggles and triumphs of the road, and how the world saved this project by rallying behind the story of a gay Christian.
Bring your Valentine! Free will donations will benefit OutFront MN.
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Caucus for Climate: Engagement Training
Sunday, February 16 at 11:15am-12:00Noon in the Art Gallery
Minnesota political parties will caucus the evening of February 25 to develop their party platforms (not to be confused with the Presidential Preference Primary that will be held on March 3).
Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light brings the moral commitment from all major faiths to preserve the Earth through urgent climate action. MNIPL supports the adoption of policies in Minnesota that will lead to 100% clean, renewable energy. MNIPL supports including a resolution calling for a transition to 100% clean energy as a part of each party's policy platform.
MNIPL is coordinating efforts within many MNIPL member communities to briefly train individuals on the caucus process and encourage them to invite friends and neighbors in their precincts to join them on February 25 to "Caucus for Climate." The training is non-partisan.
Free and open to all.
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Dirt: Ash Wednesday Dinner & Liturgy
Wednesday, February 26 at 6:00-7:45pm in the Social Hall
A wonderful, simple dinner fellowship followed by worship service experienced around the dinner tables in the Social Hall. A worshipful mix of traditional liturgy, contemporary reflection, music and the imposition of ashes.
Come for dinner & worship, or come for just worship at 7pm.
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Koinonia Task Force Available for Questions
Sundays in February in Carlson Hall
The Koinonia Task Force will be available in Carlson Hall each Sunday in February to listen to feedback from church members about the goals they have for the church, including how they might like to see the proceeds from a potential KRC sale used. We are hoping all members will take the time to participate in sharing your ideas with the Koinonia Legacy Task Force.
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Our Strategic Initiatives
The HAUMC Strategic Council, Ministry Team leaders, and program staff members have reviewed our HAUMC Mission Insite report and CAT Survey (Congregational survey taken in 2018), and have identified three strategic initiatives which we will use to guide our work to live fully into our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Our three strategic initiatives are:
- We will grow in love of God and neighbor by intentionally building a multi-racial beloved community inside and outside our church walls, working to advance racial, economic, and environmental justice for all.
- We will reach and welcome new people by expanding the ways in which we communicate what God is doing through the ministries of Hennepin.
- We will heal a broken world by working to undo the harm that church and society have caused in exclusion and discrimination through systemic forms of oppression against all marginalized people including the LGBTQ community.
We seek your feedback and ideas as to how we can live out our strategic initiatives. Please look for the baskets in Carlson Hall beginning in February to submit your thoughts and ideas to the Strategic Council.
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Perseverance in Pain:
A Series Exploring the Book of Job
February 2020
Are you in pain? Is someone in your family or circle of friends struggling? Wondering what to do when pain comes into our lives? How can we be helpful and supportive friends to people who are experiencing pain and suffering? How can we persist in the midst of our own pain? There are no easy answers, but as we ponder the story of Job, we will learn more about resilience, compassion and God's great mercy.
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The Displacement Series –
Oil paintings by Jenna Myrland
Showing in Carlson Hall January and February
ARTIST STATEMENT: THE DISPLACEMENT SERIES
Realism has always been at the core of all my work. The exacting and layered process of this technique best expresses my reverence for humanity. The Displacement Series is a 6-piece collection and each piece is a candid portrait of a person living as a refugee or displaced person. They are inspired by the 10 years I spent working in international humanitarian relief.
The paintings are simple and truthful. My goal is to create an empathy bridge that invites the viewer to shed the layers of emotional, mental and physical distance. I have included subjects in both private and public spaces, alternately creating context and intimacy.
Ultimately, my work serves to draw the viewer past labels and categories and into the individual experience. It does so not through terror or trauma, but from a place of emergent possibility. From this place, I invite the viewer to question. What is our role as individuals in helping one another? How does this role reinforce or challenge our own identity? What does it mean to enter another’s life from a place of service? What dynamics and constructed narratives do we operate from, and how might we begin breaking down these layers?
A young man who lives in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in Uganda once said to me “’Refugee’ does not define who I am.” No one thing defines us as humans, and yet, for this man and millions more, this category controls so many lives. Whether I am working to capture the spirit of this man, or any other person, I hope to always communicate the infinitely complex beauty that makes us fully human.
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Jenna Myrland lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and two young daughters. She is a graduate of Luther College with a Sociology major and considers herself a self-taught artist. While working at the American Refugee Committee for ten-years, Jenna designed and launched human-centered experiences that connected humanitarians and refugees worldwide.
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New Art Acquisitions
Hennepin Church acquired 3 artworks in 2019, all relating to recent exhibitions at the Church. Two were donated by church members and one was purchased by the Fine Arts Team.
The first is a painting by Thrace Soryn which was featured during her show last Spring, “Shadows and Reflections."
The second is a wooden book stand commissioned by the Fine Arts Team from Mike Jagielo. Mike was the featured sculptor in our 2018 sculpture show. The book stand has been placed in the Art Gallery, and is used to display a loose-leaf copy of “Art at Hennepin." It will also display other art books during special exhibitions.
The last is a stone sculpture from Zimbabwe, titled “Family." This is a smaller version of the sculptures we displayed in the 2019 sculpture show, from the Mhiripiri Gallery. It is on display in Longfellow Room.
We hope you enjoy these new acquisitions and thank the donors for giving them to Hennepin Church!
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Save the Date!
Lumina in Concert: The Veil and the Thorn
Sunday, March 22 at 7-8:30pm
The Twin Cities' premiere women's ensemble "Lumina" presents their Lenten-themed concert "The Veil and the Thorn" on Sunday, March 22, 7:00pm. These four talented singers are dedicated to the mystery, beauty, and hope inherent in music. Their programming draws from a rich well of musical sources, including Medieval chants, Renaissance motets, folk song traditions, and works by living and local composers.
Ticket information coming soon!
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Intentional Faith Development
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Pub Theology: Spirited Conversation, Spiritual Matters
712 Ontario Ave W Ste 100, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55403
This drop-in group of Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church members and friends age 21+ gathers monthly to discuss faith, life, stress, family, and so on with a tasty beverage.
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Risk-Taking Mission and Service
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Sabbath to End Homelessness
February 23, in both Worship Services
In Minneapolis there are over 700 people living without shelter on any given night, according to St. Stephen's Street Outreach. Our Outreach Ministries, including The Dignity Center and Community Meals, welcome and support hundreds of people with lived experience of homelessness every month.
Join us on Sunday, February 23, when we will collectively pray for all people experiencing homelessness, and for the commitment to end homelessness in our community. StreetSong, a community choir composed of people with lived experience in homelessness and others who care about them, will perform during worship, and Hennepin Kids for LYFE and the Hennepin Youth will engage in hands-on activities practicing awareness and advocacy. All are welcome.
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EarthKeeper/Be the Spark Training
February 9 and 23, 2pm at St. Mary's Episcopal Church
1895 Laurel Ave, St. Paul
Are you interested in becoming a MN United Methodist EarthKeeper? You are invited to this training event led by Rev. Susan Mullin and Julia Nerbonne, executive director of Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light. Join with others who are concerned about environmental justice, practice skills in community organizing, and learn how to talk about the climate in a way that creates connection rather than division.
The cost is $100, but no is turned away for lack of ability to pay.
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You Can Transform Lives!
Join the Volunteer Lawyers Network
Are you a lawyer in Minnesota looking for a way to positively impact people experiencing poverty? The legal clinic at the Dignity Center needs you.
The Dignity Center has been partnering with Volunteer Lawyers Network (VLN) for over 10 years to provide legal advice and services to Dignity Center participants who are working with an advocate to get their lives back on track. VLN provides malpractice insurance and all the necessary training.
As a volunteer, you can broaden your network, earn CLE credits and develop new (or dust off old) legal skills. Time commitment is one, 3-hour shift once a month. Shifts are Wednesdays or Fridays from 9-12am.
Interested in signing up or learning more? Contact Mary Martin, Director of The Dignity Center at mary@haumc.org.
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Solar Canopy Q & A
Sunday, March 1 at 11:15am in the Art Gallery
Please join the Green Team and Nokomis Partners for an informational meeting about solar parking lot canopies. Learn how Hennepin Avenue UMC might carry out our 2020 initiatives of advancing environmental justice by supporting clean energy. There will be a brief presentation as well as some time for questions at the end.
Free and open to all! Bring a friend and get engaged!
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Youth Ski Overnight at Buck Hill
Friday, March 6 to Saturday, March 7
Youth are invited to Buck Hill for an all-nighter! Ski, snowboard, and tube all night long.
All students entering grades 6–12 are encouraged to participate and bring friends! Contact Rick Belbutoski, Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministries, with questions: rick@haumc.org.
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Homeless Day on the Hill
Wednesday, March 11 at 8:00am-3pm
Join HAUMC and AlignMpls in the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless to raise awareness on the importance of preventing and ending homelessness. Gather together to meet with legislators, share stories, and show support for Homes for All’s legislative agenda.
The event begins in the morning with an advocacy program and training session at Central Presbyterian Church, followed by optional advocating at the capitol. This free, family-friendly event is open to all who care about ending homelessness in Minnesota.
HAUMC will provide a bus departing from the HAUMC parking lot at 8am.
Sign up for the bus on Sunday February 23 at the Sabbath to End Homelessness.
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Breaking Barriers AIDS Conference: Tackling Stigma
Monday, May 4 at 8am-4pm
3pm Closing Worship ~ Bishop Karen Oliveto, Preacher
Hennepin Avenue UMC, 511 Groveland Avenue, Minneapolis, MN
Sponsored by the United Methodist Global AIDS Committee (UMGAC)
Since the beginning of the HIV & AIDS crisis, stigma has kept people from being tested or acknowledging their status if they were infected. This reality has fueled the epidemic resulting in alarming numbers of infections and deaths.
This event is a forum for story-telling and healing through listening and action, with a special emphasis on stigma eradication. ALL ARE WELCOME!
Worship Service only: free admission)
Free transportation from Minneapolis Convention Center to Hennepin Avenue UMC
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2020 Youth Mission Trip
July 26-31, Chicago, IL
The 2020 youth mission trip will be headed to Chicago July 26-31. We will be staying at the Historic First Church of the Brethren, a church with a long history of being a community leader on issues of social justice.
The group will be doing a variety of projects throughout the week, serving with a variety of ministry partners.
Registrations are due no later than May 10. Cost is $375. Scholarships are available.
Register today!
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What if church wasn't a place, but a feeling?
What if "radical hospitality" was more than just words?
Check out our new video celebrating how Radical Hospitality at Hennepin transforms lives.
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Lights, Cameras--Worship!
Volunteer to Become a Multimedia Assistant
As technology plays an even bigger integral role in worship, opportunities to volunteer time and passion are growing quickly. There are current opportunities to help with slides, sound and cameras. Don't worry about any areas of expertise you have or don't have; we will provide training.
Please contact Royd at
royd@haumc.org
to become part of the technical team that enhances the Sunday worship experience for everyone at Hennepin Avenue UMC!
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Volunteer as a Sunday Tour Guide
Tour Guides are needed on Sunday mornings following our 10am worship service to show guests our historic building. If you have the gift of teaching or knowledge, this might be the perfect spot for you. Training and a sample script are provided.
Questions or if you are interested, contact Cheryl Gibbons at cheryl@haumc.org.
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Volunteer for Our Food Ministries!
You are invited to share in Hennepin's amazing and delicious food ministries! Every Sunday, you can provide radical hospitality to Hennepin members and guests.
On the first and fifth Sunday afternoons of each month, feed our hungry neighbors at Community Meals.
On the second through fourth/fifth Sunday mornings of each month, help to host the best Sunday Brunch in town.
Contact Cheryl Gibbons to sign up! Cheryl@haumc.org.
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2020 Flower Donations
The 2020 flower donation chart is now available on the announcement kiosk in Carlson Hall. If you wish to provide a chancel floral arrangement for a 10 AM worship service in the sanctuary, sign up on an available Sunday. Questions? Contact the Flower Coordinator, Sarah Schwartz at 832.655.8666 or
sarahds319@gmail.com
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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
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Old School by Steeple People
Did you know that February is a fabulous month to clean out and organize your kitchen?
Over at Old School, we'd sure love to re-home your extra pots, pans, utensils, etc. Stop by any day (except Tuesday) from 11-6.
We'll welcome you and your pans with open arms.
xoxo, Old School 1901 Nicollet Ave S. 612 871-8305.
Donate | Shop | Volunteer
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Support Mental Health Services:
Join the Board of NAMI-Hennepin
How would you like to be involved in the cause of mental health in Hennepin County? A good way to do this would be to be on the Board of NAMI-Hennepin.
You can do as much as you like or as little as attending one monthly meeting on the second Monday at 6:30-8:30p at Bethlehem Lutheran Church at 4100 Lyndale Ave S.
This is a great opportunity to get some knowledge of what the mental health needs out there are. We are a progressive and open, welcoming, friendly group.
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SEND US YOUR ANNOUNCEMENTS
Do you have news to share in Hennepin Happenings?
The deadline for announcements is
12 Noon on Monday
for announcements to be included in the following Friday's newsletter.
Submissions are subject to editing for space and content.
Thanks for sharing your news!
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511 Groveland Avenue, Minneapolis MN, 55403 | 612-871-5303
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