Welcoming Our Ministerial Intern Lóre Stevens |
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Dear ones,
What a joy it is to welcome Cummins Ministerial Intern, Lóre Stevens, to First Universalist! Lóre began her internship with us on August 15, and will be with us through June of 2023. I’ve already been impressed by her insight, enthusiasm, and wisdom - I hope you’ll join me in welcoming her to our ministry team.
What is an intern minister?
An intern minister is someone in the process of becoming a Unitarian Universalist minister who works alongside and under the supervision of an experienced minister for the equivalent of one year of full-time ministry. The internship may occur near the end of the candidate’s time in seminary or after graduation from seminary. Along with a Master's in Divinity and other training, evaluation and paperwork, the internship is a requirement to become a minister with the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA).
What is a teaching congregation?
Teaching congregations make a commitment to serve our Unitarian Universalist movement by helping form new ministers. The congregation makes a financial commitment to provide compensation for the intern. The congregation also provides an internship committee to support and provide feedback to the intern. Staff works with and supports the intern, and a portion of the Senior Minister’s time and energy goes toward mentoring. The congregation gains the benefit of having a new voice in the pulpit, new energy, and the skills that come with each intern.
What is unique about First Universalist’s internship?
First Universalist has a strong history as a teaching congregation, and we are excited to begin again, honoring the legacy of The Reverend John Cummins by offering a ministerial internship specifically for ministerial candidates who identify as Black, Indigenous, or as a person of color. Impediments to a successful and life-giving career in ministry are many, and they are historically (and presently) much greater for ministers of color. We hope to offer an internship experience supported by a multicultural, multi-racial ministry team and a congregation eager to offer care, learning, and support. First Universalist offers internships that run from mid-August through June, and which include regular preaching opportunities and flexibility to engage in a wide variety of projects from leading lifespan faith formation experiences to engaging in social justice endeavors. The intern gains well rounded parish experience working in this vibrant large congregation.
How can congregants support the intern?
There are many ways to support our interns in their ministerial formation. If you are interested in being part of a future internship committee, please talk to the Senior Minister. Another is to welcome Lóre in, treating her as a member of the ministry team, and inviting her to offer ideas, feedback, leadership, and spiritual care. And as always, a warm welcome at church, an invitation to go on a walk or meet up for coffee, or a conversation to get to know each other better are great ways to support Lóre and everyone at church.
Jen
Rev. Jen Crow
Senior Minister
First Universalist Church of Minneapolis
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Lóre (rhymes with 'story') Stevens is your new intern minister and a candidate for Unitarian Universalist ordination.
After spending her childhood in Tennessee and adolescence in Michigan, Lóre attended Eastern Michigan University for both her BA in Literature and her MA in Gender, Media, and Culture. In 2017, she worked at First UU Nashville as their Membership Coordinator, before choosing to resign and become an active lay leader: choir member, Sunday school teacher, and Worship Associate. She worked at the Nashville Public Library as a Public Technology Specialist, helping folks experiencing homelessness enjoy the library's many services, from magazines to virtual reality. During that time and with the encouragement of her home congregation, Lóre discerned her path towards ordained ministry.
Lóre recently graduated with her Master's of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School (HDS). She has served as a Board member for the Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF), Harvard UU Ministry for Students (HUUMS), and the HDS Student Council. She was a finalist for the the HDS Billings Preaching Prize and the recipient of the Dana McClean Greeley Sermon Award as well as the UU History & Heritage Society's Research Prize. She identifies as a queer Latina atheist mystic and loves sci-fi, illustrated journaling, and her black cat Tezzy.
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Worship
Sunday, Aug. 21, 10 a.m. at the Lake Harriet Bandshell
Recordings & Podcasts
August 14 Cycle of Life
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News & Features
Welcoming Ministerial Intern Lóre Stevens
New Sanctuary Piano
Habitat Build Days Return
Celebrating Rev. Jen Crow
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Happenings
Board Meeting
Kate Tucker Sermons Circle
Vigil at the Whipple Building
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Sunday, Aug. 21 — 10 a.m.
Worship at the Lake Harriet Bandshell
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Join us for an energizing worship service at the Lake Harriet Bandshell this Sunday!
We'll be inspired through music, story, and message by worship leaders Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, the First Universalist Choir, Dr. Randy Buikema, Aimee K. Bryant, Franco Holder, Rev. Arif Mamdani, Rev. Jen Crow, and Lauren Wyeth.
Our Lake Harriet Sunday is a summer highlight! It is part of an annual outdoor worship series at the Lake Harriet bandshell with about 15 neighborhood congregations participating. This year we're excited to once again enjoy a potluck picnic together after the service.
Please note: this will be our only worship service on Sunday, Aug. 21 – there will not be a service at 3400 Dupont, and the service will not be live-streamed.
We're also still in need of a few more volunteers. Sign up here if you can help! |
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IN PERSON AT 10 A.M.
- Join us in person at the Lake Harriet Bandshell on Sunday, Aug. 21. Worship begins at 10 a.m.
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The Bandshell is located at 4135 W. Lake Harriet Parkway. We encourage you to use transit, bike, or walk if you are able to. There is a pay lot, as well as limited free street parking.
- The service will happen rain or shine (except in the case of severe weather).
- Sunglasses, hats, sunscreen, and a filled water bottle are recommended for your comfort.
NO LIVESTREAM; recording available Tuesday
There will be no livestream this Sunday. The service will be recorded and the video recording will be available on our YouTube channel here by Tuesday evening, August 23.
POTLUCK PICNIC FOLLOWS THE SERVICE
For the picnic, please bring:
- a dish and/or beverage to share
- chairs or blankets to sit on, and
- plates, cups and eating utensils for everyone in your party.
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"The Stillness of the Chrysalis" (8/14)
Following a summer of Sundays exploring "The Bigger Story," in this service we recognize the Biggest Story of all, the story of change, the story of transformation, the story of evolution. It’s a story that applies to living organisms, to communities, and even to patterns of worship. Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout and Rev. Kate Tucker invite us into that living, breathing Pause that dwells between what was (the No Longer) and what is yet to be (the Not Yet). Watch the recording here. Or, listen to the podcast. |
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We hold in our hearts staff member Tracy Van Epps who received a preliminary cancer diagnosis last week. As he and his wife Roxanne rest in the space of waiting for further tests and a full picture of his prognosis, may they feel the love and embrace of this community. Tracy appreciates our prayers, good wishes, healing energy, and care.
Our hearts are with Loretta Mitchell, Rev. Jen Crow, and their whole family as they grieve the loss of Loretta’s mom Patty Mitchell. Patty entered hospice last week, and died early Sunday morning, surrounded by her family. We hold them all in our love and care in this tender and challenging time.
If you are experiencing a crisis or transition, celebrating a joy or marking a sorrow, please let us know. To be included in our Cycle of Life on Sunday in worship, or if you would like support, contact Rev. Arif Mamdani at arif@firstuniv.org or 612-825-1701.
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A note from Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, Director of Worship Arts Ministries:
I’m pleased to announce and welcome the newest member of our music staff, a Steinway concert grand piano. This purchase marks the latest stage of completion in First Universalist’s major renovation efforts. The Steinway takes the place of our previous concert grand, which has served the congregation for many years, and is now under new ownership to receive its own renovation and re-building.
The purchase of a Steinway grand is a major investment for any body, but for a spiritual community its presence represents a unique and wonderful potential. With this instrument, we not only widen the possibilities of making and hearing transformative music among us, but we also make our sanctuary a more viable center for world-class concert music making. Still, this news is not merely a story of a privileged congregation spending money for its own benefit; the Steinway represents a large beginning step in the journey of growing into a community resource for the artistic growth and nourishment of all people.
Plans are shaping up to give a more formal welcome to our Steinway by way of a thank-you concert and celebration featuring Franco Holder, Aimee K. Bryant, and myself in early October. And I hope you'll join us here on October 30 for a concert presented by our own First Universalist choir, also featuring Franco, and directed by Dr. Randy Buikema. For now, I offer deep gratitude to the many of you whose support has helped make this much needed work take shape. May our music grow in beauty and deepen our community of spirit, now and always.
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Habitat for Humanity Build Days Return |
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Submitted by Chuck Coskran
Good News! Beginning on Monday, Oct. 3, First Universalist will again actively sponsor work days with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity. The Habitat staff is skilled at guiding the work of volunteers, so prior construction experience is welcome, but not needed.
Everyone who is at least 16 years old is encouraged to sign up.The work day is from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with a break at noon for lunch, which will be provided.
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Celebrating Rev. Jen Crow’s Spiritual Depth |
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By Rev. Sara Smalley
We will honor Jen’s 10th Anniversary at First Universalist on Sunday, Sept. 18
I was a Unitarian Universalist for over a decade before I really knew what that meant. Of course I had my elevator speech answer to the question What’s Unitarian Universalism?, and knew a fair bit about our history and theology, but I didn’t have an embodied experience of what it meant to live life as a UU – to feel it in my heart and know it in my bones, not just make sense of it in my head. UU Wellspring is what inspired that shift for me; it has similarly inspired the lives of thousands of other Unitarian Universalists.
Rev. Jen Crow started UU Wellspring in 2005 while she was serving the First Unitarian Church of Rochester, New York. Congregants there were asking for something in between a regular small group experience and having to go to seminary. They were longing for a deeper understanding of this faith of ours beyond coffee hour conversations and adult religious education classes.
Because Jen’s vision of our faith centers on what we can create together, Jen worked closely with lay leaders in Rochester, NY and developed UU Wellspring, a 10-month spiritual deepening course for Unitarian Universalists. UU Wellspring is now used in over 50 UU congregations across the continent and includes nine different programs.
The Executive Director of UU Wellspring, Linnea Nelson, shares this:
Rev. Jen Crow touches hundreds of lives every year through UU Wellspring, by offering a path to joyful living and spiritual depth through spiritual practices, spiritual companionship, and deep, heartfelt reflection on what is meaningful and important in our lives. The world is a better place because of the path thousands of Unitarian Universalists have taken to strengthen their faith to build a better world through UU Wellspring. Thank you, Rev. Jen Crow, for this inspired and inspiring legacy of Unitarian Universalist ministry.
UU Wellspring illustrates so much of Jen’s approach to ministry: she deeply listened to congregants’ needs, joyfully collaborated with them, steadfastly championed what they created together, and then gracefully handed off leadership to others to sustain the program. It is not an exaggeration to say that because of her work, UU Wellspring has changed our denomination by adding spiritual depth and a more embodied sense of UU identity. Thank you, Jen!
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Celebrating Jen Crow's 10 Years of Ministry
on Sunday, Sept. 18
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On Sunday, Sept. 18, both services will focus on honoring Jen’s ministry. We will be celebrating with cake after each service. We hope you’ll join us on this important day!
Sharing messages with Jen
Congregants (adults and youth) may share messages with Jen Crow as we celebrate her 10 years of ministry at First Universalist. Ways to contribute:
- Drop a note in a special box in the atrium or office
- Send a card to 3400 Dupont Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55408 with “Jen’s celebration” on the envelope
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Email a message for Jen to member Bette DeMars at jbdemars2@gmail.com
- Bring your message to the celebration and place it in the special box
We encourage you to keep reading the series of articles in the Liberal celebrating aspects of Jen's ministry. The articles began July 28 and will continue through September 15.
Cake cutters needed!
Consider helping cut and serve cake for the celebration. Individuals will be needed during first service, after first service, during second service and after service. Please contact Bette DeMars at jbdemars2@gmail.com with the time frame that works best for you to help.
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Programs, Classes, Events, and Meetings |
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August Board of Trustees Meeting |
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Thursday, Aug. 18, 6:30 p.m., multi-platform
The First Universalist Board of Trustees meets on Thursday, Aug. 18 6:30–9 p.m. This month's meeting will be held in person and on Zoom. Details and the board packet are available here. |
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Kate Tucker Sermons Circle |
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Tuesdays, Sept. 13 & 27, Oct. 11 & 25, and Nov. 8 & 22, 3–4:30 p.m. on Zoom
Participants in this small group circle will meet to dive deeply into six Kate Tucker sermons. Before each session, the audio file and the discussion questions for the assigned sermon will be provided, so the participants can come prepared to relate the sermon to their own lives. These Zoom sessions will run from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternoons: Sept. 13 and 27, Oct. 11 and 25, and Nov. 8 and 22. Enrollment is limited to twelve, and the circle will be led by church members Alan Sroufe and Ray Dillon. Please do not sign up out of backwards-looking nostalgia, but out of a commitment to personal and communal spiritual growth.
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Building the Web Toward Immigration Justice:
Vigil at the Whipple Building
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Tuesday, Sept. 13, 7:30–8:30 a.m.
Whipple Building, 1 Federal Dr. Fort Snelling, MN
The immigration system in the United States is inhumane. It criminalizes migration, separates families, incarcerates people in detention jails. Save the date and plan to join First Universalist Church Sanctuary and Resistance, MUUSJA, ICOM (Interfaith Coalition on Immigration), and other partners, to continue to build the interconnected web and movement to choose the path to resist against the injustice of this destructive system.
The early morning monthly vigils at the Whipple Building are led by our interfaith partners in immigration justice ICOM (Interfaith Coalition on Immigration) and on the 2nd Tuesday of each month a different group leads the vigil. The Whipple Building is the site of immigration court and where people are processed before they are deported.
On this September 13, First Universalist Church, Sanctuary and Resistance and MUUSJA will lead the vigil with the purpose of sharing our UU Principles, with focus on the principle of "Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part".
Through songs, reflection and sharing information about the resistance struggle to change the immigration system of which we are a part, we will come together as UUs and the interfaith community to gain strength and share in the healing of the injustices caused by this inhumane system which through mass incarceration and deportation separates families, and criminalizes human migration across borders.
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Church Office & Building Access
The church office is open on Wednesdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Access to the building at times on other days can be arranged by contacting Jim Poulter, Building & Office Manager, at jim@firstuniv.org.
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Weekly Liberal Submissions
We encourage you to submit church news! To do so, fill out our online submission form. Edits for length and/or content may occur. The deadline for submissions is noon on Wednesday the week of publication. The Weekly Liberal is compiled and edited by Communications Manager Jenn Stromberg. Past issues and policies can be found on our website.
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Contact Us
First Universalist Church of Minneapolis
3400 Dupont Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55408
612-825 1701
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