Rev. Arif Mamdani shares: "Back when I was a new (and young) executive director, I was going through a rough patch navigating conflict in the organization I led. After a particularly challenging staff meeting, I recall walking out of my office and running into one of our newest employees, fresh out of college and supporting our programmatic efforts. I must have looked particularly crestfallen because she gave me a kind and pitying smile and said, “Here’s the thing: you can look good, or you can learn in public.” 

Since Sunday, many of us on the Leadership Team have heard about problems with the quality, reliability, and experience of our online stream. We want to apologize to everyone who joined us for the online service. What we offered didn’t meet the standards that we have for ourselves or that you have come to expect from your church’s online worship offering. A little further down the page, we’ll share more about what all is going on and why, but right now, we want to say very clearly: we are sorry for the quality of the online experience we offered on Sunday and are committed to doing better this week and in the weeks to come. We also want to assure you that what we offered on Sunday does not reflect a lack of commitment to online worship and does not mean that online worship will play “second fiddle” to in-person worship as we return to our building. In fact, “designing and living into being a multiplatform church” is one of our four overarching goals for the year which means that we are devoting significant time and energy to this. 

We’re not keen to chalk everything up to the pandemic, but in this instance, it really did play a big role. As you might know, the sanctuary has been under renovation and our “delivery date” of the completed sanctuary has shifted and slipped many times due to materials being unavailable — a direct result of the impact of the pandemic on global supply chains. One area of pronounced unavailability is the audio/visual equipment we need to effectively offer the kind of high-quality online experience we want to provide. 

Our full suite of upgraded equipment is still a few months away from being delivered and installed, and what that meant on Sunday was that we were trying to offer an online service with a patchwork of equipment in a space that we had reoccupied the day before. We also discovered, the hard way, that our newly installed sanctuary internet network is not fully operational. It experienced intermittent failures over the weekend that our team is working to nail down and fix. We also learned about some incompatibilities between existing a/v equipment that we were not aware of, but that are being remedied this week as well. We’ve come up with fixes that should provide us with a workable interim solution while we wait for the full suite of equipment we’re expecting. 

This Sunday, we’re going to be using a different setup that we’ve had a chance to test more fully, but it may still have some bugs! Merging online and in-person worship is not as simple as putting a camera on the pulpit and pulling an audio feed from the soundboard (though we will do both of those things this Sunday!) and what this means is that we have an opportunity, again, to learn and grow as we come to better understand the strengths and limitations of this new form of worship. Blending online and in-person church is quite different from anything we’ve done before and we’re excited at what this new medium offers. And what that also means is that we will try things, and learn, and improve, and yes, perhaps do some more learning in public. We will do our very best to avoid a repeat of what happened last Sunday, and, as we push what’s possible, I’m quite sure that other mistakes and failures will occur. Please know that we are committed to learning and growing with you as we create the church we aspire to be together.

One last thing - we know and appreciate how much church means to you, so please know that going forward, we intend to have a “failsafe” audio recording, so even if the online stream fails or the network crashes, we’ll still have a recording that will be posted on the website by Wednesday the following week. It isn’t quite the same as being there live, but our loyal podcast listeners say that it’s pretty darn close. 

As a leadership team, we are grateful to be creating this new form of ministry with you and appreciate your support, encouragement, patience, and understanding as we are building this new way. 

Join us 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.

Connect to the live stream on Wednesday, Oct. 6 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.

In this community, we hold Karen Wills in our hearts as she mourns the death of her husband Steve Gerch early Friday morning. May our love surround Karen, their daughter Emma, and all those who love them in this heartbreaking time. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 6. Details will be posted here by early next week.

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.

Worship leaders: Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, Rev. Arif Mamdani, Julica Hermann de la Fuente, Aimee K. Bryant, Franco Holder, Dr. Randy Buikema & the First Universalist Choir

Two video recordings are below. One video is a re-recording by Julica Hermann de la Fuente of the homily she offered on Sunday. This video has clear audio quality and Julica is visible up close. The other video is a recording of the majority of our Sunday worship service, with the exception of the prayer due to especially poor audio quality of that segment. You can listen to the service on our podcast on Spotify or Podbean. Find more information and follow along in last Sunday's Order of Service. 

Registration is now open for our upcoming round of Newcomers Circles. Newcomers Circles are four-session gatherings of 6-8 participants who are new-ish to First Universalist. If you’ve been joining us for worship or participating in small groups or other teams for a few months, and intend to deepen your connection with the church over time, we invite you to consider signing up for the Newcomers Circle that starts on Monday, Oct. 25. This Circle will meet on Mondays, Oct. 25‒Nov. 15, from 7–8:30 p.m. on Zoom. This Circle will be facilitated by longtime members, George and Philipp. Membership is not required, and it is a great way to meet others who are also early in exploring their committed journey with the congregation. Those registered will receive the Zoom information and additional updates via email within a week of the first session. Register for our upcoming Newcomers Circles here.

Find ways to get involved with our Faithful Action Community Partners in our October Faithful Action Newsletter. This newsletter contains opportunities to connect through volunteering, donating, advocating, and learning. Our Faithful Action Community Partners are community organizations that share our vision of love and justice. We work through Faithful Action Community Partnerships in order to leverage our energy, commitment and expertise. You can find more information about our Faithful Action Community Partnerships on our website.

What do "abolition" and "defunding the police" mean in the context of our personal and faith values? What can we learn from the experience and expertise of Black feminists and others who understand the impact of policing and mass incarceration and are creating and imagining a world of care and transformative justice that brings safety and freedom for everyone? Join us in this five-week circle to reflect on the wisdom of long-time abolitionists and those exploring ways to create communities and institutions that support the safety, welfare, and wellbeing of every person.

Join this monthly congregant-led group for a silent meditation meeting on Zoom. After 20 minutes of sitting together in silence, we will share experiences from our practices. We will begin our gathering at 11:30 to provide time to share our lives with one another. Join the Zoom gathering here (Meeting ID: 979 8580 6356; Passcode: 494993).

Legacy Circles are open to seniors who have completed writing their legacy stories or who plan to finish them before mid-November. 

This Legacy Circle will be led by Ben Cooper and Ray Dillon, meeting from 10 to 11:45 a.m. every other Wednesday beginning Oct. 6, and continuing Oct. 20, Nov. 3, Nov. 17, Dec. 1, and Dec. 15. Sign up for the Wednesday Legacy Circle here.

If you have any questions or concerns, contact church member Ray Dillon at 612-759-5295 or dillonrueter@usinternet.com for more details.

If you are interested in writing your own legacy story, you can contact Hal Schroer (halschroer@gmail.com) or Ray Dillon (dillonrueter@usinternet.com) for some helpful materials and questions to get you started. 

Women (cis and trans) as well as non-binary folks who find their home in women-centric spaces who are interested in earth-based and pagan spirituality are invited to the upcoming open rituals of the Under Northern Skies Women’s Ritual Circle. The circle is open to newcomers on Wednesday, Oct. 6 and Wednesday, Oct. 20. For people who choose to join the circle, there will be a commitment ritual on Thursday, Nov. 4, after which the circle will close to new members until fall of 2022. The circle currently holds rituals via Zoom, beginning promptly at 7:30 p.m. and meeting for about an hour. Contact Beth at belovedporcupine@gmail.com for more information and Zoom information if you would like to attend.

Reacquaint yourself with poets you love and discover other poets who are new to you while connecting with fellow Poetry Lovers at church. Most of our time is devoted to reading aloud and discussing works by the featured poet. Discussions tend to focus on what resonates with us rather than on academic analysis. Poets range from a variety of styles, eras, and origins. Come for one, some, or all months. Register for the Poetry Lovers group here to get more information about the gathering location and/or platform. You can find more information about the monthly poet and/or genre on our website.

Poetry Lovers will meet on the first Thursday of every month from 7–8:30 p.m. beginning Oct. 7 and ending on May 5. The Nov. 4 and May 5 gatherings will be in-person; all other months will meet on Zoom. Come for one, some, or all months. Remaining meeting dates are Thursdays, Oct. 7, Nov. 4, Dec. 2, Feb. 3, March 3, April 7, and May 5. In lieu of a specific topic, for the October meeting each attendee is invited to bring a favorite poem to share.

Facilitators: Carol Flint, Valerie Garber, and Patty Park

Learn more and find registration information on our website.

Knitters and crocheters of any ability are invited to join other knitters for this drop-in group on the third Tuesday of each month, starting on Tuesday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. Bring your current project to work on! If you’re in between projects, directions for charitable projects like Hats for the Homeless (hats) and the Mother Bear Project (teddy bears) are available. We hope to start off with meeting in person and then gather on Zoom for the icy winter months. Contact Valerie Garber at 651-295-7611 with any questions and for the upcoming meeting information.

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 Zoom Room

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 and you can find us in this Zoom room. To access any of our 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.