Dear Jenn,

We write to you today to offer some thoughts and perspective on the Conflict Assessment report from Reverend David Pyle, Congregational Life Consultant with the UUA, that we received earlier this week. We are sharing it with the Board at tonight’s meeting and with you here now. You can read the report here, or pick up a printed copy at church on Sunday. The report offers Rev. Pyle’s perspective on the conflict within the congregation engendered by the termination of Randy Buikema, but whose underpinnings —in Rev. Pyle’s assessment—are far more pervasive and are (again, paraphrasing Rev. Pyle) a natural and expected outgrowth of our efforts to shift our congregation’s culture to one that is ever more multicultural, multigenerational, and multiracial. A commitment that we have affirmed year after year for over a decade. 

Reflecting on the report we were reminded this week of the evolutionary theory of punctuated equilibrium. This is a theory that holds that ecosystems are relatively stable for a long period of time, and that that stability is punctuated by periods of rapid explosive change, growth, adaptation, and evolution. We believe that we are in a period of such change right now. This change was already happening but was dramatically shaken up and accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic and the racial justice uprisings that radically altered the landscape of our cities, our hearts, and this community. 

As we’ve made our way through these last years, we have reaffirmed our commitment to the wise and challenging work of embracing and shaping the change that is already here, that we might adaptively transform ourselves and evolve what it means to be church and how we can be a community that exists for the flourishing and flowering of the many communities that call First Universalist Church home. Yet the fact that we affirmed a desire for these changes does not mean that they are easy, and it certainly does not mean that we as a congregation will always meet them with the open-hearted welcome we envisioned when we voted “yes” those many years ago. 

Conflict, as Rev. Pyle reminds us, is a natural and expected part of this process, part of how we negotiate change together. This is especially the case when as a congregation we say that we refuse a “winner take all” inside/outside mentality but insist that grounded by the Universalist spirit of love, we are all moving toward the beloved community that we long for. When we affirm that no one is expendable, no one will be left behind, and continue our movement toward our future, conflict becomes inevitable. How do we decide on the pace of change? How do we determine which cultures are reflected in worship? In our building? By whose side do we show up in love and justice? We have answered these questions, and now that we are realizing their fruits, discomfort with the results is to be expected. 

And, expected as it may be, our commitment to each other means that we extend our hearts in solidarity and compassion and work to create spaces where we can process together the assessment of Rev. Pyle’s outside expertise and what it suggests for how we might more effectively work with conflicts that have arisen and that will continue into the future for so long as we hold our commitment to meet the future with integrity and fidelity to the beloved community. 

With that in mind, the church is offering circles of sharing and reflection over the next two weeks where you can gather in community and share what in Rev. Pyle’s report caught your heart, provoked your mind, and inflamed or soothed your spirit. 

Please sign up for one of these circles. These groups will use a circle process that includes use of a talking object, slowing down so that everyone has a chance to speak, offer questions, and be heard. Circle facilitators will share a summary of what they heard so that we can collectively benefit from the conversations and thinking that’s happening as we process this together.

In faith,

Revs. Jen and Arif

Rev. Jen Crow, Senior Minister

Rev. Arif Mamdani, Associate Minister

First Universalist Church of Minneapolis

Intro

Conflict Assessment Report & Opportunities to Process and Reflect

Sunday Worship

Sunday, Jan. 22, 9 & 11 a.m.: "When's Your Shift for the Revolution?"

Happening After Worship

Sunday, Jan. 15 Recording: Yesterday Teaches Tomorrow

Jan. 15 Cycle of Life

News & Features

Rev. Jen Away Starting Feb. 1

Rev. Karen Returns in January

Note from Rev. Karen Hutt

Foundation Accepting Nominations

Shaping the Future of Music Ministries at First U

Calendar

January Board Meeting

Dinner Church for BIPOC

Grief Group

Sign Up Sunday

Young Adults Gathering

UU Wellspring Deep Questions

LGBTQ+ Circle

Parents/Caregivers of Babies & Toddlers

OWL for Adults 25-40

Divorce Small Group

Legacy Circle

UU Wellspring Reads: Sacred Earth

Habitat for Humanity Builds

Affiliated Organizations

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Sunday, Jan. 22 — 9 & 11 a.m.

"When's Your Shift for the Revolution?"

This Sunday is the first of four upcoming “Justice Sundays” happening monthly January through April. These Sundays will feature the work and voices of congregants involved in our justice work. This Sunday kicks off the series with members of the Faithful Action Council sharing an invitation into how and why UUs are involved in justice work and an invitation to you to consider where you are involved and where you might be called as we sign-up for our shift in the revolution. (Special thank you to Rev. Ashley Horan for permission to use her phrase “taking shifts for the revolution.”)

Worship leaders: Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, Rev. Arif Mamdani, Rev. Ashley Harness, Franco Holder, and members of the Faithful Action Council

ORDER OF SERVICE

IN PERSON AT 9 & 11 A.M. (masks required in sanctuary)

This Sunday, we worship in person at 9 and 11 a.m. Masks are required in the sanctuary for ages 2 and up; please review our Covid-19 Gathering Guidelines. Can you usher or greet? Sign up here!.

ONLINE AT 11 A.M.

This service is live-streamed at 11 a.m. Join the Zoom livestream here (Webinar ID: 861 805 984) or watch on YouTube. The recording will be available here after worship.

CHILDREN & YOUTH

Childcare for Nursery through Pre-K starts at 8:45/10:45 a.m. Registered children and youth in K through 12th grade begin their morning in the sanctuary with their families before being dismissed to Religious Education Classes. All ages are always welcome in the sanctuary! Learn more here.

Future of Music Ministries Listening Session

1 p.m. in person at church

Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout and congregant volunteers are conducting a community-wide creative brainstorming process about our music ministries and what they might become. This is one of several opportunities in January to provide input. See details in the News & Features section below.

From Sunday, Jan. 15:

"Yesterday Teaches Tomorrow"

Time and time again, in stories and scriptures and songs, ancestors have left lessons for building beloved community. Though they come in all languages and expressions, the wisdom persists: to resist materialism and hold on to what truly matters; to unshackle from habits of needless prejudice; to put down the weapons we store in our hands and hearts and study war no more. How much comfort can we take that we aren’t nearly the first generation to struggle to live into these communal ways? And what’s our part in the progress?



Watch the Jan. 15 service here

Listen to the Jan. 15 podcast here

Podcast Archive | Recording Archive 

Our love and care surrounds Margaret Manderfeld as she prepares for heart surgery tomorrow. Cards are appreciated and available in the Caring Corner of the Library. Cards can be left in the library or the office for addressing and mailing. We send prayers for an easy surgery and a swift recovery. 

The family who has recently been with us in sanctuary has moved out. May our love and care surround them in this next leg of their journey.

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.

A Note from Rev. Jen Crow:

Thank you to the board, staff, and congregation for the previously approved time away each month to care for family and friends. It is a relief to know that when I am with these people I love, I can bring my full attention to that precious time. With all of the challenges at church this year, I am noticing that my body and spirit are more depleted than usual and it is time for me to take some time not just to care for others, but for myself, as well. I am taking this time away on the recommendation of my health care providers, mentors, and colleagues. Beginning on Feb. 1, 2023, I will be away from my work at the church for six weeks. This will be a combination of study leave and personal time, and I look forward to renewing my spirit, learning more about conflict transformation in congregations, and attending the week-long conference for Senior Ministers of Large UU Congregations during this time. As always, I carry you in my heart wherever I am. 

This article by Rev. Jen Crow originally appeared in the December 15, 2022, edition of The Liberal. We are sharing it again now to accompany the below note from Rev. Karen Hutt.

It is such a joy to share the news that Rev. Karen Hutt will be back among us beginning in January. As you’ll hear from Rev. Karen directly soon, we are all grateful that we were able to create space this past year for Rev. Karen to step away and care for herself and discern the next shape of her calling to ministry, and we are grateful, too, that her current ministerial calling will lead to some more time with us. Beginning in January, Rev. Karen will return to First Universalist as an Affiliated Community Minister, preaching every other month and leading our Grief Group this winter. Rev. Karen will join our other Affiliated Community Ministers, including Rev. Ashley Horan and Rev. Andrea Johnson, in offering support to the congregation as requested by the Leadership Team. We are thrilled to welcome Rev. Karen and her wisdom, theological depth, and humor back into our midst. 

Some of you may remember that when Rev. Karen joined us at First Universalist, her primary focus was on preaching and teaching, and this is the ministry she will return to. During Rev. Justin’s sabbatical, the early years of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd and subsequent racial justice uprisings, Rev. Karen served on our Leadership Team, led our Care Companions team, and offered pastoral care to many of you all while continuing to preach and teach regularly. Rev. Karen moved in to provide additional support to First Universalist in a time of deep need, and we will be forever grateful for her willingness to care for all of us and our community in those particularly difficult times. 

Rev. Karen’s impact on our congregation and our staff culture has been transformative. She was the first minister of color to serve at First Universalist, and I often imagine her as the icebreaker on the prow of a ship, opening a way for others to travel. As she returns, I pray that she will experience the warm welcome I know we can offer and that she might experience her living legacy here as we continue to do the life-giving spiritual work of becoming the multicultural, multiracial, intergenerational Beloved Community we long to be. Please join me in welcoming Rev. Karen back to the pulpit and our community on January 29th.

Rev. Jen Crow

Hello Dear Ones, 

When I meet my chaplaincy students on the first day, I show them a tea cup on a saucer. I pour some tea from a pitcher into the cup until it flows over the rim of the cup. I then lift the cup up and tell these budding ministers that as care providers they must keep their cups full at all times. This full cup represents their self care, their personhood and their well-being. I then lift the saucer, and tell them that the tea that overflowed into the saucer, is the source from which you provide care for others. Most of my students find this to be a revelatory illustration, having imagined that care providers give and give and give from their cups continuously in a selfless act of compassionate care. I share with these students that I do this exercise not so much to teach them, but to remind myself that I need to keep my cup full. Rarely have I followed my own advice, but this time, I needed to. I share this with you to explain my departure from you for these past few months. My cup was empty, depleted and in need of a refill. 

I apologize for needing to take this break so quickly and without an announcement. The sudden abrupt nature of my absence may have alarmed or concerned some of you wondering what was happening. However, it is an awkward dance of ministerial boundaries to need my privacy while being in the public eye. This circumstance was unfortunate and for this I hold some sadness and regret. I do hope you have it in your hearts to forgive the awkwardness of this. 

Having done the personal work needed to be among you again with a full cup, I am honored to be invited to return to the pulpit and assist the church in other duties as needed. I have missed you all very much, I smile when I think of some of you and your corny jokes, your passionate views, your lovely smiles and most of all, your loving arms that extend themselves into meaningful hugs that hold each other during joyful and tough times. I so look forward to those hugs and returning to a church whose relevance and power continues to make a difference in the world.

Rev. Karen Hutt

The First Universalist Foundation Board is accepting nominations through this form until Friday, Jan. 27, 2023, from First Universalist congregants (regardless of membership status) and senior high youth in the church. One (1) person must submit a nomination backed by two (2) co-signers. Nominee organizations that are selected will then be sent our grant application.

The Foundation is soliciting nominations of organizations that address racial justice, climate justice, and human rights. We are also interested in organizations whose leadership includes Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), women, or individuals from disenfranchised communities. This year we are particularly interested in supporting organizations with smaller budgets and newer organizations or initiatives which are addressing the disparities that recent events have laid bare. Organizations that have not applied for a grant in the past are encouraged. Historically the Foundation has given out grants ranging from $5,000 - $20,000.

Please note our mission statement and giving criteria which heavily inform our decisions, available on the church website.

Questions? Please email: foundation@firstuniv.org

Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout has worked with Shelley des Islets, Ann Kay, Shelley Thron, and Lou Quast to design and launch a community-wide creative brainstorming process about our music ministries and what they might become in the years to come.  

You're invited to one of multiple opportunities we are offering to gather your input on this important development. Please pick the one that works best for you and weigh in!:



• Sunday, Jan. 22: listening sessions at 1 p.m. in person at church;
• Wednesday, Jan. 25: Dr. Glen Thomas will be listening to BIPOC community members at Dinner Church (BIPOC-only space)
• Sunday, Jan. 29: online listening session via Zoom after the church service;
• OR, fill out this Online Survey, which will remain open through January 31.

We will be asking about aspects of music you have enjoyed here or elsewhere. We will be asking about things you would like to see here in the future. We will be asking about elements of our music ministry you would like to participate in, as well as those you would like to experience, both within the Sunday service and more broadly at First Universalist. Plan to provide your input in whichever means works best for you. We need your ideas!

Thursday, Jan. 19, 6:30–9 p.m. in Room 209 / on Zoom

The First Universalist Board of Trustees meets this evening, Thursday, Jan. 19 at 6:30 p.m. The packet of meeting materials, which includes zoom information, is available here.

Wednesday, Jan. 25, 6–8 p.m.

RSVP Requested

What’s Dinner Church? Pretty much what it sounds like – we’ll have a meal together while creating a worshipful experience together with music, words, and opportunities to share what’s on our hearts and minds. You’ll be fed in body and spirit while helping to create and sustain the community we all need. We gather on the last Wednesday of each month through May. BIPOC members and friends of the church are invited. Kids are welcome and encouraged to attend, and childcare staff will be available to support parents and caregivers.

Hosted by Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, Director of Worship Arts Ministries, Lóre Stevens, Cummins Ministerial Intern, and Rev. Arif Mamdani, Associate Minister

Sunday, Jan. 22, 4–5:30 p.m. on Zoom

Register here

A gathering for those who are grappling with the web of feelings associated with loss. A group of souls who share, listen and care. A community interested in exploring new life invitations. Come as you are, when you feel moved to attend. We will be here for you. Facilitator: Rev. Karen Hutt, Community Minister

Sunday, Jan. 29, 10–11 a.m. & noon–1 p.m. in the Social Hall

Learn about the variety of ways to get involved and get connected at church through volunteering, justice teams, and other opportunities for fellowship and spiritual growth. Members from our Faithful Action Council, our Community Partners in justice work, small group leaders, fellowship opportunities and church volunteer teams will be excited to chat with you about what they’ve got going on and how you can join them.

Sunday, Jan. 29, 1–3 p.m. at church

RSVP Requested

Young Adults: Let’s get together for an afternoon of friendly competition and a snacks potluck at church. We’ll have some games to get us started. Bring a favorite game to teach if you’d like, and a snack to share if you’ve got it!

Hosted by Maria Heath, First U community member

Every other Tuesday, starting Jan. 31 through September, 6:30–8:30 p.m. at church

Registration Required

This is a special opportunity just for Wellspring alumni—anyone who has already participated in a year-long Wellspring group—to take a deeper dive with a new circle of spiritual companions. The Deep Questions program alternates between sessions on the seven UU principles (and the proposed Eighth Principle) and sessions on the deep questions of our lives, offering a total of nineteen sessions. The homework for each session includes pre-work - usually at least one reading, plus a chapter from one of the books, Welcoming the Unwelcome, by Pema Chödrön, or The Seven Principles in Word and Worship, edited by Ellen Brandenburg. Facilitated by Lynn Wilbur and Amy Zimmer, First U members

Thursdays, Feb. 2, 16, March 2, 16, April 6, 20, May 4 & 18; 7–8:30 p.m. on Zoom 

Registration Required

This small group of LGBTQ+ folks offers a way into intentional community, with the same people committed to meeting together for eight sessions. This small group uses the Sunday service message as the basis for personal reflection, and invites us to practice deep listening and sharing from our hearts as we support one another’s spiritual growth.

Facilitated by Cathy Strub, First U member

Thursdays, Feb. 2–March 30, 7:45–8:45 p.m. on Zoom

Registration Required

Join us for an hour of spiritual sustenance, companionship, validation and laughter as we navigate life with littles with as much grace and humor as we can muster. Attend as often as you wish or are able. Sign up to receive Zoom info and a weekly email reminder before each gathering. Facilitated by Chris Tanita and Liz Erickson, First U members

Saturdays, Feb. 4, 11, 25 and March 4, 11, 18 & 25, 9–11 a.m. at church

Registration Required

Our Whole Lives (OWL) is our comprehensive, values-based UU sexuality education program, with curriculum available for many age groups. Whether you grew up with very restrictive and minimal sexuality education or grew up UU and experienced more expansive sexuality education, Adult OWL is for you. Please join us in the spiritual work that is sexuality education! We invite people in the age range of 25-40 years on a journey of exploring gender, relationships, sexual pleasure, and more. We will explore a different topic each week, while being in covenant with one another, and holding one another's experiences. We encourage participants to come to every possible class to get the most out of the experience. This small group is a closed small group so that vulnerability and trust can be built. Future Adult OWL classes will be offered for additional age ranges. 

Facilitated by CT Neal-Herman and Claire Tralle, First U members and certified OWL instructors

Saturday, Feb. 5, 1–4 p.m. Opening Retreat, in person at church

Sundays, Feb. 19, March 5, 19, April 2, 16, 30, and May 14, 4–5:30 p.m. on Zoom

Saturday, May 21, 1–4 p.m. Closing Retreat, in person at church

Registration Required

Are you recently divorced or currently going through a separation or divorce? Would it be helpful for you to meet with others and work through some questions to help you process and harvest the meaning out of this challenging experience? If so, this group might be just what you are looking for. If you’re wondering if this is the right place for you, it probably is.

Facilitated by Rev. Ashley Harness-Jimenez, Assistant Minister

Tuesdays, Feb. 7, 21, March 7, 21, April 4 & 25, 10–11:30 a.m. on Zoom

Registration Required

A legacy circle is a group of eight to twelve seniors who have already written their legacy stories, or who intend to finish their story before the end of the circle. They meet by Zoom once every other week, using a simple format. Before each Zoom session, the facilitator sends the stories of two volunteers from the circle to all the other participants. The other participants come to the session ready to ask those two volunteers some open-ended questions about their life stories. Each volunteer is in the spotlight for about half an hour. The resulting discussions have been frank, deep, and humorous in turn. 

Led by Dick Rueter and Ray Dillon, First U members

Thursdays, Feb. 9, 16, 23, March 2, 9 & 16, 6–8 p.m. at church

Registration Required

Sacred Earth combines the wisdom of indigenous understandings of reciprocity with the sacred earth, and with spiritual practices that connect our spirit to nature. As we move through the reflections and practices, you may find spiritual healing by creating a more intimate relationship with the natural world. The sessions, two books, readings and spiritual practices are the core of the Sacred Earth experience. The work of this UU Wellspring program, Sacred Earth, and in particular the work of Robin Wall Kimmerer, whose text we’ll explore together, is focused on spiritual engagement to develop our relationship with the earth. Facilitated by Dallas Rising and Gary Hoover, First U members

Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity is a long-standing Faithful Action Partner of First Universalist, and the First U Habitat Crew is excited to have our first three work days scheduled for 2023. They are:

• Thursday, Feb. 2 at 3042 18th Ave S, Mpls
• Saturday, March 4 at 3330 Oliver Ave N, Mpls

The work day typically runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with lunch provided. Each work day is limited to 10 volunteers. There will be heat in the building but it is often uneven. Layered, warm clothes are your best bet.

Sign up to volunteer here. Registration for February is open and there are just four spots left!

Submitted by Denise Konen

Would you like to learn more about what abolition means beyond what you hear in the news? We will be offering three community circles for white folks new to abolition. Jason Sole, formerly incarcerated, past NAACP president, and criminal justice professor at Hamline, will be joining us for a couple of sessions. There will be two virtual circles on Tuesday and Wednesday and one in-person circle on Thursday at First Universalist Church. These will not be faith-based because they were developed for the wider community, including folks who have had negative religious experiences. We want to keep it welcoming for all!  Here is a flyer you can pass on to folks that may be interested, who are not in our faith community. Let Denise Konen (email on flyer) know if you are interested in coming to one of the five-week circles!  

AUW sponsors activities for people who identify as women, non-binary and/or gender fluid.

AUW Winter Potluck – February 4

We’ll meet for a meal and socializing in the Social Hall on Saturday, Feb. 4, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bring a dish to share! No need to register, just come. For questions, contact Anne Frenchick.

AUW Spring Retreat – April 28-30, 2023

The theme is Badass Women; it will be held at Camp Courage near Annandale. Registration is open and fees are reduced this year! Go here for more info and to register.

Hiking Group:  Meets most Saturdays at a park or trailhead. For questions, contact Marie Sorenson. January 21: Westwood Nature Center, 2pm; 8300 West Franklin Ave, St. Louis Park. Meet by Nature Center door or go inside. You may need a mask inside. Marie will not be there. January 28: Lakewood Cemetery, 2pm; 3600 Hennepin Ave S, Minneapolis. Meet outside by the Chapel. Park on driveway there.

Game Group: Meets at the church on the second Thursday of the month to play board games and socialize. Request an email invitation to our next meeting and be added to our email list by sending your name and email address to Anne Frenchick. Upcoming date: Feb. 9, 7 p.m.

Weekly Happy Hour: This online Zoom gathering is a way to stay connected with AUW friends. We meet at 7 p.m. every Thursday. Hosts are Liz and Carol. Here is the Zoom info to tune in: Evening Happy Hour

Women Who Read: We read books written by women. We host an in-person and a virtual meeting on the fourth Monday of each month. This month's book is Hamnet, with a meeting on Jan. 23. Request an email invitation to our next meeting and be added to our email list by sending your name and email address to Abbie Finger.

First Saturdays, 9:30 a.m.–noon in person at church

12 Step Spirituality meetings will gather in our church on the 1st Saturday of each month beginning on Oct. 1, 2022 and ending on May 6, 2023. The meeting focuses on people who are actively working a 12 step program. It is focused on the 11 step to the practice of Centering Prayer Meditation. Meeting details are available at 12stepspirituality.org.

Saturdays, 9:30–10:45 a.m. online via Zoom

This weekly online meeting focuses on people who are actively working in any of 12 Step programs. It is focused on the 11th step through the practice of Centering Prayer Meditation. Meeting details are available at 12stepspirituality.org.

In our Nov. 17 newsletter, we shared our updated Covid Community Care Policy, which went into effect on Monday, Nov. 21.

Our full updated Covid policies are available here. A summary of updates to our masking policy is as follows:

Highlighted Updates: 

• Masks continue to be required in the sanctuary on Sunday mornings and for special services for everyone ages 2 and up 
• Masks are optional in the rest of the building outside of the sanctuary on Sunday mornings/for special services, and at all other times and for all other church activities, when Covid community levels are Low or Medium, with the following exception:
• Masking will be required in classrooms and small groups when a participant reaches out to Lauren Wyeth, Director of Spiritual Growth for All Ages, in advance to make that request. Lauren will hold the name of the person making the request confidential, and will alert the group leader and participants that masks are required for that in person small group or class. 
• When Covid community levels are High, masks are required throughout the whole church building.

Church Office & Building Access

The church office is open on Wednesdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The door bells are not monitored outside of this time. Access to the building at times on other days can be arranged by contacting Jim Poulter, Building & Office Manager, at jim@firstuniv.org.