Dear Jenn,

The spring time has always felt remarkable and magical to me. 

Almost overnight, the earth wakes up and our bodies seem to leap in response to the warmth, the sunlight, the birdsong, and the smell of aliveness. It is a time when the regeneration and resurrection of life is especially apparent. A time when it feels like so much is being nurtured, nourished, and tended for the long summer and fall ahead.

So it is with church - have you noticed? It is ok if you haven’t. It is ok if the fog of winter still clings to your heart. If you find yourself struggling to see the crocuses pushing their way up. The fritillaria slowly unfurling. The buds of the lilac not yet bursting forth in lavender delight. There is almost assuredly at least one more snowfall coming. What would Minnesota be if not for the image of flowers smiling up from a light blanket of snow? So if your heart and body are still in the energy of winter, still looking for the gray and cloudy and not yet, that’s ok. 

But if you’re open to noticing where new life -new buds- are growing on limbs nourished by behind the scenes and underground efforts, you'll note that there’s a lot blossoming at church these days. 

And before I share with you what I’m seeing from my vantage point, I remind you that this Sunday is the close of our Annual Giving Campaign. These last four weeks, we’ve invited you to make your gift to support the many ministries of the church and on Sunday, we’d like you to bring your commitment card along with the seed paper you received in the mail (or picked up at church). 

In this season of growth and renewal, I’m making time to place my heart and mind with the teams that are caring for the community, inside and outside the church. In the coming months, we’ll be receiving and accompanying more guests taking sanctuary in the church. We’ll continue hosting gatherings for the many ministries that are rooted in our church, and we’ll keep hosting organizations using our space to meet the needs of our community: organizations like Transforming Families, MN Interfaith Power and Light, and 12-Step Spirituality (just to name a few). 

Our religious education classes continue to make our RE program the largest in the country. I’m heartened to serve a church that prioritizes equipping our youth with the spiritual grounding to live lives of humility, courage, and grace in a world that will require the best from us all.

Later this year, we’ll be partnering with White Bear UU Church and Unity Church-Unitarian to hold a training for congregational Right Relations Teams. Rev. David Pyle will lead this training to help congregations build the skills to turn conflict into compost, the substance of growth, change, and the evolution that our world so desperately needs. Our churches can be a crucible for learning and practicing the skills of pluralist democracy, and this training is one part of how we’ll get there.

Our efforts and our stumbles are recognized for the possibility they hold by future leadership of our Unitarian Universalist Association. In just a few weeks, Rev. Dr. Sofia Betancourt, candidate for UUA President will be with us, leading worship, visiting with members of the church and wider community, learning and leading from and with us as we grow our future together.

There is so much more that’s growing here at First Universalist. Seeds that are being planted. Compost that’s being turned. Mycelial networks that are communicating, distributing, nourishing our shared soil. What do you feel growing in you? Amongst us here at church? Rooted in church and feeding the wider community? May we all find our places in this constantly regenerating ecosystem as we continue our journey of relentless resurrection.

In faith,

Rev. Arif

Rev. Arif Mamdani

Associate Minister

First Universalist Church of Minneapolis

Sunday Worship

Sunday, April 16, 9 & 11 a.m.: "Only We Are Earthseed"

Sunday, April 9 Recording & Podcast: "Relentless Resurrection"

Cycle of Life

News & Features

Earth Day at First U is April 23

Habitat on the Hill

MNIPL Earth Day Benefit Concert

"What Is Abolition and How Can it Free Us?" Dates

Calendar

Barn Dance & Social

Community Dinner

Visionary Goals Workshop

Daytime Connections

April Board Meeeting

Dinner Church for BIPOC

Community Events & Affiliated Organizations:

AUW, 12-Step Spirituality

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Sunday, April 16 — 9 & 11 a.m.

"Only We Are Earthseed"

62 years ago this week, the first human being went to outer space! Our perspective as Earthlings has never been the same. Life on Earth is the part of the cosmos which relentlessly resurrects. How can we become more responsible stewards of the seeds of Life, both on and beyond Earth?

This Sunday, we invite you to bring the seed paper and annual giving commitment cards which you received in your annual giving campaign packet to share blessings and aspirations!

Worship leaders: Lóre Stevens, Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, Rev. Arif Mamdani, and Franco Holder



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.

Sunday, April 9: "Relentless Resurrection"

With and without our permission and participation, life is forever seeking resurrection. Relentlessly, life finds a way in the harshest of circumstances, and even out of death comes new life. How might we join with this turning toward life? And how might we rebuild and resurrect ourselves, our relationships, and even this church in the shape of beloved community through our everyday actions? Join us as we lean into these questions through story, song, and ritual. 



Watch the April 9 service here

Listen to the April 9 podcast here

Podcast Archive | Recording Archive 

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.

Submitted by Stan Sattinger

In the April 23 Sunday service, the First Universalist Environmental Justice Team will explore the present and future impacts of climate change on all of us as humans and on all of life here on Earth. We will encourage you to share your beliefs and feelings about climate change, and we will build hope by offering solutions that you can act on individually and as a congregation to help reduce its effects.

Each Sunday in April, come to the Social Hall and explore activities you can engage in right now to retard global warming. The EJ Team has working groups in areas of concern that include Food and Agriculture, Renewable Energy, Biodiversity, Water Protection, and Fossil Fuel usage reduction. Bring your environmental ideas and energy, and share them with your fellow congregants.

The First U Drawdown Challenge Update

Submitted by Climate & Environmental Justice Team and First U member Todd Pierson

Our goal is to engage 200 First U’ers in the Challenge. As of April 13, half way through the challenge, just 21 First U congregants have recorded actions in the Challenge. Take action this Sunday, April 16, in the social hall at the challenge table! It can take you just 5 minutes to act and add to our count!

Submitted by Joan Naymark

First Universalist’s Faithful Action Community Partner Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity's mission is to eliminate poverty housing from the Twin Cities area and to make decent, affordable shelter for all people a matter of conscience.

Join First Universalist Housing advocates at the Capitol in St. Paul to speak out for affordable housing in Minnesota. We’d like to bring a large group from First Universalist to this annual event. It’s easy, interesting, and full of good community.

When: Tuesday, April 25; check-in will start at 9:30 a.m. and program begins at 10:30 a.m.

Where: Minnesota State Capitol in the L'Etoile du Nord Vault Room, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, St. Paul, MN 55155 



What: Our annual advocacy event—come show your support for housing! Includes state of MN housing, advocacy training, and materials. Breakfast and lunch are provided. 

Who: All Habitat Advocates who want to disrupt the systemic racial bias in affordable housing. That’s us!

For more information about the event, to let us know that you'll be part of our church group, and/or to coordinate carpooling options, contact Joan Naymark at jnaymark@gmail.com. Also be sure to register with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity.

Submitted by MNIPL community connector and First U member Roberta Haskin

Our community partner, Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light (MNIPL), will have an Earth Day benefit concert at First Universalist on Sunday, April 23, 3–5 p.m. Family friendly! Inspiring! Come and celebrate Songs are Seeds. Featuring music by singer-songwriter MJ Gilbert, and Wild Voice Chorus; with a welcome from Jim Bear Jacobs (Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Nation), and other surprise guests. You can purchase tickets here.

(formerly know as: Abolition 101: Imagining Freedom for All) 

What can we learn from the experience and expertise of Black feminists and others who understand the impact of policing and the carceral system 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, developed for white folks, to reflect on the wisdom of long-time abolitionists and those exploring ways to create communities and institutions that support the safety and well-being of every person.  

The purpose of this circle is to create space for folks to explore what abolition means beyond what we hear in the news, to reflect on our personal experiences, knowledge, and biases about how the criminal justice and carceral systems operate and begin to live into an abolitionist vision by emphasizing building relationships and how we will treat one another. Each person’s feelings and experiences will be honored. This is not a seminar, debate or discussion – it’s a listening and reflection circle - while staying connected to our bodies. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the carceral system, the need to abolish systems of violence, build community care, and practice transformative justice. Some of the folks who have participated in these abolition circles are working together to build a network of solidarity and support with Jason Sole, formerly incarcerated, community abolitionist, with the Institute for Aspiring Abolitionists.

Offered: Thursdays, May 11, 18, 25, June 1, and 8, 7–8:30 p.m. in person at church

Register here. The facilitators will contact you before the first session.

Sunday, April 16, 2–5:30 p.m. at church

RSVP here

Join the First Universalist Community for a Barn Dance & Social at church. No square dancing experience necessary at all—just come have fun! There will be potluck snacks, live music, and a square dance caller—and, a chance to hang out and enjoy the company of old friends and new. We'll also be announcing the winning cook-off food category at the dance!

If you missed it in last week's Liberal, Rev. Arif Mamdani shared some helpful notes on square dancing, culture, and history that you can read in the news section here.

Bring a potluck snack to share, and let us know you're coming! RSVP here.

Wednesday, April 19, 6–8 p.m.

RSVP REQUESTED

Swing by church for a delicious home-cooked meal at 6 p.m. All are welcome and there is no charge.

This month, we'll celebrate Earth Day with a delicious vegan dinner prepared by the Environmental Justice Team's Food Solutions group. They'll be preparing and serving Mediterranean Bowls: pitas, basmati rice, hummus, and romaine, with a variety of toppings and dressings.

Following dinner, join a breakout group (6:45–8 p.m.) to connect in smaller groups around a shared interest, or take part in the last scheduled Visionary Goals Workshop (details & sign up here).

Breakout Groups:

• Electric Vehicles 101 Thinking about driving electric? What about charging on the road? And at home? Which model meets your needs (and desires?) Come learn with the EJ Team! Led by Brian Anderson.
• Green House Game Join a play session with Alix Dvorak, the game's creator and EJ team member! Green House is a cooperative card game to help you turn your climate anxiety into hope and action.
• Estate Planning Are you curious about estate planning? Know that you “should” do it, but don’t quite know where to start? Join us for an overview of the process, important considerations, and how to get started. Led by Claire Tralle, attorney and First U member.
• UUA Governance, Article 2, and the UUA Presidential Election, Part 1 of 2 There are some big votes coming up at the UUA’s 2023 General Assembly in Pittsburgh. Come learn about how our association of congregations is governed, what’s trending on the national level about the future of our faith, and what’s on the ballot this June.
• Young Adult Conversation Join our young adults group for a conversation and community.
• The Spiritual Practice of Art Making Flower arranging with the Visual Arts Committee, using locally grown flowers. Led by Martha Moriarty, First U member.
• Visionary Goals Workshop The church's Board of Trustees welcomes the whole church community into the important process of Visionary Goals Planning, charting the future of the church for the next five years and beyond. If you have not yet participated in a visionary goals workshop, please sign up! SIGN UP HERE

Wednesday, April 19, 6:30–8:30 p.m. at church (after the community dinner)

Register here

Visionary Goals Workshops are an invitation to listen together, not only for who we are as a faith community, but who we are becoming. As a congregation we are in a tender place. Envisioning our future is extremely important communal work that asks us to ground ourselves in our values, open our hearts, call upon our wisest selves, and turn our attention to what is moving within, between and beyond us. The Visionary Goals that come out of this process will guide all the work of the church for at least the next five years.

We are more than halfway to our goal of having approximately 25% of our membership participate in a Visionary Goals workshop. If you haven’t participated yet, we really need you to add your voice to the process. We need to hear from you so that the process can faithfully reflect the vision and horizon of the congregation as it is today.

Thursday, April 20, 10 a.m. program in the Social Hall or on Zoom

Salad & Soup Lunch begins at 12 p.m.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Daytime Connections programs begin at 10 a.m. on the third Thursday of each month, from October through May. They include fabulous presenters about fascinating topics, a delicious lunch, and an opportunity to meet new people and rekindle old friendships. 

On Thursday, April 20, we are honored to have Pauline Boss, PhD, with us at Daytime Connections. She is a U of M professor emeritus and author of Ambiguous Loss, Learning to Live with Unresolved Grief, which she describes as losing someone not in death but through divorce, estrangement, chronic illness, Alzheimer’s, brain injury, immigration and other situations. She will have this book and others available for purchase. Learn more about her work here.



Sign in and coffee at 9:45 a.m. Soup & salad lunch follows program at 12 p.m.: $5-15 sliding scale (more if you can; less if you can’t; no one will be turned away for lack of funds). Registration is requested a minimum of four days in advance.

Thursday, April 20, 6:30–9 p.m.

The First Universalist Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday, April 20. The board packet and meeting information will be available here next week.

Wednesday, April 26, 6–8 p.m. in the Cummins Room

RSVP Requested

What’s Dinner Church? Pretty much what it sounds like—we’ll have a meal together while creating a worshipful experience 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. BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) 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, April 16

Church Square Dance

Sunday Afternoon with the EJ Team (cancelled)

Wednesday, April 19

Community Dinner

Visionary Goals Workshop

Thursday, April 20

Daytime Connections

April Board Meeting

Sunday, April 23

Grief Group

Caregivers Group

Wednesday, April 26

BIPOC Dinner Church

Sunday, May 7

BIPOC Book Group

Young Adults Group Springtime Nature Experience

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

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. April 15, 2 p.m. Lake Harriet, meet at bandshell. There is pay lot (money goes to Park Board). Or park on Lake Harriet Parkway. Lynn will be there. April 29, 2 p.m. Lakewood Cemetery, 3600 Hennepin Av S, Minneapolis. Meet by the Chapel. Park on the side of road. Multiple ways to walk. Marie will not be there. Lynn may be able to come. This could be a “Walk With Friends.” May 6, 2 p.m. Roseville Central Park, 2540 Lexington Av N, Roseville. Go to the parking lot off Lexington Avenue North. Free parking. Option to walk around the Lake. Marie will not be there.

Game Group: Meets at the church on the second Thursday of the month to play board games and socialize. Request an invitation to our next meeting and be added to our email list by sending your name and email to Anne Frenchick. Next date: April 13, 7 p.m., May 11, 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. Request an invitation to our next meeting and be added to our email list by sending your name and email address to Abbie Finger. This month's book is "The People We Keep" by Allison Larkin with a meeting on April 24. RSVP to host Susan at 612-578-9655 or Armington007@gmail.com Address: Studio 501 at 2205 California St NE; building is locked so Susan will meet people at 6:30 or 7:15 pm in the Mojo Cafe parking lot at the Parking Lot Door (off of 22nd Ave). In Person Potluck at 6:30 pm, discussion at 7:30 pm. An online discussion will take place at 7 pm on Zoom.

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.

Our full updated Covid policies are available here. A summary of updates (as of November 2022) 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.