(Re) Create the Habit of Church

Dear Ones,

Folks, as we turn the calendar and the year, lots of us make intentions, commitments, and promises to ourselves about how we’ll be different in the coming year. One that I’m hearing a lot recently is folks wanting to (re)create the habit of coming to church on Sundays. It’s a habit that many lost the knack of while we were online, and as often happens, recreating a habit is proving difficult. 

For the next several weeks, and maybe longer with your help, we’re going to feature tips, tricks, and encouragement to help create or recreate the habit of church in 2024. The world is different, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t keep doing and redoing the things that help us keep our balance in a changing world. 

Here’s your first tip: add coming to church to your calendar! If you’re anything like me, if it’s on your calendar, you do it and if it isn’t…. You don’t. If you were to look at my calendar, you’d see darn near everything on there. Workouts - definitely. Dates with my spouse, kids, friends, and myself - yep, yep, yep, and yep. Travel time to get to meetings (almost always). Meetings - natch. If this sounds like you and a calendar event would help, click here to add the first service to your calendar, or here for the second service.

Have a tip or trick that’s helped you recreate the habit of church? Click to send me an email: arif@firstuniv.org.

Rev. Arif Mamdani

Associate Minister

P.S. That habit of church also involves the habit of connection and support for one another. As an easy way to do that, we have started adding a way to send notes/prayers to those we lift up through our Cycle of Life section in the Liberal. You can click through the links in that section to send emails to those in need our being held by our Love. 

Intro

(Re) Create the Habit of Church

Sunday Worship

"Making Space to Find The Rest"

This Sunday, Jan. 21,

9 & 11 a.m. services

Low-sensory space

Service Recordings

Cycle of Life

Winter Programs

Winter / Spring Programs

Saturday Sprouts

Congregational Retreat

Circle Suppers

Book Group

Sign-up Sunday

Meditation Group

Fifth Grade OWL

Pastoral & Community Care

Grief Group

Caregivers Group

Faithful Action

LGBTQIA+ Students

Habitat for Humanity

News

Congregational Mtg

Foundation Nominations

Community Events & Affiliated Orgs:

Brain Health Event, MUUSJA, Transforming Conflict, Hats for Unhoused People, AUW, 12-Step Spirituality

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Making Space to Find The Rest

Immerse yourself in this Sunday's service, a journey into the heart of our interconnectedness. We will ponder the echoes of our third principle, discovering how it nudges us towards a deeper, more mindful communion with ourselves and each other. Prepare to be drawn into the dance of connection, a ballet of souls turning, reaching, growing. Unearth the profound truth that our shared spiritual practices are the glue that binds us into a resilient community. Witness the revelation that our messiahs walk among us, disguised as everyday leaders, ready to shepherd us into a soul-nourishing retreat. This Sunday, we're not merely gathering - we're igniting a beacon of blessing, illumination, and inspiration. Join us, and let the dance of turning transform you.

Worship Info

IN PERSON AND ONLINE AT 9 & 11 A.M.

In person at 9 a.m.

In person and livestreamed at 11 a.m. Watch the livestream here. 

Masks are welcome but not required in the sanctuary; please review our Covid-19 Gathering Guidelines. 

CHILDREN & YOUTH

If you have not yet registered your family for this year of Religious Education, please register your family today. All families — new and returning, with babies through high schoolers — must register each church year.

LOW-SENSORY SPACE

This space is for children in K-5 who are overstimulated or overwhelmed by the sensory input of the sanctuary, including noise, light, and movement. All children who are in the low-sensory space must be accompanied by one of their grown-ups at all times. 

The entrance to this space is through Room 104 on the lower level of the education wing close to the parking lot. There is a small room inside of the 104 classroom where we are trying out the low-sensory space.

AFTER WORSHIP

A Place to Start

January 21, immediately after each worship service

No RSVP necessary

Facilitated by one of our members, A Place to Start is a brief, casual orientation to Unitarian Universalism and First Universalist Church. During this 40-minute class, participants will learn about the foundations of our faith tradition and opportunities to get involved. The facilitator will be holding a green "Here is A Place to Start" sign at the front of the sanctuary after the worship services. We look forward to welcoming you! 

Please note the church does not provide childcare during A Place to Start due to full Sunday morning RE and volunteer schedules. Kids are welcome in A Place to Start after they’re picked up from RE. Options for kids during A Place to Start are the same as in worship: coloring sheets and pipecleaners, and moving to a more kid-friendly space within the sanctuary. You’re also welcome to ask another trusted adult to watch your child(ren) during this time if you prefer. 

If you can't make it, or prefer to connect with a staff person one on one, please fill out the Visitor Connect form so we can follow up with you. Thank you!

Facilitated by First U members

Podcast Archive | Recording Archive | Sermon Archive

Our love and care is with Rev. Jen who is in Baltimore this weekend caring for her father, Cliff (the two of them are pictured here). As you some of you know, his health has been declining for some time and our love and care is with Rev. Jen, Cliff, and their family. Send Rev. Jen your prayers by clicking here.



Jeanne Guignon, Tom Allen and his family give thanks for your prayers and share the death of Julie Allen on Tuesday, January 16th. After her 15+ year journey with early-onset Alzheimer's, she was able to be at home for her final days, with family and close friends holding vigil with her to a peaceful end. A memorial service will be held in a few weeks at Central Lutheran Church. Send Jeanne your prayers by clicking here.

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.

Saturday Sprouts

Saturday, Jan. 20, 10 a.m.-noon RSVP requested

Saturday Sprouts is a new seasonal opportunity for families to be nourished in community, deepen relationships, and grow together in our First U values and faith. It includes time for family worship, parent & caregiver support, and play and creative time for our kids and youth. Children in grades 5 and younger are welcome to join, as are parents and caregivers of children and youth of all ages. Both adult and kid programming will connect with our Winter worship theme: “Responding to Cold with Connection.” Bagels and beverages provided for all ages. Please join us!

Spiritual Practices Congregational Retreat

Sunday, Jan. 21, 1-5 p.m.

Register here

Visit the website for details

Welcome the new year by starting or deepening your spiritual practice life with the support of this community. We’ll each have the opportunity to experience two practice sessions facilitated by practitioners within our congregation. View detailed list of practices that will be offered.

Participants will also have the chance to join on-going practice groups meeting regularly in February, March and April.

Circle Supper Kick-Off Potluck!

Kick-off Potluck - Sunday, January 21st at 5pm - immediately following the Spiritual Practices Congregational Retreat

Register here--scroll down to bottom of form to RSVP for supper only

First Saturday of the month in February, March and April

Join us as we re-launch a beloved First U tradition of rotating small group meals in each other's homes for the first time since the pandemic began. Carol Gilbert and Welcome Jerde have generously offered to lead this effort and invite you to consider if your home would welcome dinner guests or if you are interested in attending these gatherings. These suppers are a wonderful way to begin or deepen connections within this beloved community.

Book Group

Book group on Kim Stanley Robinson's Ministry for the Future

Tuesdays, Jan. 23, April 23; 6-7:30 p.m. at church

Registration Required

Please join us for a careful, caring conversation of Kim Stanley Robinson's breathtaking and inspiring 2020 epic, The Ministry for the Future. This deeply researched speculative fiction is a work of page-turning prophetic imagination that reads like an account of our "faster than expected" experience of global ecological and civilizational crisis, written with loving compassion and keen insight.   No other work of fiction or nonfiction explores the human predicament in a way that is both thoroughly researched and inclusive of how this crisis looks and feels for people - and for the more-than-human beings - all around the earth. This book study will be helpful and encouraging as we carefully reflect on the unfolding global polycrisis and the many possible local and global human responses. How do we do life together as a faith community living within an extinction event? How do we hospice what is passing away while helping to midwife a future we do not fully control? Let's kindle the gentle flame of imagination in our hearts and minds this fall and winter as we read The Ministry of the Future. Facilitated by Gary Hoover and Rev. Arif Mamdani

Sign Up Sunday

Sunday, Jan 28, between services in the Cummins Room



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 justice teams, church committees, and our small group leaders will be excited to chat with you about what they’ve got going on and how you can join them.

Tuesday Meditation Group

Weekly Practice: 8:45-10:15 a.m. online and in-person

You are invited to meditate with our lay-led practice group. None of us are experts. Our practices come out of our own experiences, and we share inspiration from many sources including Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, Pema Chodron, Thich Nhat Hanh, Tara Brach, Tai Chi, Loving Kindness, poetry and more. We don't follow one method or another, but we do share what we learn with each other. After meditation we practice deep listening to hear from each person, if they choose. No registration required. Email Sara McMullen for Zoom details.

Fifth Grade OWL Registration Open

Fifth Grade OWL

5th grade OWL (Our Whole Lives) at First Universalist is an opt-in class. If you choose not to opt-in and specifically register your child, they will continue to attend their regular RE programming. There is a mandatory parent/caregiver registration for 5th grade OWL on Saturday, March 2, 2024. 5th grade OWL classes will begin Sunday, March 3, 2024, and conclude Sunday, May 12, 2024. There are no RE classes on Sunday, March 31, 2024 nor on Sunday, April 7, 2024. A calendar of classes will be shared at the parent/caregiver orientation. Registration for 5th grade OWL is NOW OPEN! Registration can be found HERE. Please email Claire Tralle (claire@firstuniv.org) with any questions. 

Grief Group (online)

Sunday, January 21, 4-5:30 p.m. on Zoom

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 on any or all dates. We will be here for you. Facilitated by Mark Caswell (he/him/they/them), a member of First Universalist Unitarian Church of Minneapolis and an aspirant on ordination track within the UUA. He attends United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities and lives in Minneapolis. He finds grounding in meditation, poetry, watercolor painting, and practicing deep listening. He also holds a BFA in Theater Design from Rutgers University in New Jersey.

Email Rev. Arif Mamdani for Zoom details.

Caregivers group (online)

Sundays, Feb. 11, March 10, April 14, May and June TBD by group; 1-2:30 p.m. on Zoom

Registration Required

Caring for a family member who needs special care is a demanding and often unseen or unacknowledged role. Whether you’re caring for an aging parent or a child with a chronic health condition, join the Caregivers group for mutual support, connection, and community building. When we gather, we’ll light a chalice, have time for introductions, and share a reading, then move into deeper sharing, support, and reflection. 

Facilitated by Rev. Arif Mamdani, Associate Minister

Take Action for LGBTQIA+ Students

I’m reaching out as part of a group of parents and educators who are both passionate and concerned about ensuring equitable treatment and experiences for LGBTQIA+ students in the Minneapolis Public Schools, and to invite you to attend the board’s upcoming Policy Committee Meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 23, to show support for the adoption of a Gender Inclusivity Policy. The meeting is at 4:30 pm at the Davis Center.

I have a draft email I can send you, if you are able and willing to email the five (5) school board members who are on the policy committee to share your support. 

MPS does not currently have a district-wide Gender Inclusivity Policy, even though several other districts around us do.

Please let me know if you have questions, and if you can attend - we urge you to wear rainbow colors or other visible signs of support. Thank you!

Many thanks,

Claire Tralle

clairetralle@gmail.com

Habitat for Humanity

We have three work days scheduled, all at

219 James Avenue N, Minneapolis

January 27, 2024

February 10, 2024

March 16, 2024

Sign up here.

Our Plans for Working with Habitat for Humanity in 2024

We begin 2024 with three work days scheduled for January, February, and March. We will be working on the Harrison project, a timely and innovative set of townhomes at 219 James Ave, North. Because of the amount of inside finishing work needed (flooring, sheet rock, painting, finish trim), we are asked to provide 20 volunteers for each of the three days. No experience is required; you’ll be taught what you need to know. For a short informative description of this project, click here.

If you’re interested in volunteering on January 27, click here.

If we are able to fully staff three work days with 20 volunteers in January, February, and March, we will add another work day in April and consider scheduling a “work week” next summer. Committing to a work week is a tall order; we’d be expected to staff five days with 15 volunteers each day. Those of us who have participated in past work weeks know the value of the experience; a sense of accomplishment with a measurable result. Have a look at the two photos below from a past work week. The first is the home at the start of our week, the second, what the home looked like at the end of our week. And, most of us had never built a birdhouse…much less helped build a home.

Please consider joining us in January.

If you have questions, contact Chuck Coskran at chuck4199@aol.com

Church Directory Update

As of Monday, January 22nd, our church member directory will be unavailable due to our database vendor’s decision to end support for our database product. This has required a change in our database platform and we are moving through the transition, prioritizing the core aspects of church - tracking pastoral contacts, internal communications, and giving. As we move through this transition, we expect to have our new member directory available. Our projected date for this is February 9th. If you need contact info for a member or members in the interim, please contact Liz Farmer. We would greatly appreciate help in the transition and onboarding our congregation to the new directory. If you’re technically skilled and available to help, please contact Liz Farmer.

Mid-Year Congregational Meeting

Sunday, Jan. 28 - after-worship meal followed by meeting at 1 p.m.

Save the date. Agenda and registration to come.

Members of First Universalist Church are invited to the Mid-Year Congregational Meeting. Topics will include a Congregational update from Rev. Jen, as well as updates from the Finance, Stewardship and Governance committees of the Board, and the team working on finalizing our proposed Visionary Goals.

First U Foundation - Nominations Open

The First Universalist Foundation Board is accepting nominations through this form until Sunday, February 4, 2024 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.



Questions?

Please email foundation@firstuniv.org.

Event: Brain Health, Cognitive Decline, Social Isolation

Saturday, January 27, 1-3 p.m. at church

First Universalist Church, in partnership with Friends & Co., presents “Fortune Cookies,” a free community outreach event that shines a light on the importance of brain health and will help raise awareness about cognitive decline and social isolation. This event is designed for intergenerational audiences.

There will be a short play followed by facilitated conversations to advance

the efforts in the Twin Cities as part of a broader age-friendly, dementia-friendly region. The event begins with social time, including light refreshments, and is followed by the play and community conversation.

More info on The Remember Project.

RSVP for the event here.

MUUSJA Workshop: Supporting Survivors

Thursday, February 1 from 10 – 11:30am, Online via Zoom

Facilitated by Rebecca Donley

Register here

Intimate partner violence and sexual abuse are issues that impact us all. We all have family members, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and congregation members who are survivors of abuse, and we may be survivors ourselves. But how many of us know someone who is a trauma-informed advocate for survivors? This 90 minute skill share is to help us all build up our toolbox for supporting survivors of abuse, so we can create a larger pool of skilled advocates ready to hold space for survivors and their families.

Join Minnesota Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Alliance (MUUSJA) and Rebecca Donley on Zoom for this important workshop. Here is a FB Event page to share if you'd like.

Rebecca Donley (she/her) began work in the field of domestic violence support over twenty years ago. She has provided trainings on intimate partner violence on the local, state, and national levels. She has spent thousands of hours holding space for survivors as a crisis line advocate for various hotlines. Rebecca has also trained and supported survivor advocates and other service providers. She currently organizes the project Community Advocates Creating Healing Everywhere (CACHE), to support community members in building trauma-informed advocacy skills to support survivors and their families.

Transforming Conflict

A Workshop with Rev. Dr. Terasa Cooley

Saturday, February 3 | 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. | Parish Hall at Unity Church-Unitarian and online via Zoom

Please register by January 29

Transforming Conflict treats conflict as an opportunity to learn and grow, both individually and institutionally. Exploring new understandings of how our bodies and minds respond to conflict, Rev. Cooley offers concrete strategies for personal growth and healthy congregational functioning...

-From the back cover of Transforming Conflict: The Blessings of Congregational Turmoil

In this workshop, we'll explore some of the root causes behind conflict, learn about how to create a new culture of learning, explore tools for change, and engage with case studies to help us embody these learnings. After lunch, members of individual congregations will meet to explore how to take these learnings into their congregations.

Hats for Unhoused People

Think big, warm, and wooly! Are you a fiber artist who knits/crochets/weaves/felts? Donate your handmade hats at First Universalist, October through January. Donated hats will be distributed to local schools, shelters, and community service agencies that serve people in need. Sizes requested: Large and XL,

Time frame: October - January, Drop-off site: Basket by the elevator (see photo), Contact: Barb Melom • More Info

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

Save the Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 11 a.m. rally at the Minnesota state capital rotunda to demand passage of Minnesota’s equal rights amendment with updated, inclusive language in 2024.

Early Bird Registration is OPEN for the AUW Spring Retreat until January 15!

AUW Spring Retreat

April 26-28, 2024

Camp Courage, Annandale, MN

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION CLOSES JANUARY 15

Igniting Change

The Light we Carry in a Barbie World

She’s omnipresent. She’s everywhere. 2023 was the year bathed in pink. Yes, we are talking about Barbie. As a gathering of people who identify as women, gender fluid, or non-binary, we probably have among us as many opinions about the 2023 phenomenon that was the Barbie Movie as we have attendees. And ALL of those are welcome. As we gather in retreat we will take this opportunity to use Barbie the construct, Barbie the product, and Barbie the movie to dive deeper into self-exploration. 

Did you play with Barbies as a kid? Were you allowed to? What messages did you take in about yourself and about women? What did you think of the movie? Loved it? Hated it? From Weird Barbie, to America Ferrera’s monologue, let’s talk about what the movie has to say about the search for meaning and identity, equality, patriarchy, idealism, feminism, expectations, and being kept in a box. Let’s use that pink rocket of Barbie energy to launch ourselves into a weekend of self-exploration. See you there, Barbie!

Register HERE!

Save the Date: AUW Winter Event is coming up on February 17, 12 noon - 2 pm. A light lunch buffet will be served. Admission to this event is free to members and $10 for nonmembers. The AUW Board is offering attendees the opportunity to help select this year's recipient nonprofit that will receive a $1000 donation from AUW. The candidates are: : Cornerstone Advocacy, Family Tree Medical and UnRestrict Minnesota.

ACTION: Contact your legislators to request their vote on ERA Bills early in 2024 Session so ERA can be on the General Ballot for all voters in November 2024.

Hiking Group: Meets most Saturdays at a park or trail head. Hikes begin at 2 p.m. For questions or to get on the hiking group mailing list, contact: Marie Sorensen, phone / email, or Lynn Richardson phone / email. Note: Hikes begin at 2 pm.

January 20 - 2pm Westwood Nature Center, 8300 West Franklin Avenue, St Louis Park. Can wait inside Nature Center. Exhibits before or after if you like. Bathrooms. Fun boardwalks to walk on. Lynn will lead (Marie will come, too).

January 27 - 2pm  9 Mile Creek. Morgan and 104th Street. Moir Park. Use bigger Parking lot near Penn just before Penn Avenue. No inside waiting place. Meet in Parking lot. May not be cleared as well for walking. Stairs to get down and back up at begin and end of trail. But delightful trail with deer/birds and possibly still Creek running. A special place for me. Look for Marie with a Red Jacket.

Game Group: Meets at the church on the second Thursday of each month to play board games and socialize. You are welcome to bring snacks to share and a game you would enjoy teaching others. To receive email updates, contact Anne Frenchick. The next game night is February 8. If no one responds to Anne that they are coming, the Game Night will be canceled early that day. Please let Anne know if you plan to attend.

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 email invitation to our next meeting and be added to our email list by sending your name and email address to Abbie Finger. The next meeting will be Monday, January 22. We will be discussing Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. Location of the in-person meeting is available to those on the mailing list. The Zoom version of the meeting convenes online at 7:00 pm.

Give or Take a Book!

To share books we love and build more literary connections, we are going to start a new project. If interested please bring 1-2 books (no more!) to share with someone at the monthly book club. Pick a book to take home. To help make connections pls put a post-it note on the book with your name and the reason you liked the book. (Post-it notes will be available). If a book you brought is left over please take it home or it will be donated to a Free Little Library. Any questions or ideas contact Nora Whiteman.

These meetings are intended for people who are actively working any 12-step program. The program is focused on the 11th step and the practice of Centering Prayer Meditation. 

Weekly on Zoom

and

First Saturdays of each month, 9:30 a.m. to noon, in person at First Universalist

In-person 12-step spirituality meetings gather in the church on the 1st Saturday of each month, ending on May 4, 2024.

In-person and Zoom meeting details are available here.



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.

Based on ongoing monitoring of COVID levels in Hennepin County, masking is welcome, but not required, inside the building—including the sanctuary. Learn more about our Covid and Community safety policies on our website.