Dear Jenn,

A few weeks ago, I shared what I know for sure—what I can count on—when it comes to my and our hearts. I summed it up with two phrases: 

It’s already broken

and

The heart left open will heal itself

What I meant by this, is that our hearts—while whole and holy and worthy—are already broken and will keep on breaking. The earth of which we are a part, the systems that oppress us and our siblings, our economic system, our ideas of purity and moral clarity—when we allow ourselves to fully examine them—how can we not say, it’s already broken? If we dare to love, to care, to hope—our hearts will inevitably break. The question is not so much if our hearts will break, but what will we do with our broken hearts?

Which brings us to my second phrase: The heart left open will heal itself. A gift from the poet Karen Benke in her poem, “Not Without Longing,” this phrase, “the heart left open will heal itself,” is something that I count on. This healing from the inside out will likely require that we stop the harm and give our hearts space to have the feelings wash through, we may need time and space to calm ourselves. We may need to ask for and receive help. We may need to give ourselves and each other time, and we may need to engage in the cycles of restoration and repair—opening our hearts further to welcome in the experiences of those around us, sharing the harm we have experienced and listening carefully and owning and apologizing for any harm we have caused—examining our own patterns and behaviors to discover how we might change so we don’t cause the same harm again. This healing may not be comfortable or easy, but I trust, ultimately, that an open heart will heal itself and that open heartedness is a deeply spiritual way to live. 

After all, Universalism doesn’t expect or require perfection—just as we are already broken, we are already loved. The goal of being human is not perfection—and that illusion does us so much harm in how we think of ourselves and each other and our relationships. Perfection is not the goal. So if we expect that our hearts will be broken—that we and others will make mistakes—if we trust that we are loved even when our hearts our broken and even when we have done the breaking—we can focus on the healing, the learning, the repair, and trust in the ancient cycles of confession and atonement that all religious traditions have shared for generations; each of us—in community—turning our attention to the transformative cycles of celebration and hope, restoration and repair. 

As many of you know—for many, there has been a rupture in the relationship between me and the choir. Trusting in the cycles of repair and restoration in this congregation, I’m grateful to be welcoming Rev. David Pyle, our MidAmerica Regional Lead who specializes in working with larger congregations, to First Universalist next week. He and another UUA staff member will be with us on Wednesday, Oct. 19 from 7–8:30 p.m. to facilitate a restorative conversation between choir members, me (representing staff), and the board (with one to two board members representing the board). This conversation will focus on beginning the process of repair and mutual accountability. David will also be working with our newly forming Right Relationship Team which will support us all when conflict arises in the future. I'm very grateful for this support from the UUA. 

May we release ourselves and each other from the goal of perfection, may we be flexible enough to welcome in perspectives and experiences different than our own, may we listen deeply to ourselves and each other as the heart left open heals itself. 

In gratitude,

Rev. Jen

Rev. Jen Crow

Senior Minister

First Universalist Church of Minneapolis

Sunday Worship

Sunday, Oct. 16, 9 & 11 a.m.

After Worship Happenings

10/9 Recording: "What We Need Is Here" 

Cycle of Life

News & Features

Racial Justice Rubric Listening Sessions

AFA Warm Clothes Drive

Habitat for Humanity

New Directory & Giving App

New Name Tags

Calendar

Sermon-based Small Groups

Board of Trustees Meeting

Daytime Connections 

Abolition 101

UU the Vote Letter Writing

Art & Spiritual Practice

Affiliates

Women's Ritual Circle 

AUW

12-Step Spirituality

Sunday, Oct. 16 — 9 & 11 a.m.

Mental Health Sunday

This Sunday is Mental Health Sunday, a service where we commit ourselves to creating a world where struggles with mental health are normalized and where seeking mental health care is destigmatized. Through word, song, and ritual we will make visible these commitments of our hearts, bodies, and minds, knowing that mental health care is something we all need access to, and that while not all illness can be cured, in community, we all can find healing. 

Please join us for worship this Sunday at 9 or 11 a.m.!

Worship leaders: Rev. Arif Mamdani, Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, Rev. Ashley Harness, and Franco Holder

ORDER OF SERVICE

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

This Sunday, we worship in person at 9 and 11 a.m. Masks are currently required indoors for ages 2+. 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

Religious Education classes are now in session for the 2022–2023 church year! Children and youth begin their morning in the sanctuary with their families. Childcare is available for Nursery-PreK kids, starting at 8:45/10:45 a.m. All ages are always welcome in the sanctuary! Learn more here.

A Place to Start (formerly First Step)

Are you new or new-ish to First Universalist and wondering where to begin? In this casual, 45-minute class, you'll learn some of the basics of Unitarian Universalism, as well as how to get connected to what you’re seeking here at church. Meet at the front of the sanctuary immediately after the service on a 1st or 3rd Sunday.

UU the Vote Letter-writing

Write non-partisan letters and postcards to folks in states with low voter turnout encouraging them to get out the vote on November 8! The First Universalist Election Action Team has a goal to send 20,000 letters and postcards as part of UU the Vote's Good Trouble Congregation challenge. Join the effort after both first and second services in the Social Hall or Cummins Room every Sunday through the month of October.

Recording: "What We Need Is Here"

Sunday, Oct. 9: As we continue our exploration of the theme, “You Can Count On This,” we turn our attention to our bodies this week. Sources of ancient wisdom carried deep within our bones, sources of comfort, pleasure, pain, joy, grief, and frustration – our bodies hold so much. Through story, prayer, music, poetry and shared breath, we’ll explore the wisdom of the body this week.

Watch here

Listen to the 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.

We want your perspective!

The First Universalist Change team is a committee of the Board of Trustees that is charged with supporting the congregation in its journey to live into its values and commitment of being a racially just community.  

One of the ways the Change Team is doing this work is to engage with the Antiracism rubric for UU Congregations, created by Julica Hermann de la Fuente & Christina Rivera.

The Change Team is using the rubric to gather the perspectives of various members and friends of First Universalist Church on where we are currently as it relates to our antiracism journey.

This “baseline” self-assessment will help us identify areas of church life where we are farther along on our antiracism journey, and areas where we might need to focus going forward. It will also help to uncover where perspectives across various identities and experiences in the church may differ. 

We will use the information we gather during this process to support the development of our new Visionary Goals, as well as to guide the work of the change team and the racial justice priorities of the church over the next few years.

We are meeting with various small groups that are active in the church and are also offering two general meetings open to all congregations:

Sunday, Oct. 16, 12:30 – 2 p.m. Virtual via Zoom

Sunday, Oct. 30, 12:30 – 2 p.m. In Person at Church (Room TBD)

Please sign up here.

We will send more detailed information to those who register.

Thank you!

First Universalist Change Team 

We will collect winter jackets and winter clothing for Augsburg Fairview Academy (AFA) students on Sundays, Nov. 6 and 13 in the Social Hall.

AFA is a public charter high school located in the Phillips neighborhood serving students who facing housing and economic insecurity. 

AFA is a long standing First Universalist Community Partner; we have served as the primary supporter of AFA’s Hope Clothing and Food Closets for more than 10 years. Volunteers are needed to help collect clothing and bring donations to AFA. 

For more information or to volunteer, please contact Cindy Marsh at: cindy.marsh2588@gmail.com

By Marnie Peichel

I have been volunteering on Habitat build sites since I was in college. Not every year, but I have probably worked on 15-20 homes. I signed up for my first one because I was an architecture student and I wanted to see how a house was actually built. We worked on capping off the foundation so it was literally learning about starting at the ground. I remember being nervous about joining as I did not have a lot of experience actually building anything big. Nothing to worry about though; volunteers are taught to do a task no matter what their skill level and it is very satisfying to find out that you can, indeed, help build a house! 

I am now an architect and I have organized my career in a way that I now work mostly on affordable housing and other small scale residential projects that bring community benefits beyond the structure. I continue to join Habitat build sites in order to learn about how the materials are used and what challenges are present so that I can be a better designer. I have learned a lot as I have worked on a different part of a house every single time I have volunteered. 



But, more importantly, I join the Habitat build days because I know how important it is for families to have the stability of a home. Having the security of a home helps kids do better in school. Owning a home helps families become rooted in a neighborhood community and build a social support system and fosters a sense of responsibility back toward neighbors as well. Owning a home helps families build wealth and, thereby, financial stability continuing on for future generations. Home provides a base from which to work toward additional education or a better job. Home provides a safe place to rest and relax. 

I invited my oldest son to join me this time. Another son has joined me on a couple builds as well. I want my kids to learn the importance of contributing toward helping others. I also want them to learn that they can do things they might otherwise think they can’t do. What better way to help others, build some confidence and skill, get to know other church members, and have some fun, than to work on a Habitat site! Come join us!! I hope to meet some more of you on the next First Universalist build day!

With the MobileMission app on your phone:

• Members can access the searchable member directory, choose which information is included in the directory, or opt out altogether.
• To request to opt out of the member directory without downloading the app, email Membership Coordinator Liz Farmer. 
• Anyone may give one-time or recurring gifts using a debit or credit card, or drafted from your banking account, and:
• Save payment methods to avoid entering your information each time you give
• View your giving history
• Anyone may update their contact information for the church’s records. Please do not use this option to delete current information. If you do not wish to have your contact information listed in the directory,  
• Anyone may upload their photo to their profile. Member photos will be visible in the member directory.

We invite you to download and start using this new member app now! Step-by-step instructions on downloading and using the MobileMission app are available here.

Questions? Please reach out to Membership Coordinator Liz Farmer at liz@firstuniv.org. 

You may have noticed since our return to the building that many members are sporting new name tags! If you are a member and would like to order a new name tag with larger text and your pronouns, please order here by Tuesday, Oct. 25. If you’d like to order a name tag, but aren’t sure if you’re a member, contact Membership Coordinator Liz Farmer.

Order your new name tag here!

Our Fall Program Guide contains dozens of opportunities to participate and connect at church this fall outside of Sunday worship and Religious Education. Some upcoming opportunities are listed below, but there are lots more online! Read about everything we have coming up here.

Choose Wednesdays or Thursdays, 7-8:30 p.m. at church or on Zoom 

Groups begin between October 20 and 27

Registration required; sign up here

If you're looking for a group in which you can give, receive and grow, this is a good place to start. Small groups offer a way into intentional religious community, with the same people committed to meeting together five or six times. These sermon-based small groups use the Sunday service message as the basis for personal reflection, and invite us to practice deep listening and sharing from our hearts as we support one another’s spiritual growth. There are a variety of times and options on the sign up form, including gathering with folks of various ages and identities and a choice of meeting in person or on Zoom.

"Meet Dr. Glen Thomas"

Thursday, Oct. 20, 10 a.m. program, lunch at noon

Sign up here

Through Daytime Connections at First Universalist, older adults empower each other to live intentional, joyful, purposeful, and spiritually fulfilled lives.

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. The October program will give you a chance to “Meet Dr. Glen Thomas.”

Sign in and coffee begins at 9:45 a.m., and the program starts at 10 a.m. A soup & salad lunch follows 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 in order to plan for lunch. 

Thursday, Oct. 20, 6:30 p.m. in person and on Zoom

The First Universalist Board of Trustees meets monthly on the third Thursday of the month, August through June. The October meeting of the Board of Trustees will be held on Thursday, Oct. 20 at 6:30 p.m., both in person at church and on Zoom. The board packet with meeting information and more details will be available here the week of the meeting.

Abolition 101: Imagining Freedom for All

Thursdays, Oct. 20, 27, Nov. 3, 10 & 17, 7–8:30 p.m. at church

or Sundays, Oct. 23, 30, Nov. 6, 13 & 20, 7–8:30 p.m. on Zoom

Registration required; sign up here

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, 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, welfare, and well-being of every person. (Each person’s feelings and experiences will be honored and respected. You do not have to believe in abolition to learn about it. This is not a seminar, debate, or discussion – it’s a listening and reflection circle.) Thursdays led by Denise Konen and Jeff Sylvestre, Sundays led by Brian Eshult and Lindsay Walz, all First U members

UU the Vote Letter Writing

Wednesday, Oct. 19, 5:30–7:30 p.m. in Room 206

Join the UU the Vote Team at First U as we write letters and postcards to key areas of the state and the country to encourage more voter turnout among young people, apartment-dwellers, and folks who haven't voted in midterms before. All materials are provided and the work is simple - there's just a lot of it to do! If you want to support the letter and postcard effort but cannot come to either of these events, find us in the Cummins Room on Sundays and write a few there or make a donation towards postage. If you'd like to write from home or donate for postage directly, get in touch with First U member Dallas at dallasrising@gmail.com. 

Community Knitting Circle

Tuesday, Oct. 18, 7–8:45 p.m. in Room 201

Sign up here

First Universalist knitters and crocheters meet to work on their projects and socialize. Some folks work on Hats for the Homeless or bears for The Mother Bear Project, two local charities. Others work on their own projects. All ability levels and both regular and occasional participants are welcome. Meets monthly on the third Tuesday from 7-8:45 p.m. The first and last meetings of the church year (October and May) are in person at church; all other meetings (November through May) are on Zoom; no meeting in December. Facilitated by Barb Melom and Valerie Garber, First U members

Meditation Group

Weekly on Tuesdays, 9–10:15 a.m. in Room 209 or on Zoom

Sign up here

The Tuesday Meditation Group is always open to new members and all are welcome. Facilitation is shared by those in the group. On the second Tuesday of the month, we have a Learning Session and end at 11 a.m. Sign up to receive more information and an email that includes the Zoom link for those who wish to join virtually. Contact Sara McMullen, First U member, with questions at 612-805-5059 or saramcminneapolis@gmail.com.

Chi-Gung

Weekly on most Thursdays, 10–11:30 a.m. on Zoom

Pat leads gentle movements with a focus on harmonizing our personal energies. No meetings on the third Thursday of the month. Contact Judy Broad at jab679@gmail.com for more info and Zoom access. Led by Pat Gottschalk, First U member

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 upcoming open rituals of the Under Northern Skies Women’s Ritual Circle. We will meet in room 209. The final open ritual of the year will be held on: Tuesday, Oct. 25

We gather at 7:15 p.m. and promptly begin an hour-long ritual at 7:30 p.m., with time for questions and socializing to follow. For members who choose to commit to the circle, the commitment ritual for this cycle will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 8, after which the circle will close to new members until September 2023.

Please contact Ann Hobbs at g.annhobbs@gmail.com with any questions.

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

Hiking Group: Meets most Saturdays at a park or trailhead. To get on the mailing list, send your name and email address to Linda Hammersten. Upcoming dates: Oct. 15, 10 a.m.; Oct. 16, 1 p.m. (Sunday); Oct. 22, 10 a.m.; Oct. 29, 2 p.m.

Game Group: Meets monthly 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 dates: Nov. 10, 7 p.m.; Dec. 8, 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 email invitation to our next meeting and be added to our email list by sending your name and email address to Abbie Finger. Upcoming dates: Oct. 24

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.

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.

Grace Neighborhood Nursery School Seeks Part-time (small) Bus Driver

Do you enjoy working with children? Have time on your hands and looking for a way to “give back”? First Universalist's tenant, Grace Neighborhood Nursery School, at 3400 Dupont Ave. S, is looking to hire someone to drive their small school bus for this school year. This is a part time position, driving the bus twice per day, Monday through Friday: 8–9 a.m. and noon–1 p.m. No special license required. Perfect for a “young” retiree, someone who works a late shift, or a stay-at-home parent. Contact Barb Murphy @ 612-872-8131 or email director@gracenns.com for more information.

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.