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August 13, 2020 | Vol. 7 No. 33
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| | Rev. Jen Crow |
It is so good to be back with you all! I'm grateful to have been able to take a break from most of my regular work responsibilities in July, and I'm grateful to be returning, too. I missed you all and the many ways that this community grounds me and helps me live into my values. I'm back rested and renewed and ready to go. Thank you for this time away.
While I was away, I stayed tuned in to all that is happening with our building renovation project, attending weekly coordination meetings, coming in for site visits, and helping with innumerable decisions small and large ranging from what kind of soap dispensers we want in the new bathrooms to what kind of beauty we can bring into our new entrance. I'm delighted to say that the project is proceeding in a timely way, on budget. Any of you who have participated in a renovation project know that this is no small thing.
Entering the building these days, I am overwhelmed by joy in the midst of the chaos of banging hammers and dust everywhere. We have made so many big and small decisions together over the last several years - sharing our financial gifts, our time and talent and expertise, our hopes and dreams for how our building can serve the larger community and our own church needs. We've centered our commitments to racial justice, environmental repair, multi-generational community and inclusion in our decisions. And now, when you move through the physical space of our building, all of those decisions come alive.
The space that is unfolding is intuitive, spacious, and well-thought out. The job site is full of women and Black, Indigenous, and people of color in the trades. Behind the walls, new heating and cooling, plumbing and electrical changes are reducing our environmental impact. New audio/visual equipment, restrooms, and a central accessible entrance communicate our wide welcome to all. The transformation of our physical space is not yet complete, but the transformation of how we do things - how we live out our values in decisions large and small as a community of faith - is well underway. I look forward to the day when we can share this space with our community and each other, and in the meantime, I love this experience of right now - when everything we've done is coming together to strengthen and build a new way of being.
In gratitude, Jen
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Building Renovation Update
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 Last time we shared an update on the building renovations, in the July 9 Liberal, construction had been underway for just about five or six weeks. The first month was spent mostly on demolition and abatement throughout the entire education wing, and by early July, layout and framing had just begun on the second floor.
Now, one month later, framing and electrical, plumbing, and HVAC rough ins on both first and second floors are almost complete, which will allow walls to start to being covered up next week. The fire alarm, security, and low voltage wiring for high speed internet in each classroom and the offices should be complete by the end of this week. Door frames were delivered yesterday and should go in soon, and work on the roof has begun. 
As with many a renovation project, our crews made some surprise discoveries. They found some degraded walls below grade, which require excavation and waterproofing to be installed from the exterior, and also encountered some structural elements of the building that were not on the original building plans, which delayed some of the work on the first floor a bit.
That said, a lot has progressed and been accomplished since our last update, and we are now just past the halfway point of the project, with completion scheduled for October.
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Sunday, August 16 at 10 a.m.
MULTIGENERATIONAL WORSHIP
"Radical Imagination"
Rev. Justin Schroeder and Bryana French
As author and activist adrienne marie brown writes, "We are in an imagination battle." It's true; imagination creates racial hierarchies, creates borders, creates supremacy thinking, creates oppression. As adrienne marie brown says, "I often feel I am trapped inside someone else's imagination, and I must engage my own imagination in order to break free."
Whose imaginations are we trapped in? Who are we trapping by our imaginations? And what does it look like to break free? Though story, spoken word, music and message, we'll explore what radical imagination might unlock in the world around us.
Connect to our live streamed worship between 9:55 and 10 a.m.:
ORDER OF SERVICE:
Welcome
Chalice Lighting
Story: Julica Hermann de la Fuente
Music
Prayer: Rev. Jen Crow
Music: "Spirit of Life"
Reading/Spoken Word: "Assume the Position" by H. Adam Harris
Message: Bryana French, Rev. Justin Schroeder
Offertory: "Circle Round for Freedom" Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout
Closing Words
"Go Now in Peace"
AFTER WORSHIP:
~11 a.m. Virtual Coffee Hour
After Sunday worship, join us for virtual coffee hour for all identities ( Meeting ID: 212 168 092 Passcode: 383174) or dial: 1-312-626-6799 and enter the meeting ID and passcode when prompted.
~11 a.m. BIPOC Virtual Coffee Hour for those who are Black, Indigenous, Multiracial, POC
Join here ( Meeting ID: 825 3313 5300; Password: 982432) or dial: 1-312-626-6799 and enter the meeting ID and password when prompted.
~11 a.m. First Step - a brief orientation to Unitarian Universalism and First Universalist Church for those who are new to this community. Join here.
Wednesday, August 19 at 7 p.m. WORSHIP This midweek worship experience for adults and older youth is a brief time (20-30 minutes) of connection, centering, and reflection, to help us find and keep our balance during this time of pandemic and physical distancing.
To join by phone (audio only), dial 1-312-626-6799 and enter the webinar ID.
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 "Poetry & Presence" - Arif Mamdani
Sunday, August 9 Worship Recording
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| | We introduced and welcomed three new worship leaders on Sunday: Amy, Barrington, and Julica. |
August 9 sermon summary and reflections by Liz Farmer:
Sunday's service is an invitation into spiritual practice
This week, Arif invites us to notice our experiences more deeply using the tool of poetry. Now, you might be thinking, "poetry's not for me, poetry's for the sophisticated types." And in that case, you will have already thought in the form of a poem - an American Sentence poem, to be exact - a 17-syllable form inspired by the traditional Japanese haiku poems (three lines, 5/7/5 syllables in each line, respectively). Playing with poetry can bring us further into the present moment and our imaginations at the same time. Say, for example, you write a haiku about a brisk, bright morning. How does writing a Dekkaz poem (3 lines, 2/3/5 syllables in each line) about the same instance bring you deeper into your experience of that morning?
Notice The sacred Presence in poems
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CYCLE OF LIFE & CONGREGATIONAL CARE
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Let Us Keep You in Our Thoughts and Prayers
If you are experiencing a crisis or transition, or celebrating a joy, please let us know; contact Rev. Karen Hutt at revkarenhutt@gmail.com. If you would like support, call the office at 612-825-1701 and follow the prompts for pastoral care on the recording. |
Welcoming New Staff: Julica, Barrington and Aimee
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Welcome Julica Hermann de la Fuente, Barrington Walker, and Aimee K. Bryant!
We are delighted to have Julica, Barrington and Aimee joining our staff. They all began on August 1 and are spending the first few weeks of this month getting (virtually) oriented to First Universalist. Soon, you'll begin to see them in worship and other online offerings. With their arrival, our staff team is shifting and changing once again. We're so excited about the ways we will shape, influence, and change one another and the church. We've been waiting for them for a long time, and we're ready to get to work together!
We've invited each of them to share a bit about themselves and who they are.
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Aimee K. Bryant
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Aimee K. Bryant, Artist in Residence, is an actor, vocalist, and teaching artist whose artistic practice is rooted in soul music. joy, and a rigorous curiosity about the way things are. Her mission is to use performance as a tool for self-reflection, individual and collective healing, liberation and transformation. She also identifies as a mother, roller skater, Buddhist, Detroiter, bicyclist, and foodie. Aimee has sung and performed many times at First Universalist over the years, both as an individual and with Give Get Sistet. Aimee will be our Artist In Residence this year, working 20 hours a month, and sharing her song and story telling in our worship services.
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| | | Barrington Walker | |
Barrington Walker, Cummins Ministerial Intern, writes: Greetings First Universalist Church! I hope this message finds you well. It is an honor to be joining your ministerial community this year, and to be working together for a united cause! I was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and moved to the states when I was around 1 year of age. I spent most of my adolescent years in Newark, NJ, before moving to Hartford, CT, where I graduated from High School. Prior to my first college experience, I spent a lot of time pondering the mystery of life, trying to understand what it means to be alive and in this world. My curiosity led me to study Psychology at the University of Phoenix Online in my undergraduate studies, and pick up Divinity in my master's program from Starr King School for the Ministry, to include the metaphysical aspects of the human experience which were not present in my undergraduate studies. I have spent the majority of my life as a companion to many along their life's journey, assisting them to get to their destination in one fashion or another. This has culminated into my development as a Holistic Life Coach. In my practice I work with Physical, Psychological, & Metaphysical tools to facilitate habit change towards the actualization of a Holistic Life Experience for those I companion.
I answered the call for the internship at First Universalist Church of Minneapolis this year because of the distinct call for the focus on counteracting Supremacy, especially in regards to Black Lives and other communities being oppressed. As a leader, I believe it is very important to focus on the issues that are causing the deficiencies in people's ability to live a Holistic Life, as it pertains to each person as an individual. My life and life experiences thus far are a result of the inequalities of life experience, and the struggles of my people, as a result of Supremacy at large. It is unfortunate to say that my experience of this life is that of struggle and hardship, at the hands of another, and the only experience I believe will be present for my people and I in this world, in my lifetime. From the moment I was born, till this very moment, life has been nothing but an endless journey of fighting to survive. In the development of my ministry, I aim to engage with the world as authentically as possible, and stand as a Leader of Change & Transformation for the benefit of those who may not be able to do so, who have suffered at the hands of Supremacy for far too long. May the Universe be with you!!!
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| | | Julica Hermann de la Fuente & family | |
Julica Hermann de la Fuente, Director of Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Ministries, writes: Hello First U! I am so excited to be joining your ministerial staff and community and to bring my passion for justice and education to our collective efforts. I come to you in the last steps of the journey towards ordination as a Unitarian Universalist minister, having recently completed an internship at the UU Ministers Association. I was born and raised in Mexico City, and found my commitment to anti-racism and anti-oppression when I came to college at the University of Michigan, and then stayed. In addition to a Lay Community Ministry degree from Meadville Lombard Theological School, I also hold a Master's in Social Work and all-but-dissertation doctorate in Sociology from the University of Michigan, and am certified as a master life coach. When not on shift for the resistance, you will find me making costumes for my two daughters Aliana and Sofia, enjoying the company of my husband Michael, looking for more excuses to frost fancy cakes, and reading optimistic sci-fi and fantasy possibilities of a just and equitable universe. I look forward to sharing more stories about my family and how my vocational path has helped me hone my commitment to justice and change, and to get to know your stories as well. I'm thrilled about the good work we will be doing together!
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Virtual Gatherings for Adults
Tuesday, Aug. 18 at 8 a.m.
Begin your week with spiritual grounding and sustenance, taking time to connect with your breath, your heart, your woundedness and your joy, in this half hour interactive session in which we check in and engage with a spiritual practice.
Third Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. (Next meeting: August 19)
The Young Adults group (for those in their 20s and 30s) is now gathering on a monthly basis. Connect with fellow First U young adults after Wednesday worship on the third Wednesday of the month for conversation and fun.
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Virtual Gatherings for Children, Youth & Families
TUESDAY
8 p.m. Single Parents Gathering with Rev. Sara Smalley - Parents/guardians who are single and/or co-parenting gather for mutual support and spiritual sustenance. Email Sara to be connected to the group at smalley.sara@gmail.com.
THURSDAY
8:15 p.m. Parents of Babies and Preschoolers (ages 0-4 years) with Lauren - Parents/guardians of little ones gather for mutual support and spiritual sustenance. (Meeting ID: 273-644-536 ; Password: 446240)
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Association of Universalist Women Social Hour
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AUW members are staying connected via a weekly Zoom Happy Hour.
Meeting ID: 834 7301 7986
Password: 557571
Phone number: 312-626-6799
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12 Step Spirituality Workshops, which had been hosted at First Universalist one Saturday per month, continue every Saturday on Zoom through October. All people interested in the 12 steps are welcome. The workshop includes meditation, centering prayer meditation instructions, short talks, small groups and more. Join here at 9:30 a.m. on Saturdays. The meeting ID is 392-510-399. Visit www.12stepspirituality.org for more details. If you have questions call Dick Y. at 952-893-1188.
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We offer several options for making donations online, whether it's a contribution toward the offering plate or your annual or capital gift.
Text to Give
To make a donation via credit card, use your smartphone to text "firstuniv" (without quotes) to the number 73256. You'll receive a link to a secure form where you can enter your information. Select the appropriate fund from the dropdown menu.
Square Cash Make a contribution using a debit card via the Square Cash app. Download this free app ( iPhone or Android) and set up your account - you'll need your debit card and a $cashtag (user name).
ACS (our online giving system) Make a one-time gift using the secure form located on our website here. Make sure that you've selected the correct fund (such as offering plate) if it's not an annual gift.
It's also okay to mail checks to the church, even though the office is closed. We are still receiving mail, though we are only collecting it once per week. It will likely take us longer than normal to process check payments, but you are welcome to send checks if you prefer!
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A Quick Guide on Where to Direct Commonly Asked Questions:
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Join Our Mailing List
Subscribe to The Weekly Liberal here. Sign up to receive our weekly Children Youth & Family Ministries news here.
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Church Office Hours
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The church office is closed until further notice.
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Weekly Liberal Submissions
We encourage you to submit news!
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Contact Us
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First Universalist Church of Minneapolis
3400 Dupont Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55408
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First Universalist Church of Minneapolis
3400 Dupont Avenue S.
Minneapolis, MN 55408
612-825-1701
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