"The Gifts of Darkness & Light"

Dear Ones,

On Tuesday morning when I arrived at the office, before I opened my computer, I spent several peaceful minutes sitting quietly in our staff break room. My eyes were closed and I was turned towards the large windows facing Dupont Avenue, basking in the bright blue sky and sunshine on one of the shortest days of the year. At the same time, I remembered the night just a few weeks ago when my partner and I rented a cabin up north. In deep darkness, miles away from the nearest city, we watched a shooting star briefly illuminate the expanse of the black sky.

Today, on the Winter Solstice, we remember the gifts of both darkness and light. We remember the blessings which come from darkness: from the darkness of the gestating womb, from the dark rain clouds cooling our overheating planet, from the darkness of compost, manure, and soil nourishing our gardens and farms. Resilient and ancient creatures come from the black depths of the sea, and prophetic wisdom and leadership from Black movement leaders. Simultaneously, we remember the blessings which come with the growing light: photosynthesis, warmth, energy, clarity, and direction. 

Tonight, at 7 p.m., we join as First Universalist Church to celebrate the longest night of the year and rejoice in the returning of the sun at our annual Winter Solstice Ritual. The celebration is one we build together as a community with earth-honoring traditions, music, shared moments in the darkness, and the bringing of warmth and firelight. Please join us for this annual service in the Sanctuary. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Then, this Saturday at 4 p.m., we continue our celebration of the gifts of night with our Christmas Pageant. Our annual Christmas Pageant is a beautiful telling of an ancient story. It is a tale of hope and hospitality, a reminder that every child is born a redeemer, a story that speaks to us all of what it means to be a seeker, a star, singing shepherds, a wanderer, a wise one. Just as with the Solstice, the story we tell in our Christmas Pageant reminds us that Jesus, too, was a gift of the night: a night of migration and rejection, of labor and childbirth, and of a community celebrating new life and possibility. 

While holding to the important history of the Christmas Pageant, we are also glad to share about a few of the changes we have made for this year. We – Program Specialist Hirut Hedge and myself – have made many of these changes based on feedback we received from people like you: parents, youth, children, congregants, staff, and community members. 

We have made additional faithful changes in our pageant to emphasize the connection between the story of Jesus’ birth with the stories of children being born in similar circumstances today, especially in situations of conflict and war. Jesus, a Jew, was born in what is now Palestine. The story we tell in our Christmas pageant takes place on land currently under Israeli military occupation, experiencing a tremendous loss of life, humanitarian disaster, and terror. If Jesus were to be born in Palestine today, he and his family would experience the same risk and violence which every other Palestinian infant, youth, and parent is right now.We are excited for you and your families to experience both the new and the familiar elements of our pageant this year.

We continue our celebration of the gifts of the night with our annual Christmas Eve Candlelight Service on Sunday at 7pm. This service at First Universalist is a time of meaning-making and music. Together we weave ancient scripture readings, modern poetry, carols, silence, and light our hearts and spirit anew with the candlelight of Love.

NOTE: There will be no Sunday morning worship service on December 24.

Night and day, dark and light; we enter these sacred days of Solstice and Christmas as a community which can hold multitudes. May you and your family experience all the peace that is possible in this season, and know that all of us at First Universalist are wishing you a meaningful holiday season. 

With care,

Allison Connelly-Vetter 

pronouns : she/her

Interim Director of Children, Youth, & Family Ministries

First Universalist Church of Minneapolis

Intro

"The Gifts of Darkness & Light"

Sunday Worship

This Sunday, Dec. 24,

No a.m. worship - 7 p.m. candlelight service ONLY

Low-sensory space

Worship Brainstorm

Sunday, Dec. 17 Recording

Cycle of Life

Winter Programs

January Programs

Community Dinner

Congregational Retreat

Circle Suppers

Meditation Group

Pastoral & Community Care

Grief Group

Caregivers Group

Faithful Action

Habitat for Humanity

News

Church Office Closed

Budget & Fundraising

Apron Amnesty

January 7 Service

Congregational Mtg

Community Events & Affiliated Orgs:

Hats for Unhoused People, AUW, 12-Step Spirituality

Some email programs truncate long emails; watch for "message clipped; view entire message" or similar at the bottom of this email if you don't see all contents listed.

There will be NO Sunday morning worship on December 24 ~ Christmas Eve

Upcoming worship schedule

See details about our special Holiday services below, and on the website.

TONIGHT, December 21 at 7 p.m.: Winter Solstice Ritual

Saturday, December 23 at 4 p.m.: Christmas Pageant

Sunday, December 24 at 7 p.m.: Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

Sunday, December 31: All-In Sunday ~ one service at 10 a.m.

On 12/31 there is childcare available for children in PreK and younger. There are no Religious Education classes. Children and youth of all ages are enthusiastically encouraged to join our All-In worship in the sanctuary with their families.

Sunday, January 7: All-in Sunday ~ one service at 10 a.m.

Families in Religious Education, please note:

Due to curriculum needs, some Religious Education classes will meet and most will not. Please read carefully to ensure that you have the information you need for your family to participate in worship and Religious Education on January 7. 

We will have childcare for children in Pre-K and younger for the duration of the 10 a.m. service. 

We will not have Religious Education for children and youth in grades K-6 or Senior High. Those children and youth are enthusiastically encouraged to attend our all-ages worship service. 

Youth in our 7th grade Neighboring Faiths program will attend a site visit. Parents and caregivers of 7th graders should look for more information from Program Specialist Hirut Hedge about timing coming in an email prior to the site visit.

Youth in 8th grade OWL (both the 9 & 11 a.m. sections) and in 9th grade Coming of Age will meet during our 10 a.m. service. Both sections of OWL will meet in the Cummins Room and Coming of Age will meet in room 209 as usual. Both OWL and Coming of Age will begin in their classrooms right at 10 a.m. (whereas Coming of Age usually begins in the service). 

Holiday Services

Winter Solstice Ritual

December 21 at 7 p.m.

Building will open at 6:15, seating will open at 6:30

at church and virtual

Zoom link

Celebrate the longest night of the year and rejoice in the returning of the sun at our annual Winter Solstice Ritual. The celebration is one we build together as a community with earth-honoring traditions, music, shared moments in the darkness, and the bringing of warmth and firelight.

Share the event on Facebook

Christmas Pageant

December 23 at 4 p.m.

Building will open around 3:15, seating will open around 3:30

at church and virtual

Zoom link

Our annual Christmas Pageant is a beautiful telling of an ancient story. It is a tale of hope and hospitality, a reminder that every child is born a redeemer, a story that speaks to us all of what it means to be a seeker, a star, a singer, a wonderer, a wanderer, a wise one. Our Christmas pageant this year will be performed by our kids and youth on Saturday, Dec. 23 at 4 p.m. There will be a light reception with hot cocoa and cookies following the performance.

Share the event on Facebook.

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

December 24 at 7 p.m.

Building will open at 6:15, seating will open at 6:30

at church and virtual

Zoom link

The annual Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at First Universalist is a time of meaning-making and music. This service is a weaving of ancient scripture readings, modern poetry, carols, silence, and lighting our hearts and spirit anew with the candlelight of Love.

NOTE: There will be no Sunday morning worship service on December 24.

Share the event on Facebook.

Worship Info

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.

AFTER WORSHIP

Coffee Hour in the Social Hall

Visit with old friends and meet new ones over coffee and cookies in our social hall.

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.

This space will be open from just before worship begins until the children are dismissed from Religious Education, at which time the low-sensory space will close and all children will go to their Religious Education classrooms and their adults will be invited to return to the sanctuary for the remainder of worship. 

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 which is where we are trying out the low-sensory space.

Community Worship Brainstorm

What are the questions that keep you up at night? What curiosities beckon you toward exploration? Share them with us by January 10, 2023, and let your voice become a building block for our collective exploration.

Join us in this sacred exchange. Share your thoughts, and help shape the future of our worship.

Read more from Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout.

Podcast Archive | Recording Archive | Sermon Archive

We rejoice with Jess Lyons and Jeff Narr on the birth of baby Jack! The whole family appreciates our care and celebration with them, especially big siblings Jules and Josie.



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.

Community Dinner

Wednesday, Jan. 10, 6-8 p.m. in the Social Hall (no family pre-party)

RSVP By Jan. 8 Requested

Swing by church for a delicious home-cooked meal at 6 p.m. in the Social Hall. All are welcome and there is no charge. On the menu for January is taco bowls! We always offer vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, nut free and kid-friendly options. All church events are alcohol-free. Following dinner, stick around and join a breakout group to learn more about one of the many opportunities for deeper engagement at church.

Breakout Group Options (see website for details):

• A Place to Start 
• Neurodivergent Adults
• Usher and Greeter Teams Training
• Habitat for Humanity Info Session 
• Listening Session with the Board
• Parents of Adolescents Peer Support
• Cleaning up as Spiritual Care

Spiritual Practices Congregational Retreat

Sunday, Jan. 21, 1-5 p.m. Save the date.

Registration to come in January.

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 one or two practice sessions facilitated by practitioners within our congregation. Practices so far include: centering prayer, writing, chant, quilting, meditation, yoga, aging well and more. Participants will also have the chance to join on-going practice groups meeting regularly in February, March and April. Save the date now so you can join us when registration launches in early January.

Circle Suppers

Kick-off Potluck - January 21st at 5pm

Registration coming soon

Suppers - 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.

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.

Grief Group (online)

Sunday, January 7 & 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)



Sunday, January 14 on Zoom, 1-2:30 p.m.

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. Come as you are, when you feel moved to attend on any or all dates. Email Rev. Arif Mamdani (arif@firstuniv.org) for zoom details. Facilitated by Rev. Arif Mamdani.

Church Office & Staff Holiday Break

The Church Office will be closed and we will be minimally staffed from December 25-January 23. You will receive The Liberal next week as usual, but any announcements sent to communications staff at this point will go into the following week's publication.

For pastoral care needs during this time, call 612-825-1701 and follow the prompts. For other communications, staff will return messages after the New Year. Happy Holidays!

Annual Budget & Fundraising

We are in the final weeks of the calendar year and with it, the season of year-end fundraising appeals. This church is no different. In just a day or two, you’ll be receiving requests from the church to support our annual budget and having heard a question or two about “where the money goes” figured this would be a useful bit of info:

Last June, the congregation approved the following budget for this fiscal year which runs from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024. At a high level, this is what you approved (detail is available in our monthly board packet which you can find here):

Revenue total: $1,457,500.00

On the expense side, what you’ll likely notice is that the largest part of our budget goes toward personnel costs. This is very common in religious and nonprofit organizations. The church’s practice is to try to be in line with the minimum salary guidelines published by the UUA. The UUA revises these guidelines every few years, and this last year made a series of changes that mean that most of our staff roles no longer meet the minimum levels. Our practice when the guidelines are updated is to give ourselves two years to bring salaries up to those minimum guidelines, starting with the lowest paid positions. What this means in practice is that often, the top earners in the congregation do not receive increases for many years due to budgetary constraints. This practice is also an external accountability check, helping us to ensure that our salaries are fair, set with some objectivity, and competitive within our market.

On the revenue side, it is important to note that the revenue lines you approved are not “cash in hand” lines. Rather, they are projected revenue based on pledge and sustaining gift commitments, as well as a “fundraising” line that projects fundraising income from things like year-end appeal letters, events, and the like. In other words, this is income that comes from the congregation in addition to pledges or existing sustaining gifts. In approving the budget, the congregation expressed confidence that these revenue lines were achievable. The fundraising that we are doing for the current fiscal year reflects these fundraising lines and this confidence.

We hope that this helps you to understand our present fundraising commitments and the invitations you’re receiving. If you have additional questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Rev. Arif Mamdani

Apron Amnesty!

If you happen to have taken home a black apron from the First Universalist Kitchen, in this time of giving and receiving, we're inviting you to bring them back to the kitchen, no questions asked. 

Or - if you're cleaning out your kitchen at home and found a few extra aprons, we'd happily take them! We especially could use some waterproof aprons for the clean-up crew.

Donations? contact Jim Poulter.

Amnesty? leave the apron in the kitchen. 

One 10 a.m. Service on January 7

IMPORTANT: On Sunday, January 7, we will have one worship service at 10 a.m.

Families in Religious Education, please note:

Due to curriculum needs, some Religious Education classes will meet and most will not. Please read carefully to ensure that you have the information you need for your family to participate in worship and Religious Education on January 7. 

We will have childcare for children in Pre-K and younger for the duration of the 10 a.m. service. 

We will not have Religious Education for children and youth in grades K-6 or Senior High. Those children and youth are enthusiastically encouraged to attend our all-ages worship service. 

Youth in our 7th grade Neighboring Faiths program will attend a site visit. Parents and caregivers of 7th graders should look for more information from Program Specialist Hirut Hedge about timing coming in an email prior to the site visit.

Youth in 8th grade OWL (both the 9 & 11 a.m. sections) and in 9th grade Coming of Age will meet during our 10 a.m. service. Both sections of OWL will meet in the Cummins Room and Coming of Age will meet in room 209 as usual. Both OWL and Coming of Age will begin in their classrooms right at 10 a.m. (whereas Coming of Age usually begins in the service). 

Mid-Year Congregational Meeting

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

Save the date. Registration and final agenda available in January. 

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.

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.

Early Bird Registration Opens December 1 for the AUW Spring Retreat

April 26-28, 2024, Camp Courage in Annandale, MN

Our theme this year is Igniting Change: The Light We Carry in a Barbie World

Register Now

The AUW Spring Retreat provides a thoughtful, safe, fun & joyful space for exploring workshop ideas such as self-hate and self-love, our childhoods, artistry and our power to make change. All the while we build community and deepen connections with each other.

Perhaps you are looking for a deeper connection with awesome & diverse women. Maybe you would like to sleep in, have a massage, walk the labyrinth, swim in a heated indoor pool, take a nap (or two!), listen to loons, go for nature hikes, be served delicious meals.

It may interest you to consider ideas related to self-love/self hate, artistry, becoming a change-maker, or to discuss Michelle Obama’s “pandemic book” and/or filmmaker Greta Gerwig’s exploration of being female. You might just want to play with Barbies!

All this is possible at our AUW Spring Retreat, April 26 – 28, 2024, at Camp Courage in Annandale MN, with our theme of “Igniting Change: The Light We Carry in a Barbie World”

Suggested pre read: The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama

Suggested pre-watch: The Barbie movie

Early Bird discount registration available December 1 to January 15 1 pm. We offer two ways to attend: 

Stay onsite for two nights, 6 meals included

$235 for AUW members (will cost $250 after January 15)

$275 for non AUW members (will cost $295 after January 15) 

Attend just for the day on Saturday, April 27, 2 meals included

 $100 for AUW members(will cost $135 after January 15)

 $135 for non AUW members (will cost $170 after January 15)

It pays to be a member of AUW. Visit our membership page to join!​

AUW offers scholarships to cover up to half the cost of retreat registration. If you need scholarship assistance, contact Sydney Dunitz.

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.

December 23 - Richardson Nature Center. 8737 East Bush Lake Road, Bloomington. Meet by Trailhead sign in Parking lot. Asphalt trail is easier in winter. Some easy hills. Nature Center has bathrooms.

January 6 - 2pm. Lakewood Cemetery. 3600 Hennepin Avenue South. Mpls. Meet by Chapel. Park on Driveway there. If you have never been inside chapel , take a look. The Chapel is an incredible place of art and architecture. Lynn will lead.

January 13 - 2pm. Wood Lake Nature Center. 6710 Lake Shore Drive. Richfield, MN. Can meet inside Building or just outside building. Bathrooms, exhibits. Path is usually packed down. Flat. Wood Lake Nature Center is where AUW hikes started in January of Covid. So cold out, but everyone came to see people in person, not ZOOM! Maybe 15 people came? Look for Marie with a Red Jacket

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 January 11. 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.