APRIL 4, 2024

Sunday, April 7

"Interfaith Interdependence"

Rev. Laura Smidzik

Jamie Hubbard, Service Leader

Sunday, April 14

"Where no man(?) has gone before..."

Chad Snyder, Commissioned Lay Minister

Amy Luedtke, Service Leader

Sunday, April 21

"Celebrating Earth Day"

Rev. Laura Smidzik

Joey Hunter, Service Leader

Scroll down for the details on

Upcoming Worship Services and

Programs, Events, Announcements.

Name Choice Task Force Announcement

Save the Date! Spring Events

Potluck and Coffee House

April 6

IFTAR Dinner

April 8

SACA Group Volunteer Opportunity

April 20

Wisdom Dances Earth Day Event

April 22

Generosity Joy Jam

April 28

A Donation of New Technology for Hybrid Meetings

April Special Collection

Lemus Perez Family

April Worship Theme

The Gift of Interdependence

Women's Book Group

April 6

Sunday Evening Book Group

April 14

Sunday, March 31

"Everyday Miracles"

Rev. Laura Smidzik

Liz Haworth, Service Leader

Budget Hearing

March 24, 2024

Sunday, April 7

10:30 am

Fridley Community Center and Zoom

"Interfaith Interdependence"

Rev. Laura Smidzik

Jamie Hubbard, Service Leader

On March 17, during her Ramadan service, Rev. Laura talked about how we’d be wise to grow relationships with other progressive faith communities in the area. How do we lean into interfaith work so we can practice interdependence beyond our own congregation? 

Sunday Service April 14

10:30 am

Fridley Community Center and Zoom

"Where no man(?) has gone before..."

Chad Snyder, Commissioned Lay Minister

Amy Luedtke, Service Manager

Bending the arc of the universe toward justice takes moral imagination -- an interdependence of past and present to envision a different and hopefully better future. From the bridge of the Starship Enterprise (and other fantastical imagined places across space and time), we will explore the ways moral imagination both expands and is confined by our own imaginings.

Sunday Service April 21

10:30 am

Fridley Community Center and Zoom

"Celebrating Earth Day"

Rev. Laura Smidzik and Joey Hunter

Service Leader



We honor the interdependent web of all existence which includes the earth and all its inhabitants. This Sunday will be a celebration of nature and how our relationship with it grounds us and gives us great joy. We ask that people attending in person bring a small vessel for planting. We will provide soil and seeds. If you plan to attend on zoom, consider having supplies on hand at home or request through Rev. Laura that one be brought to you in the week following the service.

Announcement from the

Name Choice Task Force

Members and Friends of MSUS,



Vote 2, the vote to select the final part of our potential new name, is upon us! The final candidates for a unique name can be viewed here: Final Unique Name Candidates. 

• As with Vote 1, we will be voting on paper ballots, which will be distributed Sunday, April 14th. We will email a ballot as an attachment that you can print out at home, fill out, and return to us in many zesty and fulfilling ways. We will also have paper ballots that you can pick up at the April 14th service. 

• If you need a ballot sent via US mail please email office@msuu.org to let us know by Tuesday, April 9th, so we can get one in the U.S. mail to you.

• We will have one week to vote, plus a few days for some of your ballots to return by mail. To be counted, ballots must be received by Friday, April 26th. We hope to receive the majority of ballots in person at the April 21st service.

Save the Date!

Spring Events

As we move into the spring here are important dates at MSUS to remember:

• May 14, 7:00 pm, Annual Meeting in person at Pilgrim House and on zoom.

• May 25, 7:00 pm, Spring Concert at Pilgrim House

• June 8, 7:00 pm, Delphi Concert at Pilgrim House

• June 13, 5:30 pm, Gather to march in the Fridley 49ers Parade 

MSUS Potluck and Coffee House

Saturday, April 6

5:30 (Potluck), 6:30 (Coffee House)

In Person: Pilgrim House

Online: Our Zoom Room

Join us for the monthly MSUS at Pilgrim House for the monthly Pot Luck and Coffee House (the coffee house is hybrid too). All are invited to attend and perform. Contact Chad Snyder at chadasnyder@gmail.com if you want to perform.

Iftar Dinner Hosted by the Turkish American Society of MN

Monday, April 8, 7:45pm

Pilgrim House



Gather around 7:45 pm and dinner will be served at 7:51 pm when the sun sets and it is time to break the fast.

Serpil Misirli and her friends will be hosting another Iftar dinner this year!

They will be serving a main dish, soup, appetizers, salad, fruits, and dessert.



Scan the QR code to rsvp or go to  RSVP form.

Seating is limited so please RSVP. 

Volunteer Opportunity

When: Saturday April 20th 7:30 am till 12:30 pm (+ or -)

Where: SACA (southern Anoka community assistance)

627 38th Ave NE

Columbia Heights, 55421

Who: We need a group at minimum of 7, maximum 15, volunteers. Involves walking, pushing a cart, standing, lifting 8 to 10 pounds or if you can, more. 



What: Filling orders for SACA delivers. You take a pre labeled banana box on a cart, go through the tables filling their box with elders requests on order sheets. Push the cart to the scale and weigh it. Then grab an empty box and do it all again. Options if you like, are to lift full boxes into stacks, or help volunteer delivery people (that’s what I do) load vehicles on the various routes. These groceries go to 55+ Disabled persons otherwise unable to get to the food shelf. This is a monthly volunteer driven service. There unfortunately is a long waitlist for people to receive this service.  You will be a great part of helping feed those most in need. Emily from SACA will be in the warehouse at all times for questions. She is awesome.

How: email Polly at pollybangdrums@gmail.com or tell me in Sunday service. This is an important commitment and SACA can use lots of our help.

Come watch MSUS Congregant, Mary West at a Wisdom Dances Earth Day Event

Saturday April 27, 9:15 am

Begins at East River Flats

360 E. River Parkway

A one-of-a-kind dance experience with live music traveling along the Mississippi River to bless the beginning of the growing season, honor the water, pray for peace, and spread joy.

Join Wisdom Dances, Mary West, Greg Herriges, and Eye of the Heart Center for Creative Contemplation for a roving dance and music celebration drawing from springtime dance traditions in the Balkans. You can join us at any stop, or for the entire route!

• 9:15 am – Opening celebration begins at East River Flats where we will honor the water that gives us life. 360 E. River Parkway

• 10:15 am – Dowling Community Garden. We will share some dances dedicated to planting, honoring bees, and evoking rain. 3207 South 37th Avenue

• 3rd stop: Wabun Picnic Area (in Minnehaha Regional Park). On this bluff we will dance for peace for all peoples. 4655 46th Avenue South

• Final stop: Hidden Falls. We will return the water to the river in gratitude. Time for some celebration dances! 1313 Hidden Falls Drive

Questions? Contact Mary West at marymargwest@gmail.com

Generosity Joy Jam!

A Celebratory Pledge Sunday

April 28, 10:30 am

Fridley Community Center

Come one, come all to the Generosity Joy Jam! What better way to celebrate our community and spirit of generosity that sustains it? If you would like to perform, please contact Chad at chadasnyder@gmail.com.



You will receive 2024-2025 pledge information in a few weeks. We ask that everyone pledges by or on Generosity Joy Jam Sunday.

A Donation of New Technology for Hybrid Meetings (Outside of Worship and Congregational Forums)

Thank you to Kevin Sitter and Katie Johnson for purchasing and donating a small meeting AV kit that will support OWL and other small group meetings going forward. This will allow us high-quality hybrid experiences for zoom users. We are MOST GRATEFUL for their thoughtfulness, proactiveness, and generosity! 

April Worship Theme: The Gift of Interdependence

"Interdependence. We honor the interdependent web of all existence. 

We covenant to cherish Earth and all beings by creating and nurturing relationships of care and respect. With humility and reverence, we acknowledge our place in the great web of life, and we work to repair harm and damaged relationships."

- from Soul Matters 2023-24 Themes & Article II Connections

April Special Donation

The Lemus Perez Family

A family from Guatemala that was separated at the border under the Trump administration. The family was reunited and are in the US for three years with the status of humanitarian parole. MSUS in partnership with the Unitarian Universalist Church of Minnetonka are supporting the family by providing groceries, transportation, household items, and winter clothing. We are also connecting them with services to get medical insurance, dental care, and tax preparation assistance.

Sunday Evening Book Group

April 14, 7 pm

Sig & Marti’s

A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraqib. 283 pages. Published in 2021. A sweeping, genre-bending “masterpiece” (Minneapolis Star Tribune) exploring Black art, music, and culture in all their glory and complexity—from Soul Train, Aretha Franklin, and James Brown to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Whitney Houston, and Beyoncé

MSUS Women's Book Group

April 6, 9:30 am

Online: Our Zoom Room

Book selected: Non-Fiction. Off the Edge: Flat Earthers, Conspiracy Culture, and Why People Will Believe Anything, by Kelly Weill

The MSUS Women's Book Group is a gathering of female (identifying as female/feminine, LGBTQ+ inclusive)) members and friends who meet the first Saturday of each month to discuss books written by female identified authors. The group alternates between fiction and non-fiction works recommended by one or more of the group members.  Contact Pat Ferrian (ferri004@gmail.com) to be added to the email list.

Meetings are held online via ZOOM, 9:30 am to 11:30 am. Unless otherwise noted, use the “Our Zoom Room” (Yellow Button) on the msuu.org home page. 

I Pledge My Allegiance to Interdependence Rev. Laura Smidzik

Linda and I bought season tickets to the first season of the PWHL—the professional women’s hockey league. Linda was raised playing and watching sports. My family watched some of the Superbowl and sometimes we watched the Olympics but that was it. So, attending sporting events is a more recent experience that I came to in my early adulthood with Linda. I love going

to women’s sports events. They remind me that the world is changing and I get teary-eyed at every hockey game when the camera scans the crowd and highlights images of extremely exuberant teams of young girls in their hockey jerseys up on the jumbotron in the center of the arena. The energy in that space is unmatched by anything else in my daily life!

There is a feeling of community at women’s sporting events. There are lots of families and kids and my guess is that a lot less alcohol is consumed so their crowds are predominantly sober, kind, and enthusiastic without being overbearing. When I brought my friend Rev. Kate Tucker to a Lynx game she was struck by how communal it is as we cheer and jeer in tandem.

One of my least favorite parts of sporting events is the opening when players line up, the lights dim, we are all asked to stand and remove our hats and listen to the national anthem. I feel uncomfortable because I dislike the mixing of sports and national pride. An Atlantic magazine

article calls it “The Problem with Mandatory Patriotism in Sports” saying, “pro leagues shouldn’t strong-arm teams into playing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’”

It is not that I am anti-American, it is just that I dream of a world without borders. I bought into the song “This land is made for you and me” in the broadest possible sense of that phrase. Capitalism, nationalism, and protectionism are all tangled up in one. It makes us close ourselves

off to others and fall too easily into an “us” and “them” dichotomy.

When I read the words of Robin Wall Kimmer from Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants I felt myself take a deep breath and an internal “yes!” Kimmer says:

"What would it be like to be raised on gratitude, to speak to the natural world as a member of the democracy of the species, to raise a pledge of interdependence? No declarations of political loyalty are required, just a response to a repeated question: “Can we agree to be grateful for all that is given?”

I long to be in a country where we leave the Star Spangled banner and the image of “our flag” still standing behind and replace it with a pledge of interdependence forever reminding us that we need one another. Political loyalty has been used in times of unity, but far too often as a

means of oppression, marginalization, and division. As we focus on the theme reflecting a core UU value of interdependence this month, I hope we can find openings in our hearts and imagination that help build connections to one another, people outside of our congregation,

and the sacred earth that sustains us.