First Universalist Church
October 24, 2014
Issue No. 4, Volume 1
In This Issue
Welcome!
The Weekly Liberal

We are excited to introduce to you The Weekly Liberal, our new publication hybrid combining the best features of the 'old' Weekly E-News and Liberal monthly newsletter!

The Weekly Liberal is the result of a variety of congregant feedback and staff research, in the hopes of bringing you relevant, informative, and inspiring content in a timely and vibrant format.  By combining these two former publications and creating a new, weekly digital newsletter, we save on paper consumption, staff and volunteer resources, and mailing costs, all while providing a weekly news and worship source that is also synced up with our other church publications.  If you have received this email in error, and do not wish to be on the mailing list for The Weekly Liberal, simply unsubscribe by clicking on the 'SafeUnsubscribe' link near the bottom of this email.

Any questions, comments, or feedback can be directed to Communications Manager Heidi Johnson at: communications@firstuniv.org
Sunday Worship for October 26, 2014

Rev. Justin Schroeder will be preaching "Is Peace Possible?" at both services, with special musical guests performing.  To view the Order of Service & Bulletin online, click here.
Service is at 9:30 and 11:15 AM. The church office is open from 8:00 AM--1:00 PM on Sundays.

Parking information, maps, and directions to First Universalist can be found by clicking here.

Additional information about Sunday's musical guests:



On Sunday, October 26, the First Universalist Choir and Orchestra will present "Mercy" from Jonathan Elias' record album entitled Prayer Cycle. The work is a synthesis of diverse musical styles, including European, African, and Native American music traditions. Listeners are amazed that these eclectic elements come together in a cohesive whole.

First Universliast Choir member Ian Cook custom arranged the piece, making our live performance possible. Geoff Jones, member of the Grammy Award winning Sounds of Blackness, sings the solo in Swahili, our own Ruth MacKenzie performs the Hungarian solo, and Lisa Hirst Carnes performs the oboe obligato. 

This will be an anthem not to be missed!!

Did You Miss Last Sunday's Service?

We have podcasts available online of all of our sermons!  Here is a snapshot from Rev. Jen's sermon this past Sunday--


"The truth is complicated - that is what I know. We are complex, complicated, messy people - full of beauty and broken-ness - we are different with different people - in our behavior and in their perceptions of us - and all of it is true. The truth is complicated - but it is also crucial - absolutely crucial - to any sort of spiritual life and transformation of our world."

To listen to Rev. Jen's October 19th sermon in its entirety, click here!
October Worship Theme:
"Keeping it Real"
    

Every so often we need to clean out the spiritual closet. The stack of games we've played on ourselves or others have fallen on our heads just one too many times. It's time to make an accurate assessment of our disarray and discontent, keep what we need, and discard what we don't. In this way, we make room for the whole and the holy in our lives. This month we will be talking about the importance of taking a spiritual inventory and keeping it real.

Resources from Rev. Ruth MacKenzie:


By Anand Giridharadas 

The True American tells the story of Raisuddin Bhuiyan, a Bangladesh Air Force officer who dreams of immigrating to America and working in technology. But days after 9/11, an avowed "American terrorist" named Mark Stroman, seeking revenge, walks into the Dallas minimart where Bhuiyan has found temporary work and shoots him, maiming and nearly killing him. The True American traces the making of these two men and follows them as they rebuild shattered lives-one striving on Death Row to become a better man, the other to heal and pull himself up from the lowest rung on the ladder of an unfamiliar country.


By Rev. Erik Walker Wikstrom

Drawing from the wisdom of the world's religions, Simply Pray offers us an easy-to-use modern prayer practice free from any particular theological orientation.Rev. Wikstrom identifies and defines the four major types of prayer that are practiced by all the world's major religions:

* "Naming" the many ways in which the holy is present in daily life and the wider world

* "Knowing" the self introspectively-both in its strengths and weaknesses

* "Listening" to the "voice of quiet stillness" that resides in each individual

* "Loving" by reaching out to the world

All of these four kinds of prayer are ways in which we keep it real.

Pastoral Care
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. If you'd like to be included in our Cycle of Life each Sunday in worship, please contact Sandy diNanni at (sandy@firstuniv.org) or (612) 825-1701. If you would like support, please contact Rev. Jen Crow (jen@firstuniv.org or 825-1701) or any member of our Pastoral Care Team.

Join The Pastoral 
Care Team
The Pastoral Care Team is a group of First Universalist Church congregants, led by the Rev. Jen Crow, who provide confidential pastoral care to friends and members of our congregation in need of support. We visit people at homes, hospitals, and hospice or at the corner coffee shop. 

If you would like to join the Pastoral Care Team we'd love to hear from you. Team members will agree to serve for a two-year term, attend a day long training session, and attend monthly meetings led by Rev. Jen Crow. On boarding of new Pastoral Care Team members will occur in January of 2015. For a description of the job please click here. To apply, click here for an application. Applications are due by December 1st, 2014.

For more information, please contact Andrea Johnson, Pastoral Care Team coordinator at ajohnsonfry@gmail.com
Upcoming Events

Saturday, 10/25
Pathway to Membership, 9:00 AM, Cummins Room

Saturday, 10/25
Young Families Halloween Party, 9:00 AM, Social Hall

Sunday, 10/26
Peace Pole Re-Dedication, 12:30 PM, Outside by the Peace Pole

Sunday, 10/26
Cracking the Codes Film Viewing, 1:00 PM, Cummins Room

Tuesday, 10/28
Cracking the Codes Film Viewing, 7:00 PM, Room 203

 

For more information about events at First Universalist, check out our website by clicking here! 

 

 

Universalist Jazz Band Concert, November 8th!

Do you long for the return of the big, beautiful sounds of the First Universalist Jazz Band? 

Here's your chance! Come join John Jensen and his Big Band on Saturday, November 8th at 7:30 p.m. for a rousing, free concert in the First Universalist Sanctuary. 

Also joining John for some songs of the era will be First Universalist members George Dow and Kira Berglund. Mark your calendars now, and swing by for a hot time in the old sanctuary!
 
Augsburg Fairview Academy
This year marks the third year of our First Universalist Church support and partnership with Augsburg Fairview Academy (AFA) as part of our racial justice and housing ministry. AFA is a public charter school which provides opportunity for students who have not been successful in the public school system to complete high school and prepare for college or other post-secondary education. The 175+ students are primarily African American, Native American, and Somali. Over 60% are homeless and others are marginally housed.
First Universalist provides staff and supplies for the Hope Food and Clothing Closets as well as academic assistants in the classroom. Our congregants generously donated 48 backpacks for students at the start of this school year.

Donations for the Hope Food Closet can be brought to the Hub on Sundays.  Pick up a "shopping list" at the Hub.  Briefly,  we need snacks like granola bars and easy to prepare foods like single serving microwavable soups, mac and cheese, stews, and other meals. Toiletries needed include toothpaste and toothbrushes, deodorant, and tampons (we have plenty of travel size shampoo, conditioner, lotion and soap).
Do you have news, information, an announcement, a photo, or an article that you would like to see published in The Weekly Liberal?

Click here to fill out our online submission form!  Please note that edits for length and/or content may occur.

The deadline for submission is always Tuesday at 10:00 AM.  The Weekly Liberal is published Thursday afternoon.
    

Would you like to join our mailing list?

Click here to receive
The Weekly Liberal from First Universalist Church in your inbox every Thursday!

2014-15 Annual Events

Our 2014-2015 schedule of Annual Events is available online!  The 2014 Fall worship schedule is also included in this document.  Click here to view.

Connect With First U

    
 

Church Office Hours
Sunday 
8:00 AM-1:00 PM

Monday 
8:30 AM-8:00 PM

Tuesday 
8:30 AM-8:00 PM

Wednesday 
8:30 AM-8:00 PM

Thursday 
8:30 AM-8:00 PM

The church office is closed Fridays and Saturdays.
Senior Minister
Rev. Justin Schroeder
justin@firstuniv.org

Minister of Program Life
Rev. Jen Crow
jen@firstuniv.org

Minister of Worship Arts and Coming of Age
Rev. Ruth MacKenzie
ruth@firstuniv.org

Minister of Membership and Adult Ministries 
Rev. Elaine Aron Tenbrink
elaine@firstuniv.org

Director of Operations
Diane Gavere
diane@firstuniv.org

Director of Children, Youth, & Family Ministries
Lauren Wyeth
lauren@firstuniv.org

For additional staff contact information, click here.

The Weekly Liberal is compiled and edited by Communications Manager Heidi Johnson.  

To submit an article or announcement for publication in The Weekly Liberal, please fill out the online submission form here

Please note that edits for content and/or length may occur. Additional information about publication deadlines, submission requirements, and policies can be found in the communications section of our website.  

Any questions, comments, or concerns about The Weekly Liberal or church communications in general can be directed to: communications@firstuniv.org.  
Next Up For 
The Weekly Liberal
As you might soon notice, we rotate news and feature articles in and out of the Weekly Liberal via one week, two week, and one month cycles, depending on the content.  While we always provide new & updated content in every edition, we also cycle in important pieces that run multiple times (usually twice) to ensure that members and friends of First Universalist have the opportunity to view this information.

Up on deck, for next week:

~ Timeline of First Universalist's Partnership w/Habitat for Humanity in 2015

~ 5 Questions with staff member Paula Goldade

~ Featured spotlight on Children, Youth, & Family Ministries

~ HTLB Update from Rev. Jen

...and much more!


The Power of Play
By Rev. Justin Schroeder, Senior Minister

I love playing games. If there's a game of Cranium, Pictionary, Janga, Hearts, Stratego, or something else going on, I want in! Games allow us to laugh, be silly and have fun. Games and play can break down barriers and boundaries between people. In fact, a play ethic that encourages mutual playfulness and creativity might help us respond, in a whole new way, to the failures, challenges, and tough decisions of life, including the challenges of climate change, racial inequity, and more. I feel a deep affinity with tricksters, clowns, and jesters - those who encourage and invite us to see play as "holy." As author Wes Nisker says, these tricksters often help us see our serious behavior as ritualized and rationalized nonsense. As you know, religious traditions are filled with such characters, trying to awaken us out of our slumber.

Speaking of play, we've got a big "play date" coming up on Saturday, November 15. It's an "Evening in Venice," our annual party and fundraiser, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. We'll have food, fun games, music and a DJ, Great Gatherings you can sign up for, and some outstanding live auction items. Tickets go on sale this Sunday at church, and if cost would prevent you from attending, please let us know. We don't want anyone to miss this playful party!

This Sunday our choir is performing and my sermon topic is, "Is Peace Possible?" This sermon will be a nuanced look at what peace is, what it requires of us, and how it is connected to our racial justice journey. I hope you'll invite a friend to join you on Sunday. 

I'll see you in church,
Justin

P.S. Please join us at 12:30 p.m. this Sunday in the Peace Garden (in front of the church) for our re-dedication of the Peace Pole and of First Universalist as a Peace Site.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Save The Date:
Nov 15, 5:30-9:30 pm
"An Evening in Venice"

We'll have a fabulous Italian Dinner, Gatherings Great and Small to sign up for, a live auction, and a 'duck pond' for chances to win prizes. We are looking for great gathering donations, as well as items similar to the silent auction to be used as duck pond prizes- homebrew, cookies, peanut brittle, etc. 

Come join the party! Tickets are on sale in the social hall. 

Send donation submissions to: 
Pam Vincent at pbvincent1@comcast.net or 
Jane Baudelaire at jane.baudelaire@gmail.com


News and Announcements
Racial Justice Movie Discussion
Cracking the Codes, Part I

Created by Shakti Butler, this film examines the causes and consequences of systemic inequity. Cracking the Codes: The System of Racial Inequity features moving stories from racial justice leaders including Amer Ahmed, Michael Benitez, Barbie-Danielle DeCarlo, Joy DeGruy, Peggy McIntosh, Rinku Sen, Tilman Smith and Tim Wise. Discussion facilitated by Brian Eshult, Margaret Manderfeld, and Lark Weller

Sunday, October 26 
from 1:00-2:30pm in the Cummins Room
-OR-
Tuesday, October 28 
from 7:00-8:30pm in Room 203

This is a drop-in group; no registration is required. Childcare available with at least 7 days advance notice at:

http://firstuniversalistchurch.org/childcare-request-form/

Blood Drive at First Universalist!

Give the gift of life!

Bloodmobile will be at the church:
November 2, 9:00 to 1:00 PM

Sign ups in social hall the next two Sundays

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Women's Ritual Circle

Self-identified women who are interested in earth-based and pagan spirituality who would like to commit to the circle for the coming year are invited to our commitment ritual on Thursday, November 6 (Full Moon in Taurus), after which the circle will close to new members until next fall. Ritual will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. 

Contact Beth at belovedporcupine@gmail.com for more information.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Racial Justice and Our UU Faith 
 
By Rev Elaine Aron Tenbrink, 
Minister of Membership & Adult Ministries

Saturday, November 8, 9am-1pm, 
Cummins Room

Led by Susan Hoffman, Clemma Muller, and Richards Spratt

Have you heard about our racial justice commitment? Want to learn more about where we're headed and how we're getting there? This interactive workshop provides a framework and tools for understanding race, racism, and whiteness and the spiritual imperative that drives our racial justice work. We will learn about the construct of race, the history of racism, and the experience of whiteness. Join us for this morning of learning, connection, and reflection. Registration is requested. Please contact Rev. Elaine Aron Tenbrink at elaine@firstuniv.org or 612-825-1701 x124. Childcare is available from 9-12 with 7 days advance notice by submitting this form: http://firstuniversalistchurch.org/childcare-request-form/



Circle Supper Sign-Up

 

Looking for a great way to meet new people within the congregation and enjoy good food and conversation? 


 

Then join Circle Suppers!  This runs from November through March on the first Saturday of every month.  Small groups of 6-8 people meet at a participant's home for dinner where the host provides the main course and guests bring other dishes that are needed.  You are required to host one time.  The deadline for sign up is October 31, 2014.  Please contact Marybeth Hoelzer for any questions (612-824-1121 or mhoelzer@mac.com).

 

Guilt-Free Halloween Alternative

  

Wait--don't buy Halloween candy yet! 

 

6th graders will be offering fair-trade chocolate and packets of popcorn between Sunday services on Oct 19 and Oct 25. 


As part of a social justice project, the 6th grade 9:30 Religious Education class chose to learn about how children are exploited by the chocolate industry. They have done research, will be offering information at their table in the social hall, and hope congregants will buy fair-trade products instead of the usual candy to hand out on Halloween.

Please stop by the sales table and ask them what they learned. It has been an eye- opening journey for them. You can support the kids' efforts and take a small, easy step toward social justice with your donation, knowing the treats you'll hand out are good for ALL kids.

 

Features
Did You Know?

By Lauren Wyeth, Director of Children, Youth, & Family Ministries


 

Did you know that this year's Coming of Age graduates will be going on a pilgrimage to Boston in 2015? Boston is the location of the first Universalist congregation in the nation, founded in 1779. In the Boston area, our youth visit important sites in the Transcendentalist movement, leave stones at the site of Thoreau's cabin on Walden Pond, and tour the headquarters of the Unitarian Universalist Association. You can check out the UUA's publication, Historical Walking Tour of Unitarian and Universalist Boston, online by clicking  here.

 

Get To Know Your First U Staff!  
 Five Questions with Chelsea Bertsch

Every few weeks, we will be featuring a staff member in this section answering a few questions about their job (and a few fun questions, too!)

Tell us a about your job.  What do you do here at First Universalist Church?

My position here is Administrative Assistant. I work closely with the Office and Events Manager with room reservations, supervise front desk volunteers, assist the Senior Minister, and provide general clerical support to the staff.

What are some things that you enjoy about working at First U?

The people here are wonderful: staff and congregation! I can't stress that enough. This is going to sound real soppy, but this is the first job I've had where I feel like I truly belong. Also, I really enjoy the work I do. I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to do so many different things. As Brad mentioned last week, the variety is truly refreshing.

If you could attend a dinner party with any six additional people-famous, dead, alive, anyone-who would they be?

Okay, is there a way I could make all six of my dinner companions be Bob Dylan? ... Well one would definitely be Bob Dylan. My other five? I'll go with Oscar Wilde, Nina Simone, David Bowie, Dorothy Parker, and astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

What are your top three favorite movies?

My three favorite movies are (in no particular order) Breakfast at Tiffany's, Midnight Cowboy, and 1776. The musical, not the HBO special.

And lastly, If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Full disclosure, I still (not-so-secretly) hope to become Sailor Moon one day. But since I can choose only one super power, I would choose luck. Once you have luck everything else should fall into place.


Inside a Circle: 

Queer Young Adults Community Circle
Interview by Rev. Elaine Aron Tenbrink, 
Minister of Membership & Adult Ministries

The Queer Young Adults Community Circle opened its doors again this fall to those who wish to reflect on our worship services in the company of other people in their 20's and early 30's who identify as queer. Kaitlyn Hunt and Andrew Hockman, the group's current co-facilitators, have generously offered The Weekly Liberal their reflections on this experience, what brought them to First Universalist, and the meaning of the word "queer." An excerpt from the interview:
 

    
 

What have you learned through participating in this Circle?


Andrew: That we all share in the human experience. It's probably a general truth about the human condition that we all at times are unsure of ourselves, fearful, joyful, excited, but in a society that tells us to have it all figured out, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that most of us don't. The circle brings me back to humility, vulnerability, and the strength that can only be found when we share honestly. 

Kaitlyn: Putting what I have learned into a short synopsis feels like it would be short changing something that has changed my life. Here are just a few of my key takeaways: I have learned that I am not alone. I have learned to embrace my True self. I have learned what it is like to intently listen to the beauty of others and their stories. I have learned to embrace the discomfort of silence. I have learned that there is hope for continuous change towards betterment. 
 

To read the entire interview, click here!

 

To learn more about circles at First Universalist, click here


 

Investing in Our Community: 
Nominations Needed

 

By Gil Wahl, member of the Community Investment Team


First Universalist Church gives away a sizable chunk of our Sunday offerings to non-profit organizations that do community based work. We believe that "We all do better when we all do better" (Paul Wellstone). This is a value we hold high, and we put our money where our mouth is. Since 2010, we have given money to local, statewide, national, and international organizations that do work that we, as a congregation, value! We are working to make a difference!

We divide our Sunday collections into three categories of recipients:

1. Faith In Action Partners and Allies
2. Racial Justice Organizations
3. Organizations responding to a timely and critical problem

To continue funding important social justice work, the Community Investment Team needs your help. If you know of an organization that is doing love's work in the world, please make them a recipient nominee. 


It's easy! Click here to fill out the form and send. It really can be that easy to make a difference in the world!

We want to hear from you!

The Community Investment Team
(Umesh Berry, Andrea Brown, Ed Cerier, Gil Wahl)

 

Guatemalan Rainbows: 
Photography and Textiles By Richard Nelson

Art Exhibit in Social Hall October 19 - November 23

This vibrant and informative exhibit provides a window into the world of the indigenous Maya of highland Guatemala and their weaving traditions. The photography is an 

ethnographic and aesthetic documentation of 40 years of travel, research and collecting of textiles and traditional clothing in the highlands of Guatemala. Like so much else in the Maya world, back-strap weaving is not simply a relic from the past but a living skill, responding to new ideas and recreated with each generation.


Richard is an artist, photographer, collector of Maya textiles and graduate of graphic design. His passion for back-strap woven textiles began in 1973 while studying photography in Tlaxiaco, Mexico through the University of Minnesota studio arts program. At a Saturday market in a small village he saw Mixtec women dressed in the same brightly brocaded clothing they had worn for centuries. He was amazed at the comparatively simple technology of the back-strap loom that produced the remarkably complex fabrics. During the following winters, Richard traveled to Guatemala where the indigenous culture and weaving traditions are even more prevalent. He collected textiles and took photos of the people producing the fabrics.

 


 

Richard spent 23 years as a designer and photo stylist for Macy's Marshall Field's, and Dayton's and is now a free-lance photo-stylist for Target and other companies. He consults, teaches and exhibits at local colleges and libraries and leads Maya weaving and textile tours to Guatemala through locally-based Art Workshops in Guatemala.


 

Visit Richard's website here: http://www.richardnelsondesign.com

 

The Perfect Pledge Drive

By Zack Steven, Pledge Team

Hello church! My name is Zack Steven and I'm the rookie on the Pledge Team this year. Being new to the Pledge Team gives me license to ask a lot of questions and do a lot of learning from the staff, my fellow team members Richard Jaeger and Marcia Wattson, and most importantly YOU.

What do you think would make for the perfect pledge drive? If it were up to you, what would it be or not be? I'd love to hear any and all ideas. Seriously. Please send them to me at zack.steven@buythechange.com. Thank you!

 



Click HERE to register, and to learn more!



Child Dedication at First Universalist Church

Sunday, Nov 2 at Both Services

Unitarian Universalists believe that every child brings new life and hope into the world.  During the Child Dedication ritual, the congregation pledges itself to partner with and support parents and families in the religious upbringing of the child. Child Dedications take place during Sunday worship services twice a year - on Nov 2 and May 10 during this church year.

Infants and children of members and those on the path to membership at First Universalist Church may be dedicated.If your family would like to participate in a Child Dedication ceremony, please sign up online at http://firstuniversalistchurch.org/child-dedication/ at least ten days in advance of the service.

First Universalist Church
3400 Dupont Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN, 55408
612-825-1701