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Hennepin

Happenings

October 29, 2026

People are amazing.

Individually, the shine of each person is remarkable. Collectively, the power of remarkable people joining together is world changing.

Next week we are given the opportunity to vote. The power we exercise as we enter the voting booth is foundational. The votes we cast are a sign that we believe in a future we weave together. We bring our faith into all places we find ourselves. When we vote, we determine how our commitment to love of God and neighbor will be lived in communal ways. Please vote. It matters.

If you feel the jangle of anxiety around outcomes and trickery around election results, come to church. The night before and the night after the election Hennepin's Singing Resistance pod led by Sally Messner will sing hearts into wholeness. Join the song in the sanctuary from 6:30 - 7:30pm on November 2nd and 4th.  

On election day the sanctuary will be open for those who desire a resonant place to center and settle. Your church is here for you. God is attentive to prayer.

As we consider how it is we are committed to Growing our Future as a church, consider the ways this congregation opens its doors to all of life. Living our faith and commitments is our call as Wesleyan Christians. We believe there is no such thing as a private faith that does not show itself in communal justice making.

Vote. Pray. Give thanks. Give your heart to the promises of God.

God is in the midst of this world, and so are we.

Pastor Elizabeth

How the Capital Campaign is Addressing Accessibility Needs

Recently, our church has been envisioning how to proactively respond to the anticipated needs of Hennepin’s future congregation. While it may not be possible to fully anticipate what those needs might be, what is already known is that our church has not been fully accessible to members of our current congregation for decades. The Disability Action Team (DAT) formed in 2022 to help guide our congregation forward in response to the needs of a church that is experiencing increasing pressures to accommodate diverse bodies and needs. Disability is a function of human difference, equal to similar functions such as race and gender identity. Yet, while our congregation has justly voted to become an antiracist and affirming church, Disabled members of our congregation continue to face yet-unresolved accessibility challenges.

Fortunately, after coordinated advocacy efforts over the preceding four years, leaders of our church have decided to include in the current capital campaign the following funding priorities:

• Refreshing the lift between Carlson Hall and the Sanctuary; and,
• Improving lighting in the Sanctuary

Additionally, Hennepin leaders are actively planning further accessibility improvements, including:

• Installing button openers on more interior doors, including bathrooms; and,
• Purchasing fidget toys and ear plugs for availability on demand during worship services.

These investments will address many of the greatest challenges to the full participation in all activities of our church for many Disabled members of our congregation. We as members of the DAT, in representation of members of our church with disabilities, are grateful for the inclusion of these funding priorities in the capital campaign by our congregational leaders.

Universal design is defined as a radical approach to accommodating people with disabilities. Many things people now take for granted in modern society are actually elements of universal design for people with disabilities; these include curb cuts, PBX systems at crosswalks, chimes in elevators to indicate the floors, and actually every kitchen product manufactured by the OXO company. By removing structural barriers to accessibility, we together help ensure that our church remains a place of radical hospitality for all individuals, regardless of bodily differences. These changes are an important step in that evolutionary process.

While these improvements may create short-term inconvenience as they are implemented, or otherwise foster change to our church, they are collectively the just thing to do. Disability is the one form of social difference that affects all people, regardless of gender identity, race, or any other factors. Continual advances in medical science establish a virtual certainty that some form of disability will eventually impact every person, either directly or familiarly. Disability has already happened to your neighbors, some of them longtime members of our church; a church which has been inaccessible to them, in some cases for decades. It is a practical and moral imperative that our church become more accommodating for all congregants. We as the DAT are grateful to the leaders of Hennepin for including these funding priorities in the capital campaign, and for continuing to strive to make this church welcome, open, and accessible to all, now and in the future!

Ryan Machtmes, Chair of the Disability Action Team

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To support our lift and lighting improvements, and our other major long-term projects, please consider pledging to our Capital Campaign Fund here.

Interested in joining the Disability Action Team? The Disability Action team explores the ways HAUMC can be more inclusive and supportive of members and visitors with a wide range of disabilities, including those with chronic illness and mental health concerns, and their allies and advocates. Our next meeting is Thursday, November 19 from 6:30-7:30pm via zoom, details here.

Blessing Tree

Take part in our Blessing Tree! Take a leaf and share how your relationship with Hennepin has been a blessing to you. Add your leaf to our tree.

As a community, let's explore the beautiful ways we nurture each other's lives.

On Sunday, October 25, we welcomed six new members! Please join us in welcoming:

• Marcy Andersen
• Tom Currie
• Sarah & Steve Horsfield
• Kristen Ebert and David Hane

We are so grateful that you all have chosen Hennepin Ave UMC as your spiritual home.

Dignity Center Winter Coat Drive | ALL of November!

We're collecting new and gently used coats, hats, and gloves for our Dignity Center guests. Please place donations in the East Entryway anytime during the month of November.

Our greatest need is for L or XL mens jackets and gloves.

To learn more about the Dignity Center, their mission, and other ways you can get involved, click here!

Stations of Prayer at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church

A Stations of Prayer Guide has been created to help support your prayer journey as you reflect on our beautiful facility, your community, and how Christ is working through us to build a more loving and just world.

Follow along daily on our Facebook or Instagram, or move through the stations at your own pace with videos on our Youtube channel.

Fall Back! Daylight Saving Ends

On Sunday, November 1, we get an extra hour of sleep or waking up time! 

Remember to set your clocks back 1 hour. See you at church!

Halloween Movie Night: The Night of the Hunter (1955 Thriller) | 6–9pm | Art Gallery

The Queer Justice Team presents... a viewing of the movie, "The Night of the Hunter", followed by a short Q&A with local filmmakers. Movie refreshments will be provided! Please feel free to bring your own comfortable folding chairs, if you'd like. Costumes are welcome but certainly not required. All are welcome! Read more here.

While this movie isn't officially rated, we'd consider it PG-13. Read the synopsis here. If you have any questions, contact Rachael.

Aging as a Spiritual Practice Resource Fair | 11:15am–1pm | Art Gallery

Guests will join us in the Art Gallery for the November 1 session of our ongoing Living the Question series (Aging as a Spiritual Practice w/ Bill Tipping). Our guests will host tables with resources related to aging and end of life issues.

Resource Guests include:

• Jennifer Hipple, HAUMC member, representing her business, Marjorie's Daughters, which provides in-home senior support and legacy story writing
• Brenna Healy, Parish Nurse, will have info about Advance Health Care Directives
• Donna Hedin will be giving out workbooks for Last Wishes Planning
• Pamphlets from Wendy Longacre Brown, an end-of-life doula

Singing in Community: Pre-Election Sing | 6:30–7:30pm | Sanctuary

On the days before and after the election, you are invited to gather with neighbors to raise your voice in song. We will build solidarity in expressing all that we bring to the gathering—grief, hope, anger, peace, love—there is room for all. Songs will be short and simple enough to learn by ear. The HAUMC Singing Resistance group will lead the singing.

Spirit of the Heart | 12pm | Dignity Center **NEW**

Beginning Wednesday, November 4, Mitchell Molloy will be creating a Circle of Support around the dining room table at the Dignity Center. With an opening reading and period of meditation, Mitchell will guide the group to deep reflection, honest sharing, and a healing sense of community. This group is for both Church Members and Dignity Center Guests. Come explore the spirit of your heart.

Artist Talk | John Arthur Anderson: Bearing Witness

Friday, November 6 | 6:30pm | Carlson Hall

Join us on November 6 to meet John Arthur Anderson and hear from him about his exhibit, Bearing Witness. John Arthur Anderson is an award winning photographer, focusing mostly on wildlife and nature. His personal journey has involved working within the Native community both as a photographer and as a Program Consultant to Tribal Nations in Health and Human Services.

Ancia Saxophone Quartet in Concert at HAUMC

Sunday, November 8 | 2pm | Art Gallery

Ancia is a Minneapolis based quartet that includes Matthew Sintchak (soprano saxophone), Joan Hutton (alto saxophone), Benjamin Cold (tenor saxophone), and Angela Wyatt (baritone saxophone). On November 8, they will join our 10am worship to provide service music and enrich our hymnody. In the afternoon (2pm), they will present a concert of classical works in the Art Gallery. All are welcome!

Growing Our Future Capital Campaign Town Hall Meeting

Sunday, November 15 | 11:30am–12:30pm | Sanctuary

Learn more and ask questions about our ongoing Capital Campaign.

Can't join us in-person? Event recording link will be provided upon request. For the meeting link or to submit questions in advance, email the Communications Team.

Prayer Requests

We invite you to pray for our community and our world, for even when we do not know how to pray, the Spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. Romans 8:26

• Sandy Fletcher
• Bryce Walters
• Randy Minyard
• Noah
• Jim and Bill
• Phillip Duffy
• Judy Sranmark
• Keith Sjoquist
• Mother of James Leavens
• Donald Turner
• Ross DePriest
• Sergei Gulika
• Vada Bean
• Hospitalization: Dickens Deutsch, Karen Knutson

• Treatment for cancer: Kristin Shardlow, Janet Jacobs, Michael Sampica, Sarah Shapiro, Ephim, Scott Fredrickson, Rev. David Wheeler
• Recovery from cancer: Svetlana Gulika
• For those who have died: Emil, the father of Tim Eberhart; Sandra Moulton; Thomas, the father of Bob Scott; Karen Andrew
• For political workers and Secretaries of State and all who protect our ballots

What We Learned Last Sunday

October 25: It was Trunk or Treat! Huge thanks to everyone who participated in Trunk-or-Treat! Whether you were here as a trunk or treater, as one of our over the top creative trunks, food helpers, craft helpers, or game helpers, it was an amazing party! These events bless our neighbors, and only happen when we all come together in ways both large and small!

Coming Up This Sunday

November 1: Service Sunday and Communion All ages, please go directly to the Border Chapel. On November 8, kids in grade kindergarten and above are leading worship. We will use this time together to decide on people to offer prayers, read scripture, and for the older kids to learn the songs that the younger kids have been working to learn. Then we will all go to communion as a group.