January at Church & Beyond • January 10, 2025

Choir Rehearsals

Most Thursdays, 7-9 p.m. starting January 9

Choir Interest Form | Choir Web Page

At First U, we’re weaving a narrative of unity, justice, and collective empowerment through the medium of music, fostering a beloved community that champions radical inclusion and shared leadership. We extend this invitation to all, our dedication to an environment where everyone, from seasoned singers to first-time choir members, can flourish. The choir will sing in worship next on Feb. 9.

"Raising Love & Grief" with Sharon Bridgforth

January 11, 10 am – 12 p.m. at The Playwright Center in Minneapolis. Free childcare provided.

Please register here

Raising Love & Grief is intended for people who are currently parents who are also navigating the complex task of caretaking their own parents or grieving their loss. The event will feature nationally celebrated queer, Black playwright and healer Sharon Bridgforth who will read from her soon-to-be-released book Before You Go: An Offering (Tripwire Harlot Press).

Hosted by the Spark and Stitch institute

MUUSJA: Welcome MN Legislators to the 2025 Session

Tuesday, Jan. 14 - Minnesota State Capitol, St. Paul

Join MUUSJA and other organizations at the Minnesota Capitol for the start of the legislative session. Let’s show our elected officials that we’re paying attention to their work and are a voice for justice and equity! Meet Rev. Terri starting at 10 am outside the rotunda to get supplies. You’re encouraged to join the ERA Rally and the Rise & Repair gathering. We’ll then move upstairs to greet legislators as they enter Chambers at 11:30 am. Questions? Email revterri@muusja.org.

Tuesday Meditation Group

Tuesdays, ongoing; 8:45-10:15 a.m. on zoom

You are invited to meditate with our lay-led practice group. We meditate every Tuesday and people come when they can. None of us are experts. Our practices come out of our own experiences, and we share inspiration from many sources. We rotate facilitators and share what we are learning with each other. No registration required. Email Martha Easter-Wells ewellsm@gmail.com for Zoom details.

Improv for Elders

Wednesdays ongoing, 10:30 a.m. to noon, in Room 209 at church

Register Here

As we age, opportunities for play are not as plentiful as they used to be. This gathering is a time to imagine, to laugh, and to learn the basics of improvisation.

Facilitated by Meg Riley

Qigong for Liberation 

Thursdays; 4:00 - 4:45 p.m. on zoom

Register Here

Gather on Zoom for the winter to practice the beautiful and healing moving meditation of Spring Forest Qigong created by Master Chunyi Lin. This can be a liberating practice for the mind, body and spirit. Movements are gentle and accessible and can be done standing, sitting, or lying down. Facilitated by Denise Konen.

Daytime Connections

January 16; 10 a.m.- noon

Register Here

Would you like to become better informed about the latest scientific thinking on various policies that would slow down global warming? Reforestation, cutting food waste, electric vehicles … what works? Cathy Geist, Todd Pierson and the Environmental Justice team will present a sophisticated tool that takes audience suggestions and displays their effects on global temperatures. Along the way, we’ll get filled in both on basic definitions and cutting-edge research.

MUUSJA - the People's March MN

Saturday, January 18

UUs will meet at Cathedral Hill Park at 11-11:15 a.m.

Contact Holly Kelchner with questions: hollyakelchner@gmail.com

All Ages Prom

January 18; 5-8 p.m.

Select "Through the Ages Prom" for tickets

We suggest ticket donations on this sliding scale:

• $20-$50 for an individual
• $35-$70 for a couple
• $50-$150 for a family

Bring your friends, family, and your groove, for a “Through the Decades” themed church prom. Kids, youth, and adults of all ages are invited to dance the night away, snack on yummy hors d'oeuvres, snap a pic in the photo booth, and buy a raffle ticket (or many!) for the chance to win a gift of time, talent, or treasure from our youth. This prom is a fundraiser for First Universalist Church. Tickets are available for a donation through our website, and raffle tickets will be available via a donation at the door. This fabulous event is planned by our Youth Leadership Team with support from our Stewardship Team and our Senior High Youth Group. 

Ritual Sunday: Remembrance Sunday Worship

January 19; 9 & 11 a.m. 

Worship information on our website

Midway through this month, we gather for a ritual of remembrance (Remembrance Sunday, January 19). We speak the names of those who shaped us, their stories alive in our sanctuary and in ourselves. Ritual Sundays are a monthly opportunity for families to worship together. These Sundays feature a dynamic, family-friendly, intergenerational, and interactive worship service. This shorter worship service takes place at both 9 & 11 a.m., followed by fellowship and connection in the Social Hall. 

On Ritual Sundays, Religious Education takes place in worship for most children and youth (see your RE newsletter for specifics, or contact Allison with questions: allison@firstuniv.org.)

A Place to Start

January 19; after each worship service

No RSVP necessary

Are you new or new-ish to First Universalist and wondering where to begin? Here’s “A Place to Start!” Whether you're simply curious or are considering making this your spiritual home, in this casual, 45-minute class, you'll learn some of the basics of Unitarian Universalism, as well as how to get connected to what you’re seeking here at church. Meet at the front of the sanctuary immediately after the service on a first or third Sunday. Facilitated by First U members.

Environmental Justice Gathering

January 19; 12:30 p.m. in the Cummins Room

Connect with the EJ Team

All are welcome to join fellow First U congregants and friends for a meal and to discuss personal and communal steps we can take to help address climate change. The format will be open and all will be encouraged to contribute. This is the first of drop-in monthly gatherings, on the third Sundays of the month, through May.

Winter/Spring Grief Group

5:30-6:30 p.m. on Zoom; Jan 19. Feb 2, 16. Mar 2, 16. Apr 6, 20 (April 20th is Easter) May 4, 18

Register Here

The Grief Group meets first and third Sundays on Zoom. It is a gathering for those who are grappling with the web of feelings associated with the loss of a loved one. 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 (this is a drop-in group). We will be here for you.

Facilitated by Mark Caswell, church member and Ministerial Aspirant

Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity

Three builds scheduled: Saturday, January 25; March 01; or March 29.

8:30am to 3:30pm

Building Site: 1461 McKnight Rd N, Maplewood, MN

Register Here

Be part of history as Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity embarks on its largest project ever—the redevelopment of the former Hillcrest Golf Course in St. Paul’s East Side! This transformative project will create 147 mid-density affordable housing units, prioritizing community connectivity, housing access, and outdoor amenities. 

First Universalist is sponsoring three upcoming workdays. Saturdays have been chosen to draw additional volunteers from the congregation! Volunteers must register electronically and complete an online waiver before participating. Remember to wear sturdy shoes, bring a refillable water bottle, and dress warm! Let’s work together to support this vibrant and diverse community!

Please reach out to David Harrison with any questions:

rdavid.harrisonjr@gmail.com

Twin Cities Congregational Spiritual Care Training: How Do You Care?

Two Saturdays: January 25 and February 15 | 9:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. | Unity Church and Zoom

Details and Registration Here

Rev. Karen Hutt will lead this series of two workshops for people to deepen their practice of giving and receiving compassionate care for one another in times of joy, sorrow and transition. We are called, in these times, to level up the ways extend radical, inclusive welcome, to offer a true experience of sanctuary, care and belonging to our members, newcomers, friends and community.

Attendance at both is required for participation. Lunch is included for those attending in-person.

Peter Mayer in concert with JD Stillwater

January 25; 7-9 p.m.

Buy Tickets

This event offers a rare mix of music and science, bringing people closer to the cosmos and to one another. Families and individuals of all ages are invited to experience this uplifting and meaningful event. Join us in fostering connection and creativity! Ticket pricing is on a sliding scale to invite meaningful generosity and make a space for all who wish to attend.

Saturday Sprouts

January 25; 10 a.m.-noon

No RSVP Necessary

Saturday Sprouts for Families is a lovely chance to get to know other families and to receive support from kindred parents/caregivers and the congregation. We start with snacks and time to get to know each other before moving into family worship, followed by playtime for kids and a peer sharing group for parents and caregivers. We close by sharing gratitudes and singing together. We hope you can join us!

AUW - Sandwich Project

Saturday, January 25, Social Hall

4 - 7 pm - Please note the time change, to accommodate concert-goers!

RSVP Here | AUW Website

This gathering, organized and planned by Sandy Culpepper and Beth Mahutchin, combines the fun and friendship of a potluck dinner and a service project making sandwiches for our neighbors who are experiencing food insecurity. This event is open to AUW members and friends and their families including children who are over age 10. The event time has been changed to avoid a conflict with the Peter Meyer concert at 7 pm in the sanctuary. The Sandwich Project event will begin at 4 pm with participants making 200 sandwiches. The potluck will begin at 6 pm. allowing time for attendees to also attend the concert, if desired, but help with cleanup would also be greatly appreciated. If you are not feeling well, please do not come. There is no charge for this event, just bring a dish to share. 

For more information about what The Sandwich Project is, click here.

Sign Up Sunday 

January 26; 10-11 a.m. and 12-1 p.m. in the Social Hall

All are welcome!

Learn about the variety of ways to get involved and get connected at church this season through volunteering, justice teams, and other opportunities for fellowship and spiritual growth. Team leaders and small group facilitators will be excited to chat with you about what they’ve got going on and how you can join.

AUW - Women Who Read 

Monday, January 27, 7 p.m.

We read books written by women. We host an in-person and a virtual meeting on the fourth Monday of each month. Book selection: An Invisible Thread: the True Story of An 11-year-old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and An Unlikely Meeting With Destiny by Laura Schroff. 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 reading list for 2024-25 is posted on the AUW website here. 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 here.

"Church is not a place. It is a practice of Love in the world we learn to strengthen each week, each class, each small group."

Rev. Ashley Harness, Assistant Minister

"In a culture of constant cynicism, consumerism, and critique, church is a refuge and school of relentless love, care, and enough-ness."

Liz Farmer, Membership & Connections Coordinator

"At church, we can be intentional about caring for one another: sit together in grief, sing and dance together, move toward liberation for all. The good we do here multiplies, and nobody goes through it alone."

Rachel Rott, Communications Assistant

Let's Build The Church The World Needs

Could you make your pledge to support the annual operating budget of the church for the 2025-26 church year that begins in July of 2025 now, before inauguration day on January 20th?



Why so early, and why now? Well, the answer is simple. We don’t want our church leaders spending the upcoming months fundraising for our own institutional operating costs or worrying about possible reductions in programming and staffing when there is so much at stake. When there are lives at stake.

Can you help us fund our upcoming church year by January 20?

Thank you for your generosity and commitment!