The Weekly Liberal: February 13, 2025 | |
NOTE: Some e-mail programs will not load the full content of this publication. Please click "View Entire Message" at the bottom if you see it! | |
|
Rev. Laura Smidzik, Contract Minister
Do you know how many ways First Universalist’s members and staff “hold it together” for us?
Here are just a few:
- Meal train cooks: supplying meals for a person/family who is recovering or needs support
- Rides to church and appointments
- Congregational care visits at church, home, or in care facilities
- A Welcome New Child Team: supporting families who have just adopted or had a baby
- Handmade prayer shawls delivered to congregants recovering from surgery or illness
- Support groups for people caring for a family member who needs special care and for those experiencing grief.
Additionally, there are countless opportunities for spiritual growth and connections!
To further support our members and friends, we are reviving a Congregational Care Team to expand care to all who may have a need. This group will consist of dedicated volunteer members and friends.
They will be the “first line” of helpers to meet practical needs of our congregants. The team plans to provide friendly visits in a variety of settings (in-home, or in hospitals, rehab facilities, assisted living), phone calls, running errands and other tangible “helping hands” assistance such as pet sitting, household chores, minor repairs, tech assistance.
Our mission
- To enhance the emotional and spiritual wellbeing of our congregation, we will:
- Reach out to members and friends, emphasizing that they are not alone; there are caring people to turn to in a time of need
- Provide and facilitate care for members and friends
- Develop new ways to care for and support our First U community
- Expand and improve traditional ways of caring
- Provide support/training for Caring Team members so they are better equipped to support our First U community
- Strengthen connections among all in the First U community, honoring each other—our differences, our diversity, and our commonalities
We will have a table at the Coffee Hour this Sunday, February 16, where we will be signing up people who are willing to provide pragmatic care (rides, meals, light chores, and tech assistance), as well as those who are interested in joining a Congregational Care Team which will think more broadly and offer personal and spiritual care.
We invite you to to join us in this exciting effort and to let us know how we can be of help to you—and, come see us at Coffee Hour this Sunday. In the meantime, for more information, contact Rev. Laura (pastroralcare@firstuniv.org) or Debbie Easterling (in the membership database).
____________
To be of use
By Marge Piercy
The people I love the best
jump into work head first
without dallying in the shallows
and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.
They seem to become natives of that element,
the black sleek heads of seals
bouncing like half-submerged balls.
I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,
who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,
who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,
who do what has to be done, again and again.
I want to be with people who submerge
in the task, who go into the fields to harvest
and work in a row and pass the bags along,
who are not parlor generals and field deserters
but move in a common rhythm
when the food must come in or the fire be put out.
The work of the world is common as mud.
Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.
Greek amphoras for wine or oil,
Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums
but you know they were made to be used.
The pitcher cries for water to carry
and a person for work that is real.
| | | |
Black History Month: Honoring Black UU Voices | |
Unafraid, by Adrian L.H. Graham | When you're the only black man in a sea of whiteness, purses still get clutched, and people still cross the street, and hellos still get lost in the void. | | | |
The Stewardship Team is grateful for your incredible response to our early pledge/commitment drive. We have around $900,000 committed from about 360 households. Thank you! Help us continue on this trajectory and secure our budget for the fiscal year beginning in July. | |
|
February 16: Justice as Covenant: How We Sustain the Fight
What keeps us in the work when the path is long?
Justice is a promise—a covenant held across generations. Rights are defended, not guaranteed. Movements require endurance. How do we protect what has been fought for? How do we sustain hope and remain in the struggle for the long haul?
This service reflects on justice as an enduring practice—how we defend democracy, reproductive justice, and bodily autonomy against the cycles of regression.
Join us at 9 or 11 a.m. in person or via livestream at 11 a.m.
| |
|
|
After Worship
Coffee Hour in the Social Hall
Visit with old friends and meet new ones over coffee and cookies in our social hall.
A Place to Start
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. No RSVP necessary. Facilitated by First U members.
| |
Last Sunday, Feb. 9: Redefining Strength, Leadership, and Justice
| |
WATCH: First Universalist member, Gary Hoover, offers a powerful message about manhood and masculinity. | |
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. Laura Smidzik at pastoralcare@firstuniv.org or (612) 405-5583 (call or text). | |
Ways to Connect at Church | |
Saturday Sprouts
Saturdays once per month, 10 a.m. to noon: February 22, March, 22, and April 19 in the Social Hall & Other Spaces
No RSVP necessary
Saturday Sprouts is a monthly opportunity for families to socialize, worship, play, and offer and receive peer support. 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.
| |
| |
|
|
Sex Ed Weekend
Transforming Hearts zoom workshop Saturday, Feb. 22; 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Gather to debrief and connect at First U on Feb. 23, 1-2 p.m. after Sex Ed Sunday worship
The highly recommended Transforming Hearts Collective and Zr. Alex Kapitan is offering a hybrid workshop to expand your understanding of what it means to be trans and nonbinary, learn how to tell fact from fiction, and find out how to help create safety for trans people and their families in this moment. This training is a great opportunity for lay leaders, RE volunteers, members, and church committees alike.
Please Register in two places:
1. Register here for the zoom link to the hybrid workshop, held locally in Madison, WI
2. Register here to let us know you'll be there to connect in person on Sunday, Jan. 23 at First Universalist of Mpls to connect and debrief about what we learned.
| |
For details and the most complete and up-to-date listing of Programs, Gatherings, & Events at Church, visit our church calendar, or view the Program Guide: | |
|
Winter/Spring Grief Group
4:00 - 5:30 p.m. on Zoom; Feb 16, Mar 2, 16. Apr 6, 20 (April 20th is Easter) May 4, 18.
Facilitated by Mark Caswell, church member and ministerial aspirant
| |
Deepening Ties Among Young Adults
Sundays: Feb. 23, March 16, April 27, May 18; 12:30-2 p.m. at church
(Young Adults are folks in their 20s and 30s)
| |
Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity Builds
Saturday, March 1 and March 29. 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Maplewood, MN
| |
Adult OWL - for all adults 18+
Thursdays, March 6, 13, 20, 27, April 3, 10, 17, 24; 7-9 p.m.
| |
Young Adults: Second Sundays Lunch at Gigi’s
March 9, April 13, May 11; 12:15 p.m.
Young Adults (folks in their 20s and 30s) informally gather in the Social Hall after the second service to travel to nearby Gigi’s Cafe for lunch and conversation.
| |
Caregivers Support Group
Second Sundays: March 9, April 13, May 11; 1:00 - 2:30 pm on zoom
| |  |
|
Climate Conversations Kick-Off
March 9, 1 - 2:30 p.m.
with Liz Loeb, MNIPL community builder
| |
Labyrinth on the Full Moon
March 13, April 12, May 13; drop in from 5-7 p.m. in the Social Hall
| |
Life After Doom Salon
Meets as determined by participants, first week of February - mid May
| |
Meditation Tuesday Mornings
On Zoom only
Every Tuesday, all year/every week; 9:00-10:15 a.m.; gather at 8:45;
Email Martha Easter-Wells to RSVP: ewellsm@gmail.com
| |
Improv for Elders
Wednesdays, ongoing, 10:30 a.m. to noon
| |
Qigong for Liberation
Thursdays; 4:00 - 4:45 p.m. on zoom
Facilitated by Denise Konen.
| |
Winter/Spring Membership Class
2 sessions, both required: Sundays, March 16 & 23; Lunch 12:45 p.m., Class 1-3 p.m. in person at church
New Member ritual in worship April 6
| |
Trans, Non-binary and Gender Expansive Community and Support Group
Will meet once/month based on participant availability. Contact Kaden Colton for information.
| |
The IDI Assessment: News and What's Next - First Universalist Church of Minneapolis | Upcoming opportunities to hear about the congregational results of the IDI, and how to sign up for it. | | | |
Community & Affiliated Org Events | |
|
Call for Submissions
Details here - note that the deadline has been extended to March 1
Samara Powers and Rev. Karen Hutt are gathering submissions of original rituals and essays for the upcoming collection “Rituals for the Streets” (working title) from Skinner House Books. They are looking for original works of ritual or other symbolic acts intended to mark sacred time beyond the walls of our houses of worship, and essays about the importance and value of ritual in public spaces. This will be an interfaith collection, open to leaders of any/all liberal, progressive, and/or radical love traditions doing ministry out in the world, where the people are often in most dire need: in the streets.
| |
MUUSJA - Lobby Days
Attend an Upcoming Lobby Day at the State Capitol
-
Single Payer Lobby Day - Health Care for All Minnesota, Monday, Mar. 10; register here
- Reproductive Freedom Lobby Day, Monday, Mar. 10; save the date
| |
12-Step Spirituality
Visit the website for details.
First Saturday of each month through May 3, 2025, 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM.
In person – at First Universalist Church
And on Zoom - get the link here.
These meetings are for people who are actively working any 12-step program.
The meetings focus on the 11th step, prayer and meditation, by using the practice of Centering Prayer Meditation.
We teach Centering Prayer Meditation, meditate for 20 minutes, visit in small groups and practice two other forms of prayer.
| |
|
Association of Universalist Women
AUW sponsors activities for people who identify as women, non-binary and/or gender fluid.
To be rescheduled (canceled due to weather): AUW Winter Event: Unleashing Creativity, Saturday, February 8
New Friendship Groups Forming
Friendship Groups are intentional groupings of AUW members (and friends) who commit to meet together and get to know one another for a period of time. Sign up here.
Nominate Nonprofit Recipient of $1000
At our last board meeting, the board decided to donate $1000 of the budgeted $2000 to Pink Haven Coalition. First Universalist Church has become a member of the coalition. The board would like AUW members to help select and vet the recipient for the remaining $1000 in the budget. Interested in making a nomination, being part of the Nonprofit Review Committee or both? Click here!
Hiking Group
For questions or to get on the hiking group mailing list, contact: Marie Sorensen, 612-419-3620, mariefsor@aol.com.
Marie will have limited availability to lead hikes in February. AUW members and friends who wish to convene hikes are encouraged to do so through the AUW Facebook group.
Games Group
Meets at the church on the second Thursday of each month to play board games and socialize. To receive email updates, contact Anne Frenchick. The next Games Group meeting is February 13. Please let Anne know if you plan to attend.
Women Who Read
We read books written by women. RSVP to Abbie Finger. The next meeting will be February 28, the potluck begins at 6 pm and discussion will be at 7. The monthly selection will be A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power. Don't miss the meeting on March 24, Kao Kalia Yang, author of the book we will be discussing will join the meeting live via Zoom.
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; click here to join by Zoom.
AUW Spring Retreat at Camp Courage
May 2-4, 2025
REGISTER HERE
“Let it Go & Imagine!
Celebrating 25 Years & Beyond!”
For more information, click here.
| | | | |
