Volume 8 Issue 46 | November 25, 2021
Giving, Receiving, as Love Shows Us How
A headshot of Rev. Jen looking at the camera. Rev. Jen is a white woman with short brown hair. She is wearing a blue jacket and earrings and a necklace and is smiling with her mouth closed.
Dear ones,

My heart is full as I write to you today. This church fills me with hope as I get the gift of a balcony view of our community. Our church is growing and changing. We are full of energy and vitality. Joy is rising up in music and movement and story and song. The voices of children and the adults who care for them and learn with them are resounding through the halls of our newly renovated building every day. Memorial services that hold the complexity of grief with care, and receptions for families in their most tender times offer comfort and gracious space for connection and healing. Four full classes of eighth and ninth graders are making their way through the Our Whole Lives sexuality education program, high school youth and our young ones are asking to come to church (don’t tell them I told you!), and Daytime Connections, our program that supports older adults to empower each other to live intentional, joyful, purposeful and spiritually fulfilling lives, is up and running again and ready to welcome you. Leaders in our larger Unitarian Universalist Association are asking us to share and to teach - and this spring our church will be hosting Meadville Lombard Theological School (a Unitarian Universalist theological school) students for their Faith Formation in Multiracial Contexts class, and you will see our Leadership Team offering reflections on the leading edge of Unitarian Universalism in the UU World magazine. We’ve opened applications for the Cummins Ministerial Internship for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color who are candidates for Unitarian Universalist ministry, and we look forward to resuming our place as a Teaching Congregation in our association of congregations. There is so much to be grateful for, even as the world needs our message of love and hope now more than ever. 

This season, as we acknowledge the both/and of life, letting in both gratitude and grief, I invite you to consider making a financial gift to First Universalist Church in several ways. 

Holiday Giving

Each year, we invite each other into an intentional review of how we celebrate the winter holidays and we encourage each other to cultivate more joy and connection and less commercialism. We name the complexities of our experiences and our world, and we pool our resources of time, talent, and treasure to build a better world. This year, we will continue to support Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism as they expand the power and capacity of Black UUs within our faith, provide information, resources, and support for Black UUs, and foster justice and liberation within Unitarian Universalism. You can find out more and give below, and please join us on Sundays between now and the new year to hear more about this powerful movement within Unitarian Universalism.

Annual Giving

Our annual giving campaign supports the daily operations of the church - keeping the doors of our building open wide and our online capacity connected. Your gifts to the annual giving campaign support the majority of our operating budget, allowing us to live into our mission of giving, receiving and growing into the multiracial, multicultural, multigenerational community of faith we long to be. If you haven’t made a gift yet this year, or if you have extra resources to share as we re-open our building and re-build our staff and expand our capacity to care for all, we invite your gift here.

Capital Campaign

Over the last five years, we’ve begun and almost completed a full renovation of our building as we make it into a space of beauty and welcome that is truly Not for Ourselves Alone. As we build the inclusive future we have long dreamt about, your gifts are still needed to help fully fund our renovation. Through your generosity, we’ve raised over $5 million - and with these gifts we have: created a warm and inviting central entrance, updated our classrooms, offices, sanctuary and social hall, retired our mortgage, improved our energy efficiency, installed solar panels on the roof of the education building, cleared a backlog of years of deferred maintenance, and created an accessible, welcoming, beautiful space to welcome our congregation and community. We still have $750,000 to go to fully fund our renovations and allow us to finish strong, without a mortgage. If you have financial resources you can share to help us make this long-term investment in the life and future legacy of our church, please give here.

And as always, we acknowledge that the spiritual life is not only about giving. In the Universalist spirit of love and hope, we give, receive, and grow - acknowledging the importance of the interchange and mutuality of our existence. Some days, we have resources to share. Some days, we have resources we need to receive. Some days, it is both - and all days, we grow when we acknowledge and ask for what we need and share what we have. May these be days of generous receiving, giving, and growing.

In gratitude,

Rev. Jen

Rev. Jen Crow
Senior Minister
First Universalist Church of Minneapolis
In this Issue
Worship
Sunday, Nov. 28 at 9 & 11am
Wednesday, Dec. 1 at 7pm
Nov. 21 Worship Recording
Cycle of Life
News & Happenings
Holiday Giving 2021
Meet Some of Our New Members
Christmas Pageant News
Senior High Service Project
Beware Email Phishing Scams
Ushers and Greeters Needed
Mental Health Connect
November Faithful Action Newsletter
Warm Clothing Needed for AFA Students
New Member Classes
Daytime Connections
In the Community
Ongoing Gatherings, Resources, and Information
Worship
MULTIGENERATIONAL SUNDAY WORSHIP
Sunday, Nov. 28

In Person at 9 & 11 a.m.
Live-streamed at 11 a.m. on Zoom & YouTube


Giving, Receiving, as Love Shows Us How

A Sunday service, and a poem of appreciation to First U from Rev. Jen Crow

Join Rev. Jen Crow, Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, Isabel Quast, Franco Holder and Aimee K. Bryant for an intergenerational service of story and song as we invite each other into the spiritual practices of giving and receiving and growing. Come find out more about Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism and our annual Holiday Giving project, and leave lifted up by our collective power that comes together when each of us shares what we can. 


For rhythms that hold us
When fear grips us now
For sweet bedtime blessings 
Of hands, lips, and brow.

For each one of us born
Whole, holy, and good
Redeemers on earth
Roses of beauty
Removed of their thorns

For grace overflowing
with truth 
noticed and named
For quiet Sunday afternoons 
of memory and games,

For small circles that gather
for community and care
In a building just buzzing 
and out across the air.

For an accessible chancel, 
for streamers and balloons
for technology for all 
and energy that renews. 

For all who keep watch 
on the numbers that rise
For those who wait and wonder 
when to return with a sigh.

For music and silence 
and flames that flow on
For the gift of a story that
wraps children in awe.

For a place for our hearts
When happy or sad
When the words of the morning 
make us thoughtful or mad

For a line stretching back
far beyond we can see
For a place we prepare
That serves more than me.

In this season of grieving, of blessings, of care
may our hearts open wide
And our hands let us share
a world full of wonder
transformed by our care.


JOIN US ONLINE:

This service will be live-streamed at 11 a.m. Join the Zoom livestream here (Webinar ID: 861 805 984) or watch the stream on YouTube Live. If you can't join us for the livestream, the recording will be available on our YouTube channel following worship.

JOIN US IN PERSON:

All are welcome to join us for worship in the sanctuary at 9 or 11 a.m. Masks are required at all times, and we ask that you try to maintain a distance of at least three feet between you and anyone not in your household. Remember to ask for consent before shaking hands or hugging. The service will also be streamed in the social hall, so if the sanctuary fills or you feel uncomfortable with the number of people in the sanctuary, there is an alternative space for you to experience worship in the building.

NO RELIGIOUS EDUCATION THIS SUNDAY

Religious Education classes for Kindergarten through Senior High do not meet this Sunday. Children and youth are invited to worship in the sanctuary with their families.
WEDNESDAY EVENING MEDITATION
Wednesday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. on Zoom

We invite you into a simple space of meditation, silence, poetry, song, and shared company.

Come, tend to your spirit each Wednesday evening by joining us for this brief (~15–30 minute) midweek time of meditation and connection. All are welcome, and no experience is needed.

Wednesday meditation is offered online only.

JOIN US ONLINE:

Connect to the live stream on Wednesday, Dec. 1 between 6:55 and 7 p.m.: Enter the Wednesday Zoom webinar here. (webinar ID: 117-312-320). To join by phone (audio only), dial 1-312-626-6799 and enter the webinar ID.
PAST SERVICES
Sunday Service Recording & Podcast
November 21: Child Dedication Sunday
Worship leaders: Rev. Jen Crow, Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, Rev. Karen Hutt, Lauren Wyeth, Aimee K. Bryant, Franco Holder, Dr. Randy Buikema, and the First Universalist Choir

Reflections on Sunday worship by Liz Farmer, Membership Coordinator:

Unitarian Universalism is a covenantal faith. This past Sunday - Child Dedication Sunday - we affirmed our covenant with the youngest and newest among us that we will, through our actions, show how we care for each other at church, welcome and accept them just as they are, and be good friends to them. The congregation dedicates itself verbally, “yes,” but it is after this ritual ceremony that we demonstrate this “yes” to our children through our actions. This is the spiritual life, put simply: aligning our actions with our stated promises and values. And it is why we come to church - to remind ourselves who we are and to act on our promises to one another.

Listen to the Sunday service podcast here. Watch the recording of the service here.
Image description: a still image from the Nov. 21 worship recording of Rev. Karen Hutt speaking from the chancel.
Cycle of Life
If you are experiencing a crisis or transition, or celebrating a joy­, please let us know. To be included in our Cycle of Life each Sunday in worship, or if you would like support, contact Rev. Arif Mamdani at [email protected] or 612-825-1701.
News
An Invitation to Reimagine the Holidays
How are your values present in the ways you choose to celebrate the holidays? Each winter holiday season, we invite you—the whole congregation—into reflection about your relationship to the season, and to imagine how you might welcome more joy and liberation into your life by taking a countercultural approach to the holidays this year. 
 
Societal messages, increasingly amplified by mass and social media, push us to consume, consume, consume—especially this time of year. They tell us that joy is in finding the best deal, or getting the newest gadgets, no matter the cost to our wallets or the planet. Yet we know in our hearts (and research has confirmed) that there is no true joy or justice in heeding those messages. 
Our invitation to you and your family is to rethink the meaning of gift-giving, to spend less on the holidays this year—and to gift what you’ve saved to our Holiday Giving partner, Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism (BLUU). By redirecting a portion of our holiday spending to BLUU, we can help foster justice and liberation and rekindle the season’s true spirit.
 
In 2019, we selected Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism (BLUU) to be the recipient of our congregation's holiday gift for five consecutive years. The 2021 winter holiday season marks year three of this five year commitment to supporting the important work of BLUU.
 
BLUU was formed in 2015, and strives to be a dynamic, nimble and responsive group of loving and fierce Black Unitarian Universalists, committed to supporting Black UUs, increasing power and capacity as Black UUs, and working for justice-making and liberation through our faith.
 
There will be multiple opportunities this holiday season to learn more about BLUU and why we are so excited to support the work they are doing, and to give.
 
This Sunday, Nov. 28, we will launch this year's holiday giving effort, with an introduction by Holiday Giving Team co-chair Isabel Quast in worship. Before we conclude the campaign on Sunday, Dec. 19 with a ceremonial collection of donations, we’ll also be joined in worship on Dec. 5 by Lena K. Gardner—BLUU’s Executive Director and a member of First Universalist Church—and on Dec. 12 Rev. Mykal Slack, BLUU’s minister. Our offering collection on Sundays, Nov. 28, Dec. 12, and Dec. 19, as well as at our holiday services, will go to BLUU. And of course, your gifts are welcome at any time here.
 
We look forward to reimagining the holidays with you this year!
Meet Some of Our New Members!
On Sunday, Nov. 14, we welcomed new members during a ceremony in worship. We asked them to share a few tidbits about themselves. In last week's newsletter, we introduced you to Jack, Ken, and Jennifer. This week, meet Bailey:

Bailey Rehnberg (she/her)

What's your favorite place in the Twin Cities?
Brake Bread in St. Paul's West 7th neighborhood.... bread and bikes!

What music has been the soundtrack of your life lately?
Samm Henshaw!
 
One book or author that has shaped your life/perspective? 
I love so much of Mary Oliver's poetry...being "a bride married to amazement" makes me feel alive and connected.

In what ways do you hope to give, receive, and/or grow here at First Universalist? 
I hope to grow into this community by connecting with others! I want to be active in environmental and racial justice work...I want to be around the beautiful music of First U...and I want to meet other young folks also interested in spiritual community.

What's your favorite season of the year and why?
Winter! Bring on the snow.

Duck duck grey duck or duck duck goose?
goose
Christmas Pageant News
Our annual Christmas Pageant is a beautiful telling of an ancient story. It is a tale of hope and hospitality, a reminder that every child is born a redeemer, a story that speaks to us all of what it means to be a seeker, a star, a singer, a wonderer, a wanderer, a wise one.
 
The Pageant will be performed live in the sanctuary, in front of the congregation and live-streamed on Zoom, on Christmas Eve—Friday, Dec. 24—at 4 p.m.
 
Calling all children and youth enrolled in Religious Education! We need you to help tell our Universalist Christmas story of love and hope! Children and youth, from Kindergarten up to senior high (and one tiny baby!), are at the heart of the Christmas Pageant. 
 
Find details and sign up information here. Sign up closes Friday, Dec. 3.
Senior High Service Project—We Need Your Help
The Senior High Youth Group at First Universalist Church is collecting items to make care packages for healthcare workers at Walker Methodist. We chose to make care packages for nursing home workers because they’ve been at risk this entire pandemic and their work is sometimes undervalued when people discuss frontline workers.

For the next three Sundays, Nov. 28, Dec. 5, and Dec. 12, there will be a box in the atrium and outside Room 209 where folks can put items to donate for the care packages. Here’s a list of items you could donate:

  • Comfy socks or compression socks
  • $5 gift cards for coffee shops
  • Tea, hot cocoa, or instant coffee packets
  • Hand lotion
  • Bath bombs
  • Lip balm 

If you have another idea for an item that you think a healthcare worker at Walker Methodist would love, please feel free to bring it. You can also make thank-you cards. 

Thank you!
~Senior High Youth
Be Wary of Email Phishing Scam
Impersonating Rev. Jen Crow
Churches across the country have in recent years been targets of email phishing scams, in which scammers pretending to be ministers or church leaders ask congregants (via email) to purchase gift cards for a worthy cause. The emails often say something like "Are you busy now? I have an urgent favor to ask." and then make a concrete ask in a follow up email if/when you reply.

These emails have come from non-church email addresses that have been made to look like they're from Rev. Jen and/or other church leaders.

We've been alerted to a new attempt at impersonating Rev. Jen Crow this week. We can assure you that nothing has been hacked - the email addresses targeted have been taken from public places like our website and online newsletters - but please be aware of this trend and don't fall for a phishing scam! If you receive an email that looks like it's from one of our ministers or leaders but seems suspicious, it probably is. If in doubt, give us a call! (612-825-1701)

Read more about this on the FTC Consumer Information site
Sunday Greeters and Ushers Needed!
As we reopen the building for two worship services—one at 9 a.m. and one at 11 a.m.—we know that being able to welcome each other to our renovated space and help each other get used to our new ways of being together are especially important. 

Greeters and Ushers are an essential part of this. Greeters and Ushers arrive about a half an hour before the service of their choice for a brief orientation and then space themselves around the building and sanctuary to warmly welcome all who come to worship. Greeting is a 40 minute commitment at the beginning of worship. Ushering is an hour-long commitment that involves sanctuary sign-ins and passing the offering plate. Ideally, there would be six greeters and six ushers at each service. Especially if you are already planning on being present for in-person worship, this is a relatively easy way to help make our return to the building as smooth as possible.

Would you be willing to serve as an usher or greeter on an upcoming Sunday? If so, please sign up and let us know when you'll be there on this sign up genius. Volunteering as a greeter before the service or usher during the service can be part of a full spiritual life, and a way to act on our stated values of welcoming and caring for our community. 

It is the church's policy that all lay leaders and volunteers be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. If you'd like to welcome and haven't already shown your proof of vaccination to a staff member, please email a photo to Liz Farmer at [email protected] or bring it on Sunday. 

Thank you for considering volunteering to be part of our ministry of hospitality and welcome!
Mental Health Connect:
Helpful Hints for the Holidays
Submitted by Janet Houck, Mental Health Connect Ambassador for First Universalist:

As Jenny Hart, noted embroidery artist, recently wrote, "I love the holidays, but they can be an emotional time for grown-ups. Am I a grown-up? I must be because I'm feeling it?"

Maybe you're feeling that way too. Through the holidays we'll be sharing articles that just might help us ease through the rough spots and hold close moments of holiday joy.

Image description: A graphic with the text: "What are the holiday blues? In a survey on the holiday blues, 64% say they are affected, and 24% say the holidays affect them a lot."
November Faithful Action Newsletter
Find ways to get involved with our Faithful Action Community Partners in our November Faithful Action Newsletter. This newsletter contains opportunities to connect through volunteering, donating, advocating, and learning. Our Faithful Action Community Partners are community organizations that share our vision of love and justice. We work through Faithful Action Community Partnerships in order to leverage our energy, commitment and expertise. You can find more information about our Faithful Action Community Partnerships on our website.
Warm Clothing Needed for
Augsburg Fairview Academy (AFA) Students
As winter approaches, we are seeking donations of new and gently used winter jackets for AFA students. Men’s and women’s jackets in all sizes (S, M, L, and XL) are needed; black and dark colors preferred. If used, clothing should be teen appropriate and clean and in good repair. Gloves and warm socks (new, please) are also needed; students particularly like the gloves that have touch screen capability.  

Bring donations to the Social Hall on Sunday, Dec. 5 or contact Cindy Marsh at [email protected].  

Augsburg Fairview Academy(AFA) is a public charter high school located in the Phillips Neighborhood. AFA is a long standing First U Community Partner; we have supported Food and Clothing Closets at AFA for eight years.
Happenings
New Member Classes: Dec. 12 & Jan. 11
If First Universalist feels like your spiritual home, if our mission moves you, then we hope you’ll take part in Pathway to Membership. This class is for those who intend to join First Universalist Church as members.

Recently redesigned for multi-platform church, Pathway to Membership involves watching several short videos on different ministry areas in the church, and then attending a class session to reflect on and discuss themes like Faith in Action and Stewardship through the lens of church membership.

Pathway to Membership classes are offered monthly, alternating between being held in person and on Zoom. The next two classes are:

Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021; 1–3 p.m. at First Universalist
Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022; 6:30–8:30 p.m. on Zoom

Learn more and register on our website.

Daytime Connections: "Back in My Day..."
with Peg Meier on Thursday, Dec. 16
Thursday, Dec. 16 in the Cummins Room at church
Sign in at 9:45 a.m., Program at 10 a.m.
Lunch follows the program

Join Daytime Connections next month as legendary Star Tribune reporter and First Universalist member Peg Meier shares true stories she has uncovered at the Minnesota Historical Society and other local archives. We may hear about a lumberjack in the 1900s, a rambunctious 13-year-old girl who lived on St. Paul’s Summit Avenue in the ‘20s, or tales of woe from the Depression era. Peg will share with us fascinating tales from her research.

We often reminisce about growing up in the “old days.” What stories and anecdotes do you remember that reflect your childhood? You’re invited to bring an interesting memento to share.

An optional soup and salad lunch ($5–$15 sliding scale—more if you can, less if you can’t; no one will be turned away due to lack of funds) will be served following the program.

Register here for the December 16 program only or program and lunch.
In the Community
It Takes All of Us:
UU Community Call to End Fossil Fuels
Monday, Dec. 6, 7–8:30 p.m. on Zoom

An invitation from the Environmental Justice team along with MNIPL (Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light) community connector, Roberta Haskin:

Join a rich conversation with a group of Unitarian Universalist lay leaders, ministers, and community organizers from across Minnesota and our national body. In this community call, we will share the current priorities of the Line 3 movement and developments in how we can stop all fossil fuel projects, including through divestments. We will deepen into some of the stories of the climate movement from this past summer and fall as Unitarian Universalists put their values and shared UU Principles into action. We will reflect together on the different ways we are moved to protect the earth from climate chaos and transition to a just economy based on renewable energy.

Ongoing Gatherings
UUs in 12-Step Recovery
Updated schedule: Sundays at 7 p.m.
Weekly drop-in group for UUs in 12-step based recovery from all kinds of addiction and family dysfunction. Participation is confidential. Join us via Zoom here. (Meeting ID: 922 6965 4151 Passcode: 839388)

12 Step Spirituality - In Person
First Saturdays, 9:30 a.m.
The workshops meet monthly on the first Saturday of each month in the Social Hall from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. The workshops are open to all people in or interested in 12 step programs. They include meditation, meditation instructions, short talks and small groups. Meeting details available at 12stepspirituality.org

12 Step Spirituality - Zoom
Saturdays, 9:30 a.m.
Designed for those actively working a 12-Step program and who want to explore and deepen their spirituality through Centering Prayer. Meeting details available at 12stepspirituality.org

Tangled Blessings Grief Group
Sunday, Dec. 19, 4–5:30 p.m. on Zoom
Tangled Blessings is a monthly grief group led by Rev. Karen Hutt in which participants are invited to bring their whole selves and whatever grief they may be carrying. To receive the Zoom information, RSVP to Rev. Karen Hutt at [email protected]. Future dates are: Sundays, Jan. 16, Feb. 20, March 20, April 17, and May 15.

First Sunday Meditation Group
Sunday, Dec. 5, 12:15–1:30 p.m. at church
Join this monthly congregant-led group for silent meditation. After 20 minutes of sitting together in silence, we share experiences from our practices.

Weekly Meditation Group
Tuesdays, 9–10:15 a.m. on Zoom
This group plans to begin a multi-platform gathering model when the church reopens. Contact Sara McMullen at [email protected] for Zoom and in-person meeting information. 

Chi Gung
Thursday mornings 10 to 11:30 a.m.
Pat,Gottschalk has been leading Chi Gung at First U for over 20 years. Pat leads gentle movements with a focus on harmonizing our personal energies — internal development and peace of mind, not martial arts. Creaky joints, stiff muscles and anxious minds are all welcome. We meet via Zoom until we can meet in person. Contact Judy Broad at [email protected] for Zoom information. 

Poetry Lovers Group
First Thursdays, 7–8:30 p.m.
Reacquaint yourself with poets you love and discover other poets who are new to you while connecting with fellow Poetry Lovers at church. More information.

Association of Universalist Women Happy Hour(s)
Thursdays at 5 and 7 p.m.
Join the 5 p.m. Happy Hour here (Meeting ID: 834 7301 7986; Password: 557571).
Join the 7 p.m. Happy Hour here (Meeting ID: 817 4022 5684; Password: 675052).

Single and Solo Parents and Caregivers Gathering
1st & 3rd Thursdays at 8 p.m.
Parents/guardians who are single and/or co-parenting gather for mutual support and spiritual sustenance. Contact Christy at [email protected] for more information.

Parents & Caregivers of Babies and Preschoolers 
Thursdays, 8:30–9:30 p.m.
Parents/guardians of little ones gather for mutual support and spiritual sustenance. Email Lauren at [email protected] to be connected to the group.
Resources & Information
COVID-19 Safety Measures & Policies
Updated November 10, 2021

  • Masks are required in the church building and on the playground for everyone ages 2 and up (accommodation will be made for those unable to tolerate a face covering due to health condition, disability, or behavioral or developmental condition.)
  • We ask that you do your best to maintain a distance of at least 3 feet between you and those who are not in your household
  • We are asking everyone to sign in when entering the building on Sundays; in the event we are notified of a confirmed case of COVID-19, we will contact those we believe to have been in proximity to the person who tested positive.
  • Staff and volunteers are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19
  • If you are joining us in person, we strongly encourage but do not require vaccination for everyone who is able to be vaccinated
  • We ask that you please stay home and join us online if you are sick or experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, or if you have been notified of a recent exposure to a confirmed positive case of COVID.
  • We will not be serving food or beverages on Sunday mornings
  • For now, we will not be singing together in the sanctuary; masked choir members will sing at some services
  • Both services will be streamed to the social hall for those seeking more space, or in case the sanctuary fills
  • We will not be offering childcare or classes for babies, toddlers and preschoolers; they are welcome in the sanctuary, or families can watch the live-streamed service from the toddler-preschool rooms as little ones play.
Care Resources

Spiritual Care - Your ministers and program staff are here for one-on-one confidential conversations of support. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to any of us to connect. 

Care Companions - Care companions are members of the congregation who’ve been oriented toward the art and practice listening with a caring and confidential ear, and a loving and kind heart. They call and check-in on folks in the congregation and are here to accompany you longer term if you’re living with a chronic illness or could use some ongoing support. To connect with a Care Companion (or to become one), contact [email protected]

Love Kits - Are you or someone you love ill? Is your family struggling? Do you live alone or feel isolated? Do you know someone else from church who might be? If so, please let Rev. Karen ([email protected]) know so that a package full of love and support can be delivered to your home.

Meal Trains - If you or someone you know at church would welcome a meal to help them through a difficult time, loss, illness or injury — and having someone else do the cooking for a bit would help —please let us know. Contact Rev. Arif Mamdani at [email protected].

Minister’s Emergency Fund - For many of us, these are difficult financial times. If you need help with a car repair bill, making rent, a doctor’s bill, groceries, gas, a mortgage payment, affording your medication, a bus card, or any other financial situation - please be in touch. We have financial resources available. Please contact a minister/staff member. 

Mental Health Connect - www.mhconnect.org - Need help finding a therapist? Want to learn more about particular mental health conditions and resources? Check out Mental Health Connect, a local organization supported by congregations like ours, that provides community-based resources, support and education to improve access to mental health services and connect individuals and families with the services they need. 

Counseling - The Walk In Counseling Center offers free counseling by phone or computer. Find out how to “walk in” on their website.
Weekly Liberal Submissions

We encourage you to submit news!
To do so, fill out our online submission form. Edits for length and/or content may occur. The deadline for submissions is noon on Wednesday the week of publication. The Weekly Liberal is compiled and edited by Communications Manager Jenn Stromberg. Past issues and policies can be found on our website
Contact Us

First Universalist Church of Minneapolis
3400 Dupont Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55408
612-825 1701  

For staff contact information, please visit our Ministers and Staff page.