Rev. Justin Schroeder shares: I’m delighted to announce the creation and the first edition of the First Universalist Racial Justice Newsletter! Included in this newsletter is a story about and a link to an interactive timeline of the racial justice work we’ve been doing at First Universalist for the past seven years. Whether you’ve been a part of this journey since the beginning, or joined the church three years ago, or just started attending, this timeline and newsletter are meant to orient you to our racial justice history, to the spiritual imperative of this work, to what we’ve done over the years, including concrete policies and programs that have changed as a result of our work.

Our goal is to honestly share what we’ve learned, to highlight the institutional teams and groups supporting our racial justice efforts (in addition to the staff and Board of Trustees), to communicate with the whole congregation in a meaningful way, and to help you find your place in our racial justice ministry. 

I invite you to read the Fall 2019 Racial Justice Newsletter and check out the First Universalist Racial Justice Timeline!

In the exhibit If You Only Knew, fine art photographer and author Barb Kellogg has created an authentic and powerful collection of interviews and photographs that relay the humanity of mental illness…and subtly reveal the importance of being seen and heard. She encourages you to see beyond the illness by sharing stories of validation, encouragement, perseverance (and sometimes heartbreak), and by viewing inspired photography that encourages you to feel. The exhibit creates a bridge of understanding between those living with and without mental illness, decreases discrimination, increases awareness about the experience of mental illness, and ultimately, humanizes it.

Barb’s work will be on display in the Social Hall at First Universalist Church Oct. 6 – Nov. 17. She will be available to talk about her work on Sunday, Oct. 20 after both services.

Barb Kellogg, an award-winning fine art nature photographer, became an accidental author when she pursued the creation of the photo essay If You Only Knew. An example of life coming full circle, her current passion for photography merged with her past education in psychology and human development. Her artistic journey has evolved to create photographic imagery that is about something, not of something, often asking herself “what do I want this image to feel like?” Photography gives her the freedom to express emotions, much like an actor in a play, finding it liberating and therapeutic to create images that span the emotional spectrum. Barb and her husband live in Avon, Minnesota. To experience more of Barb Kellogg’s photography, visit www.barbkelloggphotography.com. The book If You Only Knew expands on this exhibit, featuring more interviews and photographs. It is scheduled to publish in December 2019.

One of the core spiritual practices of this community takes place in circles: groups of 8-10 committed participants who gather regularly to reflect on their lives and contemplate our worship themes. These groups are grounded in the spiritual practices of deep listening and open-hearted reflection.

Registration for Fall 2019 and Church Year 2019-2020 Circles will be open Sunday, Sept. 8 through Monday, Sept. 23 online at firstuniversalistchurch.org/circles.

Browse our Fall 2019 Program Guide for complete information about Circles and Programming this fall!

Soul Matters Circles: This small group curriculum encourages you to reflect more deeply on our monthly worship theme. At the start of each month, you will receive a packet of resources that includes poems, articles, YouTube videos, and more. This packet is your go-to text as you meet with your group and attend services. It also includes questions for contemplation and spiritual exercises that invite you into deeper relationship with our worship theme. View this fall’s offerings and sign up here!

Spiritual Deepening Circles: This fall, our spiritual deepening offerings include circles, classes, and workshops. Spiritual Deepening Circles are groups of 8-10 participants who explore a spiritual practice together. Classes are an opportunity to engage in study of a topic or text, and include reading and homework assignments. Workshops are designed to build your capacity to move a spiritual practice out of the church and into the world. As our commitment to racial justice guides us into deeper hospitality and relationship, all of our offerings include opportunities for mindful attention, embodiment, and interpersonal connection. View this fall’s offerings and sign up here!

Newcomer Circles offer an opportunity to learn more about our liberal faith tradition, reflect on our spiritual journeys, and connect with others who are also getting to know First Universalist. View our fall schedule and sign up here!

Childcare during circles is available free of charge by submitting this online form at least 7 days in advance.

Questions? Contact Arif Mamdani, Director of Membership and Adult Ministries, at arif [at] firstuniv.org or 612-825-1701 x124.

Over the past year, Shir Tikvah and First Universalist have been working closely to explore the possibility of sharing a campus in a renovated space at 3400 Dupont — a vision that stems from relationships and conversations going back a number of years and a hope that co-location could be mutually beneficial to our growing congregations. 

We’ve envisioned co-location as a bold, innovative, and values-aligned way to move into the future, reducing our environmental footprints and operating costs, amplifying our justice work, and helping each congregation meet facilities needs that wouldn’t be possible alone.

We are writing, however, to share that the discernment period around potential co-location has now come to an end. After completing a feasibility study with our architects, which involved a thorough exploration of each congregation’s needs and provided us with detailed actual cost estimates, we have reached the conclusion that the cost of renovations and construction to meet both congregations’ space needs and priorities at 3400 Dupont would greatly exceed what we are able to spend. While this news was disappointing, it is not unusual for cost estimates to be much larger and more accurate once a contractor is engaged for estimating. We have therefore made the difficult, mutual, decision to discontinue exploration of co-location.

We are closing our exploration of co-location, mourning a brave and exciting vision for our congregations’ future, while also understanding the financial realities. We are incredibly grateful for the process of discernment that we’ve been through, the learning we’ve done, and the relationships we’ve developed and strengthened. So many people from both of our congregations have generously given their time, talent, and expertise to faithfully explore the possibility of co-location, and we are forever grateful for their skillful work. 

While we are disappointed that the outcome we hoped for is not achievable in this moment, we are grateful to now have clarity and better information as each congregation moves forward and addresses its space needs separately.

We look forward to continuing to strengthen the relationship between our congregations, supporting and enlivening each other’s missions, and working more closely together as progressive forces seeking justice and healing in the world and in our communities. 

We will share more information about what’s next this fall as leadership in each congregation work to reassess and determine next steps.  

With gratitude,

Rabbi Michael Latz, Bruce Manning (Shir Tikvah Board President), Jeremy Perotti (Co-location Steering Committee),

Rev. Jen Crow, Rev. Justin Schroeder, Bryana French (First Universalist Board President), Nancy Gaschott (Co-Location Steering Committee), Cindy Marsh (Co-Location Steering Committee), Kristin Siegesmund (First Universalist Board Representative on Co-Location Steering Committee)

Read our 2018-2019 Annual Report.

Stay connected at church this summer! We’re offering a variety of opportunities for learning and spiritual deepening in community, including the core format of our adult faith formation: Circles. We hope you’ll join us!

Registration for Summer Circles is now open – learn more below and register online at firstucircles.weebly.com or in the Social Hall on Sunday May 12 or 19. Registration is open through Tuesday, May 21. read more

Quilling art by Fiona Payne and mosaic art by Janet Houck is now on exhibit in the Social Hall through April 28.

Fiona Payne is a self-taught paper artist who has been practicing the art of quilling since 2013. Paper quilling involves rolling long, very narrow strips of paper tightly around a thin tool, forming spirals into a multitude of shapes, and then arranging those shapes to create a pattern or image. After experimenting with a few different styles of quilling, she found her niche in 2015: quilled paper mosaics. She says she loves the opportunity for both creativity and structure; it’s like putting together a puzzle where you make up each piece as you go. Fiona says “I also love that once you have mastered the basic technique, quilling is infinitely flexible: I relish the challenge of a complex mosaic that takes 40-50 (or more!) hours to complete, and I enjoy being able to set aside a large project in favor of one that goes from start to finish in a weekend.” A lifelong Minnesotan, Fiona currently lives and works in Excelsior and divide her free time between art, books, and parenting a sixth grader, a college freshman, and a demanding Siamese cat.

For artist Janet Houck, mosaic is one of her favorite artistic expressions because it challenges and excites her in both the limitations of, and the variety of, the materials a mosaicist might use. She says: “In the creating, I enjoy the push and pull, the back and forth, between the mind’s designing and the repetitive physical, almost meditative, movements of the hand’s cutting, placing and adhering the tesserae – the small pieces of glass, tile or stone that make up a mosaic and come together visually to form the larger image. In my work I’m inspired by color, shapes, textures, the written word, and the beauty of both the natural world and the world of the imagination.” Janet arrived in Minnesota as a Pennsylvania transplant in 1991, with her beloved husband and their dear striped cat. She says their snowfall here was the infamous, record-breaking Halloween Blizzard. They initially thought that sort of weather was normal, but after being told otherwise, they decided to stay anyway and ended up being charmed by, and happily rooted in, Minnesota.

The artists with be available to talk about their work at an Artist’s Reception after both the first and second services Sunday, April 7.

Read the full issue of this week’s newsletter here: The Weekly Liberal March 7

In this week’s Liberal, Rev. Justin writes:

I can hardly believe it, but this is my 10th Annual Giving Drive! Over the years, the Annual Giving Team has had different messages and different themes. But whatever the theme, the underlying focus has been to raise the money necessary to live into our values and sustain and strengthen our ministry. read more

The church office and building will be closed today, Monday, Jan. 28, due to the weather. All church meetings and activities have been canceled.