From Prison to Protest
Join us this Sunday, June 12 at 10 a.m. for a personal story of adversity, reconciliation, and triumph through the work of social justice in marginalized communities. Pastor Danny Givens, Jr. is preaching and church member Arif Mamdani is our worship associate this week.
Order of Service: June 12 Order of Service
Offering Recipient: Youth Cultural Exchange (give here)
Pastor Danny Givens, Jr. is the Senior Pastor of Above Every Name Ministries, a young cutting edge congregation in the Twin Cities that prides itself in being a “Church for the People.” As an advocate for Racial/Social Justice surrounding the systemic issues Blacks & People of Color face on a daily basis, Pastor Danny devotes his time and energy to the #BlackLivesMatterMpls Movement in the role of Clergy Liaison. In addition to his BLM work Pastor Danny is one of the Founding Members of Black Clergy United for Change (BCUC) – a collective of black clergy committed to the work of Racial Justice and Social Transformation in urban communities and abroad.
Arif Mamdani is a member of First Universalist. He is enrolled in the Master of Divinity degree program at United Theological Seminary and is pursuing fellowship with the Unitarian Universalist Association. Arif is employed as an Associate Director with the Kaleo Center for Faith, Justice & Social Transformation, and lives in St. Paul with his wife Channing McKinley and their daughters Satya and Rasana.
Listen to the Sermon and Call to Worship:
Summer Worship Theme: Telling a New Story
At the intersection of what is holy, and what is human, is a willingness to change, to shed old habits, old ways of thinking, old frameworks, old skin, to cast off what no longer functions and dare to do a new thing, to tell a new story. This ability to change is at the heart of creation and creator. In the book of Isaiah, God says: “Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?” In these summer months we will endeavor to be alert and present, to see and tell the new story emerging from within, among, and beyond.
