Read the full issue of this week’s Liberal here: The Weekly Liberal March 26

In this week’s newsletter, Rev. Jen Crow writes:

This past week, our online small groups and worship opportunities reached out across the country and the continents to welcome people in. We had visitors from Saudi Arabia, Hawaii, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, Colorado, Arizona, California, Alaska, and New Zealand – and these are just the ones I know about. Our message of love and hope, of no one outside the circle of a love so big that it will not let us go – is needed now more than ever. 

With the world at large and our worlds at home changing so much so quickly, it helps to remember who we are and what is most important. We are the people of love and hope, and no matter what is going on around us or inside of us, love is not cancelled. And I wonder, how is love showing up in your life, and how are you showing love?

Love showed up this past Sunday in my life in the form of a phone call. Your Co-Senior Minister Rev. Justin hit me up on What’s App and it was so good to hear his voice. Rev. Justin and his family are living across the ocean in New Zealand during this sabbatical time for him, which runs from January 1 to June 30. The area of the country where they are is not showing community transmission of the coronavirus at this point, and given the lack of federal leadership and testing here in the United States, I encouraged Rev. Justin and his family to stay put, and stay safe, trusting that as a church community we have what we need to take care of each other here. They will continue to monitor the information in New Zealand and here in the United States and make decisions week by week. 

We shook our heads in disbelief together, connected by some magical internet mojo. A global pandemic really isn’t in the protocol books for how to do ministry, or sabbatical. What is in the books about ministry, and what is so clearly in both of our hearts, is love. Love for each other and this church. Love for each of you. Love for the larger circle of people we will never meet (some of whom are joining us from Saudi Arabia!). Love for those who are with us and for those who will pass on. It is love that will keep us connected. Love that will lift us up. Love, that will make every suffering bearable for us all. 

Love,
Rev. Jen

The congregational meeting to provide an update on renovation plans has been moved online and rescheduled, and will now be offered twice.

Please join us online via Zoom on either Thursday, March 26 at 7 p.m. (click here to join the Thursday webinar or use the webinar ID: 737-839-530) or on Sunday, March 29 at 1 p.m. (click here to join the Sunday webinar or use the webinar ID: 686-035-909)

Background information about the project can be found here.

Sunday, March 22 WORSHIP 10 a.m. Multigenerational Worship (webinar ID:  861-805-984; phone number for audio only: (312)-626-6799) Get instructions for joining worship online via Zoom here. GROUP MEETINGS VIA ZOOM 9 a.m. Coming of Age  (9th grade) with Emma, Ruth, and COA Advisors – Taking religious education online as we prepare for our milestone celebration for 9th graders. Register here (required). ~10:30 a.m. Post-worship Coffee Hour (meeting ID: 927-745-066) with Arif 11 a.m. Senior High Youth Group (10th-12th grade) with Emma and senior high advisors – Weekly gathering for 10th-12th graders to stay connected to community and familiar rituals. Register here  (required). 12:30 p.m. Young Family Story Time (Families with babies to 1st grade) with Seth – Stories, songs and rituals to keep little ones, ages birth through 1st grade (and their grownups!), connected to familiar rhythms and relationships. Register here (required).

Tuesday, March 24 GROUP MEETINGS VIA ZOOM 7:30 a.m. Spiritual Practice  with Rev. Ruth – Take a half hour before your day begins and experience a time of mindfulness (loving kindness meditation, tonglen practice, centering prayer) 7 p.m. BIPOC Listening Circle (for anyone who identifies as black/indigenous/person of color) with Rev. Karen and Arif. Let’s grab some time to talk about what’re experiencing and what kind of spiritual support we need in this time of uncertainty. 8 p.m. Single Parents Gathering with Lauren – Parents/guardians who are single and/or co-parenting gather for mutual support and spiritual sustenance.

Wednesday, March 25 WORSHIP 7 p.m.; Wednesday Worship for Adults (webinar ID: 117-312-320; phone number for audio only: (312)-626-6799) GROUP MEETINGS VIA ZOOM 11 a.m. Rites of Passage (6th grade) with Lauren – Taking religious education online as we prepare for our milestone celebration for 6th graders. Register here (required). 3 p.m. Elementary Cool Group (2nd-5th grade) with Lauren – 2nd-5th graders stay connected to familiar rituals and have fun with friends. Register here (required). 7:30 p.m. Post-worship Calming Circle with Rev. Ruth and Pastor Stephanie – A time to come into our bodies, do a brief check in and then take time to engage in a mindfulness practice.

Thursday, March 26 GROUP MEETINGS VIA ZOOM 2 p.m. Middle Schoolers Meetup (7th-8th grade) with Lauren and Claire – Weekly gathering for 7th-8th graders to stay connected and have some fun. Register here (required). 7 p.m. Building Renovation Plans: Congregational Meeting  (webinar ID: 737-839-530) (same content repeats Sunday, 3/29 at 1 p.m.) 7 p.m. Parents of Middle and High School Youth with Lauren – Parents/guardians of 6th-12th graders gather to share ideas about what kinds of spiritual support we and our youth need in this time of uncertainty. 8:15 p.m. Parents of Babies and Preschoolers (age 0-4 years) with Lauren – Parents/guardians of babies and preschoolers (age 0-4 years) gather for mutual support and spiritual sustenance.

Read the full issue of this week’s newsletter here: The Weekly Liberal March 19

In this week’s Liberal, Rev. Jen Crow writes:

Dear ones, 

It’s been a whirlwind of information and change this past week. Can it really only be a week since we made the decision to close the church building, back when the schools were still open, you could find food on the shelves of the supermarkets, and our president was encouraging us to go on with business as usual? It was only a week ago. Most of us are living in one state of shock or another. All of us are living with lives changed and a future we cannot predict. We are living in a state of uncertainty, all of us connected, with so much in flux. The Buddhists would tell us this is how it always is, we just see it more clearly now.  

From this state of shock, I have been searching for what stays the same. Looking for what I can count on, cleave to, and let go of, if needed. I’ve been thinking a lot about the blessing I wrote for myself when we returned home after our house fire. How scared I used to get, and how I would settle myself down. I’m using it again now. 

I’ll share my blessing here, knowing that it won’t work for all of you, that the particulars will need to be changed to match your reality. I do want you to tell me, what might you notice now in the six foot circle around you that helps you feel safe, grounded, and secure? How can you settle yourself, or let yourself crumble with the wave of emotion that needs to wash over you, trusting that these feelings will pass, and we will begin again and again and again in love?

Will you tell me? I’m listening. 

With love,
Rev. Jen

Notice, you.
For you who thought it would never be rebuilt, the pieces never found, the structure never sound
For you who worried your family and spirit had been torn apart, never to knit back together again
For you who lost so much – the expectation of safety in the night, her first day of kindergarten, old photographs all gone
For you who wondered if you’d ever feel whole again
Swept along on a current in a river you did not choose
For you who wondered and worried how this story would turn out
Notice, you.
Notice the firm couch beneath you that sits on the beautiful wood floor, gleaming and scratched by the dog’s too-long toenails
Notice your grandmother’s buffet, refinished and strong, an anchor of weight and history flanking your side, family silver tucked inside, polished to gleaming by the hands of friends and strangers
Notice the pictures of your children smiling on top of it
Notice your favorite leather chair sitting under the window that frames the lilac tree you planted, a gift as you moved home, marking your own new beginning
Notice the relief you feel, the result of hours of effort and the washing power of tears
Notice how your children sleep soundly in their own beds most of the nights now, and so do you  
Notice this 
here
now
A web of kindness and care is visible that had gone unseen before 
Notice and breathe this clean air 
No smoke, no mold, no water here 
Clean, clear, air
Notice your home,
you’re home.

As we continue to make our way through this time of physical distancing, one of the things that helps to sustain us is gathering together (virtually) in community.

As part of our call to minister to us all in these challenging times, we’re starting a mid-week worship gathering for adults in the congregation. Join us for the first such gathering tonight (March 18) at 7 p.m. when Rev. Jen will lead us in prayer and story, and help us make space for all the things we’re holding – the joy, the grief, the resilience, and the loss. Together, we can hold more than any of us can alone, and we hope you’ll join us for this brief service of connection and care. 

Worship Tonight at 7 p.m.
We will gather tonight via the zoom platform. Go here at 7 p.m. tonight to join us. If you’ll be joining us via a mobile app, use the meeting ID: 214 541 563

Calming Circle with Rev. Ruth at 7:30 p.m.If you’d like to participate in Rev. Ruth’s Calming Circle, which is a small group meeting in which all participants can participate with video and audio, that will begin at 7:30 p.m. in a separate Zoom meeting here: Calming Circle with Rev. Ruth. (meeting ID: 961 054 162)

Here are step-by-step instructions for joining WORSHIP if this is your first time joining us via Zoom:

If you haven’t used Zoom before, you’ll need to download the free Zoom software (or app, if you’re on a smartphone or tablet). It’s called “Zoom Client for Meetings.” It would be a good idea to download it in advance here. (You can find where to download the mobile apps here too – just scroll down a bit.) On your computer, find “Zoom.pkg” (or something similar, like “Zoom.exe”) in your downloads and double-click it to install the application, then follow the prompts on your computer.

Join worship here at 7 p.m. You’ll be prompted to open (or download) Zoom. Depending on your browser, you may see a message asking if you’d like to allow the browser to open the link in Zoom – choose “allow” or “open.” Enter your name and your email address when prompted. We’ll go live at 7 p.m. and we’ll allow several minutes for folks to join before worship starts.
Know that your microphone will be muted and you will not be seen via video during our worship livestream.

If you experience difficulties with the link in step 2, you can also go here https://zoom.us/join and enter the meeting ID: 214 541 563
Once there, if you are a bit early, just wait!

Optional: once the live stream begins, you will see an icon toward the bottom that says “chat.” If you’d like to participate in the chat, click on the chat icon, and the chat box will appear on the right side of your screen. At the bottom of the chat box in blue, you’ll see To: “All Panelists.” The “panelists” are our worship leaders. Click on “All Panelists” to bring up the menu and instead select “Everyone (in meeting)” to make your comments visible to everyone participating.

To join worship by phone (audio only):
Dial: 929 205 6099  or 312 626 6799  When you hear “Enter your meeting ID, followed by pound,” enter: 214 541 563 #

Please join us online on Sunday, March 15 at 10 a.m. for our first virtual Sunday worship experience, appropriate for all ages! (And remember – there will be no in person worship; we’re moving to online only through at least the end of March.)

We will be live-streaming here via Zoom beginning at 10 a.m. on Sunday, March 15.

We recommend getting yourself set up early, so that we’ll be able to assist if you need help.

To join worship online:

1. If you haven’t used Zoom before, you’ll need to download the free Zoom software (or app, if you’re on a smartphone or tablet). It’s called “Zoom Client for Meetings.” It would be a good idea to download it in advance here. (You can find where to download the mobile apps here too – just scroll down a bit.) On your computer, find “Zoom.pkg” (or something similar, like “Zoom.exe”) in your downloads and double-click it to install the application.
2. Join here. You’ll be prompted to open (or download) Zoom. Depending on your browser, you may see a message asking if you’d like to allow the browser to open the link in Zoom – choose “allow” or “open.” Enter your name and your email address when prompted. We’ll go live at 10 a.m. and we’ll allow several minutes for folks to join before worship starts.
3. Know that your microphone will be muted and you will not be seen via video during our worship livestream – so it’s okay to show up in pajamas and with messy hair!
4. If you experience difficulties with the link in step 2, you can also go here https://zoom.us/join and enter the meeting ID: 711 817 509
5. Once there, if you are a bit early, just wait!
6. Optional: once the live stream begins, you will see an icon toward the bottom that says “chat.” If you’d like to participate in the chat, click on the chat icon, and the chat box will appear on the right side of your screen. At the bottom of the chat box in blue, you’ll see To: “All Panelists.” The “panelists” are our worship leaders. Click on “All Panelists” to bring up the menu and instead select “Everyone (in meeting)” to make your comments visible to everyone participating.

To join worship by phone (audio only):

Dial 1-929-205-6099

When you hear “Enter your meeting ID, followed by pound,” enter: 711 817 509 #

Need help?

You can call the church at 612-825-1701 on Sunday morning from 9-9:45 a.m. to be connected with a fellow congregant volunteer who can assist you via phone. Staff will also be available in the week ahead to help – we are committed to working with everyone who wants and needs help to ensure that all have access to our virtual worship services.

Want to practice?

We’ve set up a place where you can practice connecting on Zoom on Sunday morning, from 9-9:45 a.m. This practice room is a little different than the webinar format we’re using for worship because you’ll be able to interact with others in the room over video and audio. The practice room is the same format that will be used for smaller gatherings, like the ones below.

Next Steps: Smaller gatherings to help keep us connected

After worship, please join us in a smaller gathering on Zoom sometime Sunday or this week:

• Social Hour with Arif Mamdani, all are welcome, Sunday immediately after worship
• Virtual Youth Group with Emma Paskewitz and Rev. Ruth, for 9th-12th graders only, Sunday at 11 a.m.
• Sunday Storytime with Seth Matz, for families with babies through 1st graders, Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
• BIPOC Group with Bryana French and Michael Dotson, for Black, Indigenous and People of Color ages 16+ only, Sunday at 1 p.m.
• Gathering for Grownups with Lauren Wyeth, for adults parenting K-6th graders, Tuesday at 7 p.m.
• Calming Circle with Rev. Ruth, Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Coming soon…

• Middle School Youth Group, for 6th-8th graders
• Elementary Cool Group, for 2nd-5th graders
• More Gatherings for Grownups with younger and older kids

Dear ones, 

Like so many of us, I’ve been carefully following the developing news about COVID-19. There is so much I want to say to you – and the most important words we ever say to each other will always be this: I see you, and I love you. 

I see you, worried and well and worried and sick. I see you struggling to decide if you should send your kids to school, attend that gathering of friends you’ve been looking forward to for weeks, or tell anyone about the underlying conditions you carry so close to your chest. I see you as you make your own decisions to stay home or head out. I see you as you calculate the cash, hoping you have enough to call in sick, make up for lost tips, and stock your fridge. I see you as you grieve the loss of visits as nursing homes limit your contact with loved ones. I see you as the things you hoped and planned for slip away with only a moment’s notice. I see you as you search for information, not wanting to overreact or look back later wondering if you’ve done enough. I see you, all of you, and I love you.

And it is out of love for one another that, in light of the rapidly evolving situation with COVID-19, we are moving to virtual church – staying connected by phone, email, and online. 

We have decided to close the church building starting tomorrow, Friday, March 13,  through at least the end of March. This includes all in-person gatherings – from Sunday morning worship and religious education classes to small group meetings, choir rehearsal and congregational meetings. With the continued spread of illness caused by this novel coronavirus and the limited public health response, we are prioritizing our care for the community and each other over in-person gatherings. We will shift our shape – continuing to connect and care for each other in new and old ways. 

Here’s what we are doing in the coming days:

• Our first virtual gathering will be this Friday evening at 7 p.m. via Facebook Live, where Rev. Jen Crow will help us create space to hold all that we’re carrying right now; go here to join us then (no Facebook account required)
• Staff and ministers will remain available by email and phone; we will work together to coordinate pastoral care, create online worship, and offer opportunities for virtual connections for all ages
• We will be reaching out directly to lay leaders, group leaders, and religious education volunteers to make plans to reimagine how we make church happen in this time of social distancing

Here’s what you can do:

• Let us know if you are sick or need resources (whether you suspect you have COVID-19 or not); put the church’s number (612-825-1701) in your phone to call if you have a pastoral emergency
• Let us know if you need help with technology, like learning how to attend Friday’s Facebook Live event
• Take gentle care of your body, your loved ones, and others, as you are able
• Remember that small acts of self care and community care, when done with attention and intention, are a form of spiritual practice
• Stay connected with your church community by keeping an eye on your email and attending our online events
• Here are tips from the CDC and WHO – and here specifically for children –  for coping with stress during COVID-19 pandemic

In the midst of these troubling times, it helps to remember who we are and how we promise to be. There is so much unknown right now. But we do know this: We are people who believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every person, each of us one shining gem on this interconnected web, each of us valued and valuable, whole, holy and worthy. Our faith calls us to care for the common good, to center the lives of those on the margins, and to care for one another. 

This is who we are and this is what we do. This is the work of our church.

In gratitude,

Rev. Jen Crow, Co-Senior Minister
Bryana French, President of the Congregation

And your First Universalist staff leadership team: 
Lauren Wyeth, Director of Children, Youth and Family Ministries
Rev. Ruth MacKenzie, Minister
Arif Mamdani, Director of Membership and Adult Ministries
Jenn Stromberg, Communications and Office Manager

Read this week’s newsletter in full here: The Weekly Liberal March 5

In this week’s newsletter, Rev. Ruth MacKenzie, Lauren Wyeth, and Arif Mamdani write:

Dear First Universalist Community, 

As we read and watch news about the outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) that has spread to multiple countries including the United States, many of us are experiencing worry and concern. Some of us live with weakened immunity, and we all know and love people in “at-risk” groups. These are understandably frightening times.

While there are no confirmed cases in Minnesota as of this writing on March 5, we want to assure you that First Universalist leadership is paying close attention to the latest information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the MN Department of Health (MDH). As a place where people gather regularly in community, we take seriously our responsibility to stay informed and to take precautionary measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 if and when necessary.

The Minnesota Department of Health has these recommendations posted on their website:

• Based on what we know now about COVID-19 and what is known about its spread, MDH is not issuing a recommendation at this time to cancel community events such as concerts, parties, or church gatherings.
• Individual organizations and community members will want to make their own decisions about specific events based upon many considerations.
• As always, we recommend that people stay home when sick, cover their cough, and practice good hand hygiene.

Small acts of self care and community care, when done with attention and intention, are a form of spiritual practice. Covering my cough becomes a way of acknowledging the web of life that connects me to all, acknowledging that life is fragile and precious. Washing my hands offers a pause in a busy day, a moment devoted to safeguarding the health and wellness of my own body and the bodies of others, known and unknown, who share and cross my path. Signing up to prepare and deliver meals to church folks who are ill is a way to express my compassion and give life to our covenant. Smiling in greeting, rather than touching a hand, allows us to share a glance that says: We are connected. We depend on one another. What we do matters.

Church will continue to hold Sunday services, religious education classes, and regular groups and meetings in the building so long as public health officials do not recommend against it. When at church, you’ll find hand sanitizer available around the building – please make use of it! There are dispensers mounted in the upper and lower hallways of the education wing, in the social hall, in the sanctuary, and in the lower narthex outside of each coat closet.

We will continue to monitor the situation and the guidelines provided by health professionals and will adjust or cancel activities if that should become necessary.

Regardless of what unfolds and which avenues of communication we use, we will stay connected. Your ministers, church staff and religious community are here and available to provide companionship, pastoral care and practical support. 

Please feel free to reach out to one of us if you have concerns, needs, or questions.

In faith,
Rev. Ruth MacKenzie, Lauren Wyeth, and Arif Mamdani

Read this week’s newsletter here: The Weekly Liberal Feb. 27

A new exhibit of artwork by Gordon Coons is on view in the social hall February 23 through March 29. There will be an artist’s reception on Sunday, March 8 after both services.  

Gordon Coons is a painter and printmaker who is largely self-taught. He paints in the Ojibwa Woodland style and creates fumage (smoke art) by burning cedar which he embellishes with 24-karat gold leaf. Gordon also prints with linoleum block. Gordon draws inspiration from his Anishinaabe heritage. His bright color palette comes from his natural surrounds in the Great Lakes region. He also enjoys incorporating playfulness in his images, telling stories of relationships between Western and Native cultures, and the connection we have to our shared historical events.  

Gordon exhibits nationally and his work is in permanent collections across the country. More of his artwork can be seen online at gordoncoons.com.