Read this week’s issue here: The Weekly Liberal March 28 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 14

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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 Nominating Committee is now recruiting candidates for leadership positions on the Board of Trustees, the Foundation Board, and the Nominating Committee itself for the next church year. We believe the congregation is full of untapped talent and we encourage people to step forward and share their skills.

Now is an exciting and important time to serve as we continue to build on the positive energy and growth of our congregation. Serving on one of these bodies provides unique opportunities to deepen and enrich your personal connection to the church while broadening your circle of relationships within our spiritual community. Committee members have unique opportunities to collaborate with our passionate ministers and lay leaders to advance the mission of the church. read more

Read the full issue of this week’s Liberal here: Feb. 28 Weekly Liberal read more

On Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 8 a.m., Winter Parking Restrictions will go into effect in Minneapolis. Through April 1, parking is allowed on the ODD side of non-snow emergency routes only. This means no parking on the church’s side of Dupont and nearby avenues, and no parking on the north side of 34th and nearby streets. Parking is allowed on both sides of snow emergency routes (Bryant and 35th are both snow emergency routes).

We strongly encourage you to carpool or use public transit, especially on Sundays and when large events are happening. If you do drive, plan for extra time to find parking.

For those with limited mobility, we have a relatively new designated handicapped drop-off zone and handicapped parking spots (Sundays only) on 34th Street that may be especially helpful during this time!

Read the full issue of this week’s newsletter here: The Weekly Liberal February 21

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

Approximately 80 members were present for our annual State of the Church meeting on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019. The meeting began with a review of the Visionary Goals for 2017–2022.  read more

The church office and building are closed due to the snow as of noon on Wednesday, Feb. 20. Evening activities, including choir rehearsal, have been canceled.