Over the course of our 200-or-so-year history as a denomination, we Unitarian Universalists have undergone considerable change. That doesn’t mean that transformation has always–or ever–been easy. In the coming year, we are faced with the opportunity to be a part of the sacred task of renewing our faith as both a community and a movement. What can the transcendentalist revolutionaries of early American Unitarianism teach us about what it means to be a living faith tradition today? What is it that truly holds us together in sacred covenant now and into the future, and what are the outward manifestations of our shared faith that are ready to be transformed for a new age? Join us for worship this Sunday, July 31 at 10 a.m.

ORDER OF SERVICE: available as a google doc and on this page (screen reader & mobile friendly version) by Friday.

OFFERING: Give via our online giving portal, or CashApp. Make sure to designate that it’s for the “Offering Plate” fund.

Meleah Houseknecht (she/her) is finishing the first year of her Master of Divinity in UU studies at United Theological Seminary. A life-long UU, she has been attending First Universalist since moving to Minnesota in 2011 and has served as co-chair of the Faithful Action Council for the past three-and-a-half years. Prior to hearing her call to ministry, she worked for 20 years in the environmental field, engaging stakeholders in environmental policy development and implementation and local sustainability planning. She lives in South Minneapolis with her husband Seth and two boisterous kiddos: Ilana (8) and Isaac (5).

Jill Braithwaite (she/her) has an M.A. in theology and the arts from United Theological Seminary and is currently finishing a Master of Divinity degree there with a concentration in UU Studies. Jill is a long-time member of First Universalist, where she has taught religious education and First Step classes and has served on the Board of Trustees and Strategic Planning Team.

Poet Wendell Berry’s description of “The Larger Circle” as “the circle of all creatures/Passing in and out of life” takes on new meaning as we gaze at – and struggle to comprehend- the 13 billion light-year view of the earliest galaxies in the universe provided by the James Webb telescope. Are those faint smudges even connected to us? Do they matter? How? Or is the question, why? Join us for worship this Sunday, July 24 at 10 a.m.

ORDER OF SERVICE: available as a google doc and on this page (screen reader & mobile friendly version) by Friday.

OFFERING: Give via our online giving portal, or CashApp. Make sure to designate that it’s for the “Offering Plate” fund.

Poet Marge Piercy writes that “a good anger acted upon is beautiful as lightning and swift with power.” Who teaches us about that kind of anger and power? How do we learn? What kind of inner transformation does it invite or require? Join us for worship Sunday, July 17 online and in-person at 10 a.m.

ORDER OF SERVICE: is available here as a google doc and on this page (screen reader & mobile friendly version) by Friday.

OFFERING: Give via our online giving portal, or CashApp. Make sure to designate that it’s for the “Offering Plate” fund.

When we are faced with a difficult situation, it can be challenging to greet it, not necessarily with agreement, but to simply take it in and receive it as another truth. This is what Unitarian Universalist process theologian Bernard Loomer describes as the essence of the spiritual path—the practice of receiving rather than resisting reality in the fullest possible sense. Come explore how we can grow our souls together in light of the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade with guest preacher Rev. Andrea Johnson.

Worship leaders: Rev. Andrea Johnson, Rev. Kate Tucker, Emma Paskewitz, Aimee K. Bryant, and Barbara Brooks

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On this Fourth of July weekend, we’ll hear different versions of the story of the United States of America. What kinds of stories build resilience and trust and what kinds build fragility and fear? This Sunday we’ll explore how the stories we tell create meaning.

Guest preacher Rev. Meg Riley, a lifelong Unitarian Universalist, spent 38 years as a religious professional before retiring in 2020. She now holds the volunteer position of co-moderator of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

ORDER OF SERVICE: will be available here as a google doc and on this page (screen reader & mobile friendly version) by Friday, June 24

OFFERING: Give via our online giving portal, or CashApp. Make sure to designate that it’s for the “Offering Plate” fund.

This summer, as we explore the theme of The Bigger Story, we reflect on how we live in stories and also how stories live in us. Spiritual growth can mean giving up stories that have become too small. Please join us in person or online for worship this Sunday, June 26!

ORDER OF SERVICE: will be available here as a google doc and on this page (screen reader & mobile friendly version) by Friday, June 24

OFFERING: Give via our online giving portal, or CashApp. Make sure to designate that it’s for the “Offering Plate” fund.

This Sunday, we’ll welcome guest preacher Nico Van Ostrand, who will lead worship along with Rev. Kate Tucker, Lauren Wyeth, Aimee K. Bryant, and Franco Holder.

About their message this Sunday, Nico shares: “The equation for calculating price per unit is a simple one, handy for finding the best value at a store. Yet trying to fit our values and Principles into that equation complicates it quite a bit. In this time of rainbow capitalism, performative activism, and faltering progress, let us double check our trajectory. Are we on our way to the heaven on earth Universalists dreamed of, or do we need a new equation?”

About this week’s guest preacher, Nico van Ostrand:
Nico (they/them) is a religious educator at White Bear Unitarian Universalist Church, where they particularly love sharing UU theology with all ages through story. They have been active with local racial justice organizations including MUUSJA and Filipinx for Immigrant Rights & Racial Justice MN (FIRM), and began their seminary journey last year with a focus on BIPOC-centered UU ministry. Nico feels most grounded while practicing tai chi with others by the water. Between it all, Nico squeezes in time to play piano, take long walks, and pet their two large cats.

ORDER OF SERVICE: as a google doc or on our website

OFFERING: Give via our online giving portal, or CashApp. Make sure to designate that it’s for the “Offering Plate” fund.

On Sunday, June 12, our choir and orchestra will take us on a journey that’s both deep and wide. We’ll celebrate the human spirit as it moves through struggle and sadness to healing and hope. It’s a journey of discovery, it’s a story of resilience, and it’s an offering to (and from) our community of faith. Please join us!

Order of Service: as a google doc or on our website

Offering: Give via our online giving portal, on the CashApp, or text firstuniv to 73256. You’ll receive a link to a secure form where you can enter your information. Select the “Offering Plate” fund from the dropdown menu.

First Step – meets in the sanctuary or via zoom, immediately after the service

Facilitated by one of our members, First Step is a brief, casual orientation to Unitarian Universalism and First Universalist Church. During this 40-minute class, participants will learn about the foundations of our faith tradition and opportunities to get involved. If you attend First Step, please fill out the Visitor Connect form so we can follow up with you!

First Step meets on several Sundays right after worship this Summer: June 12, June 19, July 10, July 17, August 7, August 14. If you join us in person, look for the facilitator holding a “First Step Meets Here” sign at the front of the sanctuary after the worship services. We look forward to welcoming you!

Flower Communion is an annual ritual that celebrates human beauty, uniqueness, diversity, and community. Join us in person and via livestream on June 5 at 10 a.m. Stay for lunch under the tent at 11 and the Annual Meeting of the Membership at noon.

Order of Service

Offering: Give via our online giving portal, on the CashApp, or text firstuniv to 73256. You’ll receive a link to a secure form where you can enter your information. Select the “Offering Plate” fund from the dropdown menu.

We’re all connected: an interdependent whole. Therefore, says Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, “covenant is our religious response to our fundamental interdependence.” We make promises about how to be together, and how to be in the world. We also fall short of honoring those promises, inviting us to repair and strengthen the strands of community. The choice to mend broken strands of the web is an act of faithfulness.

Join us Sunday, May 29, as we gather for one service at 10 a.m., in person and online, as we welcome UUA President Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray and others as they lead worship through a recently released recorded worship service on covenant and repair. Rev. Jen Crow will gather with those who would like to be in the sanctuary; the worship service will be shown in the sanctuary at 10 a.m., and live streamed then as well.

Join us in person and via livestream at 10 a.m.

Webinar ID: 861 805 984
Dial-in on a phone for audio-only: 312-626-6799

Order of Service: as a PDF

Offering: Give via our online giving portal, on the CashApp, or text firstuniv to 73256. You’ll receive a link to a secure form where you can enter your information. Select the “Offering Plate” fund from the dropdown menu.