There’s a lot that is moving in our lives and in the wider world. Our bodies sometimes know and notice things our minds aren’t fully or consciously aware of. We gather for worship to make space for this knowing, to make space for what is, right now, and to help each other to remember to breathe and to breathe together. As we gather for this Wednesday’s mid-week worship on Wednesday, May 26 at 7 p.m., you’re invited to help create the space that we crave. Through word, song, and guided practice, we’ll make a space of rest, carve out a few moments of grounding and centering, and enjoy a time of renewal to carry us all through the rest of the week.

Launch the Wednesday Worship Zoom here – 7 p.m.

Webinar ID: 117-312-320.
To listen by phone (audio only), dial 1-312-626-6799 and enter the webinar ID.

Care Companions Space ~ 7:30 p.m.
We know that worship can take us into deep and surprising places. If you find yourself needing to talk with someone about what is stirring for you after worship, please speak with one of our care companions in a confidential zoom room after the service. This is how we care for one another.

In our annual beloved Youth Sunday worship, our senior high youth offer a message, story and music to remind us to cross the thresholds in our lives with care, creativity and courage. This Sunday, May 23, the service includes a Bridging Ritual to honor our graduating seniors, marking the end of their time as First Universalist youth and welcoming them into young adulthood in our church. Youth Sunday is a moving expression of our vibrant multigenerational religious community that you won’t want to miss.

Follow along with the Order of Service

Offering: Youth Leadership and Engagement
(give here) 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.

Care Companions Space ~ 11 a.m.
We know that worship can take us into deep and surprising places. If you find yourself needing to talk with someone about what is stirring for you after worship, please speak with one of our care companions in a confidential zoom room after the service. This is how we care for one another.

Fellowship Hour for BIPOC and Multiracial folks ~ 11 a.m.
A social space for those who identify as black, indigenous, people of color, and multiracial to connect.

All Identities Fellowship Time ~ 11:00 a.m.
Welcome all and be welcomed into this casual, social space where we check in and catch up with one another.

Rev. Justin writes: Our lives are made up of a constant stream of endings and beginnings. From our first breath to our last breath (which, for many of us, is the biggest ending we can imagine), we have countless opportunities to practices endings, to name what is changing, to share the grief and gratitude that accompanies the change, and to turn, with open hearts, to what is next. In Wednesday Worship we’ll explore together what makes a good ending. This Wednesday will be my last time leading a Wednesday Worship service, and I invite you to join me.

Join Rev. Justin Schroeder on Wednesday, May 19 at 7 p.m. for a midweek worship experience for adults and older youth. This service is a brief time (20-30 minutes) of connection, centering, and reflection to help us find and keep our balance.

Launch the Wednesday Worship Zoom here – 7 p.m.

Webinar ID: 117-312-320.
To listen by phone (audio only), dial 1-312-626-6799 and enter the webinar ID.

Care Companions Space ~ 7:30 p.m.
We know that worship can take us into deep and surprising places. If you find yourself needing to talk with someone about what is stirring for you after worship, please speak with one of our care companions in a confidential zoom room after the service. This is how we care for one another.

From Rev. Justin: Twelve years ago, I was preparing to begin my ministry with First Universalist. Outside of my candidating week with you all, I only knew you on paper. After 12 years together, a time of growth, learning, and journeying through the ups and downs of life, you know me much better, and I know you (as a congregation) much better as well – your strength, your passion, your creativity, your commitment, and your care. As I prepare to leave First Universalist on June 6th, I want to tell you, beloveds, who you are, and who I see you becoming, as a faith community. Though I’ll be involved in worship on June 6th, this is my last full sermon before I leave, and I hope you’ll join us this Sunday, May 16!

Follow along with the Order of Service

Offering: The Jeremiah Project
(give here) 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.

Care Companions Space ~ 11 a.m.
We know that worship can take us into deep and surprising places. If you find yourself needing to talk with someone about what is stirring for you after worship, please speak with one of our care companions in a confidential zoom room after the service. This is how we care for one another.

First Step ~ 11 a.m.
First Step is a brief, casual orientation to Unitarian Universalism and First Universalist Church. During this 45-minute class, participants will learn about the foundations of our faith tradition and opportunities to get involved. If you attend First Step this morning, please fill out the Visitor Connect form so we can follow up with you! Thank you!

Fellowship Hour for BIPOC and Multiracial folks ~ 11 a.m.
A social space for those who identify as black, indigenous, people of color, and multiracial to connect.

All Identities Fellowship Time ~ 11 a.m.
Meet Rev. Justin in fellowship hour for brief hellos, goodbyes, story sharing, and reflecting.

What are you watching? No, not Netflix!

What does it mean to be in community and observe one another over time? What have you noticed about yourself, your neighbors, your family this year? How do our personal narratives direct what we see and what we do not see? Bring your questions and watch out for some surprises.

I hope you’ll join me in worship tomorrow evening for a worship experience for adults and older youth on Wednesday, May 12 at 7 p.m. This 30-minute service is a brief time of connection, centering, and reflection to help us find and keep our balance.

Launch the Wednesday Worship Zoom here – 7 p.m.

Webinar ID: 117-312-320.
To join by phone (audio only), dial 1-312-626-6799 and enter the webinar ID.

Care Companions Space ~ 7:30 p.m.
We know that worship can take us into deep and surprising places. If you find yourself needing to talk with someone about what is stirring for you after worship, please speak with one of our care companions in a confidential zoom room after the service. This is how we care for one another.

Coming of Age is a beloved tradition in Unitarian Universalism. Instead of asking our youth to sign on to a particular creed or dogma, we charge them with discerning for themselves what they hold dear, using the 7 principles as a guide. To round out the Coming of Age experience, each student is asked to distill their core beliefs about life, God, and humanity into a personal statement of belief. This Sunday, May 9 at 10 a.m., join Rev. Arif Mamdani, Emma Paskewitz, Claire Tralle, Rev. Justin Schroeder and a couple of our 8th-9th graders who have just completed their Coming of Age journey at First Universalist.

Follow along with the Order of Service

Offering: Every Meal
(give here) 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.

Care Companions Space ~ 11 a.m.
We know that worship can take us into deep and surprising places. If you find yourself needing to talk with someone about what is stirring for you after worship, please speak with one of our care companions in a confidential zoom room after the service. This is how we care for one another.

Fellowship Space for BIPOC and Multiracial folks ~ 11 a.m.
A social space for those who identify as black, indigenous, people of color, and multiracial to connect.

All Identities Fellowship Space ~ 11 a.m.
Check in with friends new and old in a casual, social space.

So many of us are entering a season of thresholds, of noticing we are on one side of a metaphorical (or real) doorway, gate, or portal. Many of us are in a place we know, a place that feels familiar, (whether we like that familiarity or not), and on the other side is something new and uncertain. Letting go of what was, and moving into the new, requires faith, perseverance, and courage. Join us this Wednesday, May 5 at 7 p.m. for some spiritual practices to help hold us as we engage the many thresholds in our lives. This 30-minute service geared toward older youth and adults is a brief time of connection, centering, and reflection to help us find and keep our balance.

Launch the Wednesday Worship Zoom here – 7 p.m.

Webinar ID: 117-312-320.
To join by phone (audio only), dial 1-312-626-6799 and enter the webinar ID.

Care Companions Space ~ 7:30 p.m.
We know that worship can take us into deep and surprising places. If you find yourself needing to talk with someone about what is stirring for you after worship, please speak with one of our care companions in a confidential zoom room after the service. This is how we care for one another.

The phrase “mind the gap” serves as a warning on the London subway system, encouraging riders to pay attention to the threshold between the subway platform and the subway car. A little closer to home, the phrase “mind the gap” also highlights the importance of thresholds in our own lives. This month, our May worship theme of “thresholds” invites us to be mindful of our own thresholds and the thresholds in the world around us. Join Rev. Arif, Aimee K. Bryant, and Rev. Justin this Sunday, May 2 at 10 a.m. for a service that opens up this theme of thresholds and invites us to notice the many thresholds in our lives, past, present, and future. We’ll see you in church!

Follow along with the Order of Service

Offering: Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity
(give here) 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.

Care Companions Space ~ 11 a.m.
We know that worship can take us into deep and surprising places. If you find yourself needing to talk with someone about what is stirring for you after worship, please speak with one of our care companions in a confidential zoom room after the service. This is how we care for one another.

First Step ~ 11 a.m.
First Step is a brief, casual orientation to Unitarian Universalism and First Universalist Church. During this 45-minute class, participants will learn about the foundations of our faith tradition and opportunities to get involved. If you attend First Step this morning, please fill out the Visitor Connect form so we can follow up with you! Thank you!

Fellowship Hour for BIPOC and Multiracial folks ~ 11 a.m.
A social space for those who identify as black, indigenous, people of color, and multiracial to connect.

Sunday Small Groups & All Identities Fellowship ~ 11:15 a.m.
Fellowship hours will funnel through this link. Breakout room options are:
Six-Week Sunday Small Groups (pre-registration required)
All-Identities Fellowship Hour

First Sunday Meditation Group – 11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Join this monthly congregant-led group for silent meditation on zoom. After 20 minutes of sitting together in silence we will share experiences from our practices. We will begin our gathering at 11:15 am to provide time to share our lives with one another. Meditation will start at 11:30am. Meeting ID: 811 5515 5500; Passcode: 244512

UUs in 12-Step Recovery – 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Do you identify as someone in 12-Step recovery? Would you like to build community at church and add a layer of support for yourself and others? Join this drop-in group for UUs in 12-step based recovery from all kinds of addiction and family dysfunction. We’ll join in a time of silent meditation, explore a topic, and share our experience, strength and hope with each other. Participation in the meeting is confidential, and no sign up is required.
Meeting ID: 922 6965 4151; Passcode: 839388

From Rev. Justin: This past week, I’ve frequently been finding myself at a loss for words to describe how I am. I can’t find the words to adequately paint a picture of how I’m feeling and how I’m doing. When this happens, I turn to the poets, trusting that their words, images, and wisdom will help me reconnect to myself, and give voice to what has felt indescribable. This Wednesday, April 28 at 7 p.m., join me and the poets, Ross Gay and Mary Oliver, as we connect with our spirits, with the Spirit of life, and with one another.

Launch the Wednesday Worship Zoom here – 7 p.m.

Webinar ID: 117-312-320.
To join by phone (audio only), dial 1-312-626-6799 and enter the webinar ID.

Care Companions Space ~ 7:30 p.m.
We know that worship can take us into deep and surprising places. If you find yourself needing to talk with someone about what is stirring for you after worship, please speak with one of our care companions in a confidential zoom room after the service. This is how we care for one another.

Each week, we encourage and inspire one another in our transformational spiritual practices. Together, we practice recovery from racism and white supremacy culture. We practice connection with ourselves, each other, the earth, and the holy. We practice creating community that embodies love, joy, and liberation. We practice not to arrive at some one-and-done finish line, but to transform and be transformed. Join us this Sunday, April 25 at 10 a.m. as we gather strength for the journey of transformation.

Follow along with the Order of Service

Offering: Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light
(give here) 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.

Care Companions Space ~ 11 a.m.
We know that worship can take us into deep and surprising places. If you find yourself needing to talk with someone about what is stirring for you after worship, please speak with one of our care companions in a confidential zoom room after the service. This is how we care for one another.

Fellowship Hour for BIPOC and Multiracial folks ~ 11 a.m.
A social space for those who identify as black, indigenous, people of color, and multiracial to connect.

Sunday Small Groups & Fellowship Hours ~ 11:15 a.m.
Fellowship hours will funnel through this link. Breakout room options are:

• Six-Week Sunday Small Groups (pre-registration required)
• All-Identities Fellowship Hour