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In the Interim: 2/15/2019

From Trust to Journey

arif-mamdani“My battery is low and it’s getting dark.” In case you missed it, those were the Opportunity rover’s last words to NASA. NASA officially declared Opportunity’s mission completed on Wednesday, ending a 15-year mission that lasted far beyond the 90 days that Opportunity was designed for. In a way, Opportunity was declared “dead.” I teared up reading the story about Opportunity’s end. I couldn’t help but imagine the hundreds, if not thousands of people who worked on the project, a project that for some unexpectedly became the work of a lifetime. What was it like for them that this journey had come to an end?

I also couldn’t help but think about what a great story it is for us to reflect on as we move out of our theme of Trust and into our theme of Journey. Continue reading →

Featured by adminuucm

From the Board: February 2019

I am one of those rare Unitarian Universalists who grew up in a UU church. One of the most vivid memories I have is going through the Our Whole Lives program. The first gathering was a day of trust building so we would be comfortable talking with each other about uncomfortable subjects. While one person climbed up to a platform about six feet off the ground, the rest of us all stood across from each other with arms bent at the elbow and palms up to make a zipper pattern. Collectively, we would catch the person as they fell backwards from the platform. A perfect way to show how we can support each other and trust that everyone will keep you safe….until you drop the first person….Luckily, she was uninjured, and we got the hang of it as we each went in turn. Like many things in life, earning, giving, and receiving trust is a learning process.

Our relationships to and within UUCM are often described in terms of covenant where promises are made between individuals, between the board and congregation, and between various groups within the community. Trust underlies promises. We make a promise, and the person or group we make it to trust that we will keep it. Inevitably, a promise will be broken, and that will damage or break the bond of trust. Often, it is possible to rebuild trust. Life is a process and we all make mistakes, break promises, and learn from that experience. Sometimes, the harm is too great, and the covenant is broken.

I’m writing this coming out of a day-long leadership retreat in which we discussed the strengths and weaknesses of our UUCM community. Continue reading →

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Church Closure Policy for Inclement Weather

christmas-2934094_1920In the very rare event of a need to cancel Sunday services because of inclement weather, you can find out whether church is open by:

  1. Looking at the UUCM website after 9 AM on Sunday. A special alert will be posted if church is cancelled.
  2. Calling the main church phone at (952) 473-5900 after 9 AM on Sunday. A special voicemail recording will be available if church is cancelled.
  3. Watching WCCO updates about local closures.
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Soul Matters Circle Groups Forming Now: Register by March 3

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday times available. Mondays are ONLINE via Zoom; Tuesdays and Wednesdays are at UUCM. See below for more details!

UUCM members and friends are invited to gather in small groups to explore and embody the spiritual values we hold as Unitarian Universalists. We will do this by journeying with our monthly spiritual theme in depth in groups of 6-10 people led by a facilitator.

Through provided readings, inspirational quotes, questions and practices, we will consider the question, “What does it mean to be a community of …” Journey (March), Wholeness (April) and Curiosity (May).

We will meet for 90-120 minutes twice a month for a total of 6 sessions. Choose one of the times slots below:

Continue reading →

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Venerable Women’s Group

Friday, March 8, 2019
12:00 PM

Where: UUCM Community Room – 2030 Wayzata Blvd. E, Wayzata 55391

Lunch: Bring your own lunch. Hosts will provide beverages and desserts.

Hosts: Fran Kiesling and Sharon Lubinski

Topic: Dictionaries define sisterhood as ‘the feelings of kinship with and closeness to a group of women or all women’ and also as ‘an association, society or community of women linked by a common interest.’ In light of political and societal events of the last few years, what does the idea of sisterhood mean to you now? How do you demonstrate sisterhood in your daily life?

RSVP: Sharon Lubinski at 612-720-4538 or sharon.lubinski@yahoo.com

Clover

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Interfaith Outreach: 2/17/19

iocp-logo-1

Start planning your March food and fund drive today!

Did you know: with the help of this generous community, Interfaith Outreach distributed 1 million pounds of food and household essentials last year, helping families stretch budgets and prevent hunger?

Interfaith Outreach’s Prevent Hunger campaign kicks off March 1, but now is the perfect time to start planning a food and fund drive with your faith community, neighborhood, co-workers, book club or civic group to fight – and prevent – hunger in our community! Together, we can reach our goal of $200,000 and 100,000 pounds of donations to help our neighbors with food, employment and family support.

Visit iocp.org/preventhunger to get started! The Prevent Hunger campaign is part of Minnesota FoodShare, which supports 300 Minnesota food shelves each year.

Save the date and donate – Ladies Night Feb. 21

Where friendship and fashion meet. Grab your girlfriends and join us for Ladies Night at Resale Select, Interfaith Outreach’s store, on Thursday, Feb. 21, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Enjoy complimentary sips and bites, socialize and shop, and support the families we serve with your purchases. We will reveal our newest merchandise for this event, so you can find great bargains on quality items!

P.S. Donations of new or gently used women’s clothing and handbags are needed for this event. Thanks for dropping off items Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at 1605 County Road 101 N in Plymouth. Continue reading →

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Social Justice Action Update: 2/17/19

UUCM’s Social Justice Ministry keeps members and friends informed about upcoming social justice events and activities of interest. We encourage you to participate and help build the congregation’s capacity to educate, serve, witness, and advocate for social justice. If you have a social justice event you would like to publicize, contact John Ziegenhagen.

Volunteer Opportunity

Tutor Children in English

Jackie Smolen needs two volunteers to help tutor children in English at the Hopkins library on Mondays or Wednesdays from 4:15-6:15 p.m.  Contact Jackie at jackiesmo@aol.com for more information.

Events

Family focus – Parent resource for discussing police shootings. In  February, our social generosity offering is going to the Philando Castile Relief Foundation. One of the Foundation’s goals is to support victims of police violence, which can be a difficult topic for parents to discuss with children. One useful resource is a children’s book that came out last year, titled “Something happened in our town: A child’s story about racial injustice” (authors Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard). The book follows two families — one White, one Black — as they discuss a police shooting of a Black man in their community. The story aims to answer children’s questions about such traumatic events, and to help children identify and counter racial injustice in their own lives. The book includes an extensive note to parents and caregivers with guidelines for discussing race and racism with children, child-friendly definitions, and sample dialogues.

Family focus –African American history month.  February is African American history month. There are many good resources available for teaching kids of all ages about African American history. Here are some useful starting points: (1) list of resources compiled by The University of Illinois Extension and (2) book lists compiled by AdLit.org and Social  Justice Books.

Family focus – Youth Day at the Capitol – February 27, 2019
Youth (middle school or older) may be interested in attending Youth Day at the Capitol. The event includes  advocacy training, meetings with legislators, and a tour of the “Somalis + Minnesota” exhibit at the Minnesota History Center. Learn more and register on  EventBrite.

Sunday, February 10 and 24

Be the Spark: Climate Change Leadership Development Training. 2:00-7:00 p.m., St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, St. Paul. Sponsored by Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light, these two session will help you build organizing skills and learn strategic approaches for engaging your faith community in Climate Change solutions. Register here. Continue reading →

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Sign Up to Attend a UUCM Gathering: Growing 2030 Possibilities!

Join us to talk about the future of UUCM!  We want everyone to attend one of the 90 minute gatherings in March to connect with others in the congregation and to discuss future plans for UUCM with the Board and the Ministers. You will also receive more information about the Stewardship Campaign. Food and drink will be served, and child care will be provided. Gatherings are scheduled at varied times on March 5, 9, 10, 11, and 17. So that we can plan appropriately, please sign up online at bit.ly/uucmgatherings or use the paper signup sheets in the Community Room at church.

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Spring Chalice Keeper Training

Sunday, February 24 at 11:30 AM
Children in 3rd grade and up, plus their family members, are invited to attend an orientation session to learn about this training program for lighting the chalice in worship services. More than a program of lighting logistics, this training helps youth and their families discover the history and connotations of the chalice itself, as well as what it means to live by the Principles of our faith as informed by its Sources. If this sounds like Greek to you (so to speak) your participation is most welcome. Becoming a Chalice Keeper is a wonderful rite of passage for young people and source of information for the whole family. Families of children in 3rd-5th grade will receive invitations by email to participate, but children of any age from 3rd grade and up are welcome to take part.  Hope to see many of you at the orientation to learn more. Questions? Contact Andrea Purdy Heier.

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Beloved Conversations: Sign-Up Deadline Extended to February 24

Register here by February 24

Dates have now been set for the eight follow-up sessions (Saturdays or Sundays), see below for details!  

We are excited to bring back Beloved Conversations — a small-group curriculum for exploring the role of race/ethnicity in our lives. It’s a time for compassion, grace, risk-taking, vulnerability, and the healing joy when cross-racial relationships are reconciled. Not only does it offer opportunities for individual change for people who are white, but it provides organizational support for institutional change and faith formation resources explicitly for people of color. This curriculum has been used by nearly 150 UU congregations across the country since it launched 5 years ago. Continue reading →