by adminuucm

UUCM as Teaching Congregation for the 2022-2023 Church Year

Fred Hulting, Board Trustee

Six months ago, we welcomed Jill Braithwaite as our full-time Ministerial Intern for this church year.  Jill has been a wonderful addition to our staff, leading worship services and becoming actively involved in the life of our church. 

What led UUCM to hire an intern?  UUCM has been on a journey to strengthen our relationship with Ministers and Ministry. We had a successful Interim Ministry from 2018 to 2020, and since 2020 we have been off to a great start in our Developmental Ministry with Rev. Lisa Friedman.  Becoming a teaching congregation is the logical next step on this journey. As a teaching congregation, we would provide a Ministerial Intern with an opportunity to pursue learning goals and develop ministerial skills in a supportive congregation with an experienced supervisor.  In 2021, the Board decided, with encouragement from Rev. Lisa Friedman, to pursue an intern for the 2022-2023 church year.

During the hiring process we chose to be competitive in recruiting, pursuing strong candidates that were also sought after by other large churches in our area. We are very pleased that Jill chose UUCM, and she has quickly become a valued member of our church community.  In addition to having Rev. Lisa as her supervisor, Jill receives support from the Ministerial Intern Committee (Sue Fust, Karen Hulting, Steve Sundby, Joyce Tregaskis, Brook Wheeler). So far, the internship is going very well for both Jill and the congregation.  We believe this positive experience could lead us to hire future interns in 2024 and beyond.

With an eye toward that future, I want to encourage all of you to learn more about our intern program.  Please watch the Friday update for more news on Jill’s internship, and for opportunities to meet with Jill and the Intern Committee. 

You can also support our intern program by making a financial contribution to the “Ministerial Intern Fund.”  This year we have funded the internship outside of our normal operating budget using donations, UUA grants, and reserve funds.  Your gift will serve as an endorsement of the program and enable us to have the resources to pursue future interns.  To make a donation you may send a check to the church or donate online at bit.ly/giveuucm by using the “Special Fundraising Campaigns” option with a note for the “Ministerial Intern Fund”.

by adminuucm

UUSC Family Support Update

Thank you for your generous donations for the family we are supporting. They’re very appreciative of the clothing and household items, as well as your gift of time driving them to and from appointments. We met with the family last week to celebrate their successes in 2022 and hear about their priorities for the year ahead. Together, we set some short term and long term goals

They need your help to accomplish these goals! 

Spanish language skills are helpful, but not necessary. We’ll connect you with great apps for translation services to bridge the communication gap. 

Please consider helping by…

Volunteering your time: 

  • Driving to and from their schedule dentist appointments 
  • Helping the dad study for his written driving test
  • Helping parents learn how to use a laptop computer and their Android phones. 

Sign up here!

Donating the following items:

  • Shelving to additional storage in their family room
  • Big bath towels
  • Thick non-stick frying pan (their current one is thin and burns easily)
  • Thick non-stick Dutch Oven (their current one is thin and burns easily)

Monetary Donations: This allows us to spend $200/month on groceries for their continued food security.  

ONLINE/MAIL Special Donation Instructions: Online to Special Donation Campaigns using a credit card at bit.ly/giveuucm. Please put “UUSC Family” in the memo line. Mail a contribution with “UUSC Family” in the memo line to UUCM at 2030 Wayzata Blvd E, Wayzata MN 55391.You can also place checks and gift cards in the secure box near the church office door.

Contact Lori Arnold with questions by email or call (952) 693-8604. 

Thank you! 

The UUCM and MSUS Immigration Justice Team

by adminuucm

Legislative Letter Writing Pizza Party

February 26, 11:30–1:00
Community Room

The Minnesota legislature has before it many important bills that could have a huge impact on improving Minnesotans’ lives. Contacting our elected officials is a powerful way to influence policy, so let’s get together, enjoy some pizza, and write letters asking for their support. 

We’ll have sample letters, paper, and postcards available to make it easy to get your voice heard on a number of important bills, including Bring It Home Minnesota, Minnesota Care for All, rezoning to support Mills Church’s affordable housing project, and others. We’ve invited our neighbors from Mills Church to join us for the party.