by adminuucm

Support and Concern for the Ukraine

Ukraine FlagMany of us are looking for ways to help and be in solidarity with the people of the Ukraine. Our elected leaders and national organizations have offered vetted lists of organizations to support. There is also the opportunity to support Minnesota’s local Ukrainian community in their response, as well as the work of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. Please see the resources and links below:

NEW Faithify Campaign: Click here to provide immediate aid (transportation, shelter, food, supplies, counseling) to families fleeing war in Ukraine through the Hungarian Unitarian Church. Organized by The International Women’s Convocation (IWC) is an NGO in special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council. They are a global partnership of Unitarians & Unitarian Universalists who work for women’s empowerment through Unitarian/UU connections around the world.

The Ukrainian American Community Center of Minnesota: 
https://uaccmn.org/

Crisis in the Ukraine: Humanitarian Aid Supply Drive 
Eastside Neighborhood Services & St. Katherine’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church
March 10, 2022 – View Flyer

The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee’s Statement on the Ukraine and Emergency Response Fund.

The Rev. Sarah Skochko, a Ukrainian-American Unitarian Universalist minister, has also created a video message on how individuals can help the Ukraine.

Please contact Rev. Lisa with any questions you may have.

by adminuucm

Social Generosity Offering: March 2022

FOOD DRIVE: In addition to the monetary donation details below, UUCM youth will be collecting food at church throughout the month of March. Click here and here to view lists of high-need items.

IOCP Prevent Hunger

Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners (IOCP)
Annual Prevent Hunger Campaign
Nearly half of those who come to Interfaith Outreach for the first time need food. Our support not only increases access to nutritious, culturally-appropriate and hard-to-find food shelf items, it enables IOCP to provide a range of employment and family support services that set people on the path to new and hopeful futures. This campaign – which UUCM has supported for many years – helps make real, significant progress toward ending food insecurity in our community; because it takes food and more to prevent hunger.

How to Donate: You can donate online using a credit card at bit.ly/giveuucm. You may also mail a contribution to UUCM at 2030 Wayzata Blvd E, Wayzata MN 55391. Simply make your check out to “UUCM” with “Social Generosity” in the memo line.

by adminuucm

From the Board: March 2022

Each month, a member of the board will share a reflection on the Soul Matters monthly theme and the state of the church. The theme for March is Renewing Faith. This month’s post is offered by Brian Zais.

I have a not-entirely-undeserved reputation for being long winded.  My work colleagues have both complained (“Just get to the point, Brian!”) and praised (“I know when I read it, I’ll get all of the information I need”) the length of my e-mails.  I tend to follow the Aaron Sorkin school of expression: why use 10 words when 25 will do?  Using too few words just leaves the opportunity to be misunderstood.

I think this is common for UUs.  We’re a thinking church, after all, a group that doesn’t just follow some mindless rote dogma thrust upon us by someone over in southern Europe.  We get to think for ourselves!  And, boy, are we into nuance.  We live in complicated times.  While polarizing sound bites may be the norm of our political world, we thinkers know that issues aren’t black and white.  We need to understand and describe the context of the situation, the ramifications, and the benefits and drawbacks of our thoughts and actions. Continue reading →

by adminuucm

UUCM Mid-Week Message 3/2/22

This week’s video introduces March’s Soul Matters theme of Renewing Faith. Rev. Lisa reflects on the importance of understanding what faith means to us as Unitarian Universalists, before we can explore how to nurture and renew it.

You are also invited to view an introduction and link to February’s UUConnectMonthly newsletter, below Rev. Lisa’s message.

Screen Shot 2022-03-02 at 8.37.25 PM

Click on the picture above to view Rev. Lisa’s weekly video message.

UUConnect Feb 2022February 2022: UUConnect Monthly

The calendar may say March, but you can still ‘Feel the Love’ in this February edition of the UUConnect Monthly newsletter!  In the Getting to Know UUs section, read about Christy Dachelet, and how the Women Who Read book discussion group has “widened its circle” over it’s 20+ years at UUCM. Find out more about members Judy and Lee Kaster, and discover which UUCM member has known Lee since childhood.  In the Creative Expression section, discover books and music related to Widening the Circle, including Ben Kyriagis’ memoir and music from Sarah M. Greer, our phenomenal musical guest at the February 27 worship service. Bonus: check out the link to the King Center’s Beloved Community Talks on dismantling misinformation spreading about Critical Race Theory.

Grateful to connect with you,
Stephanie Siewert and Lori Arnold – uuconnectmonthly@uucmtka.org

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(Archive) March/April North Wall Art: Deborah Foutch

life above and below“I am an artist who is bowled over by the natural world, by the lush complicated systems we walk through daily. I work in mixed media because the richness of combined materials comes closest to expressing my experience. As an artist who cares about the natural world, I can see the changes we humans are causing. I am exploring my role in expressing a need to change…Tying my concerns to actions that need to be taken is a work in progress. I have begun by showing the beauty I find while I seek connections to solutions. Solutions that take the interconnectedness of what is happening into account.”

Deborah’s work is now on display in the North Wall Art space. If you are attending Sunday services on Zoom and would like to see the show in person, please contact Christy Dachelet to arrange a viewing at your convenience. To view the artist’s full bio, click here.