First Universalist Church of Minneapolis Sunday Service Podcast

June 16, 2024- Dad Joke Sunday

Father’s Day gives us a chance to reflect on the wisdom that often comes wrapped in humor from those who fill the roles of mentors, guides, or fathers. As we explore the lighter side of life, we’re reminded of the broader roles these figures play. Their playful approach teaches us resilience and reveals the human spirit in everyday moments. It shows us how, sometimes, the deepest wisdom is shared in moments of lift and levity, that joy is the vehicle for the strength we need to make change for good!

Worship Leaders: Paolo Debuque and Choir, Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, Rev. Arif Mamdani, Rev. Ashley Harness

Singing to Gather (:31)

Opening Hymn- Though I May Speak With Bravest Fire (3:33)

Words of Welcome and Call to Worship (6:04)

Singing Together- Guide My Feet (19:01)

Prayer (21:49)

Offering (33:35)

Offertory (36:09)

Message (40:13)

Closing Hymn (1:05:00)

Benediction (1:08:42)

May 12, 2024- Coming of Age Sunday

This Sunday, we are Navigating Transitions: From Loyalty to Legacy, a gentle exploration of the threads that connect one generation to the next. As we honor the voices of our Coming of Age youth and pause to lift up those who love and guide us as mothers of all kinds, we’ll weave together the timeless stories of loyalty and the quiet, steadfast acts that shape our stories. Come, be part of crafting a future rich with wisdom and guided by the cherished values passed down through the ages.

Worship Leaders: Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, Rev. Arif Mamdani, Kaden Colton, Coming of Age Youth, First Universalist Choir

 

Opening Song- There Is a Love (:27)

Words of Welcome (4:04)

Hymn- Lean On Me by Bill Withers (9:52)

Community Prayers- (13:33)

Practice of Giving and Receiving (21:44)

Offertory- Isn't She Lovely by Stevie Wonder (23:51)

Reading- From Generation to Generation by Antoine de St.Exupery (28:47)

Anthem- 23rd Psalm (30:49)

Introduction to and Reading of Coming of Age Credos (34:12)

Singing Together- Love Will Guide Us (55:50)

Blessing of Coming of Age Youth, Mentors, and Advisors (57:33)

Benediction (59:19)

April 21, 2024- Earth Day Sunday

On Earth Day, we come together for a service developed in collaboration with our Environmental Justice Team. This day, we reaffirm our sacred bond with the Earth, confronting the environmental crisis with courage, creativity, and collective action. Stories of resilience from communities around the globe will guide us in redefining our relationship with the planet. This service is an invitation to reflect and find inspiration, a calling to realize our commitment to respectful relationship with the natural world. As one, we forge a path forward to notice our role in the delicate balance of life. Together, we honor our responsibility to shape a legacy of hope and healing for future generations.

Opening Hymn- Love's In Need of Love Today by Stevie Wonder- Paolo Debuque and Choir (:25)

Call to Worship- Nancy Potter (6:10)

Words of Welcome- Cathy Geist (11:43)

Time for All Ages- Rev. Arif Mamdani (17:30)

Singing Together- Come and Go With Me- Paolo Debuque (25:05)

Invitation to Conversation- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (26:53)

Prayer and Meditation- Rev. Arif Mamdani (32:15)

Practice of Giving and Receiving- Rev. Jen Crow (38:55)

Reading from A Life on Our Planet by David Attenborough- Stan Sattinger (49:10)

Anthem- This I Know- Paolo Debuque, Aimee K. Bryant, Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (51:38)

Message- Reimagine That!: Earth Day - Rev. Arif Mamdani (57:04)

Closing Hymn- Blue Boat Home (1:23:00)

Benediction- Rev. Arif Mamdani, Bob Friedman (1:26:02)

July 30, 2023- ”Art & Soul” with Paolo Dubuque and You

Paolo Dubuque and Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout talk about re-imagining musical ensembles and using collaborative music to change the world. We make music together for a finale of sorts we’re calling We are the ones, after June Jordan’s famous end to her poem, “Poem for South African Women.” Together, we make music as a community (that’s right–the featured artist is you! But shhhhh…it’s a surprise.), and we explore the rich relationships and stories of American singing over centuries, across cultures. You’ll hear reflections on the Music Listening Session results. And we embrace the calling of this new day–for communities of justice to know the power of their own voice, and to build up beauty in the world starting from within.

Music for Gathering- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout and Aimee K. Bryant (:28)

Call to Worship- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (9:14)

Words of Welcome- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (16:17)

Singing Together- The Way Knows the Way- Shelley Des Islets and Dr. GTR (18:41)

Singing Together- With You- Shelley Des Islets and Dr. GTR (25:55)

Prayer and Meditation- Rev. Ashley Harness (27:59)

Field Trip through our Hymnals- Dr. GTR (31:45)

Practice of Giving and Receiving- Rev. Ashley Harness (41:12)

Offertory/Singing Together- (43:28)

Regarding Choir- Dr. GTR (51:51)

Conversation with Paolo Dubuque- (1:05:54)

Benediction- Dr. GTR (1:20:00)

August 21, 2022- Air and Breath

The First Universalist Choir, Dr. Randy Buikema, Aimee K. Bryant, Franco Holder, Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, Rev. Arif Mamdani, Rev. Jen Crow, and Lauren Wyeth will lead and inspire us through music, story, and message.

Music for Gathering- Where Do We Come From?- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout and Aimee K. Bryant (19:24)

Words of Welcome- Rev. Jen Crow (5:39)

Call to Worship- Eagle Poem by Joy Harjo (10:53)

Singing Together- Open the Window, Children (14:29)

Wisdom from the Choir (19:41)

Homily- Rev. Jen Crow (26:04)

Prayer and Meditation- Rev. Jen Crow and Rev. Arif Mamdani (33:18)

Invitation to Give- Lauren Wyeth (39:13)

Offertory- Loving Will Lead Us On, by Linda Kachelmeier and Rev. Kate Tucker- First Universalist Choir (42:30)

Singing Together - Open the Window, Children; Where You Go I Will Go; (48:42)

June 12, 2022- Choir Sunday: A Celebration in Song and Poetry

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. 

All music performed by First Universalist Choir and Orchestra, conducted by Dr. Randal Buikema

Words of Welcome- Rev. Kate Tucker (:19)

Duel of the Fates by John Williams, arr. Keith Christopher and Eric Anderson (6:40)

Hymn for Hurting by Amanda Gorman- Lisa Weiland (10:42)

More Love by Jan Richardson- Nancy Gaschott (12:06)

Ein Deutsches Requiem, mvt. 1 by Johannes Brahms (12:35)

The Thing Is by Ellen Bass- Shelley Des Islets (22:07)

Prayer and Cycle of Life- Rev. Kate Tucker (23:14)

Why I Wake Early by Mary Oliver- LouAnn Lanning (26:26)

May I Reach by George Elliot- Gail Griffin (27:15)

Sogno di Volare by Christopher Tin (27:51)

High Flight by John Gillespie Maggie, Jr.- Ray Dillon (32:02)

Sure On This Shining Night by Morten Lauridsen (33:09)

I Believe by Alok Menon- Libby Crawford (37:57)

 

May 1, 2022- Our Sacred Trust

This Sunday, May 1, we celebrate the culmination of Earth Week and honor the mutual commitment between members and community in the ongoing story of this congregation. Join us to explore the sacred trust we hold to create a sustainable future for our children and our children’s children, and to celebrate how our collective breath, prayer, activism, and meaning making reflect the roots of our community, like those in a forest, deeply intertwined. And don’t miss the next installment of the acorn story, “The Wood Wide Web.” The young acorns in our community will welcome new members, and keep encouraging us all to sprout and grow together.

Welcome and Land Acknowledgement- Rev. Meg Riley, Dallas Rising (:30)

Anthem- Earth Song by Frank Ticheli- First Universalist Choir, Dr. Randy Buikema, conductor (2:52)

Time for All Ages/New Member Ceremony- Liz Farmer, Daryn Wodson, Rev. Meg Riley (6:32)

Hymn- Blue Boat Home (15:17)

Message- Our Sacred Trust- Julica Hermann de la Fuente (18:22)

Song- What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong- Aimee K. Bryant and Franco Holder (44:34)

December 5, 2021- Soft Heart, Open Hands, Clear Boundaries

As we turn into the longest nights of the year, what commitments will shine like stars, helping us navigate through these troubling times? What if we aimed to keep our hearts soft, our hands open, and our boundaries clear? Together we’ll explore how these ways of being might help us live in alignment with our Universalist faith in the spirit of love and hope.

 

Welcome- Rev. Jen Crow (:30)

Story for All Ages- Lauren Wyeth (8:35)

Anthem- A Christmas Round by John Tavener- First Universalist Choir, Dr. Randal Buikema, conductor (12:49)

Prayer and Cycle of Life- Rev. Karen Hutt (14:42)

Message- Soft Heart, Open Hands, Clear Boundaries- Rev. Jen Crow (20:57)

piano throughout- Franco Holder

November 21, 2021- Child Dedication Sunday

We celebrate the miracle that is at the center of the larger cycle of life. We welcome and name and dedicate ourselves to the care of nine children in our Child Dedication Ritual – and as we bear sacred witness to these unfolding lives, it is our hope we will see ourselves and each other anew. Each of us born whole and holy and worthy. Each of us important and ordinary and unique. Each of us in need of the larger community of this earth and this church to hold us in rhythm, each with the other.

 

Words of Welcome- Rev. Karen Hutt (:20)

Story for All Ages- Lauren Wyeth (7:27)

Calling Our Ancestors- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (13:23)

Child Dedication Ceremony- Lauren Wyeth and Rev. Karen Hutt (16:52)

Prayer and Cycle of Life- Rev. Jen Crow (22:25)

Anthem- Children Will Listen by Stephen Sondheim, arr. Brymer, First Universalist Choir, Franco Holder, piano, Dr. Randal Buikema, conductor (28:23)

Message- Rev. Jen Crow (31:52)

November 7, 2021- Building a New Way

We continue to build a new way of being together as a church community. The choir will sing – with some guest appearances you won’t want to miss; children and youth will be with us and we’ll share in a story for all; we’ll join in meditation and prayer and care, and we’ll ask each other – Can you feel a brand new day? Is today a day when you can feel it? Is today a day when you feel something else – worry or fear or sadness or grief? Is today a day the community can hold the hope of a brand new day with and for you? Does this day – like all days – hold it all?

Words of Welcome- Rev. Karen Hutt (:28)

Calling Our Ancestors- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (4:38)

Anthem- Everybody Rejoice from “The Wiz” by Luther Vandross (arr. Pete Eklund) - First Universalist Choir and Band, Dr. Randal Buikema, conductor (12:06)

Story for All Ages- Where Are You From?- Lauren Wyeth and Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (16:38)

Meditation and Cycle of Life- Rev. Jen Crow (22:20)

Message- Building a New Way- Rev. Jen Crow (33:50)

Music for Going- Sing Out, My Soul by Marques L. A. Garrett- First Universalist Choir and Band, Dr. Randal Buikema, conductor (46:15)