First Universalist Church of Minneapolis Sunday Service Podcast

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)

 

June 5, 2022- Flower Communion

99 years ago, almost to the day, Rev. Norbert Capek led the first Flower Communion ritual. He developed it then, and we observe it today, as a ritual of giving and receiving, of connecting with the beauty in each of us, and the bigger story of that beauty when we come together in community, in fellowship, and in the spirit of love that is this church. We’ll have music from Dean Magraw and his band, and a special guest vocalist, Thomasina Petrus.

Prelude- Feelin' Good by Nina Simone- Dean Magraw, guitar; Thomasina Petrus, vocals; and the band

Words of Welcome- Rev. Jen Crow (3:13)

Time for All Ages- Saying Goodbye to Julica (12:18)

Flower Communion Ritual- Rev. Arif Mamdani (20:15)

Prayer and Cycle of Life- Rev. Arif Mamdani (28:51)

Homily- Rev. Jen Crow (31:42)

Invitation to Give- Rev. Jen Crow (38:28)

Benediction- Summertime by Miles Davis- Thomasina Petrus, Dean Magraw and the band (41:15)

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)

April 24, 2022- Truth... It Is Worth Waiting For

In Unitarian Universalism, our congregations, and specifically the members of our congregations, are the only body that can ordain a minister, calling out and lifting up one whose ministry is formally recognized and named in the act of ordination. This Sunday, we gather to formally lift up the ministry of Stephanie Vos. Through word, song, and story, we’ll share some of her journey, tell a bigger story about what ministry can be in the world, and formally ordain Stephanie to the Unitarian Universalist ministry. Join us for this joyous and celebratory service.

Words of Welcome- Rev. Jen Crow (:31)

Interlude- Aimee K. Bryant and Franco Holder

Call to Worship- from Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer- Cedar Schimke (6:39)

Time for All Ages- Toolbox of Faith- Lauren Wyeth (9:24)

Prayer and Cycle of Life- Rev. Jen Crow (16:42)

Homily- Rev. Jen Crow on behalf of Rev. Karen Hutt (21:06)

Invitation to Give to the Living Tradition Fund of the UUA (34:47)

The Ordination of Stephanie Vos- Daryn Woodson, Rev. Jen Crow, Rev. Arif Mamdani (37:08)

Hymn- Wake Now My Senses (51:30)

Benediction- Rev. Stephanie Vos (53:16)

 

April 17, 2022- Easter Sunday: We Rise Together

This Sunday, April 17, we will rise in the fullness of our community – inviting people in every age and stage of life to join together as one body. We’ve designed an Easter church experience with elements to engage the imagination and spirit of every age, with music, rituals, art, and movement that will help us all consider what boulders stand in the way of the flow of love in our life, and how we might remove them, together. Guest musicians Dean Magraw, Ian Young, and JT Bates will join our own Aimee K. Bryant and Franco Holder as they lead us in soulful songs familiar to young and old.

 

Words of Welcome- Rev. Jen Crow (:20)

Wisdom Story- Stephanie Vos (5:57)

Invation to Ritual Stations- Rev. Jen Crow (8:32)

Prayer and Cycle of Life- Lauren Wyeth (17:37)

Homily- Rev. Arif Mamdani (23:20)

Chant- We Rise (28:54)

Invitation to Give & Receive- Rev. Arif Mamdani (32:08)

Music Throughout - Aimee K. Bryant, Franco Holder, Dean Magraw, Ian Young, and JT Bates

 

April 10, 2022- Organized People

Folks in organizing circles say that Power requires Organized Money and Organized People. This congregation does an excellent job of organizing its money every Sunday, and sharing generously with important partners. What else is possible if we organize our people similarly? What would it take for us to take our organizing and mobilization to the next level? Join us for a dialogue with poets and movement mediators to explore what else might be possible as we get stronger and clearer together. (And don’t miss the next installment in the story series, As The Acorn Sprouts, where our acorns learn to organize!)

Words of Welcome- Rev. Jen Crow (:30)

Poem- The Butterfly Effect by Rev. Theresa I. Soto (4:09)

Hymn- Come and Go With Me- Aimee K. Bryant, Franco Holder (6:40)

Call to Worship- Nancy Jones (9:48)

Story for All Ages- The Acorn Saga continues! (13:03)

Prayer and Cycle of Life- Rev. Jen Crow (27:04)

Message- Organized People- Julica Hermann de la Fuente (33:29)

Postlude- Building a New Way- Aimee K. Bryant, Franco Holder 

April 3, 2022- Yeast, Baking Powder, and Other Ways We Rise

Things rise and fall every day: not just baked items in the oven but energies, emotions, commitments, willingness. Though the idea of ‘onward and upward forever’ has been long proven to be a lie; most of us use our days trying to create more of what we want in ourselves, our families, our communities, and our world. What are some of the obstacles and what can help us to rise, even a tiny bit?

Words of Welcome- Rev. Arif Mamdani (:29)

Call to Worship- David Bach (7:59)

Story for All Ages- Grandmother Spider Weaves the World (12:53)

Prayer and Meditation- Rev. Arif Mamdani (20:56)

Reading- The Butterfly Effect by Rev. Theresa I. Soto- Rev. Arif Mamdani

Sermon- Yeast, Baking Powder, and Other Ways We Rise- Rev. Meg Riley (29:21)

Piano throughout- Franco Holder; Vocals throughout- Aimee K. Bryant

March 13, 2022- Living in Full Progress

Sometimes the swirl of the world, our communities, our lives, is just too much. Rest and stillness are part of the story – and so is change. This Sunday, March 13, we’ll explore what it means to let go of perfection and live in full progress – risky, messy, beautiful becoming.

Words of Welcome- Rev. Jen Crow (:30)

Celebration of 10 Years with Lauren Wyeth (3:39)

Call to Worship- Liv Dalby (8:17)

Story for All Ages- Acornology, part 2 (15:03)

Interlude- Right on Time- Ellis Delaney

Prayer and Cycle of Life- Rev. Arif Mamdani (23:26)

Reflection- Todd Pierson (30:33)

Reflection- Claire Tralle (36:38)

Invitiation to Give- Rev. Arif Mamdani (42:17)

All Interludes and Outro music- Ellis Delaney

 

March 6, 2022- A Bigger Togetherness

As we live into new and more expansive ways of being together, what will we hold on to, and what will we release? What fierce and holy imagination will guide us as we drop the ways of being that weigh us down, taking only what we need into a future full of justice, liberation, love and joy for the generations to come? 

Prelude- Gather Together- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout and Franco Holder

Welcome and Call to Worship- Rev. Jen Crow (2:25)

Story for All Ages- Acornology- Lauren Wyeth and the Worship Team (9:19)

Interlude- Building A New Way- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout and Franco Holder (13:52)

Prayer and Meditation- Rev. Arif Mamdani (16:16)

Message- A Bigger Togetherness- Rev. Jen Crow (28:47)

 

 

February 27, 2022- Humanism is Black

The first humanists in the United States were people of African descent. They brought with them a philosophy that is rooted in every attempt America has made to envision a more perfect union. This Sunday, we will explore two moments where explicit and implicit humanist constructs informed the movement of human dignity.

Words of Welcome and Call to Worship- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (:20)

Community Prayer and Cycle of Life- Rev. Arif Mamdani (7:53)

Interlude- What's Going On? by Marvin Gaye- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (15:03)

Message- Humanism is Black- Rev. Karen Hutt