First Universalist Church of Minneapolis Sunday Service Podcast

September 11, 2022- Water Communion: The Ocean Refuses no River

We are water. 60% give or take, and about as salty as the ocean. So at least metaphorically, each of us is a body of water. When we gather in community, it is as if each of us is a drop in a larger body of water, held by the vessel that is our church. Our Water Communion and in-gathering service invites us to experience the truth of our interconnection through ritual, word, and song.

 

Singing Together- Love Will Guide Us (:30)

Words of Welcome- Rev. Jen Crow (2:36)

Invitation to Give- Lauren Wyeth (10:13)

Silence, Prayer, and Cycle of Life- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (12:45)

Water Communion Ritual - Rev. Arif Mamdani, Rev. Jen Crow, Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (21:42)

Singing Together- For the Earth Forever Turning (44:42)

Benediction- Rev. Arif Mamdani (47:02)

 

piano- Franco Holder

 

 

 

August 28, 2022-Ready? Set? Go! (Backpack Blessing)

How do we prepare ourselves for a new year? A big transition? New experiences? With the help of stories and spiritual practices, our worship leaders will guide us through our annual Backpack Blessing ritual.

Music for Gathering- I'm On My Way- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout and Franco Holder (:25)

Words of Welcome- Rev. Jen Crow (4:46)

Time for All Ages- Lauren Wyeth (11:13)

Song- There Is More Love Somewhere-Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout and Franco Holder (17:36)

Prayer and Cycle of Life- Rev. Arif Mamdani (21:26)

Homily- Rev. Jen Crow (29:18)

Invitation to Give- Lore Stevens (41:02)

Backpack Blessing- Lauren Wyeth and Youth Staff (43:58)

Music for Going- I'm On My Way and Where You Go I Will Go (48:43)

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 8, 2022- A Big Enough Story

This Sunday, May 8, we will celebrate the miracle that is at the center of our larger story and the cycle of life. We will welcome, name, and dedicate ourselves to the care of children in our congregation through a Child Dedication Ritual.

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

Call to Worship- First Universalist 6th Graders (6:26)

Child Naming and Dedication Ritual- Lauren Wyeth, Rev. Jen Crow, Rev. Arif Mamdani (10:58)

Hymn- Come, Come Whoever You Are- Aimee K. Bryant and Franco Holder (18:41)

Prayer and Cycle of Life- Rev. Arif Mamdani (19:47)

Message- A Big Enough Story- Lauren Wyeth (27:11)

Invitation to Give- Rev. Jen Crow (39:31)

Benediction- Lauren Wyeth (42:05)

 

 

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

 

February 13, 2022- Murmurations

In Emergent Strategy, adrienne maree brown invites us to imagine a future in which we humans have gained the ability to move akin to a flock of starlings, each of us attuned to those around us, able to shift and move in concert with the community(ies) of which we are a part. This Sunday, February 13, we wonder about the wisdom of starlings and how they might inform our lives, and we’ll celebrate and lift up those in the community who volunteer their time and energy in the multidimensional dance of church, making this community the vibrant and radiant place that it is.

Welcome and Land Acknowledgement- Julica Hermann de la Fuente (:30)

Wisdom Story- Lauren Wyeth (7:43)

Ritual of Community Acknowlegement (12:19)

Prayer and Cycle of Life- Rev. Arif Mamdani (17:20)

Homiy- Murmurations- Rev. Arif Mamdani (23:17)

Piano throughout- Franco Holder

 

January 9, 2022- Remembrance Sunday

Remembrance Sunday is an annual service that is a time to remember and reflect on our losses over the past year and to honor those we love who have died. This service can also be a time to mark other significant losses in the life of your family, such as a separation or divorce, saying goodbye to friends who’ve moved away, or any number of other things.

 

Words of Welcome, Announcements, and Land Acknowlegement- Julica Hermann de la Fuente and Isabel Quast (:22)

Call to Worship and Chalice Lighting- Rev. Arif Mamdani, Will, Alice (10:21)

Story for All Ages- The Buddha and the Mustard Seed Medicine- Lauren Wyeth (11:54)

Poem- Kindness by Naomi Shihab Nye- Margit Berg (17:58)

Sharing Our Loss and Lighting the Candle of Impermanence- Rev. Arif Mamdani (20:02)

Hymn- Aimee K. Bryant (25:08)

Prayer and Cycle of Life- Julica Hermann de la Fuente (26:41)

Reading- Blessing For the Brokenhearted by Jan Richardson- Janet Merrill (32:14)

Naming Ritual and Lighting the Candle of Memory- Julica Hermann de la Fuente and Rev. Arif Mamdani (34:05)

Song- Aimee K. Bryant and Franco Holder (38:21)

Homily- Rev. Arif Mamdani (40:47)

Benediction- Rev. Arif Mamdani (46:30)

 

Piano throughout- Franco Holder

 

 

October 31, 2021- Remembering Ritual: When the Veil is Thin

Instead of our usual hour-long worship service, we invite you to join us for a ritual with music by Franco as the centerpiece.

 

Words of Welcome- Rev. Jen Crow

Ritual- Franco Holder, pianist

September 12, 2021- Backpack Blessing/What We Need Is Here

This multigenerational service of song, story, and strength as we remember that no matter what is going on around us or within us, when we are in it together – what we need is here. Backpacks will be blessed for those who carry them, and all of us will come away with the joy of community and a grounding in our deepest commitments.

Worship leaders: Rev. Jen Crow, Lauren Wyeth, Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, Rev. Karen Hutt

June 6, 2021- The Stories We Tell- Rev. Jen Crow

This Sunday, we say a final Good Goodbye to Rev. Justin through story, song, ritual, and a message from Rev. Jen Crow. 

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

Story for All Ages- Rev. Arif Mamdani (5:22)

Prayer and Cycle of Life- Rev. Arif Mamdani (11:21)

Ritual of Relinquishment- Worship Leaders (18:52)

Message- The Stories We Tell, Rev. Jen Crow (24:09)

Outro Music- For Good by Stephen Schwartz- Franco Holder