First Universalist Church of Minneapolis Sunday Service Podcast

Guest preacher Rev. Ashley Horan asks, what do improvisational comedy and religious community have to do with each other? We’ll explore the lessons improv can teach us about mutual support, shaping reality together, and being open to the possibilities of collaboration that are greater than anything we can do alone.

Call to Worship: Rev. Ruth MacKenzie (:30)

Sermon: Rev. Ashley Horan (1:29)

Using a familiar parable (Luke 15), we dive into what it means to search for something in our lives. What impact does the act of searching have on what is found? What is worth searching for in our lives? Are we searching for the impossible? 

Responsive Reading and Sermon: Rev. Karen Hutt

Unitarian Universalism is rooted in the radical reformation of Christianity. Yet, many of us seem to squirm when we consider the historical constructs and events that undergird our faith. Some of us do so because we do not know— and others would prefer not to know— because they trigger emotions about how we have experienced Christianity. Let’s set the record straight about our history and explore what it means to be a UU in 2019 rooted in the Christianity of 1519.

Call to Worship- Pastor Stephanie Vos (:31)

UU Quotes- Rev. Karen Hutt & Pastor Stephanie Vos (8:55)

Sermon- Rev. Karen Hutt (12:08)

“Faith development is all we do. Unitarian Universalism is the faith we teach. The congregation is the curriculum.” Connie Goodbread is a credentialed religious educator who consults about healthy congregations and transformation for the Unitarian Universalist Association. Her words remind us that faith development is not just for children; in fact, it is a thread woven through all our activities. What are we teaching and what are we learning at church, on purpose and by accident? How might a focus on faith development help us manifest the sweetest, most dangerous promises of our UU faith?

Call to Worship- (:30)

Reading- It's Hard Work, Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt (3:57)

Reading- Even This Is Enough, Vanessa Southern (5:17)

Sermon- The Congregation is the Curriculum, Lauren Wyeth (7:43)

A core spiritual practice at First Universalist is to “listen deeply to where love is calling us next.” Since early January, a group of congregants and ministers have been following this call, working toward sponsoring a detained (imprisoned) asylum seeker. Dozens of congregants are part of this effort, and at the end of May, a young, indigenous, Guatemalan woman arrived in Minneapolis, sponsored by congregants. This Sunday, we members of the core Asylum Support Team share reflections on this journey, describe how our faith calls us to this ministry, and invite congregants to support this effort in whatever ways they can. The service is in English and Spanish.

Call to Worship: Laura Schlatter (:31)

Reflection 1: Ron Schlatter (8:13)

Reflection 2: Karen Heegard (14:41)