Sunday Worship is held each week, from May 28-September 3, at 10:00 a.m.
Sundays at Unity ChurchSunday worship at Unity Church is a cornerstone of our religious community. It is where we envision and create a new reality for a better world. It allows us to come together for community and deepen our individual spirit. It is about us coming together as a religious family. It is where we practice being our best selves. It is an encounter with mystery and awe to plumb our spiritual depths.
During the church year, worship services are held at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 4:30 p.m., except where noted. From the Sunday before Memorial Day through the Sunday before Labor Day, there is just one service each week at 10:00 a.m. The entrance to the Sanctuary is at 733 Portland Avenue and parking is available in the church's lot on the corner of Portland Avenue and St. Albans Street. Map and Directions July and August Sunday WorshipJuly 2: The Farm Bill is a Sacred Text
Laws are the way we codify the agreements about how we live and act together in this country. The U.S. Farm Bill is up for reauthorization in 2018, and hearings have already begun. With its provisions covering nutrition and commodity programs, as well as environmental protections, it reflects which beliefs we’re really willing to act upon. Are we living up to our principles? What can we do to align legislation with the values we hold most dear? Ann Kirby McGill and worship associate Rochelle Lockridge will explore how we might look at the laws of the land as sacred texts of our faith. Offering recipient: Freedom School Musician: Kathleen Bartholomay, piano July 9: Radical Theology in the Heartland Since the 19th century, Minnesota has been home to some of the most radical and innovative shifts in Unitarian Universalist theology. Today, we are home to one of the largest concentrations of vibrant UU congregations in the movement. What charge would our fore-bearers give to us? What cutting edge theological work might be ours to lead? Rev. Lisa Friedman will lead this service. Offering recipient: 9 Books Kenya Musicians: Justin and Luca Ciletti, mandolin and violin July 16: It’s All How You Look At It How does growing up with “religious literacy” shape the way you see the world? Nelson Moroukian, a son of Unity, returns from his first year studying theology and public policy in Scotland with new perspectives on America, UUs, and the way we build ethical and responsive communities. He is joined by worship associate Angela Wilcox, who also happens to be his mother. Offering recipient: Faith Builders Habitat for Humanity Musician: Sunita Stanislow, harp July 23: Dancing with The Divine – A Process Theology As Unitarian Universalists we respect and honor the many paths toward enlightenment that are available to each individual. It is not “one size fits all." But ballroom dancing? Join worship leader Rochelle Lockridge and worship associate Bob Peskin as they explore the journey of enlightenment through the unfolding partnership with The Divine. Offering recipient: Pawsitivity Musician: The Fairlanes (Barbershop Quartet) July 30: Faith as Mixtape Worship Associates Heidi Huelster and Kevin Ward will lead the worship in exploring how we experience and use music to make meaning out of our lives. Offering recipient: 9 Books Kenya August 6: The Soul of Action People often talk about spirituality and social action as though they are in tension with each other. Must we really choose between savoring or saving the world? Or are the within and beyond dimensions of our lives actually necessary to one another? Rev. Lisa Friedman and worship associate Terry Linskey will share some thoughts on what it means to grow our souls in a world that has such need of us. Offering recipient: Pawsitivity August 13: What’s in a Name? Congregations across the country are renaming themselves to attract new parishioners, to update their image, and reframe their position in their communities. While no name change is on the horizon for Unity Church, soon our church will develop new End Statements at the same time it’s preparing for leadership transitions. When all is said and done, we may not have a new name, but we may be in a different place. What might that look like? What might we call it? Join worship leader Terry Linskey and worship associate Bryan Smith for a lively discussion of “What’s in a Name?" Musician: Nick Raths, guitar Offering recipient: She Rock She Rock August 20: Restless is the Heart Rev. Rob Eller-Isaacs and worship associate Suzanne Quinn McDonald will offer a service focused on congregational life as a response to loneliness and social isolation. This will be an especially good service to which to invite friends who may be interested in the church. Musician: Dawn Baker, piano Offering recipient: Small Sums August 27: A Partner Church Sunday We are honored to have the minister of our partner church in Transylvania, Kinga Reka Szekely, with us to celebrate nearly 30 years of a partnership between Unity Church and the village of Homorodszentpeter. Over the years of our partnership, 103 members of this congregation have had the opportunity to travel to Transylvania (with many from the village visiting Minnesota as well), stay and get to know families in the village there, and to get a first-person understanding of our wider spiritual family in the world. Musicians: Mila Offering recipient: She Rock She Rock September 3: Expect Delays There’s a lesson in those two words on the big orange-and-black road signs that went up this spring. For all of us in this optimistic faith, committed to racial justice, to a healthier earth, and to a better deal for all our most vulnerable fellow humans, these are the worst of times, perhaps in our memory. Reversals of progress we thought we made and new obstructions are going up everywhere. We may have underestimated the scale and ferocity of the backlash mounted by those who always fight, often misunderstanding their own long-term interest, against surrendering immediate privilege or advantage. We all love the phrase about the arc of history bending toward justice, but we often forget the first part, about that arc being long, meaning slow. We need to contemplate how we can blend patience and equanimity with our courageous efforts to resist this Reign of Error, and to change the things we can. Dane Smith, worship leader; Alex Askew, worship associate. Musician: Dan Schwartz, guitar and vocals Offering recipient: Small Sums |
Summer WorshipSundays
From May 28 through September 3 there is just one service each week at 10:00 a.m. Lay-led worship services begin June 25. Summer Sundays in the Garden (a program for children and youth held during worship) also begins on May 28. Summer Sundays Pancake Brunch July 23 and August 20 Following the 10:00 a.m. service! We’ll have fresh pancakes after Sunday worship with made-from-scratch syrups and jams. Love to flip pancakes? Volunteers should contact Madeline Summers, Volunteer Coordinator, at madeline@unityunitarian.org. Flowers for Worship If you would like to bring flowers from your garden for a summer service, please contact Martha Tilton at 651-228-1456 x105 or martha@unityunitarian.org for available dates (June 18-September 3) and details. Family and Story Sundays
Family Sundays 2017-18
Family Sundays take place five times each church year:
Story Sundays 2017-18 Story Sundays happen frequently throughout the church year, with children in grades 1-8 beginning in worship with the congregation in the Sanctuary. After the opening hymn, prayers, and children’s message, Workshop Rotation children (grades 1-5) proceed with their Journey Guides to their classrooms for religious education programming while junior high youth (grades 6-8) remain in the sanctuary for the entire worship service.
Coffee and Fellowship HourEveryone is invited to the Parish Hall for coffee and fellowship following the morning service. If you or a team you are working with would like to request a table in the Parish Hall as a way to share information with the congregation about a project, class, or other learning opportunity, please CLICK HERE. Parish Hall tables are reserved for programs and groups affiliated with Unity Church.
|
