Wellspring Wednesday

Wellspring Wednesday is a multi-generational opportunity to gather midweek at church for food, fellowship, and fun. All are welcome. This is a time to engage in religious community, a time to cultivate our values and beliefs.

Schedule for the Evening
6:00 p.m.: The evening begins with a hot, nutritious meal and a good conversation. Menus are posted as available both online and in This Week at Unity. Gluten free and vegetarian options are always available. The cost for dinner is: $7/adult, $4/child ages 5 to 12, $2/child ages 2 to 4, and $20/family, and can be paid by cash or check. (Children under the age of 24 months are free.) Reservations for dinner are not required. People with specific food allergies may contact madeline@unityunitarian.org to arrange to have a special preparation. Financial assistance is available to cover the cost of dinners, contact Lisa Friedman by e-mail at lisa@unityunitarian.org or by phone at 651-228-1456 x107. ​If you would like to help prepare the meal for Wellspring Wednesday, please complete the online form!

6:45 p.m.: Everyone is invited to a short worship service in the Ames Chapel.

7:10 p.m.: Classes and programs follow worship and begin at approximately 7:10 p.m. Childcare and children's programming is offered at no cost during this time. Families should check their children in on the evening’s sign-in sheet in the Parish Hall before heading to their program. The Children's Library is also open from 6:00-8:00 p.m. each Wednesday.

February Wellspring Wednesday

February 27
Dinner: TBA

They/Them Project
Local photographer Brent Dundore and guest speakers Rue Dot Ether and Hal Sansone are bringing the They/Them project — gorgeous black and white portraits with artist interviews of local trans folks — to Unity Church! Come to learn about gender non-conforming people, what the deal is with pronouns anyway, and ask questions in a educational environment. 

Planning your Memorial Service
Have you ever wondered what goes into constructing a memorial service here at Unity Church? Did you know that you can actually put your preferences for readings, music, and speakers in a secure file for future planning? Join Rev. Janne Eller-Isaacs for an explanation of the practical and the spiritual aspects of constructing a memorial service. Printed resources will be shared.

​We are Worthy Now: Sending books to UUs in Prisons
The Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF) has almost 900 members who are currently incarcerated. They communicate with CLF solely through the mail which involves a lot of folding, stuffing and addressing of envelopes! Join Unity Church member and CLF staff member Hannah Franco-Isaacs to send out correspondence courses to UUs in prison.

Yoga: Balancing the Chakras
Use movement, mudra (hand gestures), and chanting to activate the chakras and provide energy for every part of the body, mind, and spirit.

Tween Group 
Meet in Ames Chapel at 6:45 p.m. for worship, then heads to Jr. High classroom 21. Pick up is at 8:30 p.m. 

March 6
Dinner: TBA

Book Reading: Melvin Carter Jr., Diesel Heart: An Autobiography
Melvin Carter, Jr., a long-time community leader, founder of SOS-Save Our Sons, and father of the current St. Paul mayor, will read from his new autobiography about growing up in the Rondo neighborhood of a racially-divided St. Paul in the 1950s and 60s, and going on to serve his city for 28 years in the St. Paul Police Department. Diesel Heart is the story of a leader who created a powerful family legacy by standing up for what is right, even in the face of adversity. Books will be for sale; signing to follow reading. Russel Balenger, leader of the Circle of Peace Movement and longtime friend of Mr. Carter, will offer the introduction. 

Grounded Meditation
Come learn a grounding meditation and a short grounding exercise, and explore the benefits of each. Grounding is the process of connecting one’s own energy with the earth’s energy, and using that as a “foundation” of calm and strength, and as a “battery” to recharge — physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. This can also strengthen your connection with your values and goals and leave you more able to take conscious action in manifesting your life’s purpose. Kristen Wernecke has been a massage therapist and energy healer for over 25 years.

Textile Arts 
This group is open to textile creatives of all ages. Bring your knitting, embroidery, needlepoint, etc. Contact: Linda Mandeville at lindamandeville41@gmail.com.

New Family R.E. Orientation
This session, led by Director of Religious Education KP Hong, is for families new to Unity Church who would like to learn more about religious education for children and youth.

Tween Group 
Meet in Ames Chapel at 6:45 p.m. for worship, then heads to Jr. High classroom 21. Pick up is at 8:30 p.m. 

No yoga on March 6!

March 13
Dinner: Roasted sausages (including vegetarian), colcannon, green salad, dessert

Fr. Vito Sarducci: The Pleasure, the Pain, and the Shame
Please join Fr. Vito (congregant Tom Esch) and pianist Laura Hlavac for comedic and musical reflections on pleasure, pain, and shame. Following the comedy Tom will discuss his life as a Catholic priest, including why he left and how his spirituality has changed. He will also offer his thoughts on why the clergy sexual abuse scandal has been so systemic within the church.

Open Page Writing Session
Surrender: The Nerve Center of Consent
RSVP to karen@unityunitarian.org
Henri Nouwen called surrender an act of deep listening and receiving. Howard Thurman often referred to it as the “nerve center of consent.” Others have defined surrender as an offering of ourselves. To what sacred truth and presence do you offer yourself? What is the meaning of surrender in our spiritual journeys? What does it ask — and not ask — of us today?

Yoga: Loving Kindness Meditation with Special Guest Colleen Dooley
Metta bhavana, or loving-kindness meditation, is a meditation of care, concern, tenderness, loving kindness, friendship — a feeling of warmth for oneself and others.

Tween Group

March 20
Dinner: TBA

One Minnesota Equity Blueprint
Dane Smith, Growth & Justice
Minnesota faces three existential threats to its prosperity and fabled quality of life: Environmental degradation and climate change, worsening racial and economic injustice, and a widening political and cultural divide between rural and urban areas. Many Unity members are working on at least one or two aspects of these perils. But what might a comprehensive statewide plan to address these threats look like? The One Minnesota Equity Blueprint Project seeks to provide a long-term guide to a more equitable and sustainable economy and society. Participants will get an overview of the project's emerging policy and action agenda, and will have opportunity to comment and actually amend the blueprint.

The Global Travels of Women's Liberation 
Many of us know that the practice of consciousness raising (CR) spurred an explosion of the American women’s liberation movement in the 1960s. It turns out that CR was a global phenomenon! Not only was CR influenced by international ideas, but the practice took off outside of the US, as women from Italy to Argentina adopted and adapted it. In honor of Women’s History Month, join University of San Francisco professor Elisabeth Jay to learn about the global roots and wings of this feminist practice that helped women build community and foment action — and to explore what lessons its travels have for contemporary women's organizing.

Committing to Unity: Joining the Church
Have you been considering membership at Unity? This class explores the deeper meanings and expectations of membership and shared ministry. It offers time to reflect on the meaning of generosity and how you can discover the places in your life where the world’s needs meets the gifts and joy you have to offer. The class concludes with a ceremony as participants sign the membership book and officially join the church! Email lisa@unityunitarian.org if you plan to attend this class.

Yoga: Vinyasa Flow
This class is for individuals seeking faster and more rigorous movement. Flowing from pose to pose is coordinated with regulated inhales and exhales to strengthen muscles and build balance. 

Textile Arts 
Bring your knitting, embroidery, needlepoint, etc. 

Tween Group

March 27
Dinner: TBA

Urban American Indians: 101
Minneapolis's urban Indian community has been in the spotlight recently because of the Franklin-Hiawatha homeless encampment. Please join Dr. Joe Hobot, President and CEO of the American Indian Opportunities Industrialization Center, as he explores the historical causes that have brought the encampment and other issues into existence. Dr. Hobot will also discuss opportunity for our Indigenous community to prosper through culturally-contextualized education and holistic support.

The Women are Always There 
Women’s History Month is a good time to remember that women have been largely written out of history. Women’s accomplishments have too often been overlooked or diminished; their stories have gone unheard. But we are fortunate to be living at a time when that’s changing. Feminist scholars are moving women to the center of the story and reinterpreting the history we think we know. In this session we will hear some stories about women from ancient times to modern, and we will practice two techniques you can use to notice the women who are always there when you read history.

We are Worthy Now: Sending Books to UUs in Prison
The Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF) has almost 900 members who are currently incarcerated. They communicate with CLF solely through the mail which involves a lot of folding, stuffing and addressing of envelopes! Join Unity Church member and CLF staff member Hannah Franco-Isaacs to send out correspondence courses to UUs in prison.

Yoga: Balancing the Chakras
Use movement, mudra (hand gestures), and chanting to activate the chakras and provide energy for every part of the body, mind, and spirit.

Tween Group