WELCOME
We are welcoming people of diverse beliefs who honor spiritual
inquiry and the dignity of all.
10:30 a.m., Sundays
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
937 Charles Avenue
Mankato, MN 56001
Learn more about our UU Fellowship
Read our Newsletter
View our Event Calendar
THIS SUNDAY - January 31st
10:30
Service - Whose will is it? Rev. Lisa Friedman When disaster strikes,
we sometimes hear the explanation that it was God’s will. Is it really?
What does Unitarian Universalism offer as a theological response to tragedy?
Our services begin at 10:30 am Sunday mornings. Children join the first part
of the service and then continue their Religious Education (RE) downstairs.
Nursery service is available before and during the services. Coffee and fellowship
follow the service in the lower level.
Recent Sermons and Meditations
Sermon: How
the Chalice Got Its Flame by Rev. Lisa Friedman
(Jan 24th, 2010)
Read other sermon's presented
at the UU Fellowship.
Meditation: Jan
24th, 2010
Spirit of Life and Love,
help us to be one with the world.
Help us to be one with the victims
of earthquakes and other unspeakable tragedies,
that our tears and assistance can show them the truth
that they are not alone.
Help us to be one with those
who are on the ground giving aid,
that our strength can buoy them in their exhaustion
and our gratitude give balm to their despair.
Help us to be one with the children everywhere,
that our arms can comfort and hold them
and shelter them from the storm...
Read more meditations
UPCOMING EVENTS AT THE UU
Tuesday, Feb 2nd
5:45pm - Choir Practice
7:00 pm - Building Your Own Theology. (First Tuesday from Oct
- May) When asked what you believe, are you tempted to answer more with what you
don't believe than what you actually do? Do you have a sense of your core beliefs,
but struggle to put them in exact words? This class is designed to help participants
engage with theological issues from their own life experience and to write their
own personal credos, or belief statements. We will be meeting downstairs in the
Fellowship Hall.
Sunday, February 7th
10:30
Service - Whose will is it? Rev. Lisa Friedman When disaster strikes,
we sometimes hear the explanation that it was God’s will. Is it really?
What does Unitarian Universalism offer as a theological response to tragedy?
This morning we will collect a special offering for the UUSC
aid to Haiti . Make checks payable to “Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
of Mankato” and your donation will be matched by UUFM.
Noon - 1:00 pm - Youth Group Poetry Curriculum
Sunday, February 14th
9:00 Social Action Committee meets downstairs.
10:30 Service - The Contemplation of Love - On
this day devoted to contemplation of Love in all its forms, we will hear from three
member-writers. Join us as Tony Filipovitch, Jason Toupence, and Kathy Doty
share brief essays they have written, inspired by a quotation from Kahlil Gibran. Our
worship leader will be Dan Dusek.
Click here
to register for
The Annual Conference 2010
April 23–25, 2010 Davenport, Iowa
Sunday, February 21st
9:15 am - Choir Practice
10:30
Service - The Power of Food: Are We What We Eat? Rev. Lisa Friedman
One year my ministers study group decided to tackle the broad topic of food
(I know - we must have been hungry at the time of the topic selection, right?)
But let me assure you it was a very rich (and delicious) session! After studying
the bestseller, Fast Food Nation, learning about the Slow Food Movement and
other grassroots campaigns, it is clear to me that the task of coming up with
a dinner meal is not just a time management issue. What we eat and how we eat
it are acts of astounding spiritual and ethical power.
Choir will be singing.
Noon - 1:00 pm - Youth Group Poetry Curriculum
Wednesday, Feb 24th
7:15
pm - Living By Heart - An on-going exploration of your own personal meditative
practice. Moderated by Rev. Lisa Friedman at the home of Marianne and
Peter Johnson (507-386-0499). New members welcome.
Sunday, February 28th
10:30
Service - “Non-violence, Judgment and Forgiveness” Rev.
Joel Erickson. Rev. Erickson will approach this topic from the perspective
of Jesus teaching, his death and resurrection as it relates to judgment and
forgiveness with the implications for how we can live nonviolently in a violent
world. Judgment and condemnation builds walls separating us from each other.
Forgiveness breaks these wall and allows us to get past our long held judgments
Joel B. Erickson is a retired Lutheran pastor who served as Senior Pastor of
Grace Lutheran in Mankato for 7 years before retiring September 1, 2009 after
35 years of ministry. Before coming to Mankato, he served congregations in Illinois,
Utah and Arizona. He is a past Sunday speaker at our UUFM.
There will be an Echo Foodshelf collection taken this Sunday. Bring
canned or packaged goods to help families in need. This collection is taken the
last Sunday of every month.
Tuesday, March 2nd
7:00 pm - Building Your Own Theology. (First Tuesday from Oct
- May) When asked what you believe, are you tempted to answer more with what you
don't believe than what you actually do? Do you have a sense of your core beliefs,
but struggle to put them in exact words? This class is designed to help participants
engage with theological issues from their own life experience and to write their
own personal credos, or belief statements. If you are interested, please sign up
at the guest book table in our entryway or e-mail Rev. Lisa at lfriedman@gfn.org.
Childcare is available upon request.
Sunday, March 7th
Noon - 1:00 pm - Youth Group Poetry Curriculum
Sunday, March 14th
9:15 am - Choir practice
10:30 Service - To be announced.
The choir will be singing.
Sunday, March 21st
Noon - 1:00 pm - Youth Group Poetry Curriculum
Wednesday, March 24th
7:15
pm - Living By Heart - An on-going exploration of your own personal meditative
practice. Moderated by Rev. Lisa Friedman at the home of Marianne and
Peter Johnson (507-386-0499).
Sunday, March 28th
10:30 Service - Justice Sunday - Speaker to be announced...
Sunday, April 4th - Easter Sunday
9:15 am Choir Practice
10:30 Service - To Be announced.
The choir will be singing.
Noon - 1:00 pm - Youth Group Poetry Curriculum
Tuesday, April 6th
7:00 pm - Building Your Own Theology. (First Tuesday from Oct
- May) When asked what you believe, are you tempted to answer more with what you
don't believe than what you actually do? Do you have a sense of your core beliefs,
but struggle to put them in exact words? This class is designed to help participants
engage with theological issues from their own life experience and to write their
own personal credos, or belief statements.
Wednesday, April 28th
7:15
pm - Living By Heart - An on-going exploration of your own personal meditative
practice. Moderated by Rev. Lisa Friedman at the home of Marianne and
Peter Johnson (507-386-0499).
Sunday, April 18th
Noon - 1:00 pm - Youth Group Poetry Curriculum
April 23rd - April 25th
Click here
for more information on
The Annual Conference 2010
April 23–25, 2010 Davenport, Iowa
Sunday, May 2nd
Noon - 1:00 pm - Youth Group Poetry Curriculum
Tuesday, May 4th
7:00 pm - Building Your Own Theology. (First Tuesday from Oct
- May) This will be the final session for this workshop.
Sunday, May 16th
Noon - 1:00 pm - Youth Group Poetry Curriculum
Sunday, May 23rd
9:30am - Choir Practice
10:30 Service - To be announced.
The choir will be singing
Wednesday, May 26th
7:15
pm - Living By Heart - An on-going exploration of your own personal meditative
practice. Moderated by Rev. Lisa Friedman at the home of Marianne and
Peter Johnson (507-386-0499).
Sunday, May 30th
Noon - 1:00 pm - Youth Group Poetry Curriculum
Sunday, June 6th - Flower Communion
9:30 am - Choir Practice
10:30 Service - To be announced.
The choir will be singing.
Wednesday, July
7:15
pm - Living By Heart - An on-going exploration of your own personal meditative
practice. Moderated by Rev. Lisa Friedman at the home of Marianne and
Peter Johnson (507-386-0499).
Changes, additions, photos?
Send Peter an email at: webmaster@UUMankato.org
The Bulletin Board
Break Through Congregations 'R Us
We had been nominated by the Prairie Star District staff and
selected by the UUA’s Growth Team as one of the four breakthrough congregations
throughout the country to be honored at this year’s General Assembly in Minneapolis!
The UUA’s Growth Team describes a “breakthrough” congregation
as one which has “shown significant and sustained numerical growth and successfully
navigated the oftentimes difficult challenges of being a prophetic UU congregation.Rev.
Limpert reported that some of the reasons we were selected include:
We had a 61% increase in adult membership in the last three years
We purchased a building in the midst of a ministerial transition – courageous!
We hired a part-time paid RE director
We began a public lecture series
We increased professional ministerial leadership from quarter-time to half-time
See the Lisa's notes in the January newsletter for more details!
(Posted 1-15-10 to 2-15-10)
New Worship Leaders Wanted
Each month there is at least one Sunday service when we have an outside speaker
present the sermon, and we then need someone from the congregation to guide us
through the rest of the service.
Since we call ourselves a "lay led congregation", this is an excellent
way to demonstrate that, with many different UUFM members taking a turn at providing
that leadership. It is a very enjoyable task, and we have developed information
and guidelines to make it easy, while still allowing ample room for personal choice.
As with having different people make the coffee or warmly greet us at the entry
foyer, it is enjoyable for us all to see a variety of us filling also this role.
We get to know each other better, and have a continually expanding sense of the
richness of "us". If this feels like one of the ways you might serve
the UUFM, or if you'd just like to hear more about it, please come to a short meeting
after Sunday service on January 10, downstairs. Or contact Sandra Walberg, 388-1904,
whalsand@hickorytech.net (Posted 12-23-09 to 2-23-09)
NewsLetters
.
Wondering what happens during a UU Service? Here
is a typical order of worship .
The Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship of Mankato offers nursery care for
your infant or toddler. We also offer Religious
Education that teaches 100% values and 0% dogma. We encourage children to ask
questions about religion.
We welcome Catholic, Lutheran, Christian, Muslim and all
faiths. Find out more about our wonderful kitchen
and reception area as well as our church facilities to rent.
Find out more about the Unitarian-Universalist religion by looking through
answers to the most frequently
asked questions .
The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship is making an effort to reach out to college
students by offering college outreach services 4:30 p.m. Wednesdays at the Lutheran
Campus Center, 331 Dillon Ave.
If you're wondering what religion is right for you, come visit us. Or, take a Belief-O-Matic
quiz that will try to match your beliefs to various religions.
Welcome! If you are visiting
this site for the first time, I invite you to explore it and to
see if Unitarian Universalism might be a home for you. We welcome
your questions and hope you will come and meet our lively, growing
and spiritually diverse congregation. Our religious tradition is
founded in freedom and love -- the freedom of each person to practice
their faith according to their own reason and conscience and the
love that calls us to work for a more just world, reminding us that
every person is born with worth and dignity. More