I’m back in Mankato after a fruitful leave for reflection and renewed friendships in Western New York. Back at my backyard view, watching the leaves fall. Watching the Downy woodpeckers and the squirrels continue to fatten themselves for the lean times that are coming. Watching … read more.
This week is a relatively busy one for me, with interviewing childcare candidates, planning ahead, and providing care tonight, among other things. While I do not have an elaborate reflection to share here today, the words in the image shared here reminded me of the upcoming … read more.
What a wonderful, noisy coffee hour we had in the Fellowship Hall this past Sunday. Deep conversations across generations, lots of laughter, families with children, chatting about Indigenous Peoples Day weekend events, social action to encourage voter turnout, healthy snacks. It was like the before … read more.
Nursery care
We now plan to have the nursery open every Sunday during worship. We are dependent on (background-checked) volunteers while we work on hiring childcare workers. Please spread the word.
Children’s Faith Development
We now plan on having CFD every Sunday, including the first Sundays of … read more.
A lot of good news came out of our Stewardship Workshop Weekend. Participants (and maybe you, too?) feel great gratitude for the community and the values they find at UUFM. And at the same time, participants (and maybe you, too?) feel a sense of loss … read more.
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” Mary Anne Radmacher
I never considered myself a particularly courageous person, especially as a child. I felt uncomfortable … read more.
Look at these amazing carrots! They grew in our UUFM Organic Garden, tended by the Rossow Strasser family, Linda Ganske, and Mae Gagnon (let me know if I am missing anyone). Yes, they are crooked. And yes, they seem to be holding each other in … read more.
“I was so shocked to learn that the opposite of belonging is fitting in. Because fitting in is assessing a group of people and changing who you are. But true belonging never asks us to change who we are. It demands we be who … read more.
Interdependence as a Value
So often, we equate independence to freedom or associate it with strength. While it can be an admirable quality, it has its downfalls. When young people are praised for all of what they can do by themselves, some begin to develop a … read more.
Minister’s Message
We all need a circle of care, a circle of belonging. These words of Starhawk make this claim so beautifully:
Somewhere, there are people to whom we can speak with passion without having the words catch in our throats. Somewhere a circle of hands … read more.
