COVID-19 Response

The Coronavirus pandemic of 2020 dramatically affected First Univeralist Church. Beginning in March with the halting of in-person service, the Church has been updating their Facebook page regularly with Church updates, virtual worship, community workshops, choir performances, and reflections. Worship and workshops are being conducted over "Zoom," as well as other opportunities specifically for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) community members, children and youth, or adults and older adults. The Church also organized a Zoom gathering for health care workers, including mental health care providers, support staff, doctors, holistic care providers, nurses, and chaplains to support and create community space for those working on the front lines. Through Zoom, the Church is able to retain some of the community aspects of their worship, group meetings, and social time, despite pausing in-person gatherings.

In one post on the Facebook page, the Church provides community members with these questions to consider as part of their daily spiritual routine as referenced during a prior Wednesday worship. "What am I GRATEFUL for today? Who am I CHECKING IN ON or CONNECTING WITH today? What expectations of "normal" am I LETTING GO OF today? How am I GETTING OUTSIDE today? How am I MOVING MY BODY today? What BEAUTY am I either creating, cultivating, or inviting in today?"1 

  1. First Universalist Church of Minneapolis. Daily Quarantine Questions. Facebook, April 1, 2020, http://www.facebook.com/FirstUniv. Accessed May 30 2020.↩

What am I GRATEFUL for today? Who am I CHECKING IN ON or CONNECTING WITH today? What expectations of "normal" am I LETTING GO OF today? How am I GETTING OUTSIDE today? How am I MOVING MY BODY today? What BEAUTY am I either creating, cultivating, or inviting in today?

The Church has also found ways to continue its commitment to social justice virtually. The Environmental Justice Team led workshops on protecting the Earth through yard work and gardening, and home improvements to reduce your household carbon footprint. Following the brutal murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25th, 2000, First Universalist Church of Minneapolis took a stance against police brutality and in support of Black community leaders.