Fresh Connection Spring 2023

  Let's make it happen! By  Spiritual Growth Coordinator Christie Brown & Social Action Coordinator Shirley Durr   We are collaborating as the Dean Team to help bring Mission u to Minnesota this summer. Our first step was to register for the Dean training in April.   We need you! We are looking for people who can be study leaders. Is that you or someone you know? Please let us know by April 2 if you can lead the study (described in the box below) or recommend someone we can ask to lead the study. You can contact Shirley  or Christie   (651-388-3124).           Training starts April 15 and study leaders need to register before that date. When? Where? How much? Mission u will take place sometime in July. Specific dates, times, number of sessions, and venue will be decided by the study leader(s) and the Dean Team before June. Cost will depend on the venue and the number of study leaders. The Dean Team ...

Photo: Tim Evans for MPR News Walking in the Spirit by Cindy Saufferer Walking is good for my soul. I love to walk -- except when the temperature is too cool or too hot or if there is any type of moisture in the air. And forget it if there is even the hint of ice. You could call me a fair-weather walker, but you would be more accurate if you called me a perfect-weather walker! So why in the world would I hit the icy streets of Minneapolis this past Valentine’s Day in the pouring rain?  Simple, something more important than my comfort, MMIWR 2023: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIWR). MMIW is a movement that advocates for the end of violence against Native women. It also seeks to draw attention to the high rates of disappearances and the murders of Native people. You may notice the term MMIWR in the event title. The “R” has been added to acknowledge the LGBTQI, Two Spirit, non-binary relatives, as well as Native men and boys, who are also targeted. In 2019, th...

NCJ in 2024, Annual Gathering in 2023 By Elizabeth Everitt, NCJ Committee on Nominations Chair United Women in Faith North Central Jurisdiction will meet May 31-June 2, 2024, at the Sheridan downtown hotel in Indianapolis. At this NCJ meeting, there will be an election of four directors plus two alternates for the National Board of United Women in Faith.   Minnesota Conference UWFaith, at our 2023 Annual Gathering, will be making plans to elect three voting delegates and two nominees of National UWFaith Board of Directors plus an alternate each.   There are plans to provide spiritual as well as engaging programming for all participants.   Jurisdiction is held every four years. Make plans to attend. In 2026, Indianapolis will also be the site for the next Assembly.  

  We lost 17 locals and 7 churches in 2022. Total Membership: We have to collect this data.   2022 Unit Survey will be out at the end of March and open through August. Click here to find free resources for downloading as well as for purchasing. The 2022 Survey will be added to this menu when posted. This is also the link for some other resources mentioned in this article.   2021 Unit Survey Analysis for Minnesota A big “Thank You” to all 72 locals (28% of 256 units) that filled out the 2021 Unit Survey. Some of us did it twice so our number does not match with National’s 76.   National says, “We at the National office appreciate your hard work in supporting the collection of relevant information from our local and district leaders. This data should assist in your planning efforts with district leaders and will continue to assist the national office staff and leaders in planning for our members.”   Five Districts and 76 (72) Units reported 1965 members. We had ...

  Celebrating a victory for MMIWR, still struggling for justice by Shirley Durr, Social Action Coordinator Speaking at the 2022 COSROW Seminar Where are Our Sisters? Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women , Minnesota’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) Office Director Juliet Rudie , mentioned limits placed on tribal police that create obstacles when indigenous women are murdered or missing.   In January of this year the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe won part of its lawsuit claiming Mille Lacs County illegally limited its policing authority to investigate violations of federal, state, and tribal law on the Mille Lacs reservation and asking the court to stop the county from interfering.   Senior U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson ’s ruling confirms that the band's original 61,000 acre reservation that was established by an 1855 treaty still exists and Mille Lacs County acted unlawfully in prohibiting tribal officers from investigating violations of state l...

Serving, advocating   by Shirley Durr, Social Action Coordinator Your Conference Social Action Coordinator (SAC) met with District SACs Diana Eickelberg (River Valley), Diane Bublitz (Big Waters), and Nancy Kipp (Twin Cities) to share actions we each have taken since we last met at Leadership Development in November. It was a busy season!   Diana’s Report Diana attended the Joint Religious Legislation Coalition’s meeting in February that introduced Leah Patton, the new JRLC Director, and learned about the bills in the Minnesota legislature that JRLC is following. They include: Supporting SF 2471 to allow tiny houses to be located on religious properties. Opposing g ambling expansion ( SF 2425 and SF 1949 ) creating easy access to sports betting, daily fantasy sports and other online gambling. Supporting SF 2493 that would increase the reimbursement rates for providers and fund the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) that helps low- and moderate-income families with childc...

Journey of Listening with the Heart By Cindy Saufferer, MN UWFaith President How fitting to participate in a Healing Circle on Valentine’s Day. Following the MMIWR March at Phillips Park, I joined a group of leaders representing several committees from our MN Annual Conference. Our purpose was discernment through listening. (Photo source: Dawn Houser) We began our time together by smudging, a ceremony of cleansing the soul of negative thoughts and inviting positive energy. For this writer, smudging is an intentional act akin to taking a deep cleansing breath and opening myself to Presence. This communal act prepared our hearts for the art of listening. Jimmie Heags, our Circle Leader, led us through storytelling and questions. As the talking stick was passed from one to another, we could respond with caution or vulnerability, humor versus truth.  Personally, if I listen close enough, I can hear the truth held within humor. As our time was nearing its end, Jimmie told us of an instr...