Neurodivergences and Spirituality Adam Tritt 

Revisiting “The Celestine Prophecy”  congregation member Doug Gregor

 In the 1990’s our congregation held a service to introduce and then afterwards, in a series of periodic discussion groups, to explore nine spiritual insights that were presented in a 1993 novel by author James Redfield   entitled The Celestine Prophecy.  The main character undertakes a journey in Peru in the course of which he struggles to find and understand those recorded insights as serially revealed in an ancient manuscript that local church officials are fighting to suppress. The book recounts the character’s spiritual awakening to various psychological and spiritual ideas rooted in multiple ancient Eastern traditions and New Age spirituality.  Join with us in retracing that spiritual journey. 

The Power of Solitude  Ellie Larmouth, Ph.D.

Through lessons from famous philosophers, the power of solitude will be examined as a crucial tool for developing self-understanding as well as a path to inner peace. 

Pennies,  Who Needs Um? Steve Johnson

As we see manufacturing of pennies discontinued by the treasury department, it begs the question, "Is change necessary?"

Let's take a look at change...in our spiritual and physical lives.  Do we need it?  What does it feel like?  How do we deal (or not) with it? 

Holiday Music The children of MUU

Winter Solstice Oracle Hekataios, presenting from Florida via Zoom

(Our service will meet in person as usual but the speaker will present via Zoom to those of us gathered.)

The Winter Solstice and the time period surrounding this date are beautiful for so many religious practices. Light, triumph, joy, peace, and compassion are themes shared during this time of year. But did you know it is also a time when the spirits walk among us? When darkness is at its greatest, and it happens when death comes to the land in the Northern Hemisphere? Join Oracle Hekataios as they help you understand the significance of not only light, but the   wisdom of darkness and the cycle of death into rebirth." 
Bio: Oracle Hekataios is author of "Strix Craft: Ancient Greek Magic for the Modern Witch" rereleased by Crossed Crow Books this past year. In Rockledge, Florida he co-leads a CUUPS group called 'Path of the Labyrinth’, structuring it as a Druid Grove. He and his husband of 26 years own a shop called 'Ravens Oasis' located in the heart of Cocoa Village, FL where he works as a medium and reader. He lectures widely on a variety of topics from a polytheist perspective and is an interfaith minister. Oracle is currently a student at Starr King Seminary for his master’s in divinity with a concentration in Pastoral Counseling.

Returning of Light ~ Hanukkah with Shelly, Tod and Adam

We will have three perspectives on the winter festivals of light, including the lighting of the menorah. As winter approaches, bringing a chill to the air and darkness to the sky, communities around the world look to the miracle of light: a sign of rebirth and a source of hope. Together, we celebrate a promise of new life and recommit ourselves to protecting everyone’s right to their own.

Water Legacy Speaker: Mike Maleska (He/Him)

Mike will provide compelling proof that we have a serious problem with liquid mining waste in NE MN, including photographs of all the tailings reservoirs from Silver Bay to Side Lake and from Ely to Grand Rapids. These photos were taken from the air on 3 flights privately paid for in June and July of this year - 2025. Mike will demonstrate the process (with visuals) whereby sulfate is converted to sulfide then chemically joins with mercury to become fat soluble methyl mercury - making itself available for consumption and absorption by all life forms in the environment. That includes micro invertebrates, their larvae, eggs, crustaceans, minnows, fish, and possibly ducks, deer, and those of us who consume them. He will show how the sulfated water easily escapes the massive tailings reservoirs crowding our landscape, and hydraulically leaches into surrounding lakes, rivers and streams polluting all 3 watersheds here. He will show how these toxic fugitive ‘waters’ kill wild rice and how it happens over decades, not weeks. He will provide us with options that have nothing to do with shutting down existing mines, and will, contrary to the rhetoric of mining advocates, PRODUCE jobs. These jobs will not require highly skilled workers during the actual cleanup once a scientifically proven & effective process is implemented. He will   also address some raw falsehoods disseminated by miners and how that benefits mining companies.

BIO: Mike is a Retired Miner, Lifelong Minnesotan, Environmental Activist, Union Strong, USMC Veteran, BWCAW, LGBTQ Ally, Doomsday Prepper, Canoeist, Hunter, Fisherman, Progressive, Woke, ANTIFA.

“Inclusion of Diverse Voices” Shelly LaMar and Jeanine Emmons

Divisive times provide ample space for unifying around our dedication to each other and lifting up the voices of those who are often overlooked. The more we challenge ourselves to receive new information with open and curious minds, the easier it will be to find common ground and build empathy.

While presenting an overview of this course you are invited to bring your curiosity and questions as we discover more about:

· Creating a welcome space by unlearning assumptions

· Discovering lived experiences and the many spiritual gifts of transgender people.

· Identifying how mainstream culture works to exclude transgender people and the difference between invitation and inclusion

· Dismantling gender-based oppression: Mesabi UU's current     successes and possible future challenges.

Jeanine Emmons and Shelly La Mar participated in a six-week training course called "Trans Inclusion in Congregations."

You Are How You Have Lived: Exploring Individual and Group Identity Tod Swenson

Each of us has an original way of being human: each person has his or her own “measure.” There is a certain way of being human that is my way. I am called upon to live my life in this way, and not in imitation of anyone else’s life… This notion gives a new importance to being true to myself. If I am not, I miss the point of my life; I miss what being human is for me.                                 ~ Charles Taylor, cultural philosopher

“What Powers Our Power?” Rev. Terri Burnor

Our actions speak, but how can we answer love’s call with more clarity, resiliency, and courage? In our work for justice and equity, we need to ask what are we building together. Let’s explore our power and how we can meet the moment.

Rev. Terri Burnor (she/her) is the Executive Director at JUUSJA (Minnesota Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Alliance). She also serves the St. Croix UU Fellowship as their minister.  She is a life-long Minnesotan who lives in St. Paul with her spouse Brian and their dogs, Marvin and Betty.

Three Steps Toward the Light: Following the glimmer that connects Old Buddha, Thoreau, and Mary Oliver Rev. Ted Tollefson

Our title and inspiration comes from Henry David Thoreau who attended First Church Unitarian in his hometown of Concord, MA. I'll be sharing two talks: one based on lectures given by Thoreau and another about Thoreau and what we might learn from his life and writings.

Ojibwe Women’s Hand Drum Singing Oshkii Giishik Singers, Liz Jaakala

Samhain Celebration Lisa Harrington

We will be setting up an ancestor altar. Bring photos or small mementos of loved ones that have crossed over. We will leave this altar set up through the Winter Solstice.

This I Believe Siyanda Elizabeth

Today four members of the congregation share how the spiritual beliefs they were raised with, and those they hold now, have shaped their life journeys. 

(Indigenous Peoples Day) What Stories do we Live by? Rev. Ted Tollefson

There are many ways to organize our lives. Often when asked to reflect on our lives, we tell stories. Rev. Ted will provide several ways to become aware of and share the stories we live by.  

Rev. Ted Tollefson is a Unitarian Universalist minister who has lived in the village of Frontenac, MN for over 30 years. He has served several UU congregations in Minnesota and Wisconsin and in his spare time has taught World Religions at United Theological Seminary and psychology at Metro State University. Like Thoreau he recommends walking in the morning, writing in the afternoon and reading at night.

Rev. Leslie Mills ~ part 2

Rev. Leslie Mills will be joining us again this year for a 4-part series spread across several months. The first half will take place this fall on September 14 and October 5, and the second half will be in the spring. We will delve into deeper questions of connection, change, and human transformation, building on our understanding of what it means to be human together in this ever-shifting world we share and call home.

William Ellery Channing’s famous Baltimore Sermon Marlise Riffel

William Ellery Channing was a Congregationalist clergyman and a leading figure in the development of New England Transcendentalism. His 1819 speech, "Unitarian Christianity," delivered at the ordination of Jared Sparks in Baltimore, formally presented Unitarian beliefs, challenging traditional Calvinist doctrines and emphasizing reason and human goodness. This speech was a watershed moment in American religious history, marking the public emergence of Unitarianism as a distinct theological movement. 

The American Unitarian Association was formed in 1825 and continued until it merged with the Universalist Church of America in 1961. Both were Christian organizations, as was the Virginia, Minnesota First Unitarian Church at its origin. What exactly did Channing believe, and how has our denomination evolved to what we are today? Come for a lively discussion.

(First Day of Autumn and Rosh Hashanah) EXPECTATIONS: Great and otherwise Steve Johnson                                

Join me as I share my journey of self-discovery. and self-growth through different stages of spiritual life.

~ Rev. Leslie Mills ~ part 1

Rev. Leslie Mills will be joining us again this year for a 4-part series spread across several months. The first half will take place this fall on September 14 and October 5, and the second half will be in the spring. We will delve into deeper questions of connection, change, and human transformation, building on our understanding of what it means to be human together in this ever-shifting world we share and call home.

Our annual “water communion” service, first service of the year. Adam Byrn Tritt

BE SURE TO BRING A SMALL AMOUNT OF WATER THAT IS MEANINGFUL TO YOU, PERHAPS FROM YOUR SUMMER TRAVELS, or even your home tap.

Flower Ceremony                                                       Marlise Riffel and the Youth of MUU

The youth of Mesabi UU will lead us in a version of the traditional flower ceremony to close out our year of Sunday morning gatherings. Bring flower/vegetable seeds to share.

Cultivating Our Peace                                                                     Rev. Leslie Mills

As we create space for our humanity to remain rooted, we may find it helps to cultivate some intentional activities, rituals, or practices. What can strengthen our resilience for the years ahead? How can we foster a sense of stability and connection? Let's explore a few ways we might lay the groundwork in our daily lives that will help us cultivate our peace, so we might be a source of support for others - whether our family and friends, our local community, or the wider world. Join us for this exploration of what is possible.

Mesabi UU Annual Membership Meeting    President Erika LaMar

Reports, budget and election of officers for fiscal July 2025 thru June 2026.

Holding Our Humanity                                                                       Rev. Leslie Mills

Last spring, we had the opportunity to explore the question of what it means to be human. While this question may seem like a playful thought experiment or a philosophical curiosity, our current sociopolitical landscape brings some urgency to our answers. In a time when the most powerful world leader is intent on dehumanizing the majority of the global population, how we understand humanity — whether our own or that of another — becomes more critical than ever. Join us to deepen this conversation.

Signs of Life Rev. Dr. Carol Hepokoski

We are living in challenging times. Where do we find signs of life and how do we create hope? This service will include a reading from the reverend Milma Lappala, one of the founding ministers of our congregation.

A Unitarian Guide to Easter                                                        Rev. Ted Tollefson

Easter is coming next Sunday and I'll offer some uniquely Unitarian ways to understand this important holiday that include belief, doubt and make believe. Expect a few surprises.

Rev. Ted Tollefson has been a Unitarian preacher and teacher since 1980. He lives with his wife Kristen and dog Boomer in the quiet woods of Frontenac Minnesota.

Leaving the Winter Daze                                                                  Ellie Schoenfeld

Poet Ellie Schoenfeld will share poems related to melting ice, rivers running wild, and general ideas of reckless abandon like putting the snow shovels away for the season, even though it is early April.

Ellie Schoenfeld is a prolific poet and was Duluth’s poet laureate from 2016- 2018. One reviewer described Ellie as a cross between Amy Sedaris and John Donne with the wry, self-deprecating humor and like-minded intimate spirituality that is undogmatic, unorganized unheirarchical, yet fundamental and persistent, tied to human yearning. Another reviewer stated, “Ellie has a unique rhythm and wit. Once again, we celebrate National Poetry Month at MUUC with the gift of a poet’s words.

The Art of Happiness                                                         Rev. Ted Tollefson

Sustained unhappiness takes effort. I'll share some of the most reliable paths to an unhappy life and, by implication, a happy life. Bring your own favorites to share.

CANCELLED DUE TO ICY ROADS will be re-scheduled Inclusion of Diverse Voices                                                          Shelly and Jeanine

Divisive times provide ample space for unifying around our dedication to each other and lifting up the voices of those who are often overlooked. The more we challenge ourselves to receive new information with open and curious minds, the easier it will be to find common ground and build empathy.

Jeanine Emmons and Shelly La Mar participated in a six week training course called "Trans Inclusion in Congregations." While presenting an overview of this course you are invited to bring your curiosity and questions as we discover more about:

-  creating a welcome space by unlearning assumptions

-  discovering lived experiences and the many spiritual gifts of transgender people

-  identifying how mainstream culture works to exclude transgender people and the difference between invitation and inclusion

-  dismantling gender-based oppression: Mesabi UU's current successes and possible future challenges