Every audio sermon week across the years we have — a filled cell is a week with an upload, darker blue means richer topics. A steady weekly cadence shows as a solid band across years.
LessMore·no upload·known, not transcribed
Each cell is one week · darker blue = richer topics (clean, sermon-only audio scores higher) · pale = thin, faint = no upload · gold outline = known, not yet transcribed · red outline = broken/failed file · uploaded in 36 of 126 weeks across the span (29%).
How this church compares
Against other uu and against every sermon on the site. Signals are approximate and grow more reliable as more of the archive is scored.
●this church┃peer average┃site average
Emotional rangenoticeably wider
Its sermons travel noticeably wider in feeling than a typical peer congregation, and noticeably wider than the site overall.
site avg 0.12
narrowerpeer avgwider
Emotional intensitysomewhat higher
The peaks run somewhat higher than peers, somewhat higher than the site.
site avg 0.64
lowerpeer avghigher
Dynamic deliverysomewhat lower
In the voice itself, energy runs somewhat lower than peers, noticeably lower than the site.
site avg 0.45
lowerpeer avghigher
Among uu churches with enough scored sermons, it ranks #22 of 243 for emotional range.
On the words themselves, it reads as characteristically uu.
Where this church’s sermons land on the site’s emergent topic map.
Senior Minister 3Search Truth 2Spiritual Community Dedicated 2European: Faith & Indigenous 2Bear Witness 2Social Justice Committee 2Humanist Association 2Beloved Community 2Shared Values 2British 1
Themes they appear in
The recurring topics across the whole archive where this church shows up most.
“And for this I can even leave a great sigh, a sigh of relief, and say: anyway, whatever else, I see that the practice of gratitude is available to me…”
“So one of the things I love about our youth theology is it, even though I might stand at the big Pulpit, I'm not handing down to you what you need to…”
Aug 11, 2025 · hope and light, the beloved community
Unitarian Universalist IdentityInterdependence & NatureCreation Care
“At the 2024 General Assembly, Unitarian Universalist affirmed for a second time by overwhelming majority, a newly revised Covenant among congres, sta…”
“A safe space, regardless of how precise that memory is, can create a small Oasis Within permission for bodies to rest, to soften, to settle into a se…”
Jul 15, 2025 · hope and light, the beloved community
Friendship & BelongingBeloved CommunityHumanism
“The first time I truly experience the communal rumbling, joyful, encouraging, life-giving and life-sustaining sounds and energy and vibrancy and Litu…”
“They were at this meeting to talk to ministers about the UA's current and courageous efforts to both protect our rights and to advocate for those rig…”
“A quick word search tells me that in the you, you principles, in the new statement of you, you values, in the Fus, this congregation's mission statem…”
Feb 3, 2025 · hope and light, the beloved community
Grief & LamentCreation CareReason & Free Inquiry
“I like to light a candle of gratitude, ungrateful that I woke up this morning and I'm not kidding and saw the song- another sunrise, and I'm grateful…”
“If you talked about the Beloved Community and what it is, it was the Reverend, Dr Martin Luther King Jr, who popularized the concept of Beloved Commu…”
“There's been a lot of change: societal shifts and religiosity, a pandemic and endemic Zoom Church, continuing social isolation, a long time ministers…”
“I know that we are trans issues around social justice, membership communities, as we spoke of last time, with Dara going to Plymouth Church in my las…”
“I have been so honored over these past 9 that with your time, talent and treasure, you have supported a professional position of social justice Minis…”
Faith & Civic LifeGod the Father / CreatorReason & Free Inquiry
“An important Theory which still affects European cultures and the many colonies that European nations colonize, like the United States, is the concep…”
“But Adam Clayton Powell and Dr King did not have, let alone up up, up, up up up, a politic, let alone a theology that could hold black queer Liberati…”
Jan 22, 2024 · hope and light, the beloved community
HumanismChurch Life & MembershipCreation Care
“You gave me a great gift: financial support, while I took a break from holding down to ministerial jobs here as your assistant minister at First Unit…”
“We are Innovative in Unitarian Universalist American humanist Association and now, with the ethical culture Movement, we bring those Progressive reli…”
“At the end of a long, suddenly remembered as both a blessing granddaughter ran and I sit and cuddle and bond is, the story is washed over us, feeling…”
Found on this church’s websiteOther UU churchesAll churches
The percentage is how many UU churches’ websites state that value; the bar turns orange where this church’s website states it too.
of UU sites
This church
LGBTQ+ affirming
64%
✓
Creation care / climate
42%
✓
Anti-racism / racial justice
41%
✓
Economic justice & mutual aid
38%
✓
Open to people of all faiths
34%
Radical hospitality & accessibility
31%
Immigrant & refugee welcoming
18%
✓
Reproductive justice
13%
✓
Indigenous relations / land acknowledgment
12%
Peace & nonviolence
10%
Prison ministry & restorative justice
9%
Disability justice
6%
Mental health
5%
✓
Children & youth
80%
✓
Online worship
66%
✓
Small groups
57%
✓
Financial & governance transparency
37%
Child safety policy
10%
✓
Languages / interpretation
3%
✓
Website & sermons online
This church: audio + video — like 8% of UU churches.
Audio + videoAudio onlyVideo onlySite, no sermonsFeed without audioJS-only siteBlocked / timeoutDead or hijackedNo website
Website completeness, all churches: a rough score of how complete and easy-to-navigate the church’s own website is.
Among the 3,012 churches with a readable, rated website (scores of 0 and 100 left out), this one is at the top of the scale.
Values stated, within UU churches: how many of the 29 values we track each church’s website states. This one states 13 — ahead of 93% of UU churches (the typical one states 7).
What their website says
Justice & social positions
✓
Anti-racism / racial justicesourceWe are an LGBTQ+ affirming, anti-racist, pluralistic congregation that is always striving to expand our practices of radical inclusivity.
✓
LGBTQ+ affirmingsourceWe are an LGBTQ+ affirming, anti-racist, pluralistic congregation that is always striving to expand our practices of radical inclusivity.
✓
Immigrant & refugee welcomingsourceSupport Team About Our mission is to assist in welcoming and supporting refugees as they adjust to life in the Twin Cities.
✓
Creation care / climatesource15:31:43 +0000 https://firstunitarian.org/?p=36157 A cofounder of the Minnesota Green Party, Greta Gaard is author of Critical Ecofeminism, a book about contemporary issues from animal and plant studies to sustainability and climate justice.
✓
Economic justice & mutual aidsourceSend email About We are part of Align Minneapolis, a collaboration of downtown congregations that addresses homelessness in our city.
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Not found on the pages we checked: Open to people of all faiths, Radical hospitality & accessibility
Belonging & practical
✓
Children & youthsourceFirst Unitarian Society of Minneapolis is proud to offer Our Whole Lives (OWL) – a comprehensive lifespan sexuality education curriculum.
✓
Languages / interpretationsource9:45am Christine and Tania aim to offer a space of belonging for kids and their caregiver with music and stories en español.
✓
Online worshipsourceAll FUS members are welcome to attend Board of Trustees meetings at FUS or via Zoom.
✓
Small groupssourceGroups Affinity Groups Pathway to membership If you’re new to our community, or if you’ve been around for a while, and are ready to learn more about our Pathway to Membership, you’re in the right place.
No video feed found
We haven’t found a video feed on your website for this church. If you post services on YouTube or livestream them, let us know and we’ll index those weeks too.
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Denomination off, name wrong, or this isn’t actually a house of worship? Tell us — it helps keep the archive honest, and flags the page for a re-check.
Invite your members to build their own personal theology on Divining — and see, over time, which of your past sermons resonate most.
Most-saved moments
Coming soon. Once listeners begin saving sermons and passages, the moments your congregation returns to most will appear here.
