Events

The Gospel of Judas follows the traditional story of Jesus’s betrayal in many ways—the authorities approach Judas, Judas exposes Jesus’s identity, and Judas receives payment. But there’s one crucial distinction: Judas, as the favored discipline, performs this act at Jesus’s request. Discovered in Egypt in the 1970s, the Gospel of Judas raises fascinating questions about the early Jesus movement, the nature of the universe, and the meaning of “faith.” Join us for part two of this three-part series on the heretical gospels, which began in December with the Gospel of Mary (Magdalene).

Details coming soon.

For those who admire Jesus—yet distrust the tradition that claims him—the figure of Mary Magdalene can inspire. Among the first apostles, she has been both the most beloved and, next to Judas Iscariot, the most despised. Discovery of The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, long considered heretical, has opened new insight into her powerful role. If this gospel had never been banned, what might Christianity have become? What can Mary’s life teach us today?

In November, our guest speaker will be Karen Van Fossan. Karen is an abolitionist, ordained minister, licensed professional counselor, and former defendant in the Line 3 Pipeline resistance. As ministerial director of SoulForce, she serves as a street chaplain committed to relational spirituality and restorative justice.

UCU community members have invited Rev. Karen Van Fossan to reflect with us on the first Sunday after the national election. We may celebrate. We may grieve. We may be called to both. No matter the outcome, we will need resilience, commitment, and steadfastness. We will also need each other. After the election, whether your heart sings or breaks, please join us Sunday morning.

Many Unitarian Universalist congregations celebrate the new church year with a water communion, honoring the spirit of life around us and within us. Rev. Karen Van Fossan has been invited to guide us through this service of healing and renewal. We look forward to deepening our relationship with the Earth and our own humanity.

An Evening with Two Writers from the Dakotas, a literary event featuring Karen Van Fossan, author of Fire at the Center, and John Nelson, author of Bootjack, reading from and discussing their respective books, will take place on August 1 at Thollehaug Commons (302 Maple St.) in Sisseton, beginning at 7pm. This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served (including vegan and vegetarian options). More information about the visiting authors...

A Fargo-Moorhead book group of passionate readers discusses A Fire at the Center with Karen Van Fossan and other special guests.

Prison abolition has become a popular topic of conversation and contention. Still, it’s a well-kept secret that the Water Protector movement at Standing Rock has been a living example of what it means to live with genuine abolitionist values. It’s also a well-kept secret that abolition is deeply rooted in the Unitarian Universalist tradition, particularly the Universalist value of love. You are warmly invited to join us for an engaging reflection on the practical and spiritual relevance of abolition in our time.

Please mark your calendar. Details coming soon!

Please mark your calendar. Details coming soon!

World Water Day celebrates water and raises awareness that 2.2 billion people live without access to safe water. At UU Ministry for Earth, we are honored to welcome Rev. Dr. Clyde Grubbs and Rev. Karen Van Fossan into a conversation on this important and sacred day.

NDSU's Antiracism Coalition invites regional artists and writers to reflect on the theme "how art speaks back to racism." All are welcome.

This month, we are welcoming a special guest, Rev. Karen Van Fossan (she/they), author of her new memoir, A Fire at the Center: Solidarity, Whiteness, and Becoming a Water Protector .

East Shore Unitarian Church warmly welcomes author Rev. Karen Van Fossan to our book discussion group.

In a recent memoir dedicated to this congregation, Rev. Karen Van Fossan tells the story of our solidarity with Standing Rock during the NoDAPL movement. On Sunday, January 21, she will join us in person to share reflections on solidarity, water protection, and hope in the face of climate change and colonialism.

When the living waters that crisscrossed the Standing Rock reservation came under threat, minister of the nearby Unitarian Universalist congregation Karen Van Fossan asked herself what it means, as a descendent of colonialism, to resist her own colonial culture. When another pipeline, Line 3, came to threaten Anishinaabe ways of life, the question became even more resounding. Join us for this engaging presentation on the practice of being human, despite a colonial culture that would deny full humanity to us all. Book discussion to follow the service. All are welcome!

Join us at Zandbroz for a reading, discussion, and signing with Karen Van Fossan, author of 'A Fire at the Center: Solidarity, Whiteness, and Becoming a Water Protector.' In 'A Fire at the Center,' Van Fossan takes readers behind the scenes of the Dakota Access Pipeline conflict, to penitentiaries where prisoners of war have carried the movement onward, to the jail cell where she was held for protesting Line 3, to a reimagining of decolonized family constellations, and to moments of collective hope and strength. With penetrating insight, she blends memoir, history, and cultural critique...

Each week, UU Ministry for Earth shares an online live meditation session, lasting 30 minutes. Join Rev. Karen Van Fossan on September 21, October 5, and October 12, as she leads earth-loving and spirit-healing meditation sessions. All are welcome! As Dr. Heather Eaton says in Eco-Feminist Theologies in the Age of Climate Crisis: “Inspiration, radical amazement, wonder and gratitude are an antidote to despair, fear, and certitudes that constrict awareness.”

Each week, UU Ministry for Earth shares an online live meditation session, lasting 30 minutes. Join Rev. Karen Van Fossan on September 21, October 5, and October 12, as she leads earth-loving and spirit-healing meditation sessions. All are welcome! As Dr. Heather Eaton says in Eco-Feminist Theologies in the Age of Climate Crisis: “Inspiration, radical amazement, wonder and gratitude are an antidote to despair, fear, and certitudes that constrict awareness.”

All are welcome to join Minnesota UU Social Justice Alliance in conversation with Rev. Karen Van Fossan, an abolitionist, minister, professional counselor, street chaplain, and former defendant in the Line 3 pipeline resistance. This special program will also celebrate the release of her new book, A Fire at the Center: Solidarity, Whiteness, & Becoming a Water Protector...

Each week, UU Ministry for Earth shares an online live meditation session, lasting 30 minutes. Join Rev. Karen Van Fossan on September 21, October 5, and October 12, as she leads earth-loving and spirit-healing meditation sessions. All are welcome! As Dr. Heather Eaton says in Eco-Feminist Theologies in the Age of Climate Crisis: “Inspiration, radical amazement, wonder and gratitude are an antidote to despair, fear, and certitudes that constrict awareness.”

Join Dr. Chez Rumpf, Maya Schenwar, Dr. Peter Huff, and Rev. Karen Van Fossan for this in-person session at the Parliament of the World's Religions. Rooted in punitive theology, the carceral system in the United States causes the very injustices it claims to address, particularly violence against women. Yet the U.S. system of punitive justice has long been a prototype for carceral systems around the world, perpetuating economic inequality, healthcare disparities, racism, sexism, anti-LGBTQ+ hatred, and violence against Indigenous peoples. The Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution even identifies “punishment for a crime” as a legitimate form of slavery.

What might genuine solidarity look like? How might we arrive at mutual liberation? How might the Standing Rock movement of 2016 shape a way forward today? Please join Rev. Karen Van Fossan for a sneak peek of her new book, A Fire at the Center: Solidarity, Whiteness, and Becoming a Water Protector, due for release this fall. Karen is an abolitionist, ordained UU minister, licensed professional counselor, and former defendant in the Line 3 pipeline resistance. As director of Authentic Ministry in the Fargo-Moorhead area, she serves as a street chaplain committed to relational spirituality and restorative justice. Please visit fmuu.org for a zoom link, or join the gathering in person.

Shane Netterville was shot and killed on July 8, 2022, by Fargo Police Officer Adam O’Brien. All are welcome to join us in a spirit of respect, as we honor Shane’s memory one year later. We will gather at his gravesite (see address above) at 11 AM on the 8th. Then we will share a free community meal at 1 PM at the Fargo Public Library (101 4th St. N, Fargo).

Join Rev. Dr. Clyde Grubbs, Rev. Adam Lawrence Dyer, and Rev. Karen Van Fossan for this on-demand session at UUA General Assembly. Is colonization guided by religious vision different from colonization for wealth? Europe claimed to bring “Christian civilization” to the world, yet this mission was enabled by the pursuit of riches, particularly through Joint Stock companies that fostered our congregations in New England. What does history reveal about civic religion today?

Easter can be a complicated holiday for Unitarian Universalists. Christian religious holidays often invite deep questions—from what we mean when we say we are UUs to how our shared values can be embodied. Our UU Principles are a key statement of these values. Yet what do they actually mean? Where do they come from? Could we add one? Subtract? Start over? And what do our UU values have to do with the season of Easter? Please join us on April 9, Easter Sunday, as we reflect and deepen together. Guest speaker: Rev. Karen Van Fossan.

For generations, UUs have been jailed for our conscience in resisting systems of oppression. As our tradition becomes more justice oriented, rates of UU arrests are on the rise. How does our conscience also call us to be there for those whose bodies are on the line? Learn how UUs are building capacity to support and share the load in the face of mass arrest. Find out more about how to organize support for those who are arrested and jailed as a conscientious form of protest. Presenters: Rev. Karen Van Fossan and Dr. Karen Wills. Organizer: UU College of Social Justice.

How does compassion for ourselves make genuine justice possible? All are welcome to join us, as Rev. Karen Van Fossan preaches at this special Sending Service, right before Spring Break. We will honor this time of transition, our collective longing for justice, and our hope for the times to come.

For generations, UUs have been jailed for our conscience in resisting systems of oppression. As our tradition becomes more justice oriented, rates of UU arrests are on the rise. How does our conscience also call us to be there for those whose bodies are on the line? Learn how UUs are building capacity to support and share the load in the face of mass arrest. Find out more about how to organize support for those who are arrested and jailed as a conscientious form of protest. Presenters: Rev. Karen Van Fossan, Antoinette Scully, Rev. Dr. Clyde Grubbs, and friends. Organizers: Rachel Myslivy (Green Sanctuary/Side With Love) and Rev. Deanna Vandiver (UU College of Social Justice).

“Nobody’s free until everybody’s free,” said Fannie Lou Hamer in the twentieth century. These words are no less true in 2022. As a former defendant in the resistance to the Line 3 pipeline, Rev. Karen Van Fossan will reflect on both personal and collective experiences of the carceral system in the U.S., challenging the punitive theology that has gotten us here. She will also share words of courage from contemporary political prisoners and offer hopeful practices toward collective liberation.

The traveling art exhibition includes the work of seventy-five 2D, 3D, filmmakers, and live performance artists from around the world. Each artist explores human rights, civil rights, or social justice issues through their respective mediums. In addition to paintings, mixed media works, and photographs, avant-garde animated and experimental films are also featured in the exhibition. The Festival includes artwork by Ryan Netterville, honoring his brother Shane who was shot and killed by Fargo police in July of 2022. It also includes two poems by Karen Van Fossan -- "Solidarity is Not a Favor" and "Prayer for Children at the Border."

Community members gather at each meeting of the Fargo Police Advisory & Accountability Board (as well as other commissions and boards), calling for justice for Shane Netterville, who was shot and killed by a Fargo Police Officer in July 2022.

All are welcome to join the second session of the Town Hall series "Called To Welcome," to learn and discuss what people of faith can do to support and advocate for LGBTQIA+ individuals and their families. Guest Speakers: Pastor Joe Larson, Bishop Craig Schweitzer, Barry Nelson, Nancy Farnham, Kristen Nelson, Katrina Koesterman, Sen. Tim Mathern, Rep. Karla Rose Hanson, Rev. Karen Van Fossan. Organizers: Welcome Connection and ND Human Rights Coalition

As a Water Protector and former defendant, Karen Van Fossan will be a guest conversation partner with Gina Peltier and Bee Kakac at 1 PM, reflecting together on water protection, Indigenous-led pipeline resistance, and the role of nonviolent action in justice-seeking.

We hope you will join us for an important event, helping people of faith to understand and repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery -- in a positive atmosphere of sharing and connecting across cultures.