we have rental space for offices events weddings and more! Next door to one of the largest research universities in the world - a campus of 50,000 students - UBC's building was designed as a hub of activity. Our sanctuary is a beautiful space for weddings and commitment ceremonies as well as music, theater, and public programs. Our lawn and portico provide a lovely green space on a busy corner. We have room to share for renters, too. Tenants in our beautiful space have included not only other congregations but an alternative school, small businesses, artists, musicians, yoga classes, labor organizers, basketball players (we have a gym under the sanctuary), consultants, and more. Rental Spaces Currently Available Rooms for Lease Room 303 - 540 sq ft N on-profit rate: $1,080/mo Standard rate: $1,260/mo Room 305 - 675 sq ft Non-profit rate: $1,350/mo Standard rate: $1,575/mo Room 306 - 121 sq ft - available July 1 N on-profit rate: $242/mo Standard rate: $282/mo Room 309 - 342 sq ft Non-profit rate: $684/mo Standard rate: $798/mo Hourly or Special Occasion Gym $20/hr block (2hr minimum) Assembly Room 1,500 sq. ft., $40/hr including kitchen, $30/hr without kitchen, 2hr minimum Sanctuary is available for funerals, concerts, and other special occasion rentals at $50/hr Sanctuary is is also available for weddings - see guidelines below Library - $25 for the first hour, $10 for each additional hour Lounge - $25 for the first hour, $10 for each additional hour available july 1 COMMERCIAL SPACE FOR RENT IN DINKYTOWN Bring your vision to this historic space in Dinkytown, across the street from the U of M! Looking for a homebase for your student outreach-focused non-profit? Need a spot to house your community-oriented organization? Want to open a coffee shop with live music? Thinking about opening an arts-based collaborative that has office space, gathering space, rehearsal space, and performance space all under the same roof? We’re open and would love to hear your ideas and dreams! Available for rent in University Baptist Church: Large 1,500 sqft room with a stage at one end, attached to a 377 sqft commercial kitchen. Possible addition of another 650 sqft lounge with fireplace and 225 sqft office across the hall. ADA access and bathrooms nearby. Lots of foot traffic in a densely populated area. Office space available elsewhere in the building. Up to three assigned parking spots for an additional fee. Want to talk about your ideas? Contact property@ubcmn.org ! Assembly Room (Large space with stage) - 1700 square feet Non-profit rate: $3,000/mo Standard rate: $3,500/mo Parlor (Attached to Assembly Room, but can be separated) - 650 square feet Non-profit rate: $1,300/mo Standard rate: $1,516/mo Kitchen (Attached to Assembly Room, but can be separated) - 377 square feet Non-profit rate: $754/mo Standard rate: $880/mo Small Office (Across the hall from Assembly Room) - 225 square feet Non-profit rate: $450/mo Standard rate: $525/mo DETAILS Many rooms have hardwood floors. All rooms are handicap accessible. Utilities are included (small air conditioning or space heater surcharge added). We have many rooms available for meetings, rehearsals, recreations, rituals and performances, including a gym. Room rental spaces are open for month to month leases/contracts. To set up a showing or for more information, please contact us at 612-331-1768 or property@ubcmn.org Inquiring about a funeral or memorial service? Review our FUNERAL/MEMORIAL SERVICE INSTRUCTIONS . Wedding Ceremonies University Baptist Church (UBC) is proud to perform wedding ceremonies for everyone, including the LGBTQA+ community. We are a faith community with a noble tradition of supporting full equality for LGBT people. UBC was the first Baptist Church to appoint an openly lesbian pastor, the Rev. Nadean Bishop, who served from 1992-2000. UBC belongs to the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists and American Baptists Concerned for Sexual Minorities. UBC’s pastor, the Reverend Doug Donley, has been an impassioned advocate of LGBT rights and equality. Doug has held national leadership positions with Soulforce, an organization dedicated to LGBT inclusion and the elimination of spiritual oppression through nonviolent means. Doug is also a founding member of the Coalition for A Respectful U., an inter-faith coalition whose mission is to create a safe and welcoming environment for LGBT students at the University of Minnesota. In 2005, Doug received the University’s Breaking the Silence Award in recognition of his work on behalf of LGBT people. In 2004, under Doug’s leadership, the congregation of UBC passed a statement affirming marriage rights for same-sex couples. UBC Wedding Brochure

WORSHIP AT UBC 10am Worship Service - in person and live streamed below, followed by Joys & Concerns - in person and on Zoom Links to online access for Zoom are sent out in a weekly email. Contact us at info@ubcmn.org to be added to the email list. Extra parking on Sundays can be used in the LDS & Library lots. June 14 BULLETIN JOYS AND CONCERNS Zoom info: Meeting ID 852 9718 8979 password 339013. One tap mobile: +17193594580,,85297188979#,,,,*339013# US June 21 BULLETIN JOYS AND CONCERNS Zoom info: Meeting ID 852 9718 8979 password 339013. One tap mobile: +17193594580,,85297188979#,,,,*339013# US UBC - University Baptist Church Minneapo... Play Video Play Video 01:06:40 University Baptist Church, MN - June 21, 2026 Play Video Play Video 01:04:20 University Baptist Church, MN - June 14, 2026 Play Video Play Video 02:05 Now the Green Blade Riseth (arr. Kevin McChesney) | UBC Carillon Choir w. Grove United Methodist Play Video Play Video 03:48 Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing (arr. Cynthia Dobrinski) | UBC Carillon Choir Play Video Play Video 02:20 Ev'ry Time I Feel the Spirit (arr. W. L. Dawson) | UBC Chorale Play Video Play Video 03:36 Homeland (Grace Coberly) | UBC Chorale Play Video Play Video University Baptist Church, MN - June 28, 2026 Play Video Play Video 01:18:05 University Baptist Church, MN - June 7, 2026 Worship Services Our 10 am Sunday worship services change from week to week and season to season. We are of the Free Church tradition which means that we do not follow creeds or set orders to aspects of our worship and governance. We have developed what we think works well for us. Our Sanctuary has movable pews so we might have the pews facing all one way, in a diamond or a square, depending upon the liturgical needs of the worship service. We value music that is well prepared and spirit-filled. During the academic year, we enjoy the weekly singing of the UBC Chorale and the monthly contribution of our handbell choirs. From time to time we have vocal or instrumental ensembles and soloists in our worship services. We are thrilled to have a pipe organ, two grand pianos, and a harpsichord in our sanctuary. Among our membership we have people who play cello, clarinet, French horn, guitar, hammer dulcimer, Native American flute, piano, trumpet, trombone, violin, and more.
 Child Care Our nursery is located in room 205 off the main hallway that links the sanctuary to the lounge. We have paid and trained nursery workers who are available during the worship services. Children from birth through second grade are invited! Our services usually have the following components: Prelude We like to have this part of the service serve as a transition from our outside world into the holy and intentional world of worship. Welcome Everyone is welcome to worship at UBC. No one is excluded. All people are valued and welcomed and affirmed as the children of God we are. Call to Worship There is always a worship leader in addition to the morning preacher. The Call to Worship is often a litany that the worship leader has written. This appears in the church bulletin. Hymns We use two hymnals. The UBC Inclusive Language Hymnal was originally compiled in 1983 and revised in 1986 by members of the congregation. At that time we were using the Pilgrim Hymnal and no other publishing house had published a decent inclusive language hymnal. This hymnal included familiar hymns with slight language changes, some new hymns, and even a couple of commissioned pieces. We usually refer to the UBC Inclusive Language Hymnal as the Blue Hymnal and the New Century as the Black Hymnal. There are usually three hymns each Sunday. We have a congregation that loves to sing in parts and sometimes a cappella. Sharing of the Peace We stand up and we greet our neighbors. This can take a while. We are an effusive bunch. Joys and Concerns of the Community A microphone gets passed around the Sanctuary and people share what is on their minds and hearts. We pray for each other and for our world. Scripture Reading In the pews, we have the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. Many times, we will also use Eugene Peterson’s contemporary translation known as “The Message.” It is important to us to use inclusive language when referring to God and humanity. Without changing the meaning we will at times modify the translation’s language to make it more inclusive. We will also include a contemporary text with the understanding that God continues to speak through people. Sermon By and large our pastor Doug Donley is the main preacher. But the pulpit is not his domain nor is it controlled or owned by him. We enjoy hearing from members and friends of our congregation, especially if there is a fire in their bones that is itching to get out. The sermon is an opportunity to expound upon the topic of the day and to delve deeper into a text to uncover a new meaning. Benediction This is a sending forth and a brief summary and reminder of the call to serve. As our pastor says whenever he offers the benediction, “Sisters and brothers, the service now begins. Let the people say ‘Amen’.” Postlude The musical transition back to the world. We usually remain in our seats and intentionally listen to the music.

Education Education happens at UBC in a variety of ways, including: Forums Bible Study Children's Church Forums These happen every Sunday from 11:30am-12:30pm in the Lounge. The forums are on topics of interest to the congregation but can vary from an informal getting to know you session for new people to a more formal lecture on a topic of interest. Bible Study We offer two bible studies: one that meets from 11:30am-12:30pm on Sundays in the church library, and one that meets the first and third Saturdays at 9am on Zoom. These groups usually looks at a particular book of the Bible taking several weeks or months to investigate the nuances and teachings of the book. Bible study is open to everyone! For Children Children are a central part of life at UBC. Children of all ages are encouraged to be in the service up until the "Children's Time" when the pastor spends time talking to and praying with them. After this, children up to age 10 can go to the nursery where they are cared for by two paid nursery staff. The older children have a Sunday School lesson each week, while the younger children have "circle time" in the nursery where they hear a story and sing a few songs. Below: UBC members meet with forum speaker Mikah Meyer about his Outside Safe Space program to make the great outdoors more accessible to the LGBTQ+ community.

UBC making headlines! In the news UBC making headlines! pastor donley speaks out against ice Pastor Doug Donley has been vocal about his and UBC's opposition to the ICE occupation of Minneapolis. He was interviewed by the Minnesota Daily , along with other community members, to talk about the difference between a local perspective and the federal narrative on the situation. "What we’ve shown is a city that will not back down,” Donley said. “A people who will not forsake our neighbors. That, to me, is the core of Christianity: love God and love your neighbor.” Read Article UBC 175 on KSTP KSTP joined us at our Founding Day celebration to recognize 175 years of our congregation! Watch the video to get a recap of the event and see lots of familiar faces. Read the full article here! UBC Pastor Doug Donley was the speaker and musician at the Interfaith Coalition on Immigration (ICOM) prayer vigil 9/9/25 from 7:30-8:30am at ICE Headquarters at Fort Snelling. People of any/all/no faith are invited to join in an hour of prayer and song to show solidarity with detainees and to oppose inhumane detention practices. After each vigil, attendees can choose to observe immigration court proceedings — a powerful opportunity to witness how the deportation system works. These vigils are held every second Tuesday and available on Zoom if you can’t attend in person! See More "Donley said he learned early in his pastoral career to attend to those stigmatized or on the margins. Starting in a Baptist church in Hartford, Conn., and then moving to a church in San Francisco, Donley said he witnessed many friends and classmates suffering during the AIDS and HIV crises and the stigmas that followed. “I found myself dealing with a lot of that gender dysphoria and a lot of people that were really feeling persecuted by not only their gender identity and their sexual orientation, but also by their fear and possibly diagnosis with HIV,” Donley said." Check out this great story about UBC by University of Minnesota Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication student Alexandra DeYoe! READ FULL ARTICLE " As Christians in the U.S., our role in relationship to the violence in Palestine/Israel is often obscured. For centuries, our faith has been used as a tool of empire's greed and Christian supremacy has created the conditions that have led to this present-day violence. There is much to repent for: Christians are responsible for centuries of antisemitic violence, like the Christian-perpetrated Holocaust, which has led to a systemic lack of safety for Jewish people. Christians are responsible for perpetrating centuries of Islamophobic wars and violence against Muslim and Arab countries, which have led to systemic lack of safety for Muslim and Arab peoples. We have not responded to the calls of our Palestinian Christian relatives who for too long have been pleading in vain with Christians around the world to take action in solidarity with their plight. "We have allowed Christian Zionists to be the most influential Christian voice on Palestine/Israel. Christian Zionism is an antisemitic and Islamophobic ideology; Christian Zionists believe that when Jesus returns, all non-Christian people will be destroyed, including the Jewish nationalists who helped hasten the Second Coming. We have allowed our Muslim and Jewish siblings to bear the greatest risks in the struggle for Palestinian rights and a future of safety for all people in the region, though we hold by far the greatest share of the responsibility." READ FULL ARTICLE on STAR TRIBUNE We proudly stand with all the victims of warfare and call for a ceasefire in Gaza. A Prayer for Israel & Palestine by Doug Donley God, point us toward the path of peace. The path is strewn with the shells of homes, the stench of bloodied corpses, the smoke of a thousand dreams. We pause on this path, and tend the wounds of those torn apart in body, mind and spirit. Help us to not demonize an entire race or religion because of the violent actions of the most extreme zealots. And it is our job to forge a path toward peace, while caring for those who have been hurt. READ FULL "PASSING THE PEACE" ARTICLE

Rain Garden Project March 2019 Planning Grant ($10,000) received for purposes of Existing Conditions, Concept Plan, and Technical Drawings December 2020 Received the Good Steward Hennepin County Grant, for help with conveyance near the window wells. $6900 March 15, 2021 UBC Receives Rain Garden Grant from MWMO April 2021 Adult Forum Presentation May 2021 Presentation to Creation Collaboration July 22, 2021 Planning meeting date with WMWO and Garden Team Early August 2021 Work on rooflet/awnings and downspouts by BA Roofing (preliminary to raingarden installation) August 5, 12, 15 Plant giveaways to partners and the Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood August 11-October 2021 Installation start date - installation done by Metro Blooms and planting by Helping Hand Companies Early September 2021 Garden Progress & Update September 19, 2021 Garden Dedication October 17, 2021 Garden Tour Spring 2022 Songs About Water; Garden Tour and singing with the Twin Cities Shape Note Singers Residents of the Marcy Holmes Neighborhood were invited to celebrate with Partners and members of UBC at the Garden Dedication on Sunday Sept. 19, 2021, at 11:30, as well as to participate in a Garden Tour on Sunday, October 17 at noon. Raingardens have a variety of benefits including slowing stormwater runoff and increasing infiltration, improving habitat for pollinators, and decreasing sediment and phosphorus, which are pollutants to streams, lakes, and rivers. An estimated 133,000 gallons will be filtered annually. Funded by an Action Grant from the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization and a Good Steward Grant from Hennepin County, the raingarden installation brings together six local partner organizations, which have agreed to receive stormwater education. Partners include the following: University Lutheran Church of Hope, First Congregational UCC, St. Lawrence Catholic Church and Newman Center, Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association, Twin Cities Shape Note Singers, and Gaia Democratic School. This project was designed and installed by Metro Blooms, with planting by Helping Hand Companies. Additional information and photos of the project can be found here RAIN GARDEN GRANT See the press release UBC has received a grant to improve water flow from our building, filtering it naturally into the ground instead of flowing to the storm sewers (and our basement). This grant from the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO) is the culmination of many months of hard work by Barb Patterson (a Water Steward and Sacred Harp singer), the UBC garden team, and several others. The project will install rain gardens, channel drains, and enhance native plantings on our little Dinkytown corner oasis. It will also have educational signs that can encourage people to be better environmental stewards. We are awaiting word on a companion grant from Hennepin County to help us divert water away from the window well area behind the swing. We’ll begin the physical work on this project in the coming months. This will be an educational and land stewardship partnership with UBC, the Twin Cities Sacred Harp Community, GAIA Democratic School, St. Lawrence Catholic Church, First Congregational Church, University Lutheran Church of Hope and the Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association. We look forward to taking a more active part in stormwater management and encouraging others to be better stewards of the earth we share. mwmo.org 2522 Marshall Street NE Minneapolis, Minnesota 55418-3329 contacts@mwmo.org 612-746-4970 Early September update: The Rain Garden project is well under way! The Garden Team and other volunteers dug up many beloved iris, hostas, peonies, daylilies, snake grass and spring bulbs. These plants were re-homed to members of the UBC community, First Congregational Church members, parents of Gaia Democratic School students, and other interested community members. Metro Blooms completed the excavation and construction of the four new rain gardens plus the sloped garden on Friday August 20th. Helping Hand began planting the gardens on August 25. The new design includes a seating area under the crabapple trees that will be home to two new benches donated by UBC members. A decorative channel grate is being designed and donated by the members of the Sacred Harp community. The construction of the "eyebrows" over the window wells below the sanctuary is nearly complete, and downspouts have been rerouted. Take a look at the tiles--they match the roof perfectly! The project is expected to be completed well before the dedication ceremony scheduled for after the church service on Sunday September 19th.

OUR PASTOR I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It’s easy. Just click “Edit Text” or double click me and you can start adding your own content and make changes to the font. Feel free to drag and drop me anywhere you like on your page. I’m a great place for you to tell a story and let your users know a little more about you. This is a great space to write long text about your company and your services. You can use this space to go into a little more detail about your company. Talk about your team and what services you provide. Tell your visitors the story of how you came up with the idea for your business and what makes you different from your competitors. Make your company stand out and show your visitors who you are. At Wix we’re passionate about making templates that allow you to build fabulous websites and it’s all thanks to the support and feedback from users like you! Keep up to date with New Releases and what’s Coming Soon in Wixellaneous in Support. Feel free to tell us what you think and give us feedback in the Wix Forum. OUR CHURCH I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It’s easy. Just click “Edit Text” or double click me and you can start adding your own content and make changes to the font. Feel free to drag and drop me anywhere you like on your page. I’m a great place for you to tell a story and let your users know a little more about you. This is a great space to write long text about your company and your services. You can use this space to go into a little more detail about your company. Talk about your team and what services you provide. Tell your visitors the story of how you came up with the idea for your business and what makes you different from your competitors. Make your company stand out and show your visitors who you are. At Wix we’re passionate about making templates that allow you to build fabulous websites and it’s all thanks to the support and feedback from users like you! Keep up to date with New Releases and what’s Coming Soon in Wixellaneous in Support. Feel free to tell us what you think and give us feedback in the Wix Forum. JOIN US Upcoming Worship learn more ONLINE GIVING learn more

Music at UBC University Baptist Church has a vibrant music program. Music groups at UBC are open to new members at any time. We welcome you to join the fun! The program year begins in early September and runs through mid-May. The handbell season may be longer depending on projects. programs chorale Directed by David Lesniaski The UBC Chorale is an ensemble of about 20 voices that rehearses on Wednesdays from 6:00-7:15 p.m. The Chorale sings a variety of music ranging from classics like the Paulus Pilgrims' Hymn and movements by Haydn or Bach to Spanish-English bilingual variations of Handel's Messiah and compositions by our own choir members. Augmented by several professional section leaders/soloists, the Chorale is the primary musical leadership of our worship. Beyond Sunday worship the Chorale occasionally sings at the homes of homebound congregation members and in special-event partnerships with neighboring churches. Carillon and majors handbell choirs Directed by Jean Lubke Directed by Jean Lubke, the Carillon and Majors Handbell Choirs rehearse on Wednesday nights from 7:30-9:00 p.m. and perform several pieces one Sunday per month for our worship service. This ensemble rings five octaves of Malmark bells and four octaves of chimes performing sacred music, hymn arrangements, and bell arrangements of classical music. The Carillon Choir and Majors Ensemble gave a concert tour in England and Scotland in 2004 and in the Eastern U.S. (Indiana, Ohio, and New York) in 2007, California in 2010, Nicaragua in 2013, and France/Germany in 2017, and Scandinavia in 2022. They are planning their next trip to Finland, Estonia, and Latvia for 2027. sacred harp singing Sacred Harp Singing is hosted by UBC each Tuesday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. and the second and fourth Sundays of every month from 4-6 p.m. in Room 303. No musical training or special ability are required to join in this early American Shape-Note style music. Contact fasolamatt@yahoo.com . For more information on singing in the Twin Cities, visit mnfasola.org This congregation proudly counts among its instrumentalists people who play hammer dulcimer, violin, cello, flute, clarinet, ukelele, banjo, fiddle, crumhorn, djembe, acoustic bass, and a number each of guitarists, keyboardists, and recorder players. We love to borrow University of Minnesota music students. Anyone who would like to contribute music to a worship service is heartily encouraged to call the church office or email music@ubcmn.org . Instruments Organ UBC's primary instrument during most services is the pipe organ, having acquired in its earliest days a cabinet organ in the 1870's about twenty years after the congregation was founded. The instrument in our building today, built freestanding in the rear balcony in 1981, is Dobson's Opus 15 (II/30) and replaced Reuter's Opus 237 (III/18) built originally in 1927 in front chambers (with 1969 Moller console). The service of dedication was played by music director Martha Pittenger on October 11, 1981, with a recital the same evening. A booklet published for the organ's inauguration can be seen here . It was the feature instrument of The American Organist journal in October 1982. The project was facilitated by pastor Lee Freeman, organist and choir director Martha Pittenger, consultant Keith Linney, James Moeser of the University of Kansas, and a task force consisting of (at various stages) Jim Ross, Tony Garmers, Siri Kommedahl, Chuck Campbell, Janet Otis, Craig Edwall, Andy Collins, Jim Campbell, Bill Schafer, and Bob Wallace. Harpsichord By 1980 the rear Sanctuary balcony was also home to a one-manual two-rank (8' and 4') 52-note Zuckermann kit harpsichord dating from the late 1960s or early 1970's. Church archives indicate it was probably built by William Gudim of Watertown, Minnesota, and was acquired by UBC between 1976 and 1980. It is used frequently during services as a solo instrument and for accompanying strings or voices on Baroque repertoire. Pianos On the main floor of the Sanctuary lives a Petrof grand piano that was manufactured around the year 2000 in the Bohemian town of Hradec Kralove, about 70 miles east of Prague. Purchased from local resident Linda Hanson in 2008 (who, in addition to not seeing it played as much as she wanted, found its sound too big for her residence), the Petrof replaced the regular use of a Bush & Lane baby grand manufactured in the early decades of the 20th century that had developed a cracked pin block. In the church Lounge resides a 1982 Everett Studio upright piano given by Nancy Myers in 2016. This is the main instrument for leading smaller services in this space and supplies a keyboard for use of the Lounge as a teaching space.

Members Everyone is welcome at UBC! There are membership classes for those interested in formalizing their presence within the congregation. They happen a few times a year depending on people's schedules. We have a special category of membership for people who expect to be here for a short period of time and want to maintain their membership in their home church. We call this a community/university member. Since we're a Baptist church, we believe that baptism decisions ought to be made by people who are old enough decide for themselves. We call this Believer's Baptism. We practice baptism by immersion. It's a beautiful thing to behold, especially with all of the water sloshing around afterwards. We recognize and accept previous baptisms and confirmations and we don't require you to be re-baptized, unless you want to. Want to learn more about becoming a member? Contact Paula Moyer, who coordinates our new member orientations! paulamoyer52@gmail.com

NEWSLETTER View + Download The latest June UBC Newsletter includes: A warm welcome to interim pastor Rev. Cody Sanders Photos from farewell events for Pastor Doug and his family, new member Karen Thomas, and Border CrosSing concert Annual meeting and potluck (June 7 after worship) Financial report UBC in the news and media Volunteer opportunities including Meals on Wheels (June 2–5), garden team (now on Thursdays at 9–12), UBC Pride booth (June 27–28), and more Summer schedule and breaks for groups and activities Stories from our history: "UBC News" by Don Follett Mark your calendar: work day at UBC (rescheduled to July 11), joint worship with First Congregational Church (July 5 and 12 at FCC, July 19 and 26 at UBC) And more! If a newsletter is not linked, you must request it to be emailed to you. Thank you! Newsletter Archive 2026: JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY Newsletter Archive 2025: JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER Newsletter Archive 2024: JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER Newsletter Archive 2023: JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER Newsletter Archive 2022: JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER

Rev. Doug Donley Announces retirement JANUARY 11, 2026 After 25 years of ministry at UBC, Doug Donley has announced his retirement. interim pastor reverend dr. cody j. sanders On behalf of the Search Committee, we are very pleased to announce that our Interim Pastor will be the Reverend Dr. Cody J. Sanders. As Rev. Sanders has a full-time position as the associate professor of congregational and community care and leadership at Luther Seminary, he will be working at UBC on a part-time basis, beginning June 1st. We will also be hiring a Student Pastoral Associate, who will work 12 hours per week. Rev. Sanders comes with many strong skills and talents to help us move forward and prepare for our next settled pastor. Prior to Luther, he served as pastor to UBC's sibling American Baptist congregation, Old Cambridge Baptist Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he was also American Baptist Chaplain to Harvard University and Advisor for LGBTQ+ Affairs in the Office of Religious, Spiritual, and Ethical Life at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2024/2025, he served as interim pastor of The Table in Minneapolis during a pastoral transition. Cody has previously served on the board of UBC's partner organizations, the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists and the BPFNA ~ Bautistas por la Paz, and was the founding co-convener of the Racial Justice & Multiculturalism Community in the Alliance of Baptists. He has published a number of books on congregational ministry, LGBTQ+ concerns, and spiritual care. Cody is originally from South Carolina and now lives in the Hamline-Midway neighborhood of Saint Paul with his partner, also named Cody, and their very old dog, Suzie. lavender mazazine "the bones of university baptist" Rev. Doug Donley talked to journalist Noah Mitchell about his 30+ years at the pulpit, including 25 at UBC, in advance of his retirement. “In these past several months, we’ve really seen, the Twin Cities step up and model what I think the best of what Christianity can be, whether they’re Christian or not, in terms of loving neighbor, being a moral center, and being brave and connected with folks,” he says. Read the Article dear members and friends of university baptist church: This past weekend, we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the date of your selection of me as your pastor. After much prayerful discernment, I’m writing to let you know of my intention to retire from active ministry, effective May 31, 2026. As most of you know, my wife Kim retired four years ago. Since that time, I have had a major medical scare that you lovingly saw me through. While I feel relatively fine, it reinforced my belief that my time is precious. I want to travel and have adventures while my energy and health are intact. Deciding when to leave has been very hard. I love the people of UBC and the ministry that we have shared. There are initiatives that we’ve completed and some that are just getting underway. I have every confidence that UBC is and will continue to be a creative and courageous community rooted in justice and working for peace, as you have been for over 175 years. I’ve been honored and humbled to have played a small part in our ongoing story. I expect the coming months to be a time when we continue to celebrate this wonderful community. The council is working with our denominational leaders to secure interim leadership. As part of my covenant with you, I will abide by the American Baptist Minister’s Council Code of Ethics which states in part: “upon my resignation or retirement, I will discontinue my ministerial leadership roles with my former constituents and will not make ministerial contacts in the field of another ministerial leader without request and/or consent.” In practical matters, this means that I will cease to contact people that I know from UBC for up to two years, including social media. I won’t be available for weddings, funerals, dedications or baptisms. This is not intended to diminish the deep friendships that we have, but to enable the congregation to fully embrace new leadership. I’ll be your biggest cheerleader from afar. Again, I want to thank you for nurturing me and my family over these 25 years. I am immensely proud of the ministry we have shared. I look forward to continuing to connect with each of you in the coming months. Blessings and Peace, Doug Donley the calling of pastor douglas mcleish donley reflections from the search committee chair by paula moyer PART I: Never Say “Maybe” to a Nominating Committee September, 2000 “I don’t feel that I can make a move until we hear from Doug Donley.” These words, spoken by a member of our pastoral search committee, ended up changing the whole course of our quest. We were more than a year into the venture. But before we get to that point, some background is needed. April, 1999 All of us started off a bit reluctantly: some taking on yet another big deal in an already busy schedule, some (like me) wondering why anyone would think we were qualified for such a pursuit. One night in the early spring, I got a phone call from a member of the nominating committee (the name at the time for what we now call the Time and Talent Team). “Would you consider being on the pastoral search committee?” I put the phone to my ear while I propped myself up in bed. Pastor Nadean Bishop had just announced her retirement. Truth be told, I was thinking about my toothache. No, I mused to myself while trying to listen to the nominating committee member. I should definitely not be able to count my pulse from my tooth . “I’m sorry. I can’t make a decision tonight,” I begged off. “I’m getting a root canal in the morning.” She would not be deterred. “Well, how about I call you tomorrow night?” I had been on this same committee some years before. We, too, had to put together a pastoral search team when Lee Freeman announced his retirement. I knew the pressure. “Okay.” I knew it as soon as I said it. To a nominating committee member, anything other than a flat-out “no” comes down to “yes.” She had checked off a box, and now my fate was sealed. Soon our committee convened: Don Dresser, congregation president, was on there as “ex officio” – by the nature of his title. Others were Harriet Johnson, Howard Johnson, John Medeiros, Nancy Myers, and Denise Roy. We pondered the onerous task ahead of us: Hire an interim pastor, ponder pastoral candidates, and call someone. All in the midst of preparing for the church’s sesquicentennial (150th) celebration. Some members were even clamoring for a fast process, so that we could have a new pastor called and installed as part of these festivities. Some were wondering if we could afford a fulltime pastor. Others, speaking for the “Burnout Committee,” wanted a strong leader to take the helm. It seemed that we couldn’t make a move without disappointing someone. As if all that weren’t enough, we got word that serving on a pastoral search committee was itself a burnout experience. Five years from now, we were cautioned, half of us would no longer be members of UBC. We pondered that warning as if it were the Gospel. Our committee had an initial meeting with our denominational support: Diane Ehr, our area minister representing churches in the Twin Cities, and Gary Grogan, our regional minister (our region consisted of Iowa and Minnesota at the time). Diane lived in town, and Gary drove up from the headquarters in Des Moines. He was on the verge of retirement, but wanted to protect “welcoming and affirming” congregations like ours from those who thought we were the anti-Christ. Diane and Gary presented us with the materials we needed from Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, which is kind of like Vatican City to American Baptists. It was like personal ads, except no one was expressing any interest in walks on the beach and wine before a fire. These were the files of ordained ABC ministers who had indicated that they were in the job market – what their strengths were, and what they were looking for. Our denominational support ministers helped us to understand that congregational survey findings were only one way to understand the needs of our people. We needed to consider the survey results in the context of what we knew. For example, responses may indicate a desire for a pastor who delegates, but those responses are coming from a church with a “burnout committee.” We were also cautioned against the pressure to find and install a new pastor quickly. We needed to decide whether we should do our search process quickly or do it right, and that we may not be able to do both. A particular concern was the idea of calling the new pastor right in time for the sesquicentennial. This may be difficult for the new pastor, who would be just getting to know the congregation, and have to listen to everyone talking about how great all the pastors were in the past. Truth be told, that guidance was a relief. We could take our collective feet off the accelerator. All we had to do was sift through the files, let Diane know if we needed more prospects, rank them, interview them, and present a candidate. All… Once we got to the point of presenting a candidate, we were advised to only offer one. Proposing more than one in the spirit of democracy would confuse and divide the congregation. Some of our members, like Howard, had extensive human resources experience. We were quickly seeing, though, that calling a pastor was not a hiring task. We were looking for the person who would be present with us in our collective and individual celebrations and griefs: someone who would dedicate our infants, marry us and our grown children, and walk in the dark with us when we said goodbye to loved ones, either by death or by divorce. “We need to be working hand in hand with the Holy Spirit,” someone said. Howard commented that we needed to pray every time we met, and to ask the congregation to pray for us, too. He may have had the secular experience, but he quickly discerned the difference. Nancy and Harriet had the history of being “PK’s” or “preacher’s kids.” They knew better than any among us the pressures that a pastor’s family faces and the support we would need to provide. At the time, I was working as a freelance journalist. I was remarkably unqualified to serve on any committee that had something to do with interviewing and hiring. Yet when no one stepped up to be chair, I said, “I will do it if you understand that I’ve never done this before and that I will do it imperfectly.” That was good enough for my committee members. Now there was no going back. I vowed to do everything to avoid burning ourselves out. Soon after this meeting, Denise announced that during her sabbatical, which started in the fall, she would be spending the first semester in Indonesia, primarily in Java, with frequent jaunts to Bali. We needed to figure out how to keep in touch. Fortunately, our “new” technology – email! – would both keep us from burning out from excessive meetings and keep Denise current. PART II: The Candidate and “Heather” September, 2000 FAST FORWARD to that moment of truth I mentioned earlier. There we sat in Harriet’s living room, feeling that we were at a standstill. We had sifted through each prospect’s résumé. We had poured over the materials sent by those on the short list. We felt stalled out. We had heard back from all of the prospects we had contacted. Except one. Where was that preacher from San Francisco in all this? “I don’t feel that I can make a move until we hear from Doug Donley.” Those were Harriet’s game-changing words. “Neither can I,” said Nancy. This pastor of a small rebel church in San Francisco sounded interesting but had fallen off the grid. Maybe the prospect of a Minnesota winter was scaring him off? We had to find out for sure, so the committee asked me to call him. I figured the best time to do this was on a Sunday afternoon. And he was home! “Oh, I’m so glad you called.” This would be my first conversation with Doug, and he sounded a little sheepish. “My computer was infected by the Melissa Virus [the computer virus making its rounds back then].” Next he asked me to disregard the background noise of what sounded like a crime in progress. “My wife is out of town and I’m home with our daughters.” The sounds were refreshing. We had had two pastors in a row retire from the pulpit and one retiree filling in as interim. A young pastor with little kids? The idea was appealing. Doug then committed to sending the materials we were asking for. I don’t remember what they were, but we liked them enough to invite him up for a next step: an interview and preaching at a “neutral pulpit.” We also arranged for Denise, our Indonesia correspondent, to have phone time with Doug. John Medeiros navigated the logistics of a conference call across hemispheres during a trip to Washington, DC. The trick was to find a time when all three parties were awake. (I mean physically “awake.” The term “woke” for “progressive” was not yet in use.) Denise was many hours ahead and across the International Dateline, while Doug was two hours behind us in San Francisco. John was on Eastern time in DC. The call went well – it lasted over two hours. Denise supported our “next step.” Diane Ehr would arrange for another church to allow our prospect to serve as a guest preacher, and we would come to that church to hear him preach and to visit more afterward. November, 2000 ON THE SATURDAY MORNING of our interview weekend, I picked up Doug and his wife Kim at a house in Vadnais Heights. It turned out that Doug’s brother lived in town, so a calling to the Twin Cities was seen as a plus to this pastor from California. We met at Nancy Myers’s home for bagels, coffee, and a time for us all to get to know each other. All was laughter and smiles. In a secular hiring process, the spouse would not be part of the interview. And we were quite clear that “pastor’s wife” was not a job at our church. But there were good reasons to have the spouse along. This was a 24/7 job. Did this prospect’s family life have sufficient “shock absorbers” to deal with weekend/dead-of-night pastoral care? They would both have to love us to put up with that. There was another reason. “Watch how this preacher treats his wife.” This sage advice came from Phyllis, the wife of the pastor I had had in high school. She spoke plain Oklahoma sense. “Is he ugly to his wife? That’s a problem, because that’s the person he should be the nicest to of all.” I didn’t know what I expected to see in this short weekend, but I saw no “ugliness.” We learned that they met because Kim, five years older, had been the babysitter for Doug and his three siblings after her older sister quit. Of course, they reconnected again years later as adults, but the origin story was priceless. After lunch, Kim left with her in-laws. The afternoon was time to drill down. Would Doug be able to stand us? Compatibility with our music program was an easy yes. Doug had minored in music in college and continued his interests; Kim was a music therapist and a classical composer. They would anticipate joining the choir, and maybe the handbell choir, too. Our congregation’s “welcoming and affirming” stance was Doug’s own. We found out that he had had to go through three ordination councils before getting approval. The first two refused him because he was asked if he considered homosexuality a sin, and each time he said no. And then we drilled even farther down. “How are you at conflict, Doug?” I was thinking of a few cantankerous souls among our congregation that had given Pastor Nadean no small amount of grief. The poor guy’s eyes bugged out, as if I had invited him to walk on live coals. “That’s not a thing I enjoy.” He said something like that. I remember the look more than the actual words. Then he discussed general Biblical principles: discourage gossip and “tattling” to the pastor, encourage direct resolution of the parties. There was nothing canned in that awkward but sincere response. We gave him a pass. I think someone said what I was thinking. “We wouldn’t want a pastor that likes conflict.” And then a laugh of relief. I found myself thinking that, in general, most people who felt called to parish ministry didn’t seek discord. We would meet again the next morning at the church donating the “neutral pulpit.” THE “NEUTRAL PULPIT,” we learned from Diane, had replaced the dreaded sight of a “pulpit committee” barging into a sanctuary in the middle of services. Total strangers, entering together but sitting separately, told a congregation that their pastor was looking for another job. Even so, she warned, the cat might start slipping out of the bag. The next morning, when we all drove up to the Church of the Neutral Pulpit, we were first struck by how much we coveted its parking lot. With Dinkytown parking at a premium, we were used to a vigorous quest for parking spots, but here we just drove up. Doug and Kim were there, along with Harriet Johnson. When the service started, I was seated by Doug and Kim. I remember that I sang alto and he sang tenor. And then came the opening prayer. “Dear Lord,” the pastor intoned, “Please be with Reverend Donley and University Baptist Church as they consider calling him to be their minster.” Well, so much for confidentiality, I thought. “And bless him and his wife Heather and give them travel mercies for their trip back to San Francisco.” Heather? I put a knuckle in my mouth to keep from giggling. The sermon came and went, and it was fine. That part is a bit of a blur. We were all aware that the host congregation had posters on its bulletin board that reflected a more conservative outlook, and Doug’s sermon was anything but that. Yet the congregants came up and shook his hand and wished him well. Our time with Doug and Kim ended with lunch at a nearby restaurant. The details of that meal escape me as well. I don’t know if it was pizza or sandwiches, or a regular restaurant with choices. And I don’t remember our goodbye. I do remember this: I was certain that I had found my pastor: not just someone who would deliver engaging sermons and be a good team player amongst all the players of our strong-willed congregants. I was also looking for that person I could trust to walk with me in the dark. When our committee reconvened, we who had been present were of one mind. We had found our pastoral candidate. Now there was another “next step”: find out what Denise was thinking. PART III: From Candidate to Pastor November, 2000 WE EMAILED DENISE and set up a time that we could talk to her, which was the following Saturday night. In this pre-Zoom world, it had not been possible to include her in the interview weekend. We needed to know what she was thinking. In between the two meetings, I squeezed in my first cataract surgery and a phone call to Doug the night before to let him know our plans. When I mentioned my upcoming surgery, he immediately asked the right question: “Do you want me to pray for you?” I said yes, and he did so right there over the phone. A few days later, our committee met at Howard Johnson’s house. In this time before cell phones had become the norm, Howard’s house was the one place with enough jacks and phones for us all to gather around. We arranged ourselves throughout the rooms in his house and called Denise. After we convened with a prayer, we talked about where we were at. When we were ready, I asked for a motion to present Doug as our pastoral candidate. Denise sent her “I move” statement across the Pacific Ocean and Great Plains to us in the Twin Cities. Someone seconded, and the vote was unanimous. Now we had a new next step: to invite Doug and Kim back to the Twin Cities, along with their girls, for a “candidate weekend.” After I called him later that night, we set the date for January 6, Epiphany Sunday. I announced our decision in “Joys and Concerns” at church the next day. Because no decision had been made and because Doug was still a pastor at another church, we asked the congregation to keep the information confidential – a big ask for a whole church, I know. The weekend would start with a dinner and huddle with the search committee. Over the next few days, Doug would meet as many of the other church committees and groups as possible. The weekend would culminate with his preaching and a business meeting held during forum after services. After the forum, the congregation would vote on the call. January, 2001 December flew by, and soon my husband and I were at the airport on the Thursday night before Candidate Weekend. In those days before 9/11 (actually just months before), we stood at the gate looking for this young family of four. The girls practically bounced out of the airplane. Two-year-old Becca insisted on pushing her own stroller through the concourse. We brought the family first to their hotel. Amanda ran immediately toward the nightstand and pulled out the Gideon Bible. “This is a great story!” she announced to Dan and me. Score one for teaching their children Biblical literacy! We then proceeded to dinner at John’s house. Dan watched the girls while our committee huddled with Doug and Kim. At dinner we learned that they were coping with a cosmetic drama concerning their four-year-old, Amanda. For complicated reasons, she had been in the middle of a do-it-herself haircut before she was caught. She had whacked off a hunk of hair center-front. Try as she might, Kim had not found a solution, nor had her hairdresser. We on the committee sympathized. The haircut was a glimpse into their lives, a family with boisterous young children. For the following two days, Doug’s schedule was packed pretty tightly, from earnest committees to the homes of elderly ladies serving tea. I was his ride for part of Saturday. I noticed that he had quickly adopted the Minnesota custom of taking his shoes off at the door. I SERVED AS THE WORSHIP LEADER the next day. As Doug and I perched ourselves up front for the prelude, our attention was drawn to the balcony, where the choir sat at that time in our church life. Just over the railing, a little blond head with a spiked hairdo peered down at the sanctuary. Amanda had found the “catbird seat,” and was taking it all in. Close at hand was Megan Dahlberg. (Megan is a renowned professor of early child development at the University of Minnesota, and also has a magic touch with young children.) She had volunteered to help with the Donley kids during the service. There are few things I remember about Doug’s sermon that day, except for this one thing. He talked about visiting his family home in Cleveland Heights, years after his parents’ divorce. As if he had shown us a photo, I can still see that backyard. It was a fragile picture, one with cracks. A broken swing set comes to mind, but I could be mistaken. With that picture, Doug showed us that he was fragile, too. When communion time came, there was some hesitation, some unattended logistics. Jan Curtis appeared, quietly and unobtrusively, and set things right. Next came forum, with questions upon questions. Although the focus was on Doug, the congregation also wanted to know something about Kim. They learned about her professional background, and Doug talked about her being his best friend, the first person he went to for advice. And now it was time for the business meeting, a discussion, and the time to vote on the call. Doug and Kim gathered up the girls. This California family went out into the cold and headed for the Pizza Hut across the street. Diane Ehr and her husband Alan joined them. Our church members peppered our committee with still more questions. Did he have enough experience? Could his family withstand the 24/7 life? Would he work well with our committees? “Look, he will be new to us, and we will be new to him,” Bill Allen said. “He will make mistakes, and so will we. At some point, we will have to trust a new pastor, whether it’s Doug or someone else.” Once all the questions on the table were answered, Don as president asked for a motion, which I had prepared. “I move that University Baptist Church call Reverend Doug Donley to be our pastor.” Someone quickly seconded the motion. Then there was a kerfuffle about how the vote should ensue. To make sure that no one felt pressured, we decided on a secret ballot. People were to vote the motion up with a “yes,” down with a “no,” or “abstain.” Two volunteers then collected and counted the ballots. The result was unanimous: 97 voted “yes.” No one voted “no,” and there were no abstentions. Without even putting on a coat on this January day in Minnesota, I trotted across the street to Pizza Hut, as fast as my high heels would allow. The Donleys were in the back with the Ehrs. “Doug, University Baptist Church, in a secret ballot, has unanimously called you to be our pastor,” I announced to him in as official a tone as I could. “Do you accept our call?” Without hesitation, Doug said, “Yes, I do.” We all then rushed back to the fellowship hall, where the voters were waiting. “Doug has accepted our call,” I announced. “This is our new pastor.” Everyone clapped, and he stepped into that role immediately. At Doug’s suggestion, we joined hands and sang the first verse of “Blessed Be the Tie.” Epilogue March, 2026 AND SO BEGAN OUR 25-year walk with Reverend Douglas McLeish Donley. Speaking for myself, he has married both of my sons and supported me after the deaths of my parents and during a divorce. He has prayed for me at every surgery I have had. I know he has seen many of us through these milestones and more: baby dedications, baptisms, and funerals. He has been with our church for events involving our congregation, our metropolitan area, our nation, and our world, most recently during the ICE Out protests. He has shepherded UBC while living his own life, too. The rambunctious preschoolers have grown into poised women with advanced degrees. The choir has sung several of Kim’s compositions, and she is often at the keyboards or other instruments. They both sing in the choir, and Doug is also in the handbell choir. He frequently bursts into song in the middle or at the end of a sermon, or both. The whole Donley family, in various roles, saw us through the early days of COVID with online services. Throughout it all, Pastor Doug has been steady at the helm – as the old hymn says, “in our joys and in our sorrows, days of toil and hours of ease.” We started out separately, as a congregation and a candidate presented by a committee. The transformation started quickly, as soon as Doug accepted our call. It continued through the years that followed. Using “the ties that bind,” God stitched us into a family. The Calling

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CONTACT US University Baptist Church 1219 University Avenue SE, Minneapolis MN 55414 612-331-1768 info@ubcmn.org Submit Thank you! Transit & Location University Baptist Church is located at 1219 University Ave. SE, Minneapolis MN, 55414. We are on the corner of University Ave. and 13th Ave. SE. The best way to get to UBC is to walk, bike or take public transit. The 2, 3, and 6 buses stop within a block of the church. The Green Line and Campus Connector stop a few blocks away, too. Parking meters in Dinkytown are enforced from 8 am-10 pm seven days a week. The good news is that there is free street parking within a few blocks of UBC. Give yourself a few extra minutes to find it. We have a small parking lot for a dozen cars (more if we block each other in). These spaces are first-come first-served. UBC guests can park in the Arvonne Fraser Library lot when the library is closed. (1222 4th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414) The library is open 9-5 M, W, F, S and 12:30-8 T and TH. On Sundays, you can park for free on the south side of 4th street until 2 pm and on University Avenue until 5 pm. There are pay lots at: The Venue: 428 13th Ave. SE. (5th St. SE between 13th and 14th Aves.) It is located on the east side of 13th Ave. SE between 4th St. and 5th St. SE. The entrance is at the south end of the Venue at Dinkytown on 13th Ave. SE, next to Burrito Loco) 4th Street Ramp: 4th St. SE at 17th Ave. Other Info: ABOUT UBC OUR STAFF & VOLUNTEERS NEW MEMBERS HISTORY & BUILDING DONATE