Morningside U is a program of one-time classes taught by Edina Morningside Community Church members. All classes are free or nominally priced to offset the cost of supplies. Classes are held at the church. Please register – we have limited space!
Upcoming Classes:
Past Classes:
December 8, 2019, 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Advent Workshop
Come to Fellowship Hall for an afternoon of holiday crafting from the simple to the modestly taxing. Children and adults are invited to try their hand at crafts costing $0.50-2.00 each to cover the expense of materials. Dreaming of snow globes and luminaries? Reindeer and elves? Houses made of sugar? Celebrate this season of togetherness with conversation, smiles, and lots and lots of glue.
Registration opens 30 days before each event.
December 2, 2018, 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Community Open House and Advent Workshop
Edina Morningside welcomes the neighborhood to our newly remodeled gathering space. Come see our completed project upstairs and then head down to Fellowship Hall for an afternoon of holiday crafting from the simple to the modestly taxing. Children and adults are invited to try their hand at crafts costing $0.50-2.00 each to cover the expense of materials. Dreaming of snow globes and luminaries? Reindeer and elves? Houses made of sugar? Celebrate this season of togetherness with conversation, smiles, and lots and lots of glue.
Instructors: Jane Williams is an EMC member and director at Morningside Theatre Company. She is a craft connoisseur and the recruiter of EMC volunteer helpers.
Cathy Baldwin brings her talent for creating one of kind centerpieces from fresh greens and trimming.
Attendee notes: Kids and adults welcome!
Capacity: No registration required
Registration opens 30 days before each event.
March 17, 2018, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Morningside U: Genealogy and Archiving 101
Services like ancestry.com and 23andme.com plus the “Finding Our Roots” TV series are just a few of the signs that family genealogy is a nationally growing pursuit. In addition, many adults these days are faced with the arduous task of sorting through family papers and photos, and choosing what to save and what to toss.
That’s why Morningside U is offering a new class, Family Genealogy & Archiving 101 — open to the public — on Saturday, March 17, 10 a.m. to noon.
Certified genealogist Tom Rice will share information about getting started with your family genealogy, plus best research practices, note taking, organization, where to look for answers and next steps.
Additionally, church historian and archivist Doug Fuerst will offer his best advice about sifting through family artifacts, documents, photos, receipts and more, and then deciding what to save plus how to organize, store and/or display it.
This free two-hour class is another offering by Morningside U, a program of one-time classes taught by Edina Morningside Community Church members and staff.
To register, please email your interest with the class title in the subject line to emcucc@emcucc.org. Each class has a limit on registrations, so sign up soon. All classes are held at Edina Morningside Community Church, 4201 Morningside Road, Edina.
Instructor: Tom Rice and EMC Historian Doug Fuerst
Attendee notes: Teens and adults welcome!
Registration opens 30 days before each event.
December 3, 2017, 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Morningside U: Advent Workshop
Popular Annual Event!
Edina Morningside welcomes the neighborhood for an afternoon of holiday crafting for children and adults. Join us in Fellowship Hall, where tables will be staffed and arrayed with crafts from the simple to the modestly taxing. This is a ticketed open house with crafts costing $0.50-2.00 each to cover the expense of materials. Dreaming of snow globes and luminaries? Reindeer and elves? Houses made of sugar? Celebrate this season of togetherness with conversation, smiles, and lots and lots of glue.
Instructor: Jane Williams is an EMC member and director at Morningside Theatre Company. She is a craft connoisseur and the recruiter of EMC volunteer helpers.
Attendee notes: Kids and adults welcome!
Capacity: No registration required
Please email emcucc@emcucc.org to indicate you will be attending.
Registration opens 30 days before each event.
April 22, 2017, 8:30 am - 11:00 am
Third Annual Earthwork Breakfast
On Saturday, April 22nd, Edina Morningside Community Church will host its Third Annual Earthwork Breakfast! Food service begins at 8:30 a.m., with a presentation on bee farming at 9:00 by our own Robert Schumacher. (He’s bringing his bee suit!) At 9:45, we’ll offer our last Morningside U class of the season as Laurie Chidester hosts a bicycle safety and maintenance clinic. Bring your bike, helmet, and tools, or let Laurie show you how to change a tire on a model. With honey-tasting, crafts for kids, and videos, maps and tips to get you out bicycling, we hope you’ll join us in thinking about ways to be better stewards of the earth. Free event. RSVP for breakfast at emcucc@emcucc.org.
Registration opens 30 days before each event.
April 8, 2017, 9:30 am - 2:30 pm
Healthy Teens Conference with Peggy Orenstein
Come hear New York Times bestselling author and Minnesota native Peggy Orenstein discuss her latest book, Girls and Sex: Navigating the Complicated New Landscape.
Breakout sessions—led by local experts—will address saying no to academic stress, creating healthy relationships, coping with depression, managing your parents, and more.
Boxed lunches will be provided.
Important registration information
When you register, please indicate if you have any special needs you would like accommodated.
After registering, please send a check made out to “Edina Morningside Church” to:
Healthy Teens Conference
Edina Morningside Church
4201 Morningside Road
Edina, MN 55416
Once we receive your check, we will send you an email confirming your registration.
Registration opens 30 days before each event.
January 14, 2017, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Morningside U: Basic Science of Spinning Things
A spinning top is not just a child’s toy. It is also an adult toy, in the sense that it helps to have a Ph.D. in physics to figure out how it works. But you will find that you, too, can figure out how things spin just by doing a few experiments. A spinning top is remarkable because it tends to defy gravity while it is spinning: if spun fast enough, it will rise to a vertical position and happily stay there, despite the fact that it will fall over if it stops spinning. Students will have an opportunity to explore tippe tops and rattlebacks—which reverse direction—and human tops, as well as make tops to take home.
Instructors: Kathleen Lundgren is a member of the board of Edina Morningside Preschool. She has been a naturalist at the MN Zoo, and a Science Specialist for the MN Department of Education. Marcia Houtz is a student teacher advisor at Hamline University who has worked as a curriculum specialist at the Science Museum of Minnesota.
Registration opens 30 days before each event.
December 4, 2016, 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Morningside U: Advent Workshop
Annual Advent Workshop!
Edina Morningside welcomes the neighborhood for an afternoon of holiday crafting for children and adults. Join us in Fellowship Hall, where tables will be staffed and arrayed with crafts from the simple to the modestly taxing. This is a ticketed open house with crafts costing $0.50-2.00 each to cover the expense of materials. Dreaming of snow globes and luminaries? Reindeer and elves? Houses made of sugar? Celebrate this season of togetherness with conversation, smiles, and lots and lots of glue.
Instructor: Cathy Baldwin is an EMC member and long-time teacher at Park Spanish Immersion School. She is a craft connoisseur and the recruiter of EMC volunteer helpers.
Registration opens 30 days before each event.
November 5, 2016, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Morningside U: Chocolate Indulgence
Tips and techniques for working with chocolate will provide you the skills you need to make dipped chocolates for your friends and family. Truffles (with multiple flavor options), genuine Kentucky bourbon balls, and bourbon-flavored cherry creams will be demonstrated—and sampled! We’ll talk about ingredients needed and where to source the best quality at the best price. You will be able to try your hand at dipping several chocolates to take with you, and you’ll have tried and true recipes that you can use. As a bonus, you’ll be provided a list of Laurie’s favorite kitchen tools and gadgets—you can get a head start on your Christmas wish list.
Instructor: Laurie Cory is a long-time member of Edina Morningside Church and has been making dipped chocolates for over 20 years.
Attendee notes: Children over 10 are welcome but must be with an adult helper.
Registration opens 30 days before each event.
October 15, 2016, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Morningside U: Teens Teach: Social Media 101 for Grown-Ups
Don’t know Instagram from Pinterest? Snapchat from Whatsapp? Even Facebook from Twitter? Then this basic social-media class is for you. EMC’s tech-savvy teens will introduce you to various social media, explaining what they’re all about, how they work and why you should understand them — even if you don’t use them. Bring your phone and our youth will even offer tips for getting started and answer your concerns about kids and social media. Isn’t it time to understand all this online stuff? Sign up today!
Instructors: The Youth of Edina Morningside Community Church
Registration opens 30 days before each event.
September 24, 2016, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Morningside U: Building A Little Free Library
Little Free Libraries have been a phenomenal social movement since their inception. There are now over 40,000 Little Free Libraries around the world, encouraging literacy and building community across generations. We all see Libraries popping up in our own neighborhoods, but have you ever wanted to build your own? It’s easier than you think! We’ll build a Little Free Library right in front of you, and hand out plans for you to build one yourself: a great event for families and kids.
Instructors: Thom and Joey Miller are father and son members of Edina Morningside Community Church. Thom is a St. Louis Park City Council Member, and Joey is an amateur film director. In their spare time, they enjoy building things together.
Attendee notes: Kids and adults welcome!
Registration opens 30 days before each event.
July 21, 2016, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Women’s Spiritual Writing Group
Using prompts and selected readings, this group explores issues that relate to the spiritual journey in life. There will be a chance to reflect and write, as well as to share with others the insights you are comfortable sharing.
Registration opens 30 days before each event.
June 18, 2016, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Memoir Writing Workshop
Janet Anderson will be conducting a follow up session on memoir writing
Registration opens 30 days before each event.
May 12, 2016, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Women’s Spiritual Exploration
This is a follow up meeting for those who participated in the Morningside U: Women’s Spiritual Exploration Through Reflection & Writing session. Once again, Dr. Mary Rogers will be leading the group.
Registration opens 30 days before each event.
March 9, 2016, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Women’s Spiritual Exploration
This is a follow up meeting for those who participated in the Morningside U: Women’s Spiritual Exploration Through Reflection & Writing session. Once again, Dr. Mary Rogers will be leading the group.
Registration opens 30 days before each event.
February 27, 2016, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Morningside U: Getting a Good Interview
Edina Morningside member Jeff Strickler is the Assistant Features Editor at the Minneapolis Star Tribune where he was the long-time movie reviewer. Join Jeff as he shares techniques on how to get and give a good interview. He will share an insider’s secrets and, if you ask nicely, perhaps he’ll even gossip a little about who’s a good interview, and conversely, not so good.
Registration opens 30 days before each event.
January 16, 2016, 10:00 am - 12:30 pm
Morningside U: Intergenerational class on Memoir Writing
Whatever your reason for wanting to write down your memories, you’ll want to find joy in your work. And in order to do that, you’ll need to find a way into your stories. Join Janet Anderson, director of faith formation at Edina Morningside, as she leads the class in writing exercises. Janet taught composition at St. Catherine University for eight years and in 2015 was accepted into a juried workshop on memoir with Andre Dubus III at Aspen Summer Words. This will be an intergenerational class for ages 10 and up.
Registration opens 30 days before each event.
December 6, 2015, 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Advent Workshop
Join us for another session of Morningside U and get in the Christmas spirit. Fun for all ages, creating ornaments and table decorations.
Tickets at the door
Crafts: $0.50 – $2.00 each
Registration opens 30 days before each event.
November 14, 2015, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Morningside U: Lefse Making
Join Marge Ellingson & Pam Olson for a baking workshop on lefse making as we enter the season of family gathering.
To register email emcucc@emcucc.org