SI Magic
 
One of my favorite things in life is a summer camp called SI (Summer Institute), a week-long gathering of Unitarian Universalists in the Ohio / Pennsylvania region of our denomination. We gathered this year at Oberlin College, staying in the dorms and taking our meals in the dining hall; for our twice-daily worship services we used the sanctuary of a local church.
 
The joy, beauty and connection that we experience at this summer camp we refer to as “SI magic.” This July, one moment of SI magic happened for me while we were singing a hymn during worship. The hymn is “Blue Boat Home,” a song I remember learning years ago in the Oberlin UU Fellowship. At the piano leading the hymn was my friend Katie, music director from that fellowship. The song was a special favorite of my friend LD, and as we were singing I thought of him as well as Barbara—friends from the Oberlin congregation where I had spent years, Sunday after Sunday. My love for these people is deep and eternal.
 
Looking around the congregation, rolling along with the joyful and moving song, I saw others that I was connecting with during this week of SI: here was the man I’ve been dancing with this week in our ballroom dancing workshop. Just in front of him was my dear friend Cindy: we were married for 24 years and have two kids together; this week we re-connect in the shared joy of the Summer Institute community. In another part of the sanctuary I see a man from the congregation I served during my internship as a student minister: last night we were talking about life and death, affirming that our connection with one another was essential and eternal. Feeling the love and connection with so many in the room, my gaze fell upon one more person: a man in a wheel chair whom I had noticed during the week but had not talked to. My own awkwardness had prevented me from introducing myself to him: Now in this moment, as I was swept up in the emotion of the hymn, I saw this man – singing along (just like me), knowing by heart every word of the hymn (just like me):
 
I’ve been sailing all my life now
Never harbor or port have I known.
The wide universe is the ocean I travel
And the earth is my blue boat home.
 
This moment of magic for me was rooted in a sense of unity across difference; of barriers disappearing through group singing; of loving community. I believe that our UU congregation here in Mount Pleasant Michigan offers similar moments of love, joy, and connection. May UUFCM continue to offer radical welcome and affirming love and may all who are seeking connection and joy find their people and find their place in the music. Blessed be.
 
Rev. Drew Frantz
August 20, 2025

The perseid meteor shower reaches its peak this week. This is the largest meteor shower, and it occurs every year around this time. I can remember being a teenager and watching the shooting stars of the persieds with my sisters as we lay on the back porch in Wisconsin. While the peak is the night of August 12-13, shooting stars (meteors) can be viewed on other nights this week as well – and the best time to view them is around 5:00 am.
 
Two weeks ago I was at a family reunion in South Haven and we learned that two other meteor showers were reaching their peak. Internet research told us that prime viewing time was from 2:00-4:00 am. We joked with one another about who was going to come wake someone else up to go and see the shooting stars. As it happened that night, we were playing cards – this, along with croquet, is the quintessential family activity at our reunions – and our game went longer than usual. When the card game ended at about 1:30, my wife said: Hey, if we stay up just a little longer, we’ll be in prime viewing time for the meteor shower. I said: Let’s go!
 
One of my adult children was at the reunion, and they joined us as we walked down to the beach with our blanket and some bug spray. From about 2:00 to 3:30 in the morning we lay on  the sand looking up at the sky, talking and marveling over the shooting stars. The experience typically gets better as it goes on, because your eyes adjust fully to the darkness after 30 minutes or so, and you can see more and more.
 
Like my memories of seeing the perseids as a kid, this experience will be one that I remember and cherish as long as I live. The unlikeliness of staying up until three in the morning, coupled with the special circumstances of the family reunion that only occurs once every three years, and the renewing of close bonds with family members—these certainly made the lost sleep worth it.
 
Before the reunion ended, I bought a book of poetry from a local book store: “A Festival of Birds,” poems by James McGrath. Fittingly, I found that it contained this poem:
 
Birds have no fear of darkness
            They are silent composing songs
            For falling stars
 
May we all seek and find life’s precious crazy moments of beauty and togetherness, at whatever hour of the day or night they may occur.  And may we all sing the songs of the falling stars in our hearts.
 
Rev. Drew Frantz
August 12, 2025

​

​Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Michigan
Minister’s Column: “Beach Wedding”

On Saturday evening I was out walking in South Haven, Michigan on the grass above the beach, noticing the beautiful way that the sun was sparkling the water. Then I saw a young woman, facing the beach and looking down the stairs leading to the sand. She was wearing a white wedding dress, and was arm in arm with an older man beside her. Both were barefoot. I heard her saying something about waiting for the others to walk forward before they started down. Looking down, I saw the path between the bottom of the stairs and the beach, with the wedding party lined up in pairs, beach grass on either side of the path. The flower girl in her purple dress was at the back of the line. She was playing in the sand for a moment; the adult next to her took her hand and brushed her off.  I noticed that the whole wedding party were barefoot. Earlier in the day I had been down at the beach, and had seen the white folding chairs all set up. Now I saw the chairs were full, the wedding officiant was waiting in the sunshine; the beach was less crowded than earlier in the day but still contained many people shouting, swimming, and playing. Jet skis and sailboats dotted the water. I saw the bride only from behind as she started down the stairs, a picture of youth and beauty.

The rest I can only imagine: the father of the bride and his feelings at this moment; the vision of the young woman to have her wedding here on a public beach with Lake Michigan sparkling, the waves lapping the shore, the breeze blowing. Others paused like me to observe the moment. I lingered long enough to see the procession move slowly toward the guests in the distance.

I believe in love in its many forms: the kindness of strangers; parents caring for their baby; neighbors creating community. Young people making vows to one another, creating the moment that they want in the place they want, surrounded by the people they choose to witness their wedding–this is a pure expression and celebration of love. Glimpsing this moment of love in the open air sent my spirit soaring, and remembering it now brings me tears of joy.
 
PRAYER:
May this couple, married August 2nd on South Beach, have a life rich with all the blessings that Love can bring. 
May Love bless every human relationship: those who marry and those who don’t; those whose union is accepted by family and those who love in spite of family.
May we all have the vision, courage, and dedication to create the special moments in our lives that we dream of.
May it be so.

Rev. Drew Frantz
August 5, 2025