| I have just finished printing and posting some signs in the Fellowship building with clever little sayings like: SHARE LOVE… SHARE COMPASSION… …DON’T SHARE VIRUSES! Anyway, I thought it was clever. The smartest poster that I saw on the internet was a public health sign that said your COVID shot is like a battery: it runs out of power and needs to be recharged. Whatever the messaging, the fact is that we are in a concerning public health situation at the moment and we need to keep up our guard. We have a task force of four volunteers from the congregation who meet twice per month to review the COVID data and make any recommendations to the Board of Trustees. For months now, our official policies have remained the same: masks are optional and encouraged in general, and required for singing; we ask that everyone be vaccinated for COVID unless exempt. And for more than a month we’ve been watching the slow increase of flu and COVID and RSV. Until now, flu was raging in the country generally but hadn’t reached Michigan. RSV has been hospitalizing children in Michigan at an alarming rate. COVID is also increasing. As reported by Bridge Michigan, “Michigan hospitals are getting slammed with flu patients for the first time in years, just as COVID-19 cases are rising again.” This moment doesn’t call for a change of policy…yet. There may be a time when we once again require masks in the UUFCM building, or when we discontinue in-person events. For now, it’s more about the messaging—thus the clever signs. The message is: get your shots. Flu shots and COVID boosters are both really effective at limiting severity of the disease if you do get it, and in limiting the community spread. And yet most adults haven’t received the COVID booster. According to epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina, increases in COVID hospitalizations are “…partly (or wholly) due to abysmal vaccination rates—only 1 in 3 adults over the age of 65+ have their fall COVID-19 booster. A public health failure. Without a recent booster, many people are technically vaccinated but not protected.” We can do better as community. The message is: stay home if you’re sick. Almost all of the things we offer at UUFCM are available in real time on Zoom. It’s better for you and the rest of us for you to recover at home. The message is: wear a mask. I know we have all got in the habit of not wearing them. Technically they are still optional. I have started wearing my mask again in the grocery store and other public places. Our worship services are a public place. Think about worship from an infectious disease standpoint: 30-40 people sharing space for an hour, plus many of us eating and drinking together afterwards. That’s a pretty good chance for mixing of germs. Usually I test myself on Friday or Saturday before leading worship on Sunday morning. As minister I talk more than most people—removing my mask when speaking—and I am in contact with a lot of people on Sundays. When COVID came to my household, I quarantined and masked within the home, and began testing myself twice per week. There are illnesses out there. I encourage all of us to do our part to stay healthy. Protect yourself and others during winter cold & flu & COVID & RSV season PRAYER: Spirit of Life and Love, be present with us in this dark time, this cold time. May the winter see us cuddling up for warmth, staying healthy and resting. May hope and love and peace come to those who are sick. May they get the care they need from loved ones and from doctors. May we embrace and enjoy this day and every day, as long as our lives last. Blessed be. Rev. Andrew (Drew) Frantz |
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A healthy religious community does many important things together: we celebrate and support our children and youth; we gather for regular worship and for holidays; and we honor and remember those in our congregation who have died. The memorial service for Don Rust on Saturday was an important event for the family and for the congregation.
For the family, the gathering was surely sad and difficult. Don’s surviving siblings, his surviving children and step-children, other relatives, and especially his wife Sharon are experiencing the sorrow of this loss. Many heartfelt remembrances were offered during the ceremony. For the congregation, the death of one among us is an important milestone, a call to come together in mutual support. There is no greater purpose of a religious congregation than to offer condolence to the family of one who passes, as we offer continued support to Sharon – support that is just as important (if not more so) after the memorial service as before. Don’s death may remind us of others who have passed away and awaken that grief. We may also be reminded of our own mortality, and grieving Don’s death may spark us to embrace life with more intentionality. The memorial service included the following poem, a meaningful one to Don which evokes the mystery of what happens to us after this life, and the ways in which the living remember the dead: When I am dead, my dearest, Sing no sad songs for me; Plant thou no roses at my head, Nor shady cypress tree: Be the green grass above me With showers and dewdrops wet; And if thou wilt, remember, And if thou wilt, forget. I shall not see the shadows, I shall not feel the rain; I shall not hear the nightingale Sing on, as if in pain: And dreaming through the twilight That doth not rise nor set, Haply I may remember, And haply may forget. -Christina Rosetti This is, thankfully, the first death of a member of this Fellowship since the beginning of the global pandemic. The loss of Don Rust diminishes our congregation, and reminds us that we need one another. PRAYER: May the spirit of Don Rust rest in peace. May he live on in the memory and love of those who knew him. May we feel his presence with us as he influenced everyone he knew and every place he went. Blessed be. Rev. Andrew Frantz
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Rev. Andrew FrantzUUFCM Minister Office hours:
In-person Tuesday 10-noon Wednesday 1-3 & 8-9pm Outside of Office Hours, Drew is reachable at any time via text, phone, or email. Day off: Monday Contact for emergencies only [email protected] Phone/text: 440-935-0129 Pastoral Care Concerns
For support with life’s challenges, please contact Drew during his office hours or make an appointment with him. For specific needs such as rides to medical appointments or meals for people recovering from illness or surgery, please contact the Caring Team (formerly Arms Around) via Jen Prout at 989-400-3130 or [email protected]. Every effort will be made to lessen the burden on the individual or family who is dealing with a difficult circumstance. Archives
April 2026
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