Sunday Services

April 2025: The Practice of Joy

4/3/2025

April 6: The Practice of Joy
Rev. Drew Frantz
Joy is an important part of human life, allowing us to survive and thrive–and giving meaning and purpose to our days. At times Joy arrives unbidden and unexpected, but we can also increase our joy by seeking it and making time for it.

April 13: Joy in Times of Crisis
Rev. Drew Frantz
The nation and the world are in a moment of economic, political and social crisis. The attacks on institutions and people are overwhelming in their speed and brazen-ness. Acting on our values of love, justice and equity, we are called to resist authoritarianism and to protect ourselves and others. And a necessary, if surprising, component of that resistance is Joy. Joy connects us and reminds us of what we’re fighting for. Let’s support one another and share both our outrage and our Joy.

April 20: Springtime Joy (Easter Sunday)
Rev. Drew Frantz
On Easter Sunday we acknowledge the wisdom, courage, and love represented by teacher and prophet Jesus of Nazareth. As a secular holiday, we can embrace Easter as a day of life returning in the form of warmer weather and longer days. Joy has many sources, and the joy of nature in the springtime is one of the most enduring.

April 27: Earth-Centered Religion
Rev. Drew Frantz
A core piece of Unitarian Universalism is connection with our natural environment. Yet in many ways, we are a religion of thinking and ideas, and of human relationships. Other religious traditions are more earth-centered and less intellectual. What are you looking for in religion–connection to God and heaven? Being grounded in the cycles of nature? This Sunday we explore how our tradition fits in the context of earth-centered religions."

March 2025: The Practice of Trust

3/1/2025

March 2: Trusting Yourself by the Rev. Dr. Sandra Fees
Norma Bailey & Laura McBride
The Rev. Dr. Fees contends that the belief that you can be okay no matter what is the very essence of trusting yourself. What is the nature of the trust she is describing? Does trusting yourself come naturally? Can it be cultivated in our lives? Join us to explore these questions.

Order of Service
Announcements

March 9: Lessons in Grief
Rev. Drew Frantz
Loss is part of any human life: loss of loved ones, including pets; but also loss of a job, a relationship, an opportunity or ability. To grieve these losses takes open-ness, commitment, and support. Rev. Drew will reflect on his loss of two parents in the past year, and on the other losses we are dealing with collectively and individually. On another note, this week’s service will include a ceremony to welcome new members who are signing the book and becoming part of the congregation officially.

March 16: Generosity
Rev. Drew Frantz
One of our core Unitarian Universalist values is Generosity. To be generous is a deeply spiritual practice, because it demands that we recognize one another’s humanity. As our values state, “Our generosity connects us to one another in relationships of interdependence and mutuality.” We all are both givers and receivers at times in our lives; today we celebrate the spirit of giving within our Fellowship and between our Fellowship and the wider world.

March 23: How to Fight Loneliness
Stacey Pattison
Half of Americans told investigators they were lonely––and that was before the pandemic engrained even deeper habits of isolation. We are more and more alone––and it is killing us. The Surgeon General reports that social disconnection damages our health as much fifteen cigarettes per day. What steps can we take to help?

March 30: Radical Love
Norma Bailey
Rev. Drew occasionally uses the phrase “radical love” in his worship services. Several
members of the Adult Religious Education discussed this at a recent meeting and
suggested the topic for a worship service. How do we understand this phrase? What
does it mean in terms of how we respond as individuals, as Unitarian Universalists, as
citizens in this 2025 environment? Sierra Burke, Matt Collins, Jim Dealing and Jodi
Fisher will share their thoughts for our consideration.

February 2025: The Practice of Inclusion

2/1/2025

February 2: Lessons from the Allagash
Rev. Drew Frantz
As a young adult, I took a canoe trip in the Maine wilderness. That experience taught me lessons that I carry with me—and are remarkably relevant to today. What is your story of resilience that informs and empowers you?

February 9: Preemptive Radical Inclusion
Rev. Drew Frantz
While diversity, equity and inclusion have become a primary target of the current United States government, they are all core Unitarian Universalist values. On this Sunday we focus on inclusion, using the work of UU minister CB Beal. Rev. Beal says that preemptive radical inclusion assumes that every group of people who might be included are already present.

February 16: The Edict of Torda
Rev. Drew Frantz
On February 18, 1568, the king of Transylvania, an early Unitarian, issued a proclamation regarding freedom of religion: the Edict of Torda. As modern-day Unitarian Universalists we celebrate this piece of our history, affirming that religious inclusion is part of our DNA and that there have been progressive governments and rulers throughout many periods of history.

February 23: Protest and Persist: Why Giving Up Hope is Not an Option
Norma Bailey
How do we have hope in this moment of such complete disruption that at times it all feels hopeless? How can we have hope that what we do matters? Norma Bailey will share her thoughts as well as writings of author Rebecca Solnit in exploring these questions.

January 2025: The Practice of Story

1/2/2025

January 5: Writing Your Own Story
Laura McBride
As we explore the theme of Story this week, two types of story are shared, an account of real events and also an imaginary story. How do you look at difficult periods in your life? Is there something healing in the telling? If the story is imaginary, what role does it play in the writing or telling of it? Hear one person’s account of two different stories. We will have a brief small group interaction with questions posed, too.

January 12: Our Stories
Rev. Drew Frantz
The story of our congregation and of our faith is told through songs, through words, and through the actions of our people. What is the story of Unitarian Universalism in recent years? What is the story of the UU Fellowship of Central Michigan? As we tell our story, we are connected with those who share our values, our struggles, and our joys.

January 19: Martin Luther King
Rev. Drew Frantz
Unitarian Universalists follow the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in envisioning a 'beloved community' where love unites and frees us. On this day every year we celebrate the life and work of Dr. King and re-dedicate ourselves to the version of the American dream he articulated. With Dr. King’s holiday coinciding with the inauguration of Donald Trump, the moment is ripe for reflection and comparison. Where are we today in America? How are we called to carry forth the prophetic work set in motion during the civil rights movement?

January 26: Responding in Love
Rev. Drew Frantz

Order of Service
Announcements

December 2024: The Practice of Presence

11/26/2024

December 1: Be Where You Are
Jessica Jernigan
Every Sunday, in this sanctuary, we are invited to be present—mindful of the moment, of each other, of ourselves. And our land acknowledgement calls us to remember the history of the space we occupy. What does it look like to develop a deeper sense of place? What can we learn when we are present to place?

December 8: Bodhi Day
Rev. Drew Frantz
On December 8, Buddhists in Japan and elsewhere celebrate Bodhi Day, commemorating the enlightenment of the Buddha. In a culture overshadowed by the Christmas holiday this month, we take a moment to reflect on a very different religious tradition. While we may not achieve enlightenment on December 8, we can be open to the wisdom of Buddhism.

December 14: Blue Holidays at 4:00pm*
Rev. Drew Frantz
The winter holiday season is supposed to be fun–but what if you’re not feeling that way? The expectation to be joyful can be stressful in itself, while family gatherings can also bring up challenges and traumas large and small. Please join us for a special service that allows time to acknowledge the difficult feelings that are present in the holiday season. You may find serenity and acceptance here; you may find comfort in the companionship of others. All are welcome.

We will gather online via Zoom and in person at 4:00pm.

December 15: Presence
Rev. Drew Frantz
Being present in the moment is a challenge, when our brains go so often to dwelling on the past or imagining the future. Spiritual practices can help us to be mindful and present: one of these is the Japanese practice of ichi-go ichi-e meaning “one time, one meeting.” Here and elsewhere we find the wisdom that this moment–this one right now–is never to be repeated and is the only moment we have access to.

December 22: Winter Solstice
Rev. Drew Frantz
December 21 is the shortest day of the year, also known as Midwinter’s Day or Yule. We often associate this dark, quiet, and cold time of year with low energy and low mood. Framed another way, however, it is an opportunity for rest, renewal, grounding, and planning.

December 24: Christmas Eve at 7:0pm*
Rev. Drew Frantz
All ages are welcome for this traditional Christmas Eve service. Along with a children’s Christmas story and a reading from the Bible, we will enjoy some favorite carols culminating with a candle-lit singing of Silent Night.

Order of Service
Announcements

December 29: After the World Breaks
Guy Newland
Like an earthquake or a bomb blast, trauma can shatter the foundations of our world. With no sense of meaning or purpose, will the rest of our life be just nightmares, panic, and waves of grief? In fact, thirty years of research show that many survivors eventually achieve personal growth, becoming stronger, wiser, and more caring.

Order of Service
Announcements

November 2024: The Practice of Repair

10/29/2024

November 3: Día de Los Muertos
Rev. Drew Frantz
This Sunday we perform our yearly ritual of honoring the ancestors. In keeping with the various traditions of All Souls Day, Samhain, and Día de Los Muertos, we take this day to remember those who have died and to welcome them as living spirits. What do we have to learn from the ancestors? How can we keep alive their memory and honor them?

November 10: Repair
Rev. Drew Frantz
On this first Sunday following the 2024 election, we take stock of where we are now. Our journey towards a world of harmony and love and justice for all people has ups and downs, like a hike through a mountain range. What has been harmed or depleted by this contentious election? Has our individual mental or physical health suffered? Have our relationships with family and neighbors been broken? Has our capacity for civil public discourse been harmed? We gather in sacred community to seek repair individually and collectively.

November 17: Guest at Your Table
Rev. Drew Frantz
Guest at Your Table is a program of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee to partner with human rights organizations domestically and abroad. This year Guest at Your Table supports projects addressing these four issues: transgender safety in the US; climate activism in the Pacific; LGBTQ refugees in Ukraine; and racism in the US immigration system. In our worship service we celebrate the good work being done; and we recognize that together we create greater justice and greater joy.

*November 20: Transgender Day of Remembrance
Rev. Drew Frantz

November 24: Gratitude
Rev. Drew Frantz
The Thanksgiving holiday represents gathering with family and naming what we are thankful for. On the other hand, it is associated with the horrific American history of colonialism and genocide. We hold these two truths in tension as we are called to honor the sovereignty and dignity of native tribes; and to celebrate bounty and offer gratitude.

October 2024: The Practice of Deep Listening

9/29/2024

October 6: Bad Grammar
Rev. Drew Frantz
Different groups of people have different ways of using words in speech and writing, reflecting differences in culture, class, location and education. While it is common for some of us to label these patterns of language as grammatically proper or improper, another perspective sees these variations as neither good nor bad. Rev. Drew will share his journey as a (former) English teacher learning more about English grammars, and about the human impulse to judge other people.

October 13: A Budget is a Moral Document
Guy Newland
How do we consider issues of justice as we use our resources––our time and our money? The UUA calls on us to fight “racism and other oppressions.” Only racism can account for many gross distortions in American society. Yet the invention of race is rooted in economic exploitation that continues today, harming people of all races––and leaving almost half the folks in our Isabella County struggling to make ends meet.

October 20: Win, Loss or Tie
Rev. Drew Frantz
Here in the height of football season, Rev. Drew offers a personal reflection on winning and losing on the field. In other parts of life such as politics, winning and losing have different consequences. What is more important than winning or losing? How can we transcend a mind-set of good/bad, us/them, win/loss?

Order of Service
Announcements
Sermon Video

October 27: Deep Listening
Rev. Drew Frantz
Listening to other people is an important practice. Another form of listening is how we listen to Life–or some would say “to God.” What do the flowing river and the autumn trees tell us? What does the flow of energy and vitality within us say? What does the voice of this nation with its many peoples say? In order to listen this deeply we must be still and we must open ourselves in new ways.

<<Previous

April 2025: The Practice of Joy

March 2025: The Practice of Trust

February 2025: The Practice of Inclusion

January 2025: The Practice of Story

December 2024: The Practice of Presence

November 2024: The Practice of Repair

October 2024: The Practice of Deep Listening

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