Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!'
~ Robin Williams
In Worship
Please join us in worship this Sunday, April 3, for a service that embraces the value of humor and laughter – you didn’t think we wouldn’t find a way to celebrate April Fool’s, did you? The message of the morning – “What’s So Funny” by the Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer – will be delivered by Chris Bailey. Worship will be led by Laura McBride with assistance from Susan Powers – Susan is also responsible for the planning and coordination of this service. Don’t miss the fun!
“What’s so funny? Who knows?...Does it matter? Here’s what matters: let us revel in the mystery—and the healing, redemptive power—of humor, and everything that makes us laugh. Comics may study technique—good comics always do—but what exactly it is that makes someone funny, and what makes us laugh, is unknown. Whatever it is though, I know this: it’s good for the soul.” ~ Stephen H. Furrer
Looking ahead…
April 10: “Our UU Identity Crisis”
April 17: “Our Blue Boat Home: An Earth Day Celebration for All Ages”
First Friday Potluck this Friday, April 1
On Friday, April 1 (no joke!) at 6:30 p.m. we will gather for our monthly potluck. Janis Shinn is the host and she picked the theme “Baseball is back!” She will provide hot dogs, buns and condiments and you are invited to bring whatever will go with that. Fools or no fools, you all are invited. As always after the dinner, you can participate in a variety of games. Looking forward to seeing you.
Celebrating our Birthdays
Birthdays are special, not only for the individual, but also for the family, friends, and the community at large. After all, it was the beginning of developing your hidden talents and gifts with which you enriched your life and the life of others in the years to come. We want to take the opportunity to celebrate your birthday within our fellowship, so we have decided to do that at the First Friday potluck.
We hope you can come on this Friday, April 1 at 6:30 p.m. and participate in acknowledging the birthdays of the following April celebrants: Tamatha Gaumnitz, Sandy Wickstrom, Rick Messick, Chris Bauerle, Brigitte Bechtold and Rebecca Kreisher. We are also inviting Don Rust, Leslie Hildebrandt, Maya Dora-Laskey and Mary McDowell who could not make it in March.
Infant Pantry Collection - Sunday, April 3
Donations for the Infant Pantry are collected on the first Sunday of each month. Most needed items are things for baby care - diapers (especially sizes 5 and 6), creams, shampoos,and lotions. Baby food and formula are not needed a this time. If you want to donate money, then the check should be made out to CCN (Community Compassionate Network) with memo “Infant Pantry.” Please contact Tom Moffit (moffi1tc@cmich.edu or 772-1602) with any questions.
Meeting to Support
The Community Action Dialogue: Black Lives Matter group is presenting a proposal for a Citizens Review Board to the Isabella County Human Rights Committee asking for their support on Monday, April 4, at 6:15 pm in Room 205 of the Isabella County Building on Main Street. If the proposal is supported, it will then be presented to the Isabella County Commission. The group would like as many people as possible to attend the meeting showing support for the proposal. If you have questions, please contact Joyce Henricks at henri1je@cmich.edu.
Our Next “Common Read”
The third installment of our year-long “Common Read” series on racial justice is set to begin. The Selma Awakening by Mark Morrison-Reed is the book that is most personal to us as UUs for it poignantly articulates our own history with the civil rights movement – our triumphs and our shortcomings – and how it continues to shape us as a faith community. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the fellowship starting this Sunday – cost is $18.00 per copy. Discussion groups will be scheduled for later in April.
“In this book, Morrison-Reed places the iconic moment of Selma in the larger context of Unitarian Universalism. Within this larger frame, he both accentuates the importance of participation in Selma, highlights all that could have happened and delineates what did not. By showing how UU participation was NOT inevitable, he underscores the significance of that participation while placing it in a proper scale with the other commitments and non-commitments made in the arena of race relations. An essential read for anyone continuing the struggle to embrace the need for continued racial justice work today.”
~ Rev. Leslie Takahashi-Morris, co-author,
The Arc of the Universe Is Long: Unitarian Universalists, Anti-Racism, and the Journey from Calgary
“As I read Mark Morrison-Reed's The Selma Awakening I found myself shedding tears as I relived the events of 1965. Unitarian Universalists, civil rights activists, anyone alive in those turbulent times, and those yet to be born will find themselves caught up in these vivid recollections of those critical days. The book includes insights, anecdotes, and personal stories and it acknowledges for the first time key contributors to the success of the march from Selma to Montgomery. In particular, the section on women and the march elaborates on the under-reported story of women in the struggle for civil rights, and the broader ongoing struggle for women's liberation. Perhaps this book has been waiting for a scholar who identifies as both African American and Unitarian Universalist to do the diligent research required and bring the story of Selma to light.”
~ Rev. Orloff Miller, witness to the attack that killed Rev. James Reeb in Selma in 1965
“Selma changed the United States, and Selma changed Unitarian Universalism. Mark Morrison-Reed tells the story in exquisite detail, tracing the hundred-year history and the interdependent web of relationships that led hundreds of Unitarian Universalists to march for justice in Selma. In a work of scholarly depth and heartfelt passion, Morrison-Reed gives voice to both his admiration for the achievements of Unitarian Universalists and his anguish at our shortcomings, inviting all of us align our values in practice with our espoused values.”
~ Dan McKanan,
Ralph Waldo Emerson Unitarian Universalist Association Senior Lecturer in Divinity, Harvard Divinity School
About the Author
Retired from Unitarian Universalist parish ministry, Mark Morrison-Reed is an affiliated faculty member at Meadville Lombard Theological School and the coordinator of the Sankofa Archive there. He is the author or editor of several other books from Skinner House Books.
Selma Screening Planned
In support of our current Common Read, we have scheduled a viewing of the movie Selma for Saturday, April 9 at 7:00 p.m. at the UUFCM. We hope you will join us.
Nepal Handicrafts to Support Butterfly Home - a Message from Mari Potter
Thanks to many of you, I was given the opportunity to volunteer at the Early Childhood Development Center/ Butterfly Home orphanage, with Pushpa Basnet, in Kathmandu Nepal, for a month, last July. While I was there, I told Pushpa that I would be willing to try to sell, in the USA, some of the handicrafts that the children, and their mothers in prison, created to raise money for extracurricular activities. For two Sundays in April, the 10th and the 17th, during Coffee Hour, I will have a table set up in the Social Hall with the handicrafts and a slide show of my photographs from Nepal. I have not priced any of the goods, but instead will ask for a donation for each item. The goods include hair accessories; stone jewelry; embroidered placemats, table runners and coasters; and embroidered or painted tote bags.
I want to thank you for your past and future support of me, Pushpa Basnet and the Butterfly Home. I will be returning there for 3 weeks in July to volunteer at the new Butterfly Home where Pushpa’s family moved into in January 2016. Check out the home and the handicrafts!
Shocking News at UUFCM
In the interest of congregational safety and preparedness, there will be an introduction to our external defibrillator use and basic life support after worship on Sunday, April 10 at 11:50 in the Sanctuary.
Mark Your Calendars: April 30 All-Congregation Retreat!
The UUFCM Board of Trustees has scheduled an all congregation retreat for Saturday, April 30, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the UU Center. For those of you new to us, our congregation gathers for an all-day (or partial-day, as in this case) retreat once a year to collectively engage deeply with a particular issue(s) of importance to the community. The agenda for this year’s retreat is still being finalized, so stay tuned for details to come...
Save the Date
MUUSJN is co-sponsoring a full-day Interfaith Reproductive Justice Conference to be held Friday, May 20, 2016 at Woodside Church in Flint. Further information will be coming soon, but please put the date on your calendar now.
Please join us in worship this Sunday, April 3, for a service that embraces the value of humor and laughter – you didn’t think we wouldn’t find a way to celebrate April Fool’s, did you? The message of the morning – “What’s So Funny” by the Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Furrer – will be delivered by Chris Bailey. Worship will be led by Laura McBride with assistance from Susan Powers – Susan is also responsible for the planning and coordination of this service. Don’t miss the fun!
“What’s so funny? Who knows?...Does it matter? Here’s what matters: let us revel in the mystery—and the healing, redemptive power—of humor, and everything that makes us laugh. Comics may study technique—good comics always do—but what exactly it is that makes someone funny, and what makes us laugh, is unknown. Whatever it is though, I know this: it’s good for the soul.” ~ Stephen H. Furrer
Looking ahead…
April 10: “Our UU Identity Crisis”
April 17: “Our Blue Boat Home: An Earth Day Celebration for All Ages”
First Friday Potluck this Friday, April 1
On Friday, April 1 (no joke!) at 6:30 p.m. we will gather for our monthly potluck. Janis Shinn is the host and she picked the theme “Baseball is back!” She will provide hot dogs, buns and condiments and you are invited to bring whatever will go with that. Fools or no fools, you all are invited. As always after the dinner, you can participate in a variety of games. Looking forward to seeing you.
Celebrating our Birthdays
Birthdays are special, not only for the individual, but also for the family, friends, and the community at large. After all, it was the beginning of developing your hidden talents and gifts with which you enriched your life and the life of others in the years to come. We want to take the opportunity to celebrate your birthday within our fellowship, so we have decided to do that at the First Friday potluck.
We hope you can come on this Friday, April 1 at 6:30 p.m. and participate in acknowledging the birthdays of the following April celebrants: Tamatha Gaumnitz, Sandy Wickstrom, Rick Messick, Chris Bauerle, Brigitte Bechtold and Rebecca Kreisher. We are also inviting Don Rust, Leslie Hildebrandt, Maya Dora-Laskey and Mary McDowell who could not make it in March.
Infant Pantry Collection - Sunday, April 3
Donations for the Infant Pantry are collected on the first Sunday of each month. Most needed items are things for baby care - diapers (especially sizes 5 and 6), creams, shampoos,and lotions. Baby food and formula are not needed a this time. If you want to donate money, then the check should be made out to CCN (Community Compassionate Network) with memo “Infant Pantry.” Please contact Tom Moffit (moffi1tc@cmich.edu or 772-1602) with any questions.
Meeting to Support
The Community Action Dialogue: Black Lives Matter group is presenting a proposal for a Citizens Review Board to the Isabella County Human Rights Committee asking for their support on Monday, April 4, at 6:15 pm in Room 205 of the Isabella County Building on Main Street. If the proposal is supported, it will then be presented to the Isabella County Commission. The group would like as many people as possible to attend the meeting showing support for the proposal. If you have questions, please contact Joyce Henricks at henri1je@cmich.edu.
Our Next “Common Read”
The third installment of our year-long “Common Read” series on racial justice is set to begin. The Selma Awakening by Mark Morrison-Reed is the book that is most personal to us as UUs for it poignantly articulates our own history with the civil rights movement – our triumphs and our shortcomings – and how it continues to shape us as a faith community. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the fellowship starting this Sunday – cost is $18.00 per copy. Discussion groups will be scheduled for later in April.
“In this book, Morrison-Reed places the iconic moment of Selma in the larger context of Unitarian Universalism. Within this larger frame, he both accentuates the importance of participation in Selma, highlights all that could have happened and delineates what did not. By showing how UU participation was NOT inevitable, he underscores the significance of that participation while placing it in a proper scale with the other commitments and non-commitments made in the arena of race relations. An essential read for anyone continuing the struggle to embrace the need for continued racial justice work today.”
~ Rev. Leslie Takahashi-Morris, co-author,
The Arc of the Universe Is Long: Unitarian Universalists, Anti-Racism, and the Journey from Calgary
“As I read Mark Morrison-Reed's The Selma Awakening I found myself shedding tears as I relived the events of 1965. Unitarian Universalists, civil rights activists, anyone alive in those turbulent times, and those yet to be born will find themselves caught up in these vivid recollections of those critical days. The book includes insights, anecdotes, and personal stories and it acknowledges for the first time key contributors to the success of the march from Selma to Montgomery. In particular, the section on women and the march elaborates on the under-reported story of women in the struggle for civil rights, and the broader ongoing struggle for women's liberation. Perhaps this book has been waiting for a scholar who identifies as both African American and Unitarian Universalist to do the diligent research required and bring the story of Selma to light.”
~ Rev. Orloff Miller, witness to the attack that killed Rev. James Reeb in Selma in 1965
“Selma changed the United States, and Selma changed Unitarian Universalism. Mark Morrison-Reed tells the story in exquisite detail, tracing the hundred-year history and the interdependent web of relationships that led hundreds of Unitarian Universalists to march for justice in Selma. In a work of scholarly depth and heartfelt passion, Morrison-Reed gives voice to both his admiration for the achievements of Unitarian Universalists and his anguish at our shortcomings, inviting all of us align our values in practice with our espoused values.”
~ Dan McKanan,
Ralph Waldo Emerson Unitarian Universalist Association Senior Lecturer in Divinity, Harvard Divinity School
About the Author
Retired from Unitarian Universalist parish ministry, Mark Morrison-Reed is an affiliated faculty member at Meadville Lombard Theological School and the coordinator of the Sankofa Archive there. He is the author or editor of several other books from Skinner House Books.
Selma Screening Planned
In support of our current Common Read, we have scheduled a viewing of the movie Selma for Saturday, April 9 at 7:00 p.m. at the UUFCM. We hope you will join us.
Nepal Handicrafts to Support Butterfly Home - a Message from Mari Potter
Thanks to many of you, I was given the opportunity to volunteer at the Early Childhood Development Center/ Butterfly Home orphanage, with Pushpa Basnet, in Kathmandu Nepal, for a month, last July. While I was there, I told Pushpa that I would be willing to try to sell, in the USA, some of the handicrafts that the children, and their mothers in prison, created to raise money for extracurricular activities. For two Sundays in April, the 10th and the 17th, during Coffee Hour, I will have a table set up in the Social Hall with the handicrafts and a slide show of my photographs from Nepal. I have not priced any of the goods, but instead will ask for a donation for each item. The goods include hair accessories; stone jewelry; embroidered placemats, table runners and coasters; and embroidered or painted tote bags.
I want to thank you for your past and future support of me, Pushpa Basnet and the Butterfly Home. I will be returning there for 3 weeks in July to volunteer at the new Butterfly Home where Pushpa’s family moved into in January 2016. Check out the home and the handicrafts!
Shocking News at UUFCM
In the interest of congregational safety and preparedness, there will be an introduction to our external defibrillator use and basic life support after worship on Sunday, April 10 at 11:50 in the Sanctuary.
Mark Your Calendars: April 30 All-Congregation Retreat!
The UUFCM Board of Trustees has scheduled an all congregation retreat for Saturday, April 30, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the UU Center. For those of you new to us, our congregation gathers for an all-day (or partial-day, as in this case) retreat once a year to collectively engage deeply with a particular issue(s) of importance to the community. The agenda for this year’s retreat is still being finalized, so stay tuned for details to come...
Save the Date
MUUSJN is co-sponsoring a full-day Interfaith Reproductive Justice Conference to be held Friday, May 20, 2016 at Woodside Church in Flint. Further information will be coming soon, but please put the date on your calendar now.
••• Community News •••
CMU University Theatre presents: Marvin’s Room
by Scott McPherson; directed by Lauren McConnell (her first play that she is directing at CMU)
Marvin’s Room is a darkly funny and poignant look at a dysfunctional family’s attempt to rally and bond in the face of crisis. Using humor, the tale exposes the beauty of the human ability to grow in times of turmoil and pain. New York Times critic Frank Rich described it as, “one of the funniest plays of [the] year as well as one of the wisest and most moving.” It’s uplifting and graceful handling of serious themes likely led to its selection as the winner of the Drama Desk Award for Best Play and the Outer Critics Circle Award.
Where & When:
• Theatre-on-the-Side (Moore Hall near Bush Theatre) - CMU Campus
• March 31, April 1, 2, 7, 8, and 9 at 7:30 p.m.
• April 3 and 10 at 2:00 p.m.
• Tickets: CMU Ticket Central (989-774-3045 - CMU Events Center)
• Prices: Advance Purchase $7 - $9 - If any tickets are available, tickets are $10 each at the door.
Reminder: since many students will be out of town for the 3/31 - 4/3 performances, the 4/7 - 4/10 performances are likely to sell out quickly, so come this week on Thursday, Friday or Saturday to get a seat!
Get Informed About Climate Change
On April 6 from 7:00-8:30 p.m., Peter Sinclair, a well known Videographer and Climate expert, will do a multimedia presentation on "Climate Change 2016" in which he will discuss the latest in climate research. The program is held at Pere Marquette District Library (185 E. 4th Street) in Clare, Michigan. It is free and open to the public. The presentation is sponsored by the Mt. Pleasant Chapter of the Citizen's Climate Lobby, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization which educates and advocates for a livable world. For more information, click here.
Women's History Month at CMU
Events now through April 11. For complete information, visit CMU's College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences page or download the calendar of events.
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Events now through April 14. For complete information, visit this calendar of events.
CMU University Theatre presents: Marvin’s Room
by Scott McPherson; directed by Lauren McConnell (her first play that she is directing at CMU)
Marvin’s Room is a darkly funny and poignant look at a dysfunctional family’s attempt to rally and bond in the face of crisis. Using humor, the tale exposes the beauty of the human ability to grow in times of turmoil and pain. New York Times critic Frank Rich described it as, “one of the funniest plays of [the] year as well as one of the wisest and most moving.” It’s uplifting and graceful handling of serious themes likely led to its selection as the winner of the Drama Desk Award for Best Play and the Outer Critics Circle Award.
Where & When:
• Theatre-on-the-Side (Moore Hall near Bush Theatre) - CMU Campus
• March 31, April 1, 2, 7, 8, and 9 at 7:30 p.m.
• April 3 and 10 at 2:00 p.m.
• Tickets: CMU Ticket Central (989-774-3045 - CMU Events Center)
• Prices: Advance Purchase $7 - $9 - If any tickets are available, tickets are $10 each at the door.
Reminder: since many students will be out of town for the 3/31 - 4/3 performances, the 4/7 - 4/10 performances are likely to sell out quickly, so come this week on Thursday, Friday or Saturday to get a seat!
Get Informed About Climate Change
On April 6 from 7:00-8:30 p.m., Peter Sinclair, a well known Videographer and Climate expert, will do a multimedia presentation on "Climate Change 2016" in which he will discuss the latest in climate research. The program is held at Pere Marquette District Library (185 E. 4th Street) in Clare, Michigan. It is free and open to the public. The presentation is sponsored by the Mt. Pleasant Chapter of the Citizen's Climate Lobby, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization which educates and advocates for a livable world. For more information, click here.
Women's History Month at CMU
Events now through April 11. For complete information, visit CMU's College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences page or download the calendar of events.
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Events now through April 14. For complete information, visit this calendar of events.
In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.
~ Mark Twain
Service Cancellation Policy
In case of inclement weather, a decision to cancel the service will be made by 9 a.m. An announcement will be posted on our web site (uufcm.org) and on Facebook as well as sent directly via email. Those who are not online will be phoned. If you have questions, call Annette Pratt (989-400-0173). We hope we won't have to resort to this very often, but we live in Michigan after all, so we need to be prepared!
Got News?
The deadline for submissions to the Order of Service Insert and the UUFCM weekly e-News is
Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. Please send all submissions to admin@uufcm.org.
UUFCM Board of Trustees for 2015-2016
President: Annette Pratt (989.400.0173; ampratt@cybersingerscafe.com)
President Elect/Past-President: Laura McBride (989.772.5512; lmcbride010@gmail.com)
Treasurer: David Macleod (989.772.0595; macle1d@cmich.edu)
Secretary: Vicki Chessin (989.463.3076; vechessin@aol.com)
Trustee: Scott Daigle (989.506.5750; sndaigle@gmail.com)
Trustee: Carol Rard (989.561.2969; cprard@gmail.com)
Trustee: Janis Shinn (989.400.3724; janis_shinn@yahoo.com)
In case of inclement weather, a decision to cancel the service will be made by 9 a.m. An announcement will be posted on our web site (uufcm.org) and on Facebook as well as sent directly via email. Those who are not online will be phoned. If you have questions, call Annette Pratt (989-400-0173). We hope we won't have to resort to this very often, but we live in Michigan after all, so we need to be prepared!
Got News?
The deadline for submissions to the Order of Service Insert and the UUFCM weekly e-News is
Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. Please send all submissions to admin@uufcm.org.
UUFCM Board of Trustees for 2015-2016
President: Annette Pratt (989.400.0173; ampratt@cybersingerscafe.com)
President Elect/Past-President: Laura McBride (989.772.5512; lmcbride010@gmail.com)
Treasurer: David Macleod (989.772.0595; macle1d@cmich.edu)
Secretary: Vicki Chessin (989.463.3076; vechessin@aol.com)
Trustee: Scott Daigle (989.506.5750; sndaigle@gmail.com)
Trustee: Carol Rard (989.561.2969; cprard@gmail.com)
Trustee: Janis Shinn (989.400.3724; janis_shinn@yahoo.com)
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