eNews August 28, 2025

Keep up with what's happening at UUFCM!

View this email in your browser eNews for Thursday, August 28 Welcome back! Last Sunday was the annual Water Ingathering, the symbolic beginning of the new Fellowship year. We are a beautiful and vibrant congregation! Worship Matters We will gather online via Zoom and in person this Sunday, August 31st, to worship with Rev. Drew Frantz who will present  "All I Wish I Could I Can." The Zoom call starts at 10:00am for social time, and the service starts at 10:30am.   All I Wish I Could I Can "There is so much that we want to set right, in the public world and in our personal lives–if only we had more power. Rather than feeling powerless, let us remember the wisdom of the serenity prayer: that we should change what we can and accept what we cannot. And, let us remember that (in the words of Marianne Williamson) we are powerful beyond measure. May we find our true power and dare to do all that we can do."   Zoom Invitation for Sunday Service: Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 402489218 One tap mobile +16468769923,,402489218# Phone - audio only +1 646 876 9923 Upcoming Services August 31 - All I Wish I Could I Can  September 7 - Who I Want to Be I Am   In Case You Missed It... Many past sermons are available on our website under Sermon Videos and Archives.  In order to access any services 2024 on, go to the website and click on Worship, then Sunday Services.  Minister’s Column: "Salty Tears" Last Sunday we celebrated the Water Ingathering: our annual ritual of welcome, return, and connection where we each pour water into a common bowl and name what our water represents. I spoke of my water representing, among other things, the sweat and tears that flowed from my body this summer. I want to give a fuller account of one of my moments of cathartic tears: the context was Summer Institute, the UU summer camp I attended in Ohio, and the occasion was a service of remembrance that we held one evening. More... Upcoming Events Most meetings and events are hybrid (in-person/Zoom). Please contact the event or meeting leader if you are not sure. Event and meeting details and links can be found on the UUFCM Calendar. A Joyful Noise Choir Rehearsal - Wednesdays at 7:00pm Central Michigan Sangha - Tuesdays at 6:45pm Crafty U - 3rd Tuesdays at 10:30am - Cancelled in August only First Friday Potluck - First Fridays at 6:30pm - September 5 Sleepy Time Yoga - 3rd Mondays at 6pm Starting on September 15 Game Night - 3rd Mondays at 7pm  Movie Night - 4th Saturdays at 7pm  Readers Theater - 2nd Tuesdays at 7pm  Soul Matters Discussion Group - next meeting to be announced UU Discussion Group - Wednesdays at 10am UUFCM Men’s Group - 1st Mondays at 7pm on Zoom UUFCM Women's Circle - On hiatus until further notice Welcome to UU Orientation - last Sunday of the month at 12:00pm unless otherwise indicated This Sunday Aug 31st All members and friends are welcome to attend our UUFCM Board meeting as well as the various team meetings that occur monthly. If you are interested in attending any specific team meeting, please contact the team leader for information. Team Meetings No Team Meetings! Fellowship News September Birthdays We celebrate you today — your unique light, your journey, and the gifts you bring to our community. May this new year in your life be filled with love, purpose, and joy. May you continue to grow in compassion, wisdom, and connection. Thank you for being a part of our beloved community. We are grateful for you! School Shoe Drive Donates 23 Pairs to Clothing, INC!     Thank you to everyone who donated a new pair of shoes so that youth might have a new pair at the beginning of the new school year. Any Changes in Your Life? We are in the process of updating the Directory by printing an Addendum with any changes since February. Do you have a new phone number? new email address? new postal address? new pronouns?  Please send any updates to Gisela ([email protected]) no later than Saturday, September 14, 2025.  Thanks in advance for your help !   Sleepy Time Yoga - Monday, September 15 Kelly Lawson is offering an evening of Yoga Nidra on Monday, September 15, 6:00-7:00 pm in the UU sanctuary. Bring a yoga mat, blankets, pillows, or anything to get cozy. The evening is donation-based, and all donations will go to the homeless shelter (ICRH).   Join Kelly for this gentle and restful practice of Yoga Nidra! The evening will begin with gentle movement before finding rest in Savasana (final resting pose) for a guided meditation. Community News “No Troops in our Streets” Protest    Saturday, August 30, 10-12, on the corner of Mission and Broadway. Indivisible Central Michigan invites everyone to join to protest troops in our streets. You can drop in and stay as long as you are able, or plan on driving by in support. Extra signs are available.   “Workers over Billionaires” Nationwide Labor Day Protest          Monday, September 1, 10-12, on Encore Drive, the area in front of Walmarts. Indivisible Central Michigan invites everyone to join to protest the inequities in wealth in our nation and send the message that prioritizing billionaires over working families and vulnerable populations is NOT OK. Labor Day is a rejection of the corruption, lawlessness, and predatory politics of the billionaire agenda taking over our government and a celebration of workers. You can drop in and stay as long as you are able, or plan on driving by in support. Extra signs are available.    UUA Announces Online Trans Support Groups The UUA is thrilled to announce the launch of The Woodlands, a new all-ages virtual pastoral care program for trans people and their families, beginning this fall. The Woodlands is a monthly online gathering designed for trans children, youth, and adults—as well as the parents and caregivers of trans people. Each session will begin with a shared message and grounding ritual, followed by breakout rooms tailored to different communities within our circle, and we come back together for a release. Sessions will be about an hour and a half. Each breakout room—co-facilitated by two chaplains—will offer space for meaningful check-ins where we can honor our grief, celebrate our joy, and support one another. The spirit of each room will reflect the people within it. For example: The Sequoias Room: for parents and caregivers of trans people The Saplings Room: for trans children and youth The Sycamores Room: for trans adults Our first gathering will be on Sunday, September 7, 2025, at: 4:00 PM Eastern 3:00 PM Central 2:00 PM Mountain 1:00 PM Pacific The sessions will be on the first Sunday of the month thereafter. Register Online This pilot season will run from September 2025 through May 2026—a time for grace, growth, and connection. All of us on the UUA staff who helped bring The Woodlands to life hope you’ll find meaningful community and support in this shared space. Household Waste Collection Let Peace Reign          In recognition of International Day of Peace, there will be an annual event titled “Let Peace Reign” in the Town Center from 3-6 pm on Saturday, September 20.  There will be a peace walk, local speakers on peace, a moment of silence, and other peace-promoting activities.   All are welcome. Learn about the Petitions This Summer: What to Know before You Sign    At least six petition drives are underway or could be soon by groups seeking a spot on Michigan’s 2026 ballot for proposals to change laws or the state Constitution. Each will have a title and a summary approved by the Board of State Canvassers. Be sure to read any petition put in front of you before you sign as Michigan law does not require circulators to provide an accurate verbal description of the petitions they're asking you to sign.  Bridge Magazine, an independent non-profit daily newsletter covering Michigan news, has provided an article which highlights the current petitions being circulated in Michigan this summer.  Click HERE to read the complete article.  As well, a copy is posted on the bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall. There are two petitions being circulated concerning rules about voting in Michigan, both of which are trying to make it harder for eligible citizens to register to vote, vote at a precinct, and/or vote absentee. In essence, these petitions, if they garner enough signatures, will go on the ballot in the 2026 midterm election requiring people to prove that they are citizens with documents such as birth certificates or passports. Unfortunately, if on the ballot, they will probably pass because many people will not read the complete language but simply vote “yes” because, of course, we want to make sure that only citizens can vote (already a requirement to vote). The action needed by all of us to keep these two issues off the ballot in November 2026 is to educate everyone we know – family, friends, neighbors – to NOT sign these two petitions. If you are asked to sign a petition having anything to do with voting, we urge you to NOT sign. If you would like to do more, please contact Norma Bailey ([email protected]) who can share more information with you and/or give you “decline to sign” flyers to hand out to people. Click HERE for flyer. Donate Now! The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Michigan is funded solely by its members and friends. ​ For your convenience, you can make a donation electronically with the button below. Please consider the option of offsetting the cost to the Fellowship for providing the convenience of making an online donation. If you prefer not to donate electronically, you may also write a check payable to UUFCM and send it to: UUFCM, P.O. Box 41, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48804-0041 Got News? The deadline for submissions to the Order of Service Insert and the UUFCM weekly eNews is Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. Please send all submissions to [email protected]. Drew’s Contact Information Please contact Drew via email, phone, or text. [email protected]  Phone/text: 440-935-0129​ Office Hours    Tuesdays 10am-noon   Wednesdays 1-3pm and 8-9pm   UUFCM Board of Trustees for 2025-2026 President: Norma Bailey (989.560.3952; [email protected]) President-Elect: Guy Newland (989.944.0534; newla1g[email protected]) Treasurer: David Allan (989.941.7349; [email protected]) Secretary: Jennifer Davis (989.280.7010; [email protected]) Trustee: Annette Pratt (989.400.0173; [email protected]) Trustee: Jennifer Prout (989.400.3130; [email protected]) Trustee: Marco Muñoz-Fortino (989-600-6738; [email protected]) Team and Committee Leaders Adult Religious Education Team - Jodi Fisher Building, Grounds & Safety Team - Norma Bailey Caring Team - Laura McBride Communications Coordinating Team  Fellowship Life Coordinating Team - Gisela Moffit   Membership - Laura McBride   Welcome & Hospitality - Gisela Moffit   Social Fun - Jen Prout Social Justice Coordinating Team - Norma Bailey Worship Team - Drew Frantz Youth Religious Education (RE) Team - Norma Bailey We are a religious community guided by love, transforming our lives and our world. 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