One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore
for a very long time.
~ André Gide
A Poem for Thanksgiving
~ Edna St. Vincent Millay
Hard, hard it is, this anxious autumn
To lift the heavy mind from its dark forebodings;
To sit at the bright feast, and with ruddy cheer
Give thanks for the harvest of a troubled year.
The clouds move and shift, withdraw to new positions on the hills;
The sky above us is a thinning haze–a patch of blue appears–
We yearn toward the blue sky as toward the healing of all ills;
But the storm has not gone over; the clouds come back;
The blue sky turns black;
And the muttering thunder suddenly crashes close, and once again
Flashes of lightning startle the rattling windowpane;
Then once more pours and splashes down the cold discouraging rain.
God bless the harvest of this haggard year.
Pity our hearts, that did so long for peace;
Deal with us kindly: there are many here
Who love their fellow [people] men (and may their tribe increase).
But cunning and guile persist; ferocity empowers
The lifted arm of the aggressor; the times are bad.
Let us give thanks for the courage that was always ours;
And pray for the wisdom which we never had.
~ Edna St. Vincent Millay
Hard, hard it is, this anxious autumn
To lift the heavy mind from its dark forebodings;
To sit at the bright feast, and with ruddy cheer
Give thanks for the harvest of a troubled year.
The clouds move and shift, withdraw to new positions on the hills;
The sky above us is a thinning haze–a patch of blue appears–
We yearn toward the blue sky as toward the healing of all ills;
But the storm has not gone over; the clouds come back;
The blue sky turns black;
And the muttering thunder suddenly crashes close, and once again
Flashes of lightning startle the rattling windowpane;
Then once more pours and splashes down the cold discouraging rain.
God bless the harvest of this haggard year.
Pity our hearts, that did so long for peace;
Deal with us kindly: there are many here
Who love their fellow [people] men (and may their tribe increase).
But cunning and guile persist; ferocity empowers
The lifted arm of the aggressor; the times are bad.
Let us give thanks for the courage that was always ours;
And pray for the wisdom which we never had.
In Worship
“Pilgrims Always” is the thematic focus for our worship this coming Sunday, November 29. We hope you will join us!
“Unitarian Universalists often say things like, “Our lives are spiritual journeys.” But we don’t always explain what this means. Where some religions offer specific paths toward specific goals (which makes the journey relatively easy to explain), others, like Unitarian Universalism, are more open-ended, with directions less specified and paths more numerous, with spontaneity, creativity and curiosity more valued than the discipline of sticking to pre-ordained rules.
This open-endedness does make the typical Unitarian Universalist spiritual journey more difficult to explain. (In fact, it makes the word typical more or less useless.) But even so, I think it’s important that we find ways of articulating what we mean when we say, “Our lives are spiritual journeys.” ~ Joshua Mason Pawelek
Read the WiRE!
WiRE is our newsletter about happenings in RE. Upcoming events and opportunities, what parents and youth need to know ahead of Sunday RE, and more can be found here on our website.
New to UU?
If you are a newcomer to out fellowship - or perhaps have been around for a while – and would like to learn more about this fellowship and UUism as a whole, our next Welcome to UU class is scheduled for this Sunday, November 29 following worship at 12:15 p.m. These classes are being offered every month, typically on the 4th Sunday, but this time we’ve moved the class to the 29th due to our annual Harvest Feast held on November 22.
Restoration House News
Restoration House opened on Sunday, November 1 - the UUFCM is again serving as the Intake/Welcome center. If you are willing to serve as an intake volunteer from 4:15 to 6:00 any day of the weeks ahead (until the program ends on April 6), please contact Joyce Henricks at 773-4709, or [email protected]. We are also in need of volunteers to provide meals this coming week of November 30 – please contact Joyce if you are able to volunteer. Thank you!
CAMFED Collection
We are collecting pledges/donations for the CAMFED program - Campaign for Female Education. Our treasurer asks that you write your check out to UUFCM, with an indication at the bottom that it is for CAMFED, as we want to send our contributions as a congregation, rather than as individuals. The donations gathered will be sent by Monday, November 30, 2015. We hope to do this twice a year.
First Friday Potluck - Hosts Needed!
We are in need of hosts for upcoming potlucks. If you are willing to host a potluck, please use this form to sign up to sign-up or email/phone Chris Bauerle directly at [email protected] or 989-330-8457. The upcoming dates include: December 4, February 5, March 4, April 1 (really!), May 6, June 3 and August 5. If you enjoy the potlucks, please consider hosting - it is fun and easy!
Just Mercy Discussion Group – Last Call!
We’ve added an additional discussion group opportunity for those of you (and you know who you are!) who missed the first three sessions – we know, everyone’s so busy…but many of you admitted being almost finished with the book, so here’s the deal: you have until Sunday, December 6 at 12:15 p.m. to get your act together and join the discussion about this very compelling book. That’s even enough time for those who haven’t opened the book yet to get involved. Our commitment this year is to more deeply educate ourselves about the racial injustices that continue to be embedded in our culture – to better equip ourselves as allies and advocates for justice. This is where we start this journey together.
Book Collection for Christmas Outreach
We are collecting children's book for Christmas Outreach this year. The books should be new or gently used. They can be from age 4 through young adult. Please leave them in the box marked Books for Kids on the table in the fellowship hall. The deadline is December 7th.
December Calendar Changes
Ladies Who Lunch: We will not lunch in December, but will resume lunching in January.
Save the Date!
On Saturday, January 30, 7:00 – 9:30 p.m., you are all invited to our First Annual UUFCM Justice Party! Adults, children and friends invited. More details to follow.
“Pilgrims Always” is the thematic focus for our worship this coming Sunday, November 29. We hope you will join us!
“Unitarian Universalists often say things like, “Our lives are spiritual journeys.” But we don’t always explain what this means. Where some religions offer specific paths toward specific goals (which makes the journey relatively easy to explain), others, like Unitarian Universalism, are more open-ended, with directions less specified and paths more numerous, with spontaneity, creativity and curiosity more valued than the discipline of sticking to pre-ordained rules.
This open-endedness does make the typical Unitarian Universalist spiritual journey more difficult to explain. (In fact, it makes the word typical more or less useless.) But even so, I think it’s important that we find ways of articulating what we mean when we say, “Our lives are spiritual journeys.” ~ Joshua Mason Pawelek
Read the WiRE!
WiRE is our newsletter about happenings in RE. Upcoming events and opportunities, what parents and youth need to know ahead of Sunday RE, and more can be found here on our website.
New to UU?
If you are a newcomer to out fellowship - or perhaps have been around for a while – and would like to learn more about this fellowship and UUism as a whole, our next Welcome to UU class is scheduled for this Sunday, November 29 following worship at 12:15 p.m. These classes are being offered every month, typically on the 4th Sunday, but this time we’ve moved the class to the 29th due to our annual Harvest Feast held on November 22.
Restoration House News
Restoration House opened on Sunday, November 1 - the UUFCM is again serving as the Intake/Welcome center. If you are willing to serve as an intake volunteer from 4:15 to 6:00 any day of the weeks ahead (until the program ends on April 6), please contact Joyce Henricks at 773-4709, or [email protected]. We are also in need of volunteers to provide meals this coming week of November 30 – please contact Joyce if you are able to volunteer. Thank you!
CAMFED Collection
We are collecting pledges/donations for the CAMFED program - Campaign for Female Education. Our treasurer asks that you write your check out to UUFCM, with an indication at the bottom that it is for CAMFED, as we want to send our contributions as a congregation, rather than as individuals. The donations gathered will be sent by Monday, November 30, 2015. We hope to do this twice a year.
First Friday Potluck - Hosts Needed!
We are in need of hosts for upcoming potlucks. If you are willing to host a potluck, please use this form to sign up to sign-up or email/phone Chris Bauerle directly at [email protected] or 989-330-8457. The upcoming dates include: December 4, February 5, March 4, April 1 (really!), May 6, June 3 and August 5. If you enjoy the potlucks, please consider hosting - it is fun and easy!
Just Mercy Discussion Group – Last Call!
We’ve added an additional discussion group opportunity for those of you (and you know who you are!) who missed the first three sessions – we know, everyone’s so busy…but many of you admitted being almost finished with the book, so here’s the deal: you have until Sunday, December 6 at 12:15 p.m. to get your act together and join the discussion about this very compelling book. That’s even enough time for those who haven’t opened the book yet to get involved. Our commitment this year is to more deeply educate ourselves about the racial injustices that continue to be embedded in our culture – to better equip ourselves as allies and advocates for justice. This is where we start this journey together.
Book Collection for Christmas Outreach
We are collecting children's book for Christmas Outreach this year. The books should be new or gently used. They can be from age 4 through young adult. Please leave them in the box marked Books for Kids on the table in the fellowship hall. The deadline is December 7th.
December Calendar Changes
Ladies Who Lunch: We will not lunch in December, but will resume lunching in January.
Save the Date!
On Saturday, January 30, 7:00 – 9:30 p.m., you are all invited to our First Annual UUFCM Justice Party! Adults, children and friends invited. More details to follow.
The maps we consult affect how we see our journey.
~ Meg Riley
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 [email protected].
UUFCM Board of Trustees for 2015-2016
President: Annette Pratt (989.400.0173; [email protected])
President Elect/Past-President: Laura McBride (989.772.5512; [email protected])
Treasurer: David Macleod (989.772.0595; [email protected])
Secretary: Vicki Chessin (989.463.3076; [email protected])
Trustee: Scott Daigle (989.506.5750; [email protected])
Trustee: Carol Rard (989.561.2969; [email protected])
Trustee: Janis Shinn (989.400.3724; [email protected])
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 [email protected].
UUFCM Board of Trustees for 2015-2016
President: Annette Pratt (989.400.0173; [email protected])
President Elect/Past-President: Laura McBride (989.772.5512; [email protected])
Treasurer: David Macleod (989.772.0595; [email protected])
Secretary: Vicki Chessin (989.463.3076; [email protected])
Trustee: Scott Daigle (989.506.5750; [email protected])
Trustee: Carol Rard (989.561.2969; [email protected])
Trustee: Janis Shinn (989.400.3724; [email protected])
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