Welcome everything! Welcome all alike what has been, and what never was,
and what we hope may be, to your shelter underneath the holly,
to your places around the Christmas fire, where what is sits open-hearted!
~ Charles Dickens
Worship Matters
Join us this Solstice Sunday, December 21 at 10:30 a.m. for our annual “Festival of Lights” multigenerational worship service. This special service will be packed with light, life and laughter as we share and reflect together through stories and songs of the season. Childcare will be provided, if needed.
Christmas Eve – We will gather for a special holiday candlelight service on Wednesday, December 24 at 7:00 p.m. This service for all ages will be a celebration woven with spoken word, sacred music and carols. We hope you will join us!
Words for Reflection– Howard Thurman, minister, scholar, author, poet, professor, African-American, who lived in the 20th century during some of the most tumultuous, painful and challenging times of our nation, wrote:
There is a need in the human spirit for the salutation of life. It is the act of celebration that provides a personal and collective awareness of the place and significance of the individual in the continuity, in the flow of life itself. This sense of continuity is the ultimate windbreak against the ever-present threat of isolation and separation from the surrounding environ. The true meaning of Christmas is expressed in the sharing of one's graces in a world in which it is so easy to become callous, insensitive, and hard. Once this spirit becomes part of a person's life, every day is Christmas, and every night is freighted with anticipation of the dawning of fresh, and perhaps holy, adventure.
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 Dawn Daniels (989-763-6315) or Laura McBride (989-772-5512). 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!
Fellowship Life Meeting
The Fellowship Life meeting is cancelled this month. Please enjoy the month, festivities, and all that is meaningful to you this season!
CUUPS (Covenant of UU Pagans) Yule Celebration
Please join us to celebrate Winter Solstice on Monday, December 22nd. We gather at 6:30 p.m., hold the ritual promptly at 7:00 p.m., and our potluck takes place between 7:30 and 8:00 p.m. Please bring a dish to pass and/or a dessert to share.
Sewing Circle
Sewing Circle will not meet on January 5th, but will resume on Monday, January 19 (which is Martin Luther King Day).
Craft Supplies for RE
RE needs collage materials. We could use magazines, colored paper, scraps of bulletin board edging, colored and/or double-sided tape, glitter glue. We are looking to stock up on paper craft supplies to keep young hands busy during the cold weather ahead. Thanks, and try to stay warm!
A Special Joy to Share
Marriage bells will be ringing for Paulette Moerdyk and Roy Dale Catlin this Friday, December 19, 2014 at 5:30 at the Dunning Memorial Chapel in Alma. We wish them much love, joy and contentment on their journeys together. If you want to share your wishes, you can send them to the couple at 7327 Lads Court, Alma, MI 48801.
Changes to Joyful Noise Choir Schedule
Choir rehearsals are on Sunday mornings from 9:00-10:00 a.m. Please be advised that we no longer have rehearsal on Wednesday evenings.
Think Before You Spritz
This message is a request for mindfulness as well as an effort to raise awareness. There are people who attend services and other activities at our fellowship who have fragrance allergies/chemical sensitivities. Being in close proximity (which is difficult to avoid in our small space) to folks wearing cologne, perfume - even heavily scented soaps/shampoos - can cause a range of uncomfortable symptomatic reactions. While we like to think of ourselves as a diverse bouquet as a faith community, the literal mixing of so many different scents (as opposed to the metaphorical mixing) can be a health hazard for some of us. We ask that you keep this in mind when considering your choice of personal care/hygienic applications. Thank you!
CLF Offers Online Poetry and Therapy Course
The Church of the Larger Fellowship (UU) is offering Whispering Winds, a twice-monthly writing course over 3 months with a professional poetry therapist, Nessa McCasey (who is also a Unitarian Universalist). Nessa gently coaxes our writing selves to reveal the wisdom we each inherently harbor within. Because she builds community through positive feedback of each person’s writing, the group feels comfortable sharing meaningful and often insightful comments with each other. We do not analyze writings as one might do in a college course. Instead, we explore, ponder, play with words, and spiritually wander through wonder. Any level of writer is welcome to join this creative exploration that nurtures the soul. Poetic prompts and creative starters will be offered to help face the blank page each session and writers are able to veer in their own direction as desired.
Two course sessions are being offered:
• • • Community News • • •
Woodland Hospice Adult Grief Group
Meets first Tuesday of each month from 5:30-7:00 p.m. in the Meditation Room at the Woodland Hospice House. Call Valerie at 989-773-6137 for information on how to join the group. See flyer for dates/topics.
Join us this Solstice Sunday, December 21 at 10:30 a.m. for our annual “Festival of Lights” multigenerational worship service. This special service will be packed with light, life and laughter as we share and reflect together through stories and songs of the season. Childcare will be provided, if needed.
Christmas Eve – We will gather for a special holiday candlelight service on Wednesday, December 24 at 7:00 p.m. This service for all ages will be a celebration woven with spoken word, sacred music and carols. We hope you will join us!
Words for Reflection– Howard Thurman, minister, scholar, author, poet, professor, African-American, who lived in the 20th century during some of the most tumultuous, painful and challenging times of our nation, wrote:
There is a need in the human spirit for the salutation of life. It is the act of celebration that provides a personal and collective awareness of the place and significance of the individual in the continuity, in the flow of life itself. This sense of continuity is the ultimate windbreak against the ever-present threat of isolation and separation from the surrounding environ. The true meaning of Christmas is expressed in the sharing of one's graces in a world in which it is so easy to become callous, insensitive, and hard. Once this spirit becomes part of a person's life, every day is Christmas, and every night is freighted with anticipation of the dawning of fresh, and perhaps holy, adventure.
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 Dawn Daniels (989-763-6315) or Laura McBride (989-772-5512). 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!
Fellowship Life Meeting
The Fellowship Life meeting is cancelled this month. Please enjoy the month, festivities, and all that is meaningful to you this season!
CUUPS (Covenant of UU Pagans) Yule Celebration
Please join us to celebrate Winter Solstice on Monday, December 22nd. We gather at 6:30 p.m., hold the ritual promptly at 7:00 p.m., and our potluck takes place between 7:30 and 8:00 p.m. Please bring a dish to pass and/or a dessert to share.
Sewing Circle
Sewing Circle will not meet on January 5th, but will resume on Monday, January 19 (which is Martin Luther King Day).
Craft Supplies for RE
RE needs collage materials. We could use magazines, colored paper, scraps of bulletin board edging, colored and/or double-sided tape, glitter glue. We are looking to stock up on paper craft supplies to keep young hands busy during the cold weather ahead. Thanks, and try to stay warm!
A Special Joy to Share
Marriage bells will be ringing for Paulette Moerdyk and Roy Dale Catlin this Friday, December 19, 2014 at 5:30 at the Dunning Memorial Chapel in Alma. We wish them much love, joy and contentment on their journeys together. If you want to share your wishes, you can send them to the couple at 7327 Lads Court, Alma, MI 48801.
Changes to Joyful Noise Choir Schedule
Choir rehearsals are on Sunday mornings from 9:00-10:00 a.m. Please be advised that we no longer have rehearsal on Wednesday evenings.
Think Before You Spritz
This message is a request for mindfulness as well as an effort to raise awareness. There are people who attend services and other activities at our fellowship who have fragrance allergies/chemical sensitivities. Being in close proximity (which is difficult to avoid in our small space) to folks wearing cologne, perfume - even heavily scented soaps/shampoos - can cause a range of uncomfortable symptomatic reactions. While we like to think of ourselves as a diverse bouquet as a faith community, the literal mixing of so many different scents (as opposed to the metaphorical mixing) can be a health hazard for some of us. We ask that you keep this in mind when considering your choice of personal care/hygienic applications. Thank you!
CLF Offers Online Poetry and Therapy Course
The Church of the Larger Fellowship (UU) is offering Whispering Winds, a twice-monthly writing course over 3 months with a professional poetry therapist, Nessa McCasey (who is also a Unitarian Universalist). Nessa gently coaxes our writing selves to reveal the wisdom we each inherently harbor within. Because she builds community through positive feedback of each person’s writing, the group feels comfortable sharing meaningful and often insightful comments with each other. We do not analyze writings as one might do in a college course. Instead, we explore, ponder, play with words, and spiritually wander through wonder. Any level of writer is welcome to join this creative exploration that nurtures the soul. Poetic prompts and creative starters will be offered to help face the blank page each session and writers are able to veer in their own direction as desired.
Two course sessions are being offered:
- Sunday sessions, starting January 4; or,
- Wednesday sessions, starting January 7
• • • Community News • • •
Woodland Hospice Adult Grief Group
Meets first Tuesday of each month from 5:30-7:00 p.m. in the Meditation Room at the Woodland Hospice House. Call Valerie at 989-773-6137 for information on how to join the group. See flyer for dates/topics.
Hope is like peace. It is not a gift from God. It is a gift only we can give one another.
~ Elie Wiesel
The deadline for submissions to the Order of Service Insert and the UUFCM weekly e-News is
Sunday at 10:00 p.m. Please send all submissions to [email protected]
UUFCM Board of Trustees for 2014-2015
President: Laura McBride (989.772.5512; [email protected])
President Elect: Annette Pratt (989.400.0173; [email protected])
Past-President: Gisela Moffit (989.772.1602; [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: Capalene Howse (989.488.8714; [email protected])
Trustee: Jennifer Prout (989.400.3130; [email protected])
Sunday at 10:00 p.m. Please send all submissions to [email protected]
UUFCM Board of Trustees for 2014-2015
President: Laura McBride (989.772.5512; [email protected])
President Elect: Annette Pratt (989.400.0173; [email protected])
Past-President: Gisela Moffit (989.772.1602; [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: Capalene Howse (989.488.8714; [email protected])
Trustee: Jennifer Prout (989.400.3130; [email protected])
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