eNews for 9/18/13

“My growing belief is that, as a religious community and as individuals,
we may be secure enough, mature enough to find a language of reverence,
a language that can acknowledge the presence of the holy in our lives.”
~ William G. Sinkford, UU Minister and former president of the UUA

Middle Level Sleep Over at the UUFCM!
All UUFCM 4th-8th graders are invited to attend a night of fun, food and friendship, Friday, September 20 at 6:30 p.m. until Saturday, September 21 at 9:30 a.m. There will be snacks, games, movies and more! Bring your self, a sleeping bag and pillow, pajamas, a change of clothes and your tooth brush. Contact Norma Bailey (baile1nj@cmich.edu or at 989-560-3952) or Cynthia Damer (ckdamer@gmail.com or at 989-506-5750) if you have questions. Hope to see you there!

Blazing Star Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans

Mabon 2013 - Friday, September 20
At the Fall Equinox, we begin to descend into the dark time of year. The dark can be scary, but facing it with confidence helps us find power in ourselves. There are few experiences more thrilling, more transformative, than facing a challenge and overcoming it. At our Mabon ritual this year, we shall honor each others’ work in our world and grant each other the strength needed to face the challenges that are ahead of us, as we prepare for our annual descent into the dark half of the year.

We will gather at 6:30 p.m. to celebrate Mabon. Our ritual will begin promptly at 7:00 p.m. with a potluck to follow the ceremony. The potluck will conclude at 8:00 p.m. Please wear Fall colors to this event, or anything with grapes, vines, or a wine theme. Blessed be!
Jayson Turner, CUUPS Coordinator

Sunday Worship

The sermon for September 22nd is “Words for Wholeness”. What is our need for religious language?

Last Fall Fellowship Fair This Sunday!

If you missed last Sunday, you have another opportunity to get involved in our fellowship this Sunday immediately following the service. It is by working together, bringing our ideas and efforts to promote the health of this fellowship that we can grow and expand our Mission. Serving together we learn to rely on one another and become deeper friends. Please plan to attend the "Fair" this Sunday to see all the areas in which you are needed. Learn about the places your time and talents can be given to promote the health and growth of our community. From worship on Sundays to RE, from communications, to planning, from soup to nuts, we need you! The return on involvement is deep and the work is lighter with many in service.

RE Volunteers Needed

Positions available for you to invest in the children of our congregation:
Elementary Volunteer Teacher

• A commitment of only ten to twelve Sunday mornings
• Participating on a four-person team
• Backyard to the Universe, Dr. Seuss and UUs curriculum, customized with materials provided

Passion Sunday Volunteers

• Passion Sundays are an opportunity for adults in our fellowship to share whatever they
  are passionate about with the children and youth of our congregation.

Please contact Niki Henry or Bill Tinsley for more information or to volunteer.

Hope for the Planet

Climate advocate Lynate Pettengill will speak at UUFCM on September 23rd at 7:00 p.m. Her talk will address climate change and how we can address this challenge with a revenue-neutral tax on carbon. Lynate is field director for the Citizens Climate Lobby, a grassroots advocacy organization pursuing national policies to address climate change. The talk will be facilitated by Jim Dealing. For more information contact Maura Brennan at 231-645-0827.

Gearing up for the Silent Auction

Last year's auction was our biggest fund raiser, so plans are underway for another fun-filled evening. This year's Silent Item and Service Auction will be held on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m.There are opportunities for everyone to be involved and to contribute.
Start thinking about what unique services you can offer: teach, bake, host, create, rake. Look at some treasures in your house you no longer need, but somebody else would love to have. Consider donating them. We will also need volunteers to help with the event (setting up, taking down, greeting, cashiers, etc). For more ideas, see this list.
In the next two weeks you will be contacted by phone or email. Then you can let us know how you want to be involved. For more information contact Gisela Moffit, Vicki Chessin or Norma Bailey.

Thank You!

The noisy collection Sunday was a success and got us closer to meeting our goal. The Peace Pole Project will cost about $250 dollars, and we have a little more than $100 raised already from the bottle and can collections and the more than $40 that was collected Sunday. We thank all of you who have contributed.

Get to Know Kristin and Rev. Joe

As a way of helping Rev. Joe get to know us, the Transition Team has been organizing dinners for Rev. Joe with members. We'd like to see these dinners continue, especially now that his partner, Kristin, is in town! But there's no need to use the Transition Team as a go-between. If you'd like to get to know Rev. Joe and Kristin better over dinner, you can extend that invitation to Rev. Joe at RevJoeUUFCM@gmail.com or call him at the fellowship: 989-400-4933.

Do You Donate to CMU Public Radio?

The last couple years some of us have bundled our donations to CMU Public Radio and purchased "publicity". UUFCM has been a "day sponsor" and had regular "blurbs" acknowledging us. Mary Alsager will be collecting our donations once again. You can make the check to CMU Public Radio as you have in the past and give it to Mary before September 29th. Your donation is tax deductible.

“May our deeds inscribe us in the Book of life and blessing, righteousness and peace!”
~ from reading #636 in Singing the Living Tradition




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More detail about UUFCM activities, shared interest groups is available on our website.
The deadline for submissions to the Order of Service Insert and the UUFCM weekly e-News
is Tuesday at 5 p.m. Please send all submissions to admin@uufcm.org