eNews for August 24, 2023

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View this email in your browser eNews for Thursday, August 24 Welcome Back! Water Ingathering - August 27 The Water Ingathering is a special ritual that marks the beginning of the Fellowship’s year as summer turns towards autumn. Everyone is invited to bring water from a place that’s special to you – either at home or far away – and we pour our water into a common bowl. All are welcome: bring your water if you can. Worship Matters We will gather online via Zoom and in person this Sunday, August 27, to worship together with Rev. Drew Frantz, who will present “Water Ingathering." The Zoom call starts at 10:00am for social time, and the service starts at 10:30am. "The Water Ingathering is a special ritual that marks the beginning of the Fellowship’s year as summer turns towards autumn. Everyone is invited to bring water from a place that’s special to you – either at home or far away – and we pour our water into a common bowl. All are welcome: bring your water if you can." 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 27: Water Ingathering September 3: Putting “Labor” Back in Labor Day If you happen to miss being in worship, please check out our website sermon archive for sermon video and/or text. Minister’s Column On Saturday I had the pleasure of spending the day at Market for the Arts, a delightful community event sponsored by For Arts Sake in downtown Mount Pleasant. The downtown area was blocked off for pedestrians only.  Read more here. 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. - Welcome to UU Orientation - Last Sundays at 12:30pm - UUFCM Men’s Group - 1st Mondays at 7pm on Zoom - Game Night - 3rd Mondays at 7pm - Central Michigan Sangha - Tuesdays at 6:45pm - UU Discussion Group - Wednesdays at 10am - Choir Rehearsal - Wednesdays at 7pm - Drawing Workshop - 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 10am - First Friday Potluck - First Fridays at 6:30pm - Movie Night - 4th Saturdays at 7pm 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 Communications Team - Monday, August 28 at 7pm If you are interested in helping any of these teams or committees, please fill out the Volunteer Opportunity Form if you haven’t already. Small Group Starting in September Monthly meeting based on themes from Soul Matters As announced from the pulpit last Sunday, Rev. Drew will be leading a monthly small group starting in September. The small group will meet for two hours toward the end of the month. At the beginning of the month, participants will get a packet of activities and questions related to the monthly theme. These themes are published by a UU group called Soul Matters and are the same themes that we often follow in Sunday worship and in the children’s classes. For example, the theme for September is “Welcome” and some of the questions that the small group will consider include: Who welcomed you in when you needed it most? How has that gift changed you? What would you say to the person if you had the chance? What would you tell someone younger than yourself about welcoming in grief? Have you ever welcomed in a moment so fully that you suddenly felt one with it?  What part of you do you wish your family of origin would have welcomed more enthusiastically? Do you know what it’s like to encounter a welcome that requires you to remove parts of yourself to belong?  What part of yourself is hardest to welcome in and embrace with compassion: Your vulnerable self? Your flawed self? Your easily frightened self? Your angry self? If you’re interested in joining the small group…. Download the Soul Matters small group packet for September here. It is 11 pages and contains all the activities and questions for the month. Let Rev. Drew know that you are interested and what times of the week are good for you–the meeting time will be decided based upon who is attending. Movie Night - August 26 Some movies are so timeless many argue a remake could never do it justice. The iconic movie, The Princess Bride, is one such movie. It has a Rotten Tomatoes score of almost 100%. The all-star cast includes Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Billy Crystal, Mandy Patinkin, Wallace Shawn, Fred Savage, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest, Andre the Giant, Carol Kane and many more! Join us August 26 at 7:00 in the Fellowship Hall and decide if this hype is deserved. Welcome to UU Orientation – August 27 This orientation is geared to newcomers, visitors, and those seeking to learn more about Unitarian Universalism and this UU fellowship. It is offered every month both in person in the fellowship hall and via Zoom, on the last Sunday at 12:30 pm. Sessions run approximately an hour and a half. For more info or to register for Welcome to UU, contact: Laura McBride: 989.772.5512 Lmcbride010@gmail.com Please let Laura know whether you will be attending via Zoom or in person by the Friday prior to the orientation. First Friday Potluck – September 1 Please join us in the UUFCM Fellowship Hall at 6:30pm (doors open at 6:15) for food, conversation, and games! Coffee, hot tea, and water will be provided. If you are able, please bring a dish to pass. Chris Bailey's Memorial Service Chris Bailey's Memorial Service will be Saturday, September 23 at 2pm at the Fellowship. After the service, everyone is invited to Cops and Donuts in Mt. Pleasant for snacks and sandwiches.  We hold his wife, Nancy, and everyone who loves Chris in support and love. His full obituary can be found at Clark Funeral Home. UUFCM is Hiring! UUFCM is looking to hire a new Director of Religious Education. If you know anyone interested and qualified, please encourage them to apply, as the best employees sometimes are recruited by word of mouth. UUFCM policy states that we usually do not hire members of the congregation to be employees. Applications and inquiries should go to Rev. Drew. The job posting is here and on our website: Job posting for Director of Religious Education (6-10 hours per week) • • • Community News • • • "Beyond the Binary: The Genders of God” - TODAY at 3:00 pm Inclusive Justice of Michigan invites everyone to its next webinar “Beyond the Binary: The Genders of God” on Thursday, August 24 at 3:00 pm. The Rev. Lawrence T. Richardson, a social justice advocate, writer, and pastor at Salem United Church of Christ, will present a fascinating discussion on using gender-expansive language for the Divine. For further information and to register: register for the webinar today! 17th Annual People’s Traditional Powwow August 26 and 27 All are welcome at the 17th Annual People’s Traditional Powwow on August 26 and 27 at the Seventh Generation Powwow Grounds at 7957 E. Remus Road.  Grand entries 1pm and 7pm on Saturday and 1pm on Sunday. For further information - https://meetmtp.com/event/peoples-traditional-powwow-2/             Water Is Life Festival in Petoskey, MI on September 2 Save the date of September 2, 12pm-9pm, for the Water Is Life Festival at the Festival Park in Petoskey, MI.  Come celebrate the Water and our connection to it through music, art and food. For further information -  https://www.waterislifefestival.org/                MI Response To Hate (MIR2H) Conference The MI Response to Hate Conference, presented by the Michigan Alliance Against Hate Crimes MIAAHC, is an annual statewide conference focused on anti-hate and anti-bias programming. The all-day conference will be held in East Lansing on Thursday, September 14.  For further information:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mi-response-to-hate-mir2h-conference-tickets-639420833927 Let Peace Reign! Save the Date! On September 23, 2023, Isabella County Human Rights Committee will be doing its annual "Let Peace Reign" event. The event starts at approximately 3pm and will last until approximately 6pm. There are going to be a few local artists, musicians, speakers, a drum band, a Peace walk, and other various activities. Come out to Island Park Performance Arts Pavilion and enjoy an afternoon of peace and harmony! 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, or via the GivePlus Church App. Please consider the option of offsetting the cost to the Fellowship for providing the convenience of making an online donation. “Deepening Connections” 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 admin@uufcm.org. Drew’s Contact Information Please contact Drew via email, phone, or text. minister@uufcm.org  Phone/text: 440-935-0129​ Office Hours (in person and/or Zoom):    Tuesdays 10am-noon   Wednesdays 1-3pm and 8-9pm Office Hours Zoom Link UUFCM Board of Trustees for 2023-2024 President: Cynthia Damer (989.506.5750; ckdamer@gmail.com) President Elect: Aaron Jones (989.501.0672; jones3aj@cmich.edu) Treasurer: Terrie Robbie (989.400.2495; tlrobbie1@gmail.com) Secretary: Laurie Meadows (989.317.8299; Laurieartlvr@aol.com) Trustee: Victoria Sladek (989.506.7039; victoriasladek@gmail.com) Trustee: Monica Jean (616.443.8782; atkin2mj@gmail.com) Trustee: Kevin Daum (989.546.7701; kevin.daum@gmail.com) Team and Committee Leaders Adult Religious Education Team - Jodi Fisher Building, Grounds & Safety Team - Norma Bailey Communications Coordinating Team - Amy Voege Fellowship Life Coordinating Team - Gisela Moffit   Membership - Laura McBride   Arms Around - Gisela Moffit   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 Anti-Racism Task Force - Norma Bailey   We are a religious community guided by love, transforming our lives and our world. Copyright © 2023 Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Michigan. All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.