eNews for November 30

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View this email in your browser eNews for Thursday, November 30 Worship Matters We will gather online via Zoom and in person this Sunday, December 3, to worship together with Norma Bailey, who will present "Separation of Church and State – The Linchpin of Many of Our Rights." The Zoom call starts at 10:00am for social time, and the service starts at 10:30am. "A battle over the separation of church and state is being waged in our country today.  How does this battle affect you?  What is accurate information about how the founders and the Constitution addressed this issue?  In what ways does our UU faith speak to this issue? And what part might you play in fighting this battle?  Join Norma Bailey in exploring these important questions." 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 December 3: Separation of Church and State – The Linchpin of Many of Our Rights December 10: Hope for Our Children December 16 at 4:00pm: Blue Holidays December 17: Mystery December 24: TBD December 24 at 7:00pm: Christmas Eve December 31: The Burning Bowl   If you happen to miss being in worship, please check out our website sermon archive for sermon video and/or text. Minister’s Column I have been enjoying beautiful views of the full moon this week, which I have just learned is called the Beaver Moon because beavers retreat to their winter dens at this time of year. As one holiday weekend—Thanksgiving--was ending, I was reflecting that another holiday—Christmas—is four weeks away. The next full moon will be on December 26. 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 (3rd Saturday at 7pm in December) - Monthly Soul Matters Small Group Discussion - Tonight! At 6:30pm 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 Coordinating Team - Sunday, December 3 at 12:30pm Building Team - Monday, December 4 at 6:00pm *new day If you are interested in helping any of these teams or committees, please fill out the Volunteer Opportunity Form if you haven’t already. First Friday Potluck – December 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. CMU Public Media Annual Drive It's time to once again consider donating to CMU Public Media. We gather our funds, writing checks to UUFCM, and then purchase air time on WCMU. We typically amass $1,000 to $1,500 and purchase all the air time we can. Please write "WCMU" on the memo line of your check. Mary Alsager will deliver the combined check. Let's wrap this up by Sunday, December 10, please. Youth Religious Education Events for December Youth RE Cookie Decorating Party - Sunday, December 10 On Sunday, December 10, the Youth RE Team will be hosting a cookie decorating party for youth of all ages during their RE class during service and continue into the coffee hour with a cake to celebrate and say goodbye to Katherine Stillson as she moves on in her studies to do her student teaching. Christmas Caroling - Sunday, December 17 On December 17, the Youth RE Team will be caroling to local congregants. We will gather at the Fellowship on Sunday at 1pm to go caroling and then return to the church to have some hot chocolate.  Families are encouraged to come along and bring their youth and their friends! Chalice Lighter Donation Call  The Wheelchair Accessibility Task Force is working on a project to make our sanctuary welcoming to persons in all types of wheelchairs. To help fund this project, we are planning to apply for a Chalice Lighter grant in February and we need your help. Chalice Lighter grants help congregations across the MidAmerica Region of the UUA with specific growth projects and are funded by small donations from individuals that are pooled together. To be eligible to apply for the grant, we need members of our congregation to become Chalice Lighters. To become a member, you have to commit to donating at least $20 three times a year ($60 for the year). You can donate online here: https://www.uua.org/midamerica/giving/chalice-lighters   Please make sure to write in the name of our fellowship in the online comment field.  You can also give a check or cash to Cynthia Damer and she will mail in the donations. Brochures about the Chalice Lighter Program are available in the hallway outside the sanctuary and online here: https://www.uua.org/files/2022-01/MidAmerica%20Region%20Chalice-Lighters-brochure-2022.pdf Happy Birthday! In December, we celebrate the birthdays of James Scott, Aaron Jones, Chris Swier, Matt Cavalieri, Laura Frey, and Sally Van Cise. For the year to come, we wish them much joy, good health for body and mind, and new (ad)ventures. May it be so. • • • Community News • • • Native American Heritage Month - November 27, 28, and 30 Central Michigan University is celebrating Native American Heritage Month and invites community members to its various events.  Please see a list of the events at https://www.cmich.edu/offices-departments/indigenous-affairs/programs/native-american-heritage-month Free COVID Tests Available Again The US government is making four free COVID home tests available again upon the asking.  Log onto COVID.gov/tests to order the tests. Also check on the same website to find if there are extended expiration dates for the test kits you already have. 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. 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 (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; [email protected]) President Elect: Aaron Jones (989.501.0672; [email protected]) Treasurer: Terrie Robbie (989.400.2495; [email protected]) Secretary: Laurie Meadows (989.317.8299; [email protected]) Trustee: Victoria Sladek (989.506.7039; [email protected]) Trustee: Monica Jean (616.443.8782; [email protected]) Trustee: Kevin Daum (989.546.7701; [email protected]) Team and Committee Leaders Adult Religious Education Team - Jodi Fisher Building, Grounds & Safety Team - Norma Bailey Communications Coordinating Team Fellowship Life Coordinating Team - Gisela Moffit   Membership - Laura McBride   Arms Around - 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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