eNews for October 26

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View this email in your browser eNews for Thursday, October 26 A Successful Outdoor Clean-Up Much gratitude to Jennifer Davis, Daniel Davis, Kirsten King, Darlene Ritchie, Jim Dealing, Gisela Moffit and Norma Bailey for their efforts to clean up our grounds on Saturday! We raked (this will need to be done again), cleaned out flower beds, trimmed the lilacs, edged the sidewalks, trimmed the evergreen bushes, cleaned the rain barrel and put the hoses to bed for the winter. As well, Brian Prout scrubbed all the moss off the flat roof on the north side; thank you, Brian! Worship Matters We will gather online via Zoom and in person this Sunday, October 29, to worship together with Rev. Drew Frantz, who will present "Dia de los Muertos​." The Zoom call starts at 10:00am for social time, and the service starts at 10:30am. "Many religious and cultural traditions celebrate and honor the dead this week  – for example, Dia de Muertos in Mexico; All Souls Day in some Christian denominations; Samhain in the Pagan tradition. Our commemoration of this holiday will honor two members of our congregation, Don Rust and Chris Bailey, who have passed away in the past year. Everyone will be invited to participate in a ritual of letting go using autumn leaves." 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 October 29: Dia de los Muertos​ November 5: Generosity of Resources November 12: Generosity of Presence November 19: Generosity of Faith If you happen to miss being in worship, please check out our website sermon archive for sermon video and/or text. Minister’s Column This week I drove to Crystal Mountain, 100 miles northwest from Mount Pleasant, and visited the Michigan Legacy Art Park there. Many Michiganders that I know have never heard of this place, so I guess it is something of a hidden gem. 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 Adult RE Team - Monday, October 30, 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. Hygiene and Cleaning Products for the CMU Student Food Pantry If you did not get a chance to donate to the CMU Student Food Pantry in the plate collection last week or at the Harvest Feast, we are still collecting this week.  There is a basket for your donation of needed hygiene and cleaning products at the front of the sanctuary. A Lovely Harvest Feast Great thanks to Jen Prout for planning and providing a lovely harvest feast!  About 50 people enjoyed delicious food and good conversation! Happy Birthday! In November, we celebrate the birthdays of Jim Dealing, Mary Anne Kryscio, Danielle Ortwein, Kelly Lawson, Jen Prout, Jessica Jernigan, Savannah Fleer, Ricky Courlander, Justin Fleer, Sue Poindexter, Tom Moffit, and Mark Meadows. For the year to come, we wish them much joy, good health for body and mind, and new (ad)ventures. May it be so. Movie Night - October 28 This Saturday! Award winning Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee tells the story of the last major battle between the US military and the American Indians. It stems from a gross misinterpretation of the Ghost Dance by the whites. To the Sioux, it was simply a ceremonial dance. For the government, it was the Sioux preparing for a repeat of the battle at Little Big Horn. Join us on October 28, at 7:00pm in the Fellowship Hall to watch this tragic event.  Help Needed for Homeless Shelter We are scheduled to provide dinners and services for the homeless shelter at St. John’s church. We have been asked to provide the following: Dinners for Sunday, November 12, and Wednesday, November 15; and Volunteers for the morning shift (7:00-9:00am) and the evening shift (7:00-10:00 pm) any day of the week. If you are interested in helping, or in getting more information, please contact Joyce Henricks ([email protected]). Updating Our Nametags and Our Directory “My Name Is _____ and My Pronouns Are _____” In order to be more welcoming to everyone, we are encouraging everyone to put their preferred pronouns on their name tag (actually we will print it for you). We have a form for you to fill out here that asks your pronouns and your birthday, and asks whether you want the pronouns on your nametag, in the directory, both, or neither. This is voluntary. Why pronouns? Here are the words of Sinclair Sexsmith, a queer nonbinary blogger, on the subject:   Dear cis people who put your pronouns on your “hello my name is” name tags: Thank you. When you do that, I feel more comfortable putting my pronouns — they/them. I feel more comfortable being visibly out as nonbinary. I feel more comfortable asking people to use the pronouns that feel most like me, that make me feel most seen and whole, instead of just resolving to be mis-gendered and mis-represented and whatever who cares anyway. (Maybe I do, somewhere, a little.) When we’re doing the socializing part of whatever event we’re at, and we are introduced, I automatically feel warmer toward you — regardless of your gender or presentation. I feel much more comfortable talking to you, because you already tell me you know a little about gender. Thank you.   Again, the link brings you to the form that asks you to update your pronouns and your birthday (if you want to). The UUFCM directory is for members and friends only; it is password-protected on our website. Paper copies of the form are also available.   October Soul Matters Small Group: Heritage - October 27 This Friday Friday, October 27 at 5:30pm Our monthly small group meeting continues in October, where we explore the theme of Heritage. If you are interested in participating, please download this packet of materials and activities related to Heritage: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lqJCnV1wqwU5S4MVzLd-AIJE50j9t8FM/view?usp=sharing The idea of the small group is that we take some time to consider the questions, readings, and spiritual activities suggested in the packet before the meeting – the meeting time is spent sharing our thoughts and experiences. This packet, published by Soul Matters, is a robust collection of ideas related to the monthly theme that will challenge and inspire you. In the small group we create a safe space for sharing. Please contact Rev. Drew with any questions. Welcome to UU Orientation - October 29 This Sunday This orientation is geared to newcomers, visitors, and those seeking to learn more about Unitarian Universalism and this UU fellowship. It is offered monthly, both in person in the fellowship hall and via Zoom, typically 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 [email protected] Please let Laura know whether you will be attending via Zoom or in-person by the Friday prior to the orientation. CUUPs Samhain Ritual - October 29 This Sunday Sunday, October 29 at 6:00pm Samhain (pronounced SAH-win) is a holiday known by another name - Halloween. The ancients believed this was the time of year when the veil between the living and those passed was the thinnest. It is a time to remember those who have passed before us and listen to their stories that still live on inside us. It is also the Pagan “new year” with death and birth being two sides of the same coin. We will hold the ritual promptly at 6:00pm. Adult RE Committee Meeting - October 30 The Adult RE Committee is meeting on Monday, October 30 at 7:00pm at the Fellowship. All are welcome. Please feel free to attend.  Last Week to Donate to the Boot Drive!  Through October 31 We are in the last week of our drive to collect new and very gently used boots, any size, for school children and teens. The drive goes for the month of October, and the boots will be donated to Clothing, INC, in time for parents to get boots before winter hits. Please place them in the box provided in the Fellowship Hall by October 31. If you’re not a shopper, any member of the SJCT will be glad to shop for you; just give us some money on Sunday! Teen Movie Night - November 4 The Youth RE Team is inviting all teens and their friends (grade 8 and above) to a teen movie night – pizza, snacks, movie and discussion – on Saturday, November 4, 4:00-7:30 in the Fellowship Hall. The movie is Iron-Jawed Angels, starring Hilary Swank, and it depicts what it really took for women to win the right to vote. • • • Community News • • • Emma's Revolution - October 28 Hosted by the First UU Congregation of Ann Arbor. Presented in person and virtually. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here. 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. 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.