eNews for Thursday, April 11

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View this email in your browser eNews for Thursday, April 11 UUFCM Banner a Great Success! Our paint and pizza party to paint our UUFCM banner to hang in downtown Mt. Pleasant was a great success!  We painted, ate pizza, painted some more, and finished our masterpiece in record time!  Great thanks to Darlene Ritchie for designing our banner and organizing our work and to the children who painted, Felix, Isla, Mairi, Rose and Savannah, and their parents who pitched in too!   Worship Matters We will gather online via Zoom and in person this Sunday, April 14, to worship with Rev. Drew Frantz, who will present "Stewardship." The Zoom call starts at 10:00am for social time, and the service starts at 10:30am.   "This service will be devoted to our annual pledge drive, where members and friends of the congregation are asked to reflect on what they get from the congregation as well as what they are moved to give back in terms of time, talent, and financial contributions. This is a chance for us to reflect on our values and on how we spend our life energy." 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 April 14 - Stewardship April 21 - Multigenerational Earth Day April 28 - Poetry Service April Youth Religious Education Classes April 14 - Interdependent Balloon Bop/Fingertip Hula Hoop These fun games will teach the kids teamwork and communication skills. Come bounce around with us!  April 21 - Multigenerational Earth Day Service  In celebration of Earth Day, children and adults will all be together for Sunday worship hour. We will sing songs, tell stories, play games, and more! April 28 - Earth Day Outdoors The UU kids will be planting pollinator seeds for their garden, as well as placing their birdhouses and feeders out for our furry friends! If you dig it, come get dirty with us! If you happen to miss being in worship, please check out Sunday Services on our website for sermon video and/or text. 2023 and prior year sermon video and/or text are located under Sermon Archives. Minister’s Column When I was a boy, my father took me with him on a journey to Winnipeg, Manitoba to see a total eclipse of the sun. I remember flying with him from Massachusetts to Minnesota; I remember driving north into Canada with my step-sister and step-mother who joined us; I remember the sheets of sun-proof film we looked through and the frozen lake where we viewed it. Read the column 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 - Monthly Soul Matters Small Group Discussion - Thursday, April 25, 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 Board of Trustees - Sunday, April 14, at 1:00pm If you are interested in helping any of these teams or committees, please fill out the Volunteer Opportunity Form if you haven’t already. Stewardship Campaign Our stewardship campaign is in full swing! You should have received your stewardship packets by now with explanations and directions about how to make your pledge as well as explain our interesting incentives -  incentives to turn in your pledge form early, increase your pledge amount, and/or pledge for the first time! There is also a new volunteer form to let us know ways in which you would like to share your time and talents. Please be sure to read the materials right away and take action by April 21. If you have questions, contact anyone on the Stewardship Committee – Mary Alsager, Norma Bailey, Cynthia Damer,  Drew Frantz, Gisela Moffit, and Amy Voege. Poetry Service - Sunday, April 28 On April 28, Stacey Pattison and Laura McBride will lead the service in celebration of National Poetry Month. During this interactive service, friends and members of the congregation will read a favorite poem to the congregation. This will be in lieu of a regular sermon message. You are encouraged to contact Laura ([email protected] or 989.772.5512) or Stacey ([email protected] or 989.330.1832) with your favorite poem to share with us! It could be silly, poignant, descriptive, or evocative. You may share your own poem or that of another poet. Please consider being a part of this service as we welcome warmer days and sunny skies! Game Night! - Monday, April 15 We meet on 3rd Mondays from 7-9pm in the UUFCM social hall and have fun with a variety of games decided by consensus. It is a great opportunity to learn new games and meet people with similar interests! Questions? Contact James Scott ([email protected]). Save the Date! - Saturday, April 27 We’ll have our annual spring clean-up on Saturday, April 27, 10:00 am - noon. Some inside and lots of outside work will need many hands! Please put the date on your calendar! • • • Community News • • • April Earth Month Activities Central Sustainability, a registered student organization on CMU’s campus, has planned multiple events throughout the month to celebrate and strengthen sustainability on campus and in the community. See the flyer below and newsletter to find out about the various activities. Dial for Democracy Join Voters Not Politician's "Dial for Democracy" List! Activists across the political spectrum can all agree that picking up the phone and calling your elected officials is the most effective way to make your voice heard. In fact, many elected officials and their staff members have stated that a phone call from a constituent holds more weight than an email, tweet, or a fax. By joining VNP's "Dial for Democracy" list, you will receive exclusive alerts when it's time to call your lawmakers on legislation or decisions that impact Michigan's democracy. These alerts will contain info and tips to help you have an easy and productive call to your local lawmaker! If you aren't receiving exclusive Dial for Democracy alerts yet, sign up here. You'll receive alerts when critical legislation is introduced along with your state legislators' contact information and a script to use during your call. Become an Election Worker If you are interested in becoming an election worker in the Mt. Pleasant area, fill out the application and submit it to the appropriate location.  At this time, the City of Mt. Pleasant has enough election workers, but Union Township and the surrounding townships do not.  See Norma Bailey for further information ([email protected]). Free COVID Tests  Get free at-⁠home COVID-⁠19 tests this fall on COVIDTests.gov Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order an additional 4 free at-⁠home tests beginning November 20. If you did not order tests this fall, you may place two orders for a total of 8 tests. Your order of COVID tests is completely free – you won’t even pay for shipping. You can order your test kits HERE. 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: Mary Alsagar (989.330.2226; [email protected]) Team and Committee Leaders Adult Religious Education Team - Jodi Fisher Building, Grounds & Safety Team - Norma Bailey Caring Committee - Laura McBride Communications Coordinating Team  Fellowship Life Coordinating Team - Gisela Moffit   Membership - 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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