eNews for Thursday, January 23

Keep up with all that’s happening at the UUFCM!

View this email in your browser eNews for Thursday, January 23 NEW: Peoples March in Lansing on Saturday, January 18 On Saturday, January 18, 14 of us traveled down to Lansing to participate in the Peoples March to have our voices be heard.  Thanks to Norma Bailey, Sierra Burke, Marco Muñoz Fortino, Drew Frantz, Daria Kingman, Kelly Lawson, Sarah Longstaff, Kelly Lawson, Jenny Main, Kathy Millar, Jim Moreno, Darlene Ritchie, Ariah Siwik, Thomas Siwik, and Cathryn Young for participating and representing our UU faith tradition. Worship Matters We will gather online via Zoom and in person this Sunday, January 26, to worship with Rev. Drew Frantz, who will present "Responding in Love." The Zoom call starts at 10:00am for social time, and the service starts at 10:30am. "This moment in American history sees profound changes (both actual and potential) that affect immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, law and justice, health care, the environment and more. As religious people we are called to respond to current events and politics through our values–and our primary value is Love. How does Love call us to respond to this moment, individually and collectively? This is the question for the Saturday retreat and the Sunday sermon this week." 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 January 26: Responding in Love In Case You Missed It... Many past sermons are available on our website under Sermon Videos and Archives. Here are links to more recent sermons.  "Martin Luther King" - January 19, by Rev. Drew Frantz "Winter Solstice" - December 22, by Rev. Drew Frantz Minister’s Column Donald Trump’s inauguration sparks many thoughts about policy and protest: immigration, health care, education, law and justice, abortion rights and trans rights are just some of the issues that confront us individually and collectively. At our congregational retreat on Saturday we will do a deep dive into what’s happening and how we might respond. For today, however, I’m reflecting on self-care, engagement, and retreat. 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. A Joyful Noise Choir Rehearsal - Wednesdays at 7pm  Central Michigan Sangha - Tuesdays at 6:45pm Crafty U - 3rd Tuesdays at 10:30am  First Friday Potluck - First Fridays at 6:30pm Game Night - 3rd Mondays at 7pm Movie Night - 4th Saturdays at 7pm  NEW: Readers Theater - 2nd Tuesdays at 7pm Soul Matters Discussion Group - 4th Thursdays at 6:30pm UU Discussion Group - Wednesdays at 10am UUFCM Men’s Group - 1st Mondays at 7pm on Zoom UUFCM Women's Circle - 3rd Thursdays at 7pm Welcome to UU Orientation - 4th Sundays at 12:00pm  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, January 27, at 7:00pm NEW: UUFCM Named 2024 Good Trouble Congregation We have just received notification that we have been named a “2024 Good Trouble Congregation” by UU the Vote for our work writing 780 letters encouraging people to vote in the November general election! Congratulations to us, and thank you to all who participated! NEW: The Communications Team Wants Your Data! (But not in a scary way.) The Communications Team has been hard at work creating a strategy for navigating the fast-moving universe of social media and electronic information. Before we make any drastic changes, we’d like to have a better understanding of how UUFCM members and friends use the digital channels we have now, such as the eNews you’re reading right now and the UUFCM Connections group on Facebook. You can help us serve the congregation better by taking a minute or two to complete this quick survey. That’s really how long it should take, and we truly value your input. Thank you!  NEW: New Food Policy for UUFCM Because we have a number of children who have significant food allergies, on January 12, the Board of Trustees approved a food policy that basically makes the nursery and the green room food-free. See the attached policy.  If you have questions about the policy, contact any member of the Board. NEW: Readers Theater Resumes! Each second Tuesday of the month at 7:00pm, we meet in the fellowship hall and read a play aloud. Roles are assigned and scripts are available about ten days before meeting. No memorization required, but reading play prior to “performance” is strongly advised. Come and satisfy your inner actor! Contact Jim Dealing for more information (989-772-0269). NEW: Ways to Donate for CA Wildfires The most impactful way to support disaster response is through financial donation, according to Bishop Wash, director of public relations for the Salvation Army. “Your donation helps meet both immediate and long-term needs. It also enables the purchase of supplies from local vendors, which supports community businesses. During emergencies, 100% of designated gifts are directed toward specific relief efforts.” Monetary donations allow organizations to purchase exactly what is needed in real time, whether it’s blankets, medical supplies, food, or temporary housing. This ensures that the support goes directly where it is most needed.   The following charities have been vetted by NBC News: California Community Foundation California Fire Foundation L.A. Fire Department Foundation Pasadena Humane Society Ventura County Community Foundation American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles Center for Disaster Philanthropy Direct Relief World Central Kitchen UUFCM Retreat - THIS Saturday, January 25  Every January we hold our all-congregation retreat for members and friends.  This year, the retreat will be on Saturday, January 25 with a hot breakfast served from 8:00-8:45, and the retreat activities from 9:00-12:00. Our theme this year is "Responding in Love to a Threatening World,” and we will explore the theme with small and large group discussions. What actions can we take individually and collectively as UUFCM to respond in love? Everyone is welcome!  Looking forward to seeing you there! UUFCM needs YOU! - THIS Saturday! Want to get involved, but have little time? We have the perfect opportunity for you to be part of our faith community by volunteering for hospitality on a Sunday when it is convenient for you. We need greeters, pre-service hosts, post-service hosts and refreshment providers. On Saturday, January 25, before and after the congregational retreat, you can sign up for any task you would like to try. Bring your calendars to find the date(s) that would work best for you. For more information contact Gisela ([email protected]). See you there! Movie Night - THIS Saturday, January 25 Many believe that successful military campaigns stem from meticulous planning and expert intelligence, but sometimes, victory comes down to pure luck. Such was the case in the Pacific Battle of Midway. Join us on January 25 at 7:00pm in the Fellowship Hall for a screening of Midway. Enjoy an evening of history, drama, and freshly popped popcorn! Directory Update Request - THIS Sunday! We are getting ready to print a new Directory in February. Have there been any changes in your life?  New phone, new email, postal address, or pronouns (optional?)  Please let Gisela ([email protected]) or Wendy ([email protected]) know before Sunday, January 26. Thanks for your help and support! Are You Digitally Secure? - THIS Sunday! The Adult RE team is pleased to announce its first class of 2025! Aaron Jones will present an entry-level overview of basic digital security, including best practices regarding passwords, communicating online, and ways to identify and protect against phishing attempts. Please join us on Sunday, January 26, after coffee hour. For more information, contact Aaron at [email protected]. UUFCM's Path to Membership Class - February 8 UUFCM's Path to Membership class will be held on Saturday, February 8, at 1:00pm. This workshop is designed for those who want to understand the membership commitment to UUFCM. In this one-and-a-half to two-hour interactive hybrid session, we explore the deeper meanings and expectations of membership and shared ministry. Please contact Laura McBride to sign up. "Building Your Own Theology" Course Sundays at noon - beginning February 9 (Note new dates below!) Jim Dealing and Rev. Drew will jointly lead a six-week exploration of personal values and beliefs that culminates in creating your own personal statement of belief. Along the way we address our individual religious histories; thoughts about God; life and death; and the purpose of living. We use a modified version of the course laid out in Building Your Own Theology by Richard Gilbert. The book is out of print, so we will provide copies of key passages and exercises. Each of the six meetings includes large and small group discussion, with recommended readings and reflections. Please let Rev. Drew or Jim Dealing know if you are interested in attending. We will meet on six Sundays:  February 9 February 16 March 9 March 16 April 13 April 20 Budget Hearing - Sunday, February 16 At the Fellowship Life meeting after the worship service on Sunday, February 16, the Board will hold our annual budget hearing where congregants can give initial feedback to the proposed budget for 2025-2026.  Please plan on attending. Stay Informed for UUFCM Cancellations When we decide to cancel or postpone a UUFCM event due to weather--as we did on December 15 for the ice storm--we use a cell phone app called Remind to make these announcements. In the case of Sunday morning worship, we make our decision by 8:30 am. Downloading the Remind app to your phone and signing up just takes a few minutes. Stay informed and prepared this winter! View our full cancellation policy along with instructions for signing up on the Remind app here. • • • Community News • • • CMU Calendar of Events - Martin Luther King Jr. Week Friday, Jan. 24 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. charity basketball game: 6:30 p.m., Student Activity Center (Courts 5 and 6) UPLIFT Trans/Nonbinary Monthly Gathering Space They meet twice monthly and the next meetings are January 28 and February 14. https://www.uua.org/lgbtq/transnb Join UPLIFT monthly gatherings for trans, nonbinary, and other not-entirely-or-at-all-cis UUs and friends of UUism. Join us to connect with other trans/nonbinary+ UUs and co-create support and community across our faith. All you need to bring is yourself (and other trans/nonbinary friends, if you’d like)! Non-UUs are welcome if they are OK with being in a UU-focused community that won't proselytize. If you are interested in this space, and you aren’t (entirely or at all) cisgender, it is a space for you. What do we do? Gatherings are a cozy community space where we connect with each other with games and breakout groups, share ideas and stories on all kinds of topics, listen to music and poetry (often by trans/nonbinary+ creators), and much more! This is a drop-in space, where folks can come and go as works best for them, and where people can join us at any time. You can be a regular or someone new, someone who's been curious for a while but hasn't yet checked us out, somebody who is rejoining after time away, and all other ways of relating to this space! You are welcome here, and you are loved.   All-Ages Community This space is multi-generational. It is open to and welcoming of trans/nonbinary elders as well as children, youth, and young adults. Standard UUA online safety measures apply to ensure all people under 18 are able to attend. We're glad to have you here!   Accessibility Information Closed captioning is available, and any common chat content will also be spoken aloud.  Please be mindful of both processing and communication access.  Speak one at a time. Meeting will not be recorded.  Participation, as well as what is shared, is confidential. There is no requirement to appear on video or to maintain “conventional” appearances.  Additional accessibility needs?  Please email [email protected] or [email protected]!  We will do our best to ensure you can fully access the space. PFLAG Great Lakes Bay Region A local chapter of the LGBTQ+ support group Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) meets monthly in Saginaw. Their mission is "to create a caring, just, and affirming world for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them." The meetings are at 4790 ½ Gratiot Road on the third Sunday of the month from 2:00-3:00. Please see Rev. Drew for more information including possible ride sharing from Mount Pleasant. Scam Alert Several congregants have received emails and texts purportedly from UUFCM leadership. If you receive a message that seems suspicious, please remember that we would never solicit money or ask for help in this way, and do not respond to the message. Read more 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 2024-2025 President: Aaron Jones (989.501.0672; [email protected]) President-Elect: Norma Bailey (989.560.3952; [email protected]) Treasurer: Terrie Robbie (989.400.2495; [email protected]) Secretary: Laurie Meadows (989.317.8299; [email protected]) Trustee: Annette Pratt (989.400.0173; [email protected]) Trustee: Monica Jean (616.443.8782; [email protected]) Trustee: David Allan (989.941.7349; [email protected]) Team and Committee Leaders Adult Religious Education Team - Jodi Fisher Building, Grounds & Safety Team - Norma Bailey Caring Team - Laura McBride Communications Coordinating Team - Jessica Jernigan and Monica Jean 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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