eNews for Thursday, March 21

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View this email in your browser eNews for Thursday, March 21 Decorating Bird Houses for the UUFCM Grounds We are one step closer to our finished garden project! Building homes for the birds of the neighborhood, the UU kids finished painting and decorating for our equity project. We are excited to build homes and provide water and food resources for our feathered friends. Next, we will place them outside near our gardens. If anyone has perennial seeds, plants, or perennial pollinator flowers and would like to donate them to the garden, please let us know! If anyone would like to help us build and construct in the garden, please get in contact with Marhea.  Worship Matters We will gather online via Zoom and in person this Sunday, March 17, to worship with Joyce Henricks, who will present "Can There be Humor in Religion?" The Zoom call starts at 10:00am for social time, and the service starts at 10:30am.   "Is it appropriate to make fun of one’s own religion? Other religions? Are stereotyped jokes always inappropriate? Do different religions have different answers to these questions? The focus will be on Christianity, Judaism, and Unitarian Universalism. A lot of questions, few answers!" 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 March 24 - Can There be Humor in Religion? March 31 - Easter Sunday March Religious Education Classes March 24 - Peace and Tranquility with Feng Shui We will explore Feng Shui--the arrangement of colors, shapes, and objects in rooms, creating a safe space to feel better physically, emotionally, and spiritually--through creating our own wind chimes. March 31 - Transformation of Self  In this class the kids will be making their own fashion statements, transforming our everyday wear into something personal. The kids will learn how to sew, decorate, dye, and design their own clothing or accessories!  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 This past weekend I traveled to Wisconsin for my mother’s memorial service. It was presided over by Pastor Kathleen Remund at the First Congregational United Church of Christ on Saturday afternoon. The next morning I also attended Sunday worship with Pastor Kathleen, where one moment stood out for me. Read the column here. Minister on Study Leave Rev. Drew will be on study leave from Monday, March 25 through Sunday, March 31. During this time off from regular duties, Drew is still available for urgent business as needed. If you can’t reach him directly, please contact board president Cynthia Damer (989-506-5750; [email protected]). 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 1:00pm - This SUNDAY: March 24! - 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 - TONIGHT, March 21, 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 None this week! If you are interested in helping any of these teams or committees, please fill out the Volunteer Opportunity Form if you haven’t already. March Movie Night in Honor of Women's History Month - This Saturday, March 23 "Hidden Figures" was named one of the top ten movies in 2016. It roughly covers the story of three African-American women's' pivotal role at NASA with the United States Space Program. John Glenn's historical flight on February 20, 1962, almost had to be canceled when the IBM calculations had flaws. He specifically asked for Katherine Johnson to come in and correct the problem. Join us at the Fellowship Hall on March 23, at 7:00pm. Welcome to UU Orientation - This Sunday, March 24 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. Sessions run approximately an hour and a half. If you are interested in watching an introductory video regarding our faith, please view this YouTube video by Peter Bowden called Unitarian Universalism: You're Uni-What?. For more info or to register for Welcome to UU, contact: Laura McBride at 989.772.5512 or [email protected] Please let Laura know whether you will be attending via Zoom or in-person by the Friday prior to the orientation. Paint and Pizza! – Saturday, April 6 Once again, UUFCM will paint and have a banner hung in the Mt. Pleasant downtown area this year.  Please join us in a paint and pizza party on Saturday, April 6 at 2:30 in the Fellowship Hall to paint our banner.  Children and adults are welcome, but do wear paint clothes! See Norma Bailey ([email protected]) or Darlene Ritchie ([email protected]) for more information. 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! Setting Intentions - March/April This year, your Social Justice Coordinating Team (SJCT) is asking each of us individually to set an intention – and follow through! – to involve ourselves more and/or to learn more about our neighbors and issues.  This Sunday we are kicking off our third “season” for March and April, commemorating Women’s History Month and Earth Day/Environmental issues. As a team, we’ve researched books, children’s books, movies, organizations, podcasts, etc., about Women’s History and Earth Day/Environment so that you would have a variety of intentions to choose from – read a book, watch a movie, peruse a website, for example.  Our two pages of ideas are below, and we’ll have hard copies available on Sunday.   We encourage each of you to make an intention and then, preferably, make it public by writing it on our Intention Posters in the Fellowship Hall.  Throughout this “season,” we will hopefully be able to share what each of us is accomplishing to meet our intention!  Please join in our efforts! March 2024 - Women's History Month Resources April 2024 - Earth Day/Environmental Issues Resources Twelve Months to a More Climate Conscious You! - March 2024 February tool box point totals can be sent to Jodi Fisher at [email protected]. March's tool kit can be found here. • • • Community News • • • Poverty Simulation - Friday, April 5 CMU is holding a poverty simulation, dispelling common misunderstandings around the difficulties our impoverished families face while navigating everyday life. The hands-on interactive simulation will be held on Friday, April 5, 9:00am – 12:00pm in the French Auditorium in the EHS Building on campus. You can register with the QR code in the flyer. 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]) 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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