eNews for Thursday, March 28

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View this email in your browser eNews for Thursday, March 28 Worship Matters We will gather online via Zoom and in person this Sunday, March 31, to worship with Jessica Jernigan, who will present "The Women at the Tomb." The Zoom call starts at 10:00am for social time, and the service starts at 10:30am.   "Today is the holiest day in the Christian calendar. Although each of the four gospels offers a slightly different account of the passion and resurrection, they all tell us that women were the last of Jesus’ followers at the cross, the earliest to arrive at Jesus’ tomb, and the first witnesses of the risen Christ. What can we, as Unitarian Universalists, learn from this piece of the Easter story?" 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 31 - The Women at the Tomb April 7 - Interdependence April 14 - Stewardship April 21 - Multigenerational Earth Day April 28 - Poetry Service March Religious Education Classes 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 Rev. Drew is on study leave until Sunday, March 31. The Minister's Column will resume next week.  Read previous columns 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 12:30pm - Next Orientation: April! - 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 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 Building Team - Monday, April 1 at 6:00pm If you are interested in helping any of these teams or committees, please fill out the Volunteer Opportunity Form if you haven’t already. Happy Birthday! In April, we celebrate the birthdays of Isla Heumann (Jensen), Jenny Main, Derrick Moore, Rick Messick, Chris Bauerle, Drew Frantz, Katie Fisher, Elaine Griffin, Kurt Roeder, Eliana Daum, and Brigitte Bechtold. For the year to come, we wish them much joy, good health for body and mind, and new (ad)ventures. May it be so. Stewardship Campaign Our stewardship campaign has begun! 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. If you have questions, contact anyone on the Stewardship Committee – Mary Alsager, Norma Bailey, Cynthia Damer,  Drew Frantz, Gisela Moffit, and Amy Voege. First Friday Potluck – Friday, April 5 Please join us in the UUFCM Fellowship Hall at 6:30pm (doors open at 6:15pm) for food, conversation, and games! Coffee, hot tea, and water will be provided. If you are able, please bring a dish to pass. 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 - 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.  We kicked 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 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 pages of ideas are below, and we have hard copies available.   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! April 2024 - Earth Day/Environmental Issues Resources Twelve Months to a More Climate Conscious You! - March 2024 This is the final week for March's tool kit. At the end of the month, February tool box point totals can be sent to Jodi Fisher at [email protected]. March's tool kit can be found here.  • • • Community News • • • 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. 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]) 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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