eNews for Thursday, May 8

Keep up with what's happening at UUFCM!

View this email in your browser eNews for Thursday, May 8 Our Youth RE Artists Create at For Arts Sake! Friday evening, May 2, several of our RE youth attended a special event for them at For Arts Sake to create textured art canvases. They first drew their design, then mixed water, glue, paint and shredded paper, before using art tweezers to bring their design to life. Use your imagination to figure out what the young ones created! We topped the evening off with apple juice and cookies from Jennifer Davis.     Worship Matters We will gather online via Zoom and in person this Sunday, May 11, to worship with Rev. Drew Frantz who will present "The Divine Feminine." The Zoom call starts at 10:00am for social time, and the service starts at 10:30am. "In honor of Mother’s Day we consider the female archetype of the Mother alongside other female archetypes such as the Maiden and the Crone–all aspects of the divine feminine. Who provides you with the nurturing and protective energy of the Mother? How do you provide nurturing and protection to yourself and others?" 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 May 11 - The Divine Feminine May 18 - Imagination May 25 - Building Your Own Theology 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.    "Earth Centered Religion" - April 27, by Rev. Drew Frantz "Springtime Joy" - April 20,  by Rev. Drew Frantz "Joy in Times of Crisis" - April 13, by Rev. Drew Frantz In order to access any services 2024 on, go to the website and click on Worship, then Sunday Services.  Minister’s Column: "The John Glenn School" I spent the past weekend in Columbus, Ohio celebrating my son Dalin, who has completed a Master of Public Administration degree. I’m proud of him for persevering through challenges along the way; and I’m proud of him for his career choice in public service and government. 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 11am First Friday Potluck - First Fridays at 6:30pm Game Night - 3rd Mondays at 7pm Movie Night - 4th Saturdays at 7pm  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 - On hiatus until further notice 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 Worship Team - Thursday, May 8, at 6:30pm Board of Trustees - Saturday, May 10, at 1:00pm Seeking Congregation Feedback Regarding Proposed Sex Offender Policy - Due TONIGHT On Saturday, April 26, we held a town hall meeting to discuss the difficult topic of how to include in our congregation people who are on the sex offender registry. The question is: how can we balance the worth and dignity of the person on the registry with the safety of the congregation? If you didn't attend the town hall meeting, now is your chance to offer your feedback, thoughts, and concerns. Please let us know if you have something to say! Attached is the draft of the proposed policy that the Board of Trustees is considering (it has not been enacted yet because we wanted everyone's feedback). Also attached is an example of what's called a Limited Access Agreement. This shows that kind of restrictions and safeguards that might be placed on a registered sex offender's participation in UUFCM events. Finally, attached are three questions that we asked everyone at the town hall. You can share your responses here by the end of the day on Thursday, May 8. To offer feedback in person, please contact a member of the Safe Congregation Team by Thursday, May 8: Mary Alsager, Norma Bailey, Sierra Burke, Rev. Drew Frantz, Aaron Jones, Stacey Pattison, and Katie Zapoluch. Building Your Own Theology Class  - THIS Sunday, May 11 The final class, led by Jim Dealing and Rev. Drew, will be held this Sunday, May 11. Participants should receive a detailed email with the assignments. Please contact Jim or Drew with any questions.. UUFCM Annual Meeting - Sunday, May 18 The Annual Meeting of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Michigan (UUFCM), will be held on Sunday, May 18, 2025, right after the worship service. This meeting, while open to all members and friends, is the time when the members of the Fellowship will vote on the business of the Fellowship. Please plan on attending.  Evaluation of Shared Ministry This is your opportunity to share feedback to improve the congregation.   A team of four members plus the minister is undertaking a yearly review of the work the minister is doing and the work all of us are doing (shared ministry). We have identified these categories as the focus of our evaluation this year: Pastoral Care Worship (Sunday worship and special services) Religious Education: Youth and Adult Administration              A. Communication              B. Governance              C. Supervision of hourly and contract employees For each category, we are asking these overall questions:  What is the minister doing well in this category? How could the minister improve his work in this category? What is the congregation doing well in this category? How could the congregation improve its work in this category? We have identified members of the congregation who have particular insight into these categories and will be contacting them soon to ask more specific questions. If you would like to be interviewed regarding any of these categories, please contact one of the members of the evaluation team. Please let us know by May 26. Evaluation team: Annette Pratt, Norma Bailey, Sierra Burke, Laura McBride, Drew Frantz Stewardship Campaign 2025 Update Our stewardship campaign which began with our stewardship luncheon on Sunday, April 6, now has 60 pledges turned in! Our drive officially ended on Sunday, April 27, so we are making phone calls to several of you who are members and might yet wish to pledge.  If you have any questions, contact anyone on the Stewardship Committee - Norma Bailey, Cynthia Damer, Drew Frantz, Jim Moreno, and Daria Kingman. Statewide LGBTQ+ Advocacy Day Carpool - Wednesday, May 14 Kelly Lawson and Sierra Burke are planning on attending the Statewide LGBTQ+ Advocacy Day in Lansing on Wednesday, May 14. Please contact Kelly ([email protected]) or Sierra ([email protected]) to arrange for carpooling. See information in Community News. Save for This Year’s Garage Sale As you are doing any spring housecleaning and come across items you could donate, please hold on to them for the June 12, 13 and 14 sale. You’ll be able to bring your items over to Norma’s house (222 E. Andre Ave.) starting the first week of June. More information in two weeks! If you have questions, please contact Norma Bailey (989.560.3952; [email protected]). 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. • • • Community News • • • Your Presence and Action Are Needed! Now that the Sex Education Advisory Board of the Mt. Pleasant Public Schools has forwarded a recommendation to the school board by a narrow 6-5 vote, our presence and action are needed.  The recommended grades 4-6 curriculum “Puberty the Wonder Years” has been updated to include gender identity, and there is very likely significant opposition to the revised version. In order to show that there is community support for the updated curriculum, we who believe in the inclusion of all our students need to take action.   What can we do?  There is another public hearing required before the school board can vote to approve the curriculum. This second one will be held on Monday, May 19, 5:00-6:00 pm in the Mt. Pleasant High School Room 111 where you can view the curriculum materials, ask questions, and provide feedback to Linda Boyd, the Assistant Superintendent.  The next, and crucial, step is to attend the school board meeting on Monday, May 19, 6:30 pm in the Mt. Pleasant High School cafeteria, where you can give feedback, and the Board will take its first vote.  The final vote will be on Monday, June 16, also at 6:30 pm in the Mt. Pleasant High School cafeteria, and our presence is vital there, too.Our presence is important so that the Board sees that there is significant community support for the revised curriculum, not just those who may attend in opposition to the adoption of the curriculum. Simply attending these two school board meetings is important to show support, but if you feel comfortable, speaking up in favor of the curriculum (or writing a brief email/letter to the school board) is even better!  What might you say – at the Board meeting or in a written communication? If you reviewed the curriculum at the public hearing, you could comment about how you, as a community member (or parent), feel very comfortable with the material in the updated version.  You could state how you believe that complete and accurate information about human diversity is important for all our students. You might talk about how inclusive curriculum is important so that all our students can feel respected, safe and that they belong.  You decide what you would like to say; it doesn’t have to be long, just affirming and supportive.   Please pass this information on to others in your circle of family and friends who might also like to show their support with their presence and/or voice.   This is a lot of information so if you have questions, please feel free to contact Norma Bailey at 989-560-3952. Urge Congress: Save Public Media Public media is facing multiple serious threats. The White House proposed eliminating federal funding in its annual budget request, issued an Executive Order to block support for PBS and NPR, and plans to claw back funding approved by Congress. Federal funding ensures that local public radio and TV stations can continue to give access to essential educational, local, and cultural programming; trustworthy, in-depth news; and emergency and community-based services.  Our local PBS and NPR affiliate, WCMU Public Media, utilizes four television and eight radio stations to reach over 2 million people across 42 counties within Central and Northern Michigan. Community Service Grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting provide just over 19% of WCMU's annual budget. HOW WE CAN HELP: Please take a moment to visit https://protectmypublicmedia.org and tell Congress to reject the rescissions package and stop the dismantling of public media! PFLAG Meeting - June 1 In support of Pride Month 2025, St. John’s Episcopal Church will host an informational PFLAG meeting with chapter President Tom Brubaker, Sunday, June 1, at 11:30am in their parish hall on Washington. We are invited to attend for coffee and snacks, and we are asked to spread the word.   The Website for the Bay Area PFLAG chapter is https://www.pflagglb.com/ The Resistance Network Recently, the UUSC (Unitarian Universalist Service Committee) launched the Resistance Network—a mobilization hub designed to take immediate action when civil liberties, democracy, and human rights are at risk. The threats we face are vast, but history shows us that resistance works when we act together. The Resistance Network is an opportunity to live our values as Unitarian Universalists and take collective action.  Statewide LGBTQ+ Advocacy Day - Tuesday, May 14 Date: May 14, 2025 Location: Lansing Join Equality Michigan and the Michigan LGBTQ+ Commission on Wednesday, May 14, for Capitol Day in Lansing. This is your opportunity to speak face to face with lawmakers about the issues that matter most to our community - from healthcare access to safety and equality for all. This is our most important Capitol Day yet. Our elected officials need to hear from you. They need to know that protecting trans people from dangerous political attacks is imperative, and we will not back down.    Every voice must be heard, and LGBTQ+ people from every district across Michigan must be represented. Click here to sign up now. 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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