eNews for Thursday, October 14

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Keep up with all that’s going on at the UUFCM!

View this email in your browser eNews for Thursday, October 14 The rain barrel is put to bed for the season. A big thank you to Justin! Worship Matters We will gather online via Zoom and in-person this Sunday, October 17 to worship together with our minister Rev. Drew Frantz, who will present “The Wisdom of Finding the Mother Tree.” The Zoom call starts at 10:00 for social time, and the service starts at 10:30.   “Finding the Mother Tree” is the title of a book by Suzanne Simard, which explores how trees are connected biologically in symbiotic networks – and how this compares to human relationships. Scientifically, this is fascinating. Spiritually, this invites us to contemplate relationships and to lean into our connections. Zoom Invitation for Sunday, October 17 Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 402489218 One tap mobile +16468769923,,402489218# Phone - audio only +1 646 876 9923 If you happen to miss being in worship, the texts to previous sermon messages (and some of the readings as well) can be found in our website sermon archive. Upcoming Services October 24: United Nations Sunday October 31: Day of the Dead   Minister’s Column Read the Minister’s column at uufcm.org/andrew-frantz.  COVID Update We are continuing hybrid services (in person/Zoom) throughout the month of October. If you signed up for in-person services in October, you should have received an email indicating which two services you’ve been assigned to attend and how to switch if you need to. Contact Norma Bailey (baile1nj@cmich.edu) if you’re unsure.   Right now, small groups up to ten people can meet in person if they wish, or continue meeting on Zoom – or do a mixture. This includes all of our committees and the Board itself. We will do our best to publish how meetings are going to be held, and please check with the leader of each meeting if you're not sure. While the Board of Trustees has approved policies for Fellowship gatherings as we seek to reconnect in person safely, please be aware that the situation is fluid. We are monitoring the situation frequently, so stay tuned for updates. 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. - Sunday worship - Welcome to UU Orientation - last Sundays at 12:30pm - UUFCM Men’s Group - 1st Mondays at 7pm - Central Michigan Sangha - Tuesdays at 6:45pm - UU Discussion Group - Wednesdays at 10am at UUFCM - Adult RE Series on Retirement - Wednesdays in October at 7pm - Choir Rehearsal - Wednesdays at 7pm - Soulful Sundown - 1st Thursdays at 7pm - Women’s Circle - 4th Thursdays at 7pm - Coffee House Open Mic - 1st Fridays at 7pm Team Meetings Worship Team - Friday, October 15 at 7pm Youth RE Team - Sunday, October 17 at 7pm 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. If you are interested in helping any of these teams or committees, please fill out the Volunteer Opportunity Form 2021-2022 if you haven’t already. Special Offering Collection - October 17 This Sunday a collection will be taken to supplement the minister’s discretionary fund which is used to respond to requests from people in the community who might need gas money, money to pay an electric bill, a night in a hotel, etc. You can donate online to this fund at our website or checks can be made out to UUFCM with “Discretionary Fund” indicated in the memo line, and sent to UUFCM Treasurer, P.O. Box 41, Mt. Pleasant, MI, 48804-0041. Fellowship Life Meeting - Sunday, October 17 On the third Sunday of every month – immediately following our worship service – the UUFCM Board holds a brief Fellowship Life meeting to update the congregation on current happenings, plans and/or concerns within the congregation. The intention is for the meetings to be kept brief; the hope is for extended conversation to take place following the meeting during the coffee hour time. Please plan to attend. There will be a COVID update, and we are announcing our Congregational Harvest Home Meals. Adult Religious Education (RE) Offering Announced In 2020, the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), our national organization, published “Widening the Circle of Concern: Report of the UUA Commission on Institutional Change” analyzing structural and systemic racism and white supremacy culture within Unitarian Universalism and making recommendations to advance long-term cultural and institutional change.   In 2021, the Fifth Principle Project, a grassroots initiative of Unitarian Universalists who want to reinvigorate the right of conscience and renew the democratic process in the governing of the denomination, published “Used to Be UU:  The Systemic Attack on UU Liberalism – What You Need to Know and What You Need to Do,” contending that the UUA leadership has lost touch with the spirit of its mission to serve the member congregations of the Association and is no longer listening to the voices of everyday UUs.   Both of these books, directly and indirectly, speak to the proposal to have an eighth principle and to re-examine the current seven principles.    Since our congregation will have our annual congregational retreat in January to discuss, and ultimately vote to either approve or not approve an eighth principle for our congregational vote at the next General Assembly, we would like to propose an Adult RE offering which would involve participants reading both of these books independently and then meeting once, at most twice, to share responses to the ideas. This would afford more of us to be knowledgeable to better discuss the question of the eighth principle at the retreat.   If you are interested in participating in this offering, please contact Stacey Pattison (patti1s@cmich.edu) by Sunday, October 24, so that we can order the books right away, giving time to read and with the intent of having the conversation in November (just before Thanksgiving) or the first week of December, at a time agreed upon by participants. The cost of the books is $16.00 and $12.50 respectively, shipping to be paid by UUFCM, with scholarships available for those congregants for whom this could be a financial burden. If you prefer not to buy the books but are interested in listening to the discussion, you are welcome to join us when we meet. Welcome to UU Orientation - Sunday, October 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 usually on the last Sunday at 12:30 pm. Due to Halloween and a personal commitment, our end of the month welcome class will be Oct. 24th! 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: 989.772.5512 Lmcbride010@gmail.com UUFCM Flower Connection This is the time of year when we start cleaning up our gardens, removing wilted and half-dead flowers and the ever-present weeds. Instead of throwing them all out, could you cut off the seed heads of perennial flowers and save the seeds in bags labeled with the names of the flowers? Get them to Gisela by December so that we can share them in the spring and make our connections with one another visible in our gardens.  Social Justice News: Voting Rights Information on Voter Suppression Ballot Initiative Secure MI Vote submitted an initiative petition, a proposed law, to the State Board of Canvassers, which approved the summary’s wording of it. Signature gathering may have commenced on Oct. 1. The initiative would suppress voting insofar as it: mandates that people disclose partial Social Security numbers when registering to vote. restricts options for registered voters to verify their identity. Acceptable forms of photo ID would include a driver’s license, state ID card, passport, military ID, tribal ID, or student ID issued by a university, junior college, or community college. requires voters applying for an absentee ballot to include their driver’s license or state ID number, along with the last four digits of their Social Security number, on their application. prohibits election officials from sending or providing absentee applications unless asked. spends $3 million providing free photo identification. bans charitable contributions, including volunteer time, to help administer elections. allows the Legislature to adopt the law without a vote of the people and block a peoples’ referendum vote after adoption. Protect voters’ rights! Decline to sign! React to the Redistricting Maps in October The Michigan Independent Redistricting Commission (MICRC) needs your input about its draft maps in October—this is the month when the MICRC can still tweak its maps. By November, the public will only be able to urge the MICRC to use one or another entire set of maps, that is Set A or Set B for State House districts, for example. 9/30-10/1 - MICRC will vote on DRAFT maps. 10/4 - Draft maps available 10/18-10/26 - Public hearings, including 10/18 in Grand Rapids, Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, 1-3:30 & 5-8pm. Other hearings: 10/20 in Detroit, 10/21 in Lansing, 10/25 in Gaylord, 10/26 in Flint. All 1-3:30 and 5-8pm. One may testify at a hearing in person or virtually, and provide input at any time via the MICRC’s portal. 11/5 - MICRC will vote on proposed maps. (Public may comment for 45 days but only yes or no for an entire set of maps.) 12/30 - First date MICRC may vote on final maps. How to Help Maintain Democracy One of the easiest things you can do is sign up for Voters Not Politicians’ “Dial for Democracy” action. They alert you when legislative action is going to occur in Lansing and give you talking points and the link to send your message. Super easy – it takes ten minutes to complete – and it makes a difference! • • • Community News • • • Smithsonian Voting Rights Exhibit at Veterans Memorial Library October 9 - November 17, 2021. Hours vary. Voices and Votes is based on a major exhibition currently on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. This Museum on Main Street adaption will have many of the same dynamic features: historical and contemporary photos: educational and archival video; engaging multimedia interactives with short games and additional footage, photos, and information; and historical objects like campaign souvenirs, voters memorabilia, and protest material. Find more information about the traveling exhibition here. WCMU is hosting two film screening events – you are invited! We hope to see you at our free exclusive film screenings and panel discussions. Tuesday, October 26th at 6 p.m. at the CMU Park Library Auditorium WCMU Public Media, in partnership with the Chippewa River District Library, will be hosting an in-person film screening and panel discussion of the PBS film, “American Creed.”  Learn what it means to be American from different points of view and investigate the idea of a unifying American creed. We will also take a look into our own visions of America’s promise across deepening divides.   Space is limited; reserve your spot at https://bit.ly/AmericanCreedWCMU. Monday, November 8th at 7pm We invite you to a virtual exclusive screening and conversation of the new PBS series, “American Veteran,” a four-part documentary series tracing the veteran experience across the arc of American history and exploring the present-day divide between civilian and veteran communities. From the citizen-soldiers returning from the Revolution to today’s warrior class, it is a deeply moving story, illuminating the veteran experience and drawing civilian viewers into an unfamiliar culture. To learn more about the series, visit PBS.org/AmericanVeteran.   To RSVP, please visit bit.ly/AmericanVeteranRegistration 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   Together We Grow! 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 admin@uufcm.org. Drew's Office Hours and Contact Information Please contact Drew via email, phone, or text. minister@uufcm.org  Phone/text: 440-935-0129 UUFCM Board of Trustees for 2021-2022 President: Norma Bailey (989.560.3952; baile1nj@cmich.edu) Past-President: Guy Newland (989.944.0534; newla1gm@cmich.edu) President Elect: Stacey Pattison (989.330.1832; patti1s@cmich.edu) Treasurer: Terrie Robbie (989.400.2495; tlrobbie1@gmail.com) Secretary: Elaine Emerick (989.621.6063; ebundy84@gmail.com) Trustee: Jennifer Davis (989.280.7010; jenmarsh40@gmail.com) Trustee: Cynthia Damer (989.506.5750; ckdamer@gmail.com) Trustee: Jodi Fisher (989.560.5135; jbfisher121@gmail.com) Team and Committee Leaders Building, Grounds & Safety Team - Norma Bailey Communications Team - Sally Armstrong Fellowship Life Coordinating Team - Gisela Moffit   Membership - Laura McBride   Arms Around - Gisela Moffit   Welcome & Hospitality - Gisela Moffit   Social Fun - Jen Prout Social Justice Coordinating Team - Norma Bailey Youth Religious Education (RE) Team - Jenny Kennedy Worship Team - Drew Frantz Adult Religious Education committee - Joyce Henricks Coronavirus task force - Drew Frantz   We are a religious community guided by love, transforming our lives and our world. Copyright © 2021 Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Michigan. All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.