eNews for Thursday, October 15

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

View this email in your browser eNews for Thursday, October 15 Let’s remember the beauty of the world! Worship Matters We will gather online via Zoom this Sunday, October 18 to worship together with Rev. Drew Frantz, who will present “Faith and Action: Voting Rights,” together with Gisela Moffit, Norma Bailey, and David Wagstaff. The Zoom call starts at 10:00 for social time, and the service starts at 10:30.   “As a faith, Unitarian Universalism affirms the use of the democratic process. Voting rights is a social justice priority for our Fellowship. We will share some of our take-aways from General Assembly in June, where ‘UU the Vote’ was a prominent topic.”  Zoom Invitation for Sunday, October 18 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 25: Deep Listening November 1: Day of the Dead   Minister’s Column Read the Minister’s column at uufcm.org/andrew-frantz. UU Fellowship of Midland Celebrates New Minister Saturday, October 17, 2:00 p.m. Our sibling congregation, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Midland, celebrates a milestone on Saturday. They will ordain and install their minister, Eric Severson, who has been serving them since August 2019. In the UU tradition, ordination is a blessing that can only be bestowed on a minister by a congregation. Eric will become Reverend Eric as a result of this ordination. “Installation” is the quirky term used by UUs for the ceremony that welcomes a minister on a permanent or “settled” basis. Rev. Eric will be installed as UUFoM’s settled minister, representing a long-term commitment of the minister to the congregation and the congregation to the minister. Eric and the congregation would be delighted to have us attend this Zoom ceremony. Upcoming Events - with Zoom Links Click the link to join in! - Sunday worship - RE Lesson & Kids’s Coffee Hour - Sundays at 10:45am - Welcome to UU Orientation - last Sundays at 12:30pm - Choir Rehearsal - Sundays at 7pm - “Good Trouble” Discussion - Monday, October 19 at 7:30pm - UU discussion group - Wednesdays at 10am  - Check-In Circle with Drew - Wednesdays at 4pm - Game Night - Wednesdays at 7pm - Soulful Sundown - 1st Thursdays at 7pm - Women’s Circle - 4th Thursdays at 7pm - Coffee House Open Mic - 1st Fridays at 7pm - Path to Membership Workshop - Saturday, October 17 at 1pm Event links can also be found on the UUFCM Calendar. Team Meetings - with Zoom Links Click the link to join in! 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. Links for the various team meetings will be posted in the eNews and on the UUFCM calendar. If you are interested in helping any of these teams or committees, please fill out the Volunteer Opportunity Form 2020-2021 if you haven’t already. - Voting Rights - October 21 at 4:30pm - Religious Education (RE) Team - October 23 at 4pm Meeting links can also be found on the UUFCM Calendar. Path to Membership Workshop - October 17 at 1pm This workshop is designed for those who want to understand the membership commitment to UUFCM. In this one and a half hour interactive session, we explore the deeper meanings and expectations of membership and shared ministry. Please contact Laura McBride (989.772.5512 or Lmcbride010@gmail.com) by Friday, October 16 if you will attend so we may plan accordingly. Join us via Zoom. Special Offering Collection - Sunday, October 18 This Sunday, a special plate collection will be taken to supplement the minister’s discretionary fund. Our minister is often contacted by people in the community who might need gas money, money to pay an electric bill, a night in a hotel, etc., and he uses his discretionary fund to provide this. While we have a line item in our budget, it does not suffice for the needs like this in the community, especially in the time of the coronavirus. You can donate online to this fund at our website or checks can be sent to our treasurer made out to UUFCM with “Discretionary Fund” indicated in the memo line. Fellowship Life Meeting - Sunday, October 18 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. The agenda includes the extension of COVID restrictions at UUFCM, the process of calling a settled minister, and an alternative to Harvest Feast. Please plan to attend. “Good Trouble” Film Series - October 19 The third film of our “Good Trouble” Film Series about the importance of voting rights is “John Lewis: Good Trouble” (~1 hour 36 minutes). It is available on Amazon Prime to rent. Watch the film sometime before Monday, October 19, then join us at 7:30pm on Monday for a facilitated discussion about the content of the film. The Zoom link to access the discussion is in the UUFCM calendar. We hope you will join us! Women’s Circle - October 22 We provide a safe and supportive place to explore womanhood and women’s history, discuss issues, get to know one another better, and have fun! We meet on 4th Thursdays at 7pm. Join us via Zoom! Religious Education (RE) News Children and families are invited to join us on Sunday, October 25 at 1 pm for an afternoon at Papa's Pumpkin Patch! In place of our regular Kids' Coffee Hour, we will get to pick pumpkins, enjoy some donuts and cider, and take pictures with the animals! The RE Program will cover a pumpkin for each child, as well as donuts and cider for everyone. Papa's is located at 3909 S Summerton Rd, Mt Pleasant, MI 48858, and we will meet outside the entrance. It is recommended that everyone wear layers and shoes that you don't mind getting a bit dirty (and as always, don't forget your masks!). If your family is planning on joining us at Papa's, please let Kendra know at re.uufcm@gmail.com. New Name and Guidelines for Our Facebook Group The Communications Committee is excited to announce changes to our fellowship’s Facebook Group. The group was created to enable dialogue, action, fellowship and support for members and friends. You can search for and join this private group using the new name, UUFCM Connections. In addition to information posted by the administrator, all members of the group are invited to post comments, photos, and links that would be of interest to all. A good rule of thumb would be to consider UUFCM Connections as a virtual coffee hour. Anything you would feel comfortable sharing during coffee hour would probably be appropriate here. If in doubt about what to post, remember our mission, our covenant, and see the additional rules listed in the group. Applause! While we cannot endorse candidates for office, we would like to applaud these members and friends of our Fellowship who are running for office in the November 3 election: Jim Moreno – County Commission Jessica Jernigan – Mt. Pleasant School Board Julia Becker – Union Township Treasurer Bob Busch – County Drain Commissioner Voting Rights News Locating the Drop Box for Your Absentee Ballot Find absentee ballot dropboxes in Isabella County. Make sure you deposit your ballot in the dropbox that matches where you are registered to vote.   Early In-Person Absentee Voting To avoid long lines voting on November 3, early in-person absentee voting is available at your clerk’s office from Monday, September 28 until Monday, November 2, 2020 at 4 p.m. You don’t even have to request an absentee ballot ahead of time. You can go to your clerk’s office, request the absentee ballot application, fill it out, hand it in, receive your absentee ballot, fill it out, and hand it in, thus having voting in the 2020 general election. For your convenience, the City Clerk's office of Mt. Pleasant will also be open for in-person absentee voting on Saturday, October 31, 2020 from 8 am-4 pm. Check your clerk’s office for their weekend-ahead-of-November 3 in-person absentee voting hours at www.mi.gov/vote (click on the “My Clerk” tab, and enter your address to find information for your city/township clerk).   Mailing in Your Absentee Ballot If you are mailing in your absentee ballot, it is recommended that it be mailed no later than October 20 to assure its arrival before November 3. Also remember that it requires more than one stamp, either a 71¢ stamp or two 55¢ stamps.   Tracking Your Ballot If you are choosing to vote via an absentee ballot and mail it in, be sure to track your ballot – when your application was received, when your ballot was sent to you, and when your ballot was received at your clerk’s office. This tracking appears on your voter registration page (www.michigan.gov/vote). If you don’t see this information in a timely manner, be sure to call your clerk’s office to check. You can find your clerk’s office and phone number, also at www.michigan.gov/vote.   Candidate Forums The League of Women Voters Mt. Pleasant Area hosted and recorded virtual candidate forums for the Mt. Pleasant School Board (on September 16) and for the Mt. Pleasant City Commission (on September 17). Use these links to view each forum. Two Things You Can Do to Help with the Election 1. Engage in Phone and Text Banking - Tonight UU the Vote is asking UUs from around the country to join UUs and their partners in Michigan for a National Phone Bank on October 15 from 6:30-8:30 pm EST. This effort is focused on MI voters who are targeted for voter suppression. You can use any device: PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device. Register here!   2. One More Easy Way to Get Out the Vote Make a phone call to every adult niece, nephew, and grandchild you have across the United States and engage them in a conversation about voting. Have they registered? What’s their plan to vote? Do they know how to vote by absentee ballot? For those living in Michigan, see the this 2020 Voter Information Sheet for what they will need to know. For those living outside of Michigan, direct them to either https://www.campusvoteproject.org/state-student-voting-guides if they are a college/university student, or https://www.nbcnews.com/specials/plan-your-vote-state-by-state-guide-voting-by-mail-early-in-person-voting-election/index.html?cid=bc_npd_nn_ms_np-1_200816 if they are not, and help them make sense of the information. You can also share how your values help you make your decisions about your votes. Environmental Issues When the Earth Moves Film When the Earth Moves reclaims the authentic story and original vision of Earth Day as a bipartisan and socially just environmental movement and highlights the need for people across generations and on both sides of the political aisle to play an active part. It also calls attention to the urgent need for Americans to unite around a common goal and purpose. Learn how you can get involved: https://outrider.org/earthday Are You in Need of Assistance? At this time of social distancing, it is important that we keep in close contact via technology. Drew has encouraged you to reach out to him if you want to talk to him via email or phone/text (minister@uufcm.org; 440.935.0129). Please do so if you need emotional support or to share your concerns. If you are experiencing financial hardship, the minister's discretionary fund may be able to help. Please contact Drew for more information. Assistance from this fund is strictly confidential. For those of you who are shut in and can’t get groceries or your meds, let Gisela know (gbmoffit@gmail.com; 989.772.1602). We now have 6 volunteers who are willing to pick up your orders for you. Many thanks in advance to those willing to help out. • • • Community News • • • Hispanic Heritage Month September 15-October 15 The Multicultural Academic Student Services office at CMU invites the community to participate in the celebration of the Hispanic Heritage Month September 15 – October 15. See the events listing 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   Take all that you need; give all that you can! 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 2020-2021 President: Guy Newland (989.944.0534; president@uufcm.org) Past-President: Carol Rard (989.561.2969; carol4uufcm@gmail.com) President Elect: Norma Bailey (989.560.3952; baile1nj@cmich.edu) Treasurer: Terrie Robbie (989.400.2495; tlrobbie1@gmail.com) Co-Treasurer: Jen Prout (989.400.3130; poutyprouty66@yahoo.com) Secretary: Brigitte Bechtold (989.954.1123; becht1bh@cmich.edu) Trustee: Jennifer Davis (989.280.7010; jenmarsh40@gmail.com) Trustee: Aaron Jones (989.501.0672; jones3aj@cmich.edu) Trustee: Mel Bailey (989.600.6460; babycatching@gmail.com) Team and Committee Leaders Social Justice Coordinating Team - Norma Bailey Building, Grounds & Safety Team - Norma Bailey Environmental Issues committee - Daniel Davis Voting Rights committee - David Wagstaff Religious Education (RE) Team - Mel Bailey Coordinating Team - Gisela Moffit Worship Team - Drew Frantz Corona Virus task force - Drew Frantz Membership - Laura McBride Arms Around - Gisela Moffit Welcome & Hospitality - Gisela Moffit   We are a religious community guided by love, transforming our lives and our world. Copyright © 2020 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.