eNews for Thursday, September 14

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View this email in your browser eNews for Thursday, September 14  Worship Matters We will gather online via Zoom and in person this Sunday, September 17, to worship together with Rev. Drew Frantz, who will present "Honoring Rosh Hashanah." The Zoom call starts at 10:00am for social time, and the service starts at 10:30am. "The Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah is the new year, and the beginning of the Days of Awe that culminates a week later with Yom Kippur. As Unitarian Universalists–Jewish or not–we seek to be informed about a broad spectrum of religious practices and to benefit from their wisdom. Thus we will reflect this Sunday about the practices of repentance and forgiveness that are at the heart of Rosh Hashanah–and crucial to every human being. For what transgressions do you need to seek forgiveness? All are welcome." 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 September 17: Honoring Rosh Hashanah September 24: Howard Thurman October 1: Clinging to the Streambed October 8: Indigenous People's Day If you happen to miss being in worship, please check out our website sermon archive for sermon video and/or text. Minister’s Column This is a time of new beginnings for those on an academic schedule, as well as for the calendar and the rhythm of this religious institution called UUFCM. This is also a time of new beginnings for Jews everywhere, with the new year holiday of Rosh Hashanah this week.  I want to reflect for a moment on new beginnings and goals for the year ahead–institutionally and personally. Read more 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. - Welcome to UU Orientation - Last Sundays at 12:30pm - 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 (September Date Change - September 16) 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 Fellowship Life Meeting - Sunday, September 17 at 11:45am Youth RE Team - Sunday, September 17 at 6:00pm Adult RE Team - Monday, September 18 at 7:00pm If you are interested in helping any of these teams or committees, please fill out the Volunteer Opportunity Form if you haven’t already. Worship Associates Workshop and Training - September 30 …for anyone interested in this role and for established worship associates Saturday, September 30 10:00 am - 12:00 noon Would you like to be part of leading worship services? If you enjoy the feeling of being in worship, and would like to help create that experience, this workshop is for you. Goals include: Increasing your confidence and skill in public speaking Becoming more comfortable holding sacred space  Reflecting on what makes worship great and what detracts from worship Finding your comfort level in leading readings, chalice lightings, and more Experienced worship associates are invited to deepen your practice and to mentor others; brand new people who have never been in front of the congregation are welcome to explore what being a worship associate feels like.  Coffee and snacks are provided. Let Rev. Drew know if you are coming, or just show up spontaneously. Special Plate Collection - This Sunday, September 17 The October Special Plate Collection is for Clothing, INC, a nonprofit organization in Mt. Pleasant that provides free clothing to anyone in need.   You can donate online to the Social Justice Fund at our website or checks can be made out to UUFCM with “Clothing, INC” indicated in the memo line, and sent to UUFCM Treasurer, P.O. Box 41, Mt. Pleasant, MI, 48804-0041. Movie Night - This Saturday, September 16  Saturday, September 16 - 7:00pm Academy Award-winning director Francis Ford Coppola presents My Family (Mi Familia), a powerful, three-generation saga of the Sanchez family, as told by the oldest son.  From his father’s journey to California in the 1920s, to his brother’s tragic rebellion in the 1950s, to the stark realities of modern day, his family struggles to live the American dream. Come join us in the Fellowship Hall on Saturday, September 16, at 7:00 pm to view this generational epic. Game Night - September 18  Monday, September 18 - 7:00pm We meet on 3rd Mondays from 7-9pm in the UUFCM social hall and have fun with a variety of games decided by consensus. It is a great opportunity to learn new games and meet people with similar interests! Questions? Contact Jim Dealing at 989.772.0269. Social Justice – Setting Intentions!  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’ve divided the year into four “seasons”:           September, October, November – Hispanics (Hispanic Heritage Month) & Native Americans (Indigenous Peoples Day) January, February – Black/African American (Martin Luther King Jr. Day & Black History Month) March, April - Women (Women’s History Month) & Environment (Earth Day) June, July – LGBTQ+ (Pride) & Native Americans (summer powwow) We’ve just kicked off our first “season” at the worship service on September 10. As a team, we’ve researched books, children’s books, movies, organizations, podcasts, etc., about Hispanics (Hispanic Heritage Month) & Native Americans (Indigenous Peoples Day) 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 add more as events come up with the various months.   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! 2023 Hispanic Heritage Month Materials 2023 Indigenous People Day Materials Save the Date for Outdoor Cleanup – October 21 Saturday, October 21 - 10:00am-12:00pm We’re planning to trim the evergreen bushes, clip off the dead lilac flowers, bring in the hoses, empty the rain barrel, pick up sticks, rake, weed, etc. Please come and help out as many hands make the work much lighter! Bring your yard tools if possible. Or if you want to tackle one of these tasks on a different day, contact Norma Bailey ([email protected]) and she will get you situated! Harvest Feast - October 22 Sunday, October 22 - after the service. Our Harvest Feast will be on Sunday, October 22 after the service (setting up on Saturday from 3 - 5:00pm) This is a new date!  More information to follow. When is Your Birthday? We noticed that we don't have the birthdays of several adults and children on our birthday calendar. Can you help us bring it up to date? Please check the calendar to see if you and your children are listed. If you want to add your birthdays, please send them to Gisela by Sunday, September 17th. Then we can sing to you on the First Friday Potluck of your month. Small Group Starting in September Monthly meeting based on themes from Soul Matters As announced from the pulpit last Sunday, Rev. Drew will be leading a monthly small group starting in September. The small group will meet for two hours toward the end of the month. At the beginning of the month, participants will get a packet of activities and questions related to the monthly theme. These themes are published by a UU group called Soul Matters and are the same themes that we often follow in Sunday worship and in the children’s classes. For example, the theme for September is “Welcome” and some of the questions that the small group will consider include: Who welcomed you in when you needed it most? How has that gift changed you? What would you say to the person if you had the chance? What would you tell someone younger than yourself about welcoming in grief? Have you ever welcomed in a moment so fully that you suddenly felt one with it?  What part of you do you wish your family of origin would have welcomed more enthusiastically? Do you know what it’s like to encounter a welcome that requires you to remove parts of yourself to belong?  What part of yourself is hardest to welcome in and embrace with compassion: Your vulnerable self? Your flawed self? Your easily frightened self? Your angry self? If you’re interested in joining the small group…. Download the Soul Matters small group packet for September here. It is 11 pages and contains all the activities and questions for the month. Let Rev. Drew know that you are interested and what times of the week are good for you–the meeting time will be decided based upon who is attending. Youth RE Program This Fall   While we are searching for  a Director of Religious Education, our Youth RE program for this fall will be a combination of childcare and planned activity and/or craft for our children from preschool through grade 5. Every first and third Sunday starting September 17, Katherine Stillson, supported by Jolie Damer-Daigle, will plan an activity and/or craft either related to the monthly church theme or to a holiday.  The other Sundays Katherine and Jolie will provide childcare. Chris Bailey's Memorial Service - September 23 Chris Bailey's Memorial Service will be Saturday, September 23 at 2pm at the Fellowship. After the service, everyone is invited to Cops and Donuts in Mt. Pleasant for snacks and sandwiches.  We hold his wife, Nancy, and everyone who loves Chris in support and love. His full obituary can be found at Clark Funeral Home. UUFCM is Hiring! UUFCM is looking to hire a new Director of Religious Education. If you know anyone interested and qualified, please encourage them to apply, as the best employees sometimes are recruited by word of mouth. UUFCM policy states that we usually do not hire members of the congregation to be employees. Applications and inquiries should go to Rev. Drew. The job posting is here and on our website: Job posting for Director of Religious Education (6-10 hours per week) • • • Community News • • • Hispanic Heritage Month – Starts September 15 The Multicultural Academic Student Services at Central Michigan University invites all community members to its many events celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 – October 13. Volunteers Needed! Open House - September 15 The agencies housed in the Non-Profit Strickler Center, 1114 W. High Street, are hosting an open house for potential volunteers on Friday, September 15, 10am-11am.  Come learn about the Care Store, Clothing, INC, and Community Compassion Network and the part you could play in helping in our community! “The New Reproductive Justice Health Act” Zoom Event - September 16 MUUSJN (Michigan UU Social Justice Network) is co-sponsoring a Zoom event called "The New Reproductive Justice Health Act" at 10:00am Saturday, September 16. The guest speaker will be Rep. Laurie Pohutsky, the Michigan House Speaker Pro Tempore, who's playing a leadership role crafting and introducing a package of bills to remove old laws that restrict access to abortions in Michigan. Let Peace Reign! - September 23 Save the Date! On September 23, 2023, Isabella County Human Rights Committee will be doing its annual "Let Peace Reign" event. The event starts at approximately 3pm and will last until approximately 6pm. There are going to be a few local artists, musicians, speakers, a drum band, a Peace walk, and other various activities. Come out to Island Park Performance Arts Pavilion and enjoy an afternoon of peace and harmony! 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. “Deepening Connections” 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: Kevin Daum (989.546.7701; [email protected]) Team and Committee Leaders Adult Religious Education Team - Jodi Fisher Building, Grounds & Safety Team - Norma Bailey Communications Coordinating Team - Amy Voege 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 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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