eNews for Thursday, September 5

Keep up with all that’s happening at the UUFCM!

View this email in your browser eNews for Thursday, September 5 Worship Matters We will gather online via Zoom and in person this Sunday, September 8, to worship with with Rev. Drew Frantz, who will present "Accepting the Invitation." The Zoom call starts at 10:00am for social time, and the service starts at 10:30am.   "September is the month of Invitation. What is life calling you to do? How are you being invited to change and grow? Nature is calling you to explore and come alive; a group is inviting you to play and to learn; a movement is inviting you to be part of it. To accept the invitation requires courage and imagination." 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 15 - Offering the Invitation September 22 - Banned Books 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 This week I had some long overdue repairs done in my house. I knew there was a rotten board just under the siding by the porch. As they pulled back more of the siding, more and more rotten wood was revealed: water had been getting behind the siding for years evidently and damaging layers of the wall. A one-day project turned into two and a half days: it felt like they were tearing off and replacing a whole corner of the house. Luckily the work is done now, and should be sturdier and drier than before. 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 Fridays at 10:30am (starting September 20) First Friday Potluck - First Fridays at 6:30pm Game Night - 3rd Mondays at 7pm Movie Night - 4th Saturdays at 7pm Soul Matters Discussion Group - 4th Thursdays at 6:30pm (Sept-Jun) UU Discussion Group - Wednesdays at 10am UUFCM Men’s Group - 1st Mondays at 7pm on Zoom UUFCM Women's Circle - 3rd Thursdays at 7pm Welcome to UU Orientation - Last Sundays at 12pm 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 Board of Trustees - Sunday, September 8, at 1:00pm Building Team - Monday, September 9, at 6:00pm Social Justice - Monday, September 9, at 7:00pm First Friday Potluck – This Friday, September 6 Please join us in the UUFCM Fellowship Hall at 6:30pm (doors open at 6:15) for food, conversation, and games! Coffee, hot tea, and water will be provided. If you are able, please bring a dish to pass. Come Join Us in Writing Letters! Come join us in our letter-writing campaign to citizens in underrepresented populations in Michigan encouraging them to vote in this important election!  Your Social Justice Coordinating Team provides materials; all you need to do is write a brief statement about why you vote!  Come help any (see schedule here): Tuesday at 1pm Wednesday at 3pm Thursday at 6:30pm Saturday at 11am We’ve already completed 300!  450 more to go!  Join us! Screening of Movie “Bad Faith” - Friday, September 13 You all are invited to a screening on Friday, September 13,  of the documentary "Bad Faith: Christian Nationalism's Unholy War on Democracy." The documentary discusses how Christian nationalism became a dominant political force in our society, closely associated with Project 2025. Your Social Justice Coordinating Team is co-sponsoring this screening with the Mount Pleasant Area Diversity Group.   The screening of "Bad Faith" is on Friday, September 13, at 6:30 pm in the Library Annex. Please see the flyer below for additional information. Hospitality Training Session - Saturday, September 14 Are you looking to participate more in our faith community but have limited time? The Hospitality Team is a great place to start! There are no meetings to attend—just a commitment on Sundays to be among the first to welcome our visitors, friends, and members. Interested in learning more about becoming a greeter, pre-service host, post-service host, or refreshment provider? Join us for a training session on Saturday, September 14, from 10:00am-11:30am at the church. Please let Gisela know or sign up here so we can plan accordingly. Soul Matters Small Group Returning "Invitation" Thursday September 26 at 6:30pm Every month from September through June we explore a different theme provided by Soul Matters. In September the theme is Invitation. Participants in the small group can download the packet here which contains spiritual practices, songs, quotations, questions and more related to the theme. When the group meets (on the fourth Thursday of the month, facilitated by Rev. Drew), everyone is encouraged to share which parts of the packet they explored and engaged with. All are welcome! Please let Rev. Drew know if you are coming or if you have any questions. Michigan UUs Unite: Fifty for Justice! UUs are known to be justice-seeking people. It takes many of us working together to achieve the goal of freedom and equity for all. The Michigan UU Social Justice Network (MUUSJN) leverages expertise and resources to support this work for member congregations and fellowships across our state and gives UUs a larger voice among partners, allies, and justice-makers. Become a supporting member today and help foster this collaboration. We need 50 of you (or more!) to reach our new member goal. Go to uujustice.org; click “Become a Member” and make a donation today. • • • Community News • • • Meet the Candidates! Thursday, September 26  The Mt. Pleasant Area League of Women Voters and the Mt. Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce invite everyone to a Meet the Candidates! Night on Thursday, September 26, 6:30-8:00pm at the Commission on Aging on Lincoln Road. You’ll have a chance to meet multiple candidates from both parties to learn more about their platforms and visions for our community. Michigan Needs Poll Workers for November Can you help? Get trained, get paid, and help your community by serving as an election worker in Michigan! Sign up or recruit more poll workers by sharing the need with your community. Over 15,000 Michiganders have already signed up! Join the team today by signing up here. UU Fellowship of Midland's CUUPs Upcoming Events UU Fellowship of Midland's CUUPs leader, Scott Malusi, has invited UUFCM to upcoming CUUPs events. For questions on these events, or anything Midland CUUPs related, please contact Scott Malusi at [email protected]. Come join the fun and BUILD COMMUNITY with us. Spiritual Swap and Autumnal Equinox Celebration UU Fellowship of Midland Grounds Sunday September 22, 12:00-2:00 PM CUUPs is hosting their annual sharing and swap- expanded this year to celebrate inclusion and the change of season. Please bring anything that no longer serves you to give away/swap/or sell. Some examples: books, herbs, stones/crystals, card decks, meditation or magical tools, nature items, artistic creations, extra produce from your harvest…or anything you wish to share that has or supports meaning in your life (spiritual, secular or otherwise). We will also celebrate the equinox with some autumn themed crafts to do (fun for kids and adults). Bring a table on which to place your items (we will have extra, if needed) and a chair or blanket to sit. 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. 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 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. Copyright © 2024 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.